We haven't posted on the blog recently, but there is much to tell. Mostly, we've been planning, going back and forth with the architect, structural engineer, and contractor. This installment will cover our experience to-date dealing with the asbestos.Plans have started to firm up, such that we decided it made sense to proceed with the asbestos abatement and remove all of the dangerous material from our home.
In general, there are two ways to deal with, or "abate" asbestos: encapsulate it or remove it. Encapsulation is usually cheaper, but essentially just a deferment of cost. And sometimes that's not an option, such as for our ceilings. There was so much of it and it covered parts of the walls, so there wasn't a sensible design where it could just be covered up. Removal must be done by a specialist, following specific procedures to ensure no hazardous particles are left behind.
We first had to test parts of the home for areas of asbestos, which cost $360. It could have been done more cheaply, but that would have meant collecting the samples ourselves and mailing it to a lab.The tests took a few days and came back that the popcorn ceiling as well as ceiling tiles in the bathroom contained <1%. This was "good news" as a result of >1% would have meant more costly disposal. We got a quote from the removal company (of course, separate from the testing company) of $3171. That's actually much better than we expected; apparently a job this size two years ago would have cost northward of $6k, but abatement companies are hurting for jobs now.
We could have paid several hundred dollars more for further, more accurate testing to see if the asbestos content was <0.1%. This could theoretically save money because such a low toxicity level would mean it could be removed like any other material. But the abatement quote was actually lower than what our contractor said it would cost to remove it all "unsafely," so we decided to do things "right" and hire the abatement company.
Finally, after the asbestos was removed we needed to get the air quality tested to ensure there were no dangerous particles remaining. The abatement company guaranteed that if the tests didn't pass when they were done, they'd pay for and do whatever was necessary until the tests did pass. We appreciated that, though we still had to pay for the first post-abatement test, estimated at
Pictured here are the ceilings of the bathroom and living room, respectively, after the asbestos-y materials were removed. So far, total cost of the asbestos in our home: $4171. But the story doesn't end here.
