Asbestos removal cost
Do you know that exposure to damaged asbestos particles has several potential health risks, including respiratory diseases like lung disease? However, you don’t have to worry if there is damaged asbestos in your home because, in this article, you’ll learn the asbestos removal costs.
Asbestos removal costs vary, depending on the type of material, the volume of the asbestos, and where it is installed in your home. However, on averagely, asbestos removal cost in the cost in the UK is £50 per square metre. Asbestos encapsulation, on the other hand, starts from £8 per square metre, which includes materials and labour. To remove an asbestos roof from a single asbestos garage, you’ll spend at least £380.
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What Is Asbestos?
Asbestos is a natural mineral found in different parts of the world, including Brazil, China, and Russia, among others. Asbestos has been commonly used in residential and commercial buildings in the United Kingdom for many years. It found its common use between the mid-1800s and 1999 when the UK government banned it due to rising health concerns. Following this discovery, asbestos regulations was also adopted by other European countries.
There are different types of Asbestos, all containing thin and long fibrous crystals. Each of the Fibres fomosies of microscopic fibrils, which when released into the atmosphere and inhaled, could cause several ailments. Inhaling this microscopic fibril could cause lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma.
The common types of asbestos include:
- Chrysotile
- Amosite
- Tremolite
- Anthophyllite
- Crocidolite
- Actinolite
Chrysotile
This type of asbestos is grey or white and is commonly used in garages and buildings. In other words, it’s also called the white asbestos. Its strong, flexible structure also characterises it.
Amosite
Amosite asbestos are used in materials such as roofing products, cement sheets, fire protection, vinyl tiles, and insulation materials. It is also called “brown asbestos.” Exposure to this type of asbestos can cause cancer.
Tremolite
Tremolite is commonly used for loft insulation. It is also used as an additive for paint production and has a characteristic greyish appearance.
Anthophyllite
You can identify Anthophyllite by its grey, green, or white colour. It is a common additive in rubber and cement production. It is also used for roofing and other construction materials.
Crocidolite
Also known as the blue asbestos, this type of asbestos is used for high temperature applications. It is the rarest type of asbestos and has a characteristic blue colour. This blue asbestos also looks like textile materials.
Actinolite
This type of asbestos is used in cement production. It is also used in paints and sealant manufacturing. It comprises silicon and iron and could also be used for insulation and drywall.
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How Do I Know If My Home Has Asbestos?
There’s a high probability that your building has asbestos if it was constructed before 1999. Many people assume they can identify asbestos from their physical appearance. While their assumption might be right sometimes, it could be wrong often. Thus, if you’re unsure about whether your home has asbestos or not, you may order a home test kit.
You should get the kit for £30 and above, and it is often accompanied by a set of instructions and bags for sample collection. The money will also cover the laboratory testing. Since asbestos can release dangerous fibres, some kit firms may also offer personal protective equipment. This may include gloves, masks, disposable wipes, and coveralls. You can get such kits for £40.
However, if you’d like to stay away from the hazards posed by tampering with asbestos, you may hire a licensed professional to help with a quick asbestos survey. You may get a qualified surveyor for as low as £50 or as high as £200, depending on the size and age of your building.
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The asbestos survey can be categorised into three, namely:
- Management survey
- Re-inspection survey
- Demolition survey
Management survey
As the name sounds, a management survey is undertaken to confirm if asbestos is present in a building or not. If it is, duty holders can then take appropriate measures to manse the asbestos to prevent health problems. Thus, if you wish to know whether your building has asbestos or not and you’d like to manage it if its presence is confirmed, a management survey is for you.
Re-inspection surveys
These are also known as condition surveys. It is a type of asbestos survey performed regularly on asbestos-containing materials in a building. It is done to check the condition of the asbestos and whether or not they’ve started deteriorating and pose health hazards. If the asbestos materials are confirmed to be deteriorating, appropriate action would then be taken to get rid of the asbestos.
Demolition survey
If your building comprises asbestos and you are about to refurbish such a building, you need a demolition survey on the asbestos. For instance, you might want to remove your old roofing and replace with a new one, carrying out a demolition survey, in this case, will help to examine the asbestos in such area that would be affected by such action so that suitable measures could be taken before the demolition work.
Is It Important To Remove Asbestos?
Asbestos used to be commonly used for homes in the UK and other countries; however, in the 1990s, it was found that asbestos posed several potential health risks. This led the UK government to ban the production, sales, and installation of asbestos-related products.
As indicated earlier, when tampered with or when damaged, asbestos can release fibres into the atmosphere. Inhaling such particles could be hazardous and cause various health complications. Hence, it is important to remove asbestos to maintain a safer building free of asbestos-causing hazards.
