Without testing the home, learn to look for signs that the home you've been eyeing might have asbestos.
You’ve heard that it’s everywhere: in your child’s ancient school building. In your soffit. In your floor tiles, your wall joints, your ceiling, roof shingles, and insulation. But what should you look for? Is it necessary to get all areas of the home tested before making the purchase?
Keep in mind: If the house was built before 1980, you should suspect that it has asbestos.
It is a common misconception that extremely old homes do not contain asbestos. In fact, even homes built in the 1800s could have asbestos insulation around pipes, or they could have been renovated in the ‘50s when asbestos was all the rage. If your home was built before 1980, plan for the eventuality of having to deal with asbestos.
Now, you’re on high alert: your house was built before 1980, and you know you might be in trouble. Look for: pebble-like attic insulation, old vinyl flooring, popcorn ceilings, insulation that has a gold or brown glint to it (vermiculite), and know that asbestos could be hiding pretty much anywhere.
The best defense is not disturbing the offensive asbestos
It’s true: if you do not disturb asbestos and do not allow it to get into your air, you’re generally in pretty good shape. For example, many homeowners will floor over asbestos tile, and this is generally considered to be a safe practice, whereas removing the tile could cause it to flake, sending little bits of asbestos into your air. Similarly, painting over a textured wall in an old house that could contain asbestos should be fine, whereas stripping the wall before painting it could needlessly expose you to harmful fibers. When in doubt, go over it!
So I just won’t disturb my asbestos. Why did you bother writing an entire blog post about this, when the take-away is obvious?
The trouble begins when you realize that something behind the asbestos needs maintenance. For us, it was the electrical wiring (see the Electrical blog post for more information). The licensed, responsible electricians we hired refused to work on our house unless we got an asbestos test. We got the test, and it turned out that the wall joints had a joint compound that contained asbestos. Based on this test, the electricians had to assume that disturbing the walls or ceilings in any way could result in asbestos exposure. We were deeply disturbed. Not only had we been completely unaware of the asbestos risk in the house, but we were now facing the possibility of asbestos remediation just to fix some relatively straight-forward electrical issues. After some thought and collaboration with the electricians, they agreed to do most of the electrical work outside the wall, spraying the drywall with water when they absolutely had to drill small holes. This is apparently an approved method of performing home repairs and maintenance for many contractors, and I’d highly recommend speaking with your contractor about this option, should you ever find yourself in this sort of situation.
I’m a masochist, and I’ve decided to replace all the pipes in my home, even though I know I have asbestos.
Good for you. We all have our hobbies and passions, and if yours involves dealing with asbestos, we fully support you. Let’s look at the cost of this endeavor. If your home is about 2,000 square feet, you should expect just the drywall removal to run you over $20,000, but that cost can vary greatly based on local laws for asbestos disposal and permitting. Once all the old drywall is gone, you should expect it to cost at least $2,500 to replace all the drywall, plus the cost of new paint, backsplash, cabinet installation, baseboards, etc. Know that asbestos abatement is unlikely to be covered by either insurance or your home warranty.
Word to the wise: budget at least $25,000 if you are planning to remove all of your asbestos-infested drywall
”You should put me in everything from blankets to bottle warmers!” - Asbestos.