The Process Of Asbestos Removal or Encapsulation
Considering the several health issues associated with having asbestos on one’s home, removing it is a good option from homes or other buildings where it is used. However, it is safer to let a professional help with the asbestos encapsulation process.
To encapsulate asbestos, the following processes are involved:
- Clear all work area and get rid of furniture and other personal belongs
- With the aid of thick polythene sheeting, the professional will cover the floors and walls to prevent the particles from sticking to them. They will also seal all openings, including doors and vents. If there’s an air pump system or fan in the building, you should turn them off, so the particles don’t fly around.
- For personal safety, the professional will wear PPE, including coveralls, respirators, boots, pure rice eye goggles, and rubber gloves.
- The intact asbestos materials will be mechanically covered with sheets, boards, or coatings using special adhesives like high build elastomeric coatings, water-based epoxy resins, and penetrating encapsulates. This will help trap the asbestos fibres.
- On some occasions, the asbestos professional may gently spray water over the asbestos. This will help dampen the asbestos and prevent its fibres from flying around and causing contamination.
- The removed asbestos will be double-wrapped in asbestos waste bags and labelled accordingly.
- After clearing the asbestos, the professional will decontaminate the area by wiping it with special hoovers. This will help to get rid of the remaining asbestos dust.
- They’ll then dispose of the asbestos waste and cleaning materials in the appropriate areas approved by the local council’s regulations.
- After taking away the asbestos, the professional will take a final sample to confirm that the removal area is free of contaminants.
Should I remove the asbestos myself?
Perhaps you’re considering doing the asbestos removal process yourself, maybe to save cost. You might have read several articles on it and watched a few YouTube videos, and you think it’s time to do it yourself. Such an asbestos project might seem easy reading and watching videos of how it’s done, but it is best to let a professional help you. The following are, therefore, the reasons why you shouldn’t remove your asbestos yourself:
- Health complications
- Accident
- Damage appliances
- Time and energy
Health complication
Recall, as indicated earlier, asbestos exposure could cause health complications. Since you are not a professional, you might not have the appropriate protective equipment or know how they should be properly used. This could expose you to the particles and result in health complications. Professionals, on the other hand, understand how well to handle the substances without being hurt. Thus, to avoid having health complications, it is safer to hire an expert.
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Accident
An accident could occur during the removal process. For instance, while removing asbestos in the roofing, you could step in the wrong place and fall off such high ground. This could result in a complicated Injury, such as fractured bone or muscle tear. You could hit your head on a hard surface and suffer brain damage or a fractured skull. Besides, it is possible to contact a naked electrical wire, resulting in electrocution mistakenly. Why put yourself at such grave risk when you can hire a professional to help.
Damage appliances
It is possible to tamper with your home appliances during the removal process. For instance, you could tamper with the plumbing pipes and damage them. This will incur additional costs for you. Thus, you may end up frustrated and eventually have to hire a professional to complete the project and a plumber to fix the pipes or to fix other damaged appliances.
Time and energy
You can invest the time you’d have spent removing asbestos in other productive ventures. You could read, relax, watch movies, exercise or do other productive activities you prefer. You might estimate the required time for the project and decide to do it yourself, only to be fatigued and spend more time on it in the long run. You can avoid such stress by hiring a professional for the project.
How to Find and Hire Asbestos Professionals
Although there are several asbestos professionals in the UK, not all are worthy of being patronised. Thus, it is important to know how to find a reliable one for your asbestos project. You may follow the steps below:
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Check the HSE’s list of asbestos license holders
You should search online for the HSE accredited asbestos license holders. There, you’ll find an extensive list of all the licensed companies in the UK. The list is often updated every week.
Check their customer reviews
Now that you’ve selected your choice companies, the next thing to do is to research how well they serve their customers. A good way to do this is to read their respective reviews. A reliable asbestos removal company should have a lot of positive reviews and maybe, a few negative or no negative reviews.
Seek referrals
Is there anyone in your neighbourhood or one of your friends or relatives that recently hired an asbestos contractor to have their asbestos removed? You shouldn’t hesitate to speak to them and ask about the firm they hired. How well was the service delivery? What were their costs? Will they recommend you patronise the company? These and some other essential questions are what you should ask to know whether to hire the firm.
Interview more than one company
Since there are several options from which you can choose, you should interview more than one asbestos removal company. Ask about their license and how long they’ve been in the asbestos removal business. Some other important questions to ask include:
- Are you licensed?
- What training and certificate do you have in asbestos removal?
- How much do you charge?
- How do you dispose of the collected asbestos waste
- How long will it take you to complete my project
How Much Does Asbestos Removal Cost Based On The Service?
Professionals charge differently for asbestos removal in different parts of the building. Thus, the roofing price varies from that of the fence and ceiling. Therefore, below is a price comparison of asbestos removal services in different parts of a building. Please note that the “>” sign indicates more than or above.
| Job Type | Job Costs |
| Basic survey | > £50 |
| Detailed survey | > £200 |
| Reboarding | > £400 |
| Encapsulation |
> £8/square metre
|
| Removal |
> £50/square metre
|
| Double garage roof removal | > £750 |
| Garage ceiling boards removal | > £1,350 |
| Single garage roof removal | > £380 |
A basic survey costs at least £50, while, on the other hand, getting an extensive survey covering your whole building will cost you at least £200.
After carrying out the survey, if you confirm that your home has asbestos, you may choose three options. The first option is to leave the asbestos untouched. You may opt for this option if the asbestos is healthy and not yet damaged, meaning it poses no health problem.
On the other hand, you may opt for asbestos encapsulation using the special protective adhesive mentioned earlier. Encapsulation often costs at least £8/square metre. The asbestos encapsulation process involves covering the asbestos with sheets, boards, or protective adhesives. This will prevent asbestos from releasing its harmful particles even when it loses its quality in the future. The coatings required for this purpose could be as low as £8 or as much as £15 per square metre.
However, you may also opt for the third option — asbestos removal. This is the best option in cases where the material has degraded and posed a health threat. The cost of removing asbestos starts from £50 per square metre, including labour and materials required.
As indicated earlier, the cost of asbestos removal depends on many factors, including:
- The location of the material to be removed
- How much there is to be removed
- Type of asbestos
- How long it has been installed
If you remove asbestos from a single garage roof, you’ll be charged at least £380 (excluding the sides). If the sides are included, you’ll be charged at least £680. For a double garage roof, it starts at £750 if the aides are excluded. If the sides also contain asbestos, you’ll have to pay more, totalling at least £1,800.
If, after checking the ceiling in your garage, it is found to contain asbestos insulating board (AIB), you’ll be charged at least £1,350 to get rid of the board.
After removing the asbestos, you may need to reboard and decorate large areas. For a basic reboarding, you may be required to spend at least £400. Price may also be as high as £1,000 if you’re working on a large surface.
How To Save Money On Asbestos Removal
The cost to remove asbestos is not cheap, and asbestos encapsulation isn’t cheap either. Thus, as a homeowner, you may be seeking a suitable way to cut your expenses and spend less on this service. The good news is that this is possible.
Firstly, some local councils offer asbestos collection programmes, where they collect asbestos for free or at a reduced price. You may find out to know if your local council provides such a programme. For instance, you may consider the following:
- Essex county council doesn’t charge for up to 40 kilograms of asbestos cement. Thus, they collect such quantities for free.
- Birmingham council can relieve you of six bags of asbestos cement and won’t charge you a dime.
- For York council, they collect as much as 200 kilograms of asbestos and only charge £105.
- Cardiff council will take a bag of asbestos waste without charging you for it
- For those in London boroughs, they can remove as much as seven rubble bags or 15 square metres of asbestos for free.
You may check if your local councils offer grants for asbestos removal purposes. To confirm this, you should reach out to your local authority for proper findings of such grants.
Getting multiple quotes is also one of the most neglected ways to get a cheap service. Reach out to multiple companies offering such services and request their respective quotes. You may then check which one provides a more affordable rate and won’t compromise quality.
FAQ
Which is better encapsulation or removing asbestos?
Both options are good, depending on the circumstances. If the asbestos is bad and poses health problems, removing it is better. However, if it is in good condition and doesn’t lose fibres easily, you may opt for encapsulation. Nevertheless, the overall best option is to remove it once and for all.
When was asbestos banned in the UK?
Asbestos was banned in the UK in 1999. Other European nations followed suit, banning the natural mineral in 2005.
How dangerous is asbestos?
Asbestos contains toxic microscopic fibres, which, when released into the atmosphere, can cause health deterioration. It could cause lung diseases like pleural thickening and asbestosis.
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Conclusion
Asbestos removal could be overwhelming and expensive. If your home was built before 1999, there are chances that it has asbestos. Having this mineral in your home could expose you to various health hazards; thus, to confirm its presence in your building, you should hire an expert for inspection.
If it is confirmed in your building and you need to get rid of it, you may contact your local councils to see if they can take it for free from you, or they offer grants to ease the financial burden. More so, removing asbestos yourself isn’t only stressful; it is also hazardous. Thus, it is safer to hire a professional to help with its encapsulation or removal process.
