We are planning to renovate our family house. It was built in the 1960s and needed to be modernized.
We will expand downstairs and completely renovate the rest of the house. This will involve rewiring, new floors, removing partition walls, replastering, installing spotlights on the ceiling, and of course repainting.
A friend of ours suggested that we conduct an asbestos survey before continuing, because due to the age, our home is likely to contain asbestos.
When we bought it, it was marked as possibly containing asbestos in our buyer's report, but it said that if we don't disturb asbestos, then it is not at risk.
At the time we didn't think we would renovate the house, but now we need extra space.
When asbestos-containing materials are disturbed or damaged, the fibers are released into the air. When these fibers are inhaled, they can cause serious diseases
After reading information about asbestos on the Internet, we now feel quite scared, because every corner and crevice of our property may contain this deadly dust.
Given the work we plan to carry out, I want to know where we are most likely to encounter asbestos and how dangerous it would be if disturbed.
Should we do a survey? How much does this usually cost, and how do we choose a reputable company?
If it finds that there is indeed asbestos, how much does it cost to remove it, can our family insurance cover it?
I am also worried that this will affect future house sales.
Answer by Ed Magnus of This is Money: Asbestos is a naturally occurring microscopic fiber that can cause serious damage to the lungs if inhaled.
From around 1930 to the mid-1980s, it was widely used as a building material, but according to the Health and Safety Executive, it can be found in any building constructed or renovated before 2000.
The British Lung Foundation estimates that when asbestos was used in the construction industry, approximately 14 million houses were built in the UK.
It can lie undetected for decades, so if it is likely to appear in your home, you should not underestimate the risk of renovation.
Before understanding the health effects of asbestos, asbestos-containing products have been used for various purposes-as a flame retardant, used in pipes, walls and roof insulation, or as a decorative coating sprayed on ceilings and walls.
It can be difficult to identify because it is often mixed with other materials, and its appearance can be deceptive.
Materials containing asbestos have little risk when placed alone, but they can be very dangerous if they are disturbed or damaged.
Fiber is released into the air and if inhaled can cause serious health conditions, including mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestos.
These may take years or even decades to develop, but once diagnosed, they can be fatal.
This figure shows all the places where asbestos-containing materials may be used in a typical home.
A-Asbestos cement water tank. B-Pipeline lagging. C-Loosely filled insulation. D-Textured decorative coating on the ceiling. E-Ceiling tiles. F- Bathtub panel. G-toilet seat and water tank H-behind the fuse box. I-Fume hoods and boilers with sprayed insulation coating. J-Partition wall. K-inner window panel. L-Around the boiler. M-Vinyl floor tiles. N-Behind the fire
According to HSE data, asbestos still causes the death of approximately 5,000 workers in the UK each year, and 20 businessmen die every week due to past contacts.
However, despite these terrible statistics, in most cases, short-term exposure to asbestos poses a very low risk to your health.
If you inhale a lot of asbestos fibers for a long time, you are more likely to develop asbestos-related diseases.
However, even if the risk is low for ordinary homeowners, if the dust fibers are not effectively removed after the decoration and the air is maintained in the house, disturbing the asbestos during the decoration may lead to long-term exposure.
Therefore, it is wise to be safe and arrange a professional asbestos survey, not only to minimize health problems, but also to give you peace of mind.
No one wants to live in a home where there may be some "lethal dust" particles floating.
Professionals in protective clothing remove asbestos cement roof liners.
Homeowners may choose between two types of asbestos surveys; management surveys or renovation surveys.
The management survey is a standard asbestos survey, which aims to determine the risk of asbestos in the building in its current state.
Refurbishment surveys should be used before any refurbishment and will assess where the work will be carried out.
It may involve more stringent inspections, requiring some potential asbestos interference before sampling.
According to the HSE, the area surveyed during the renovation survey must be vacated and proved "suitable for reoccupation" after the survey.
The cost will depend on the size of your property. According to the online directory Checkatrade, using a contractor on its website to investigate a two- or three-bedroom house will cost between £100 and £350.
It will cost more to remove. How much depends on the type of asbestos, the amount to be removed, location and current conditions.
According to Checkatrade, you should expect to pay about £50 per square meter to remove asbestos.
Or, if there is no risk of damage or interference in a certain area in the future, you can choose to surround it behind another structure.
If appropriate, this can save a lot of money.
In order to answer readers’ questions and other frequently asked questions about asbestos, we interviewed Mark Button, managing director of asbestos management company ARL Asbestos, Satish Patel, training manager of the Asbestos Removal Contractors Association, and Gary Bambury, head of safety and compliance in Asbestos Clearing companies AA Woods and Carol O'Leary, the heads of property transfers at the law firm Wright Hassall.
Satish Patel replied: Their friends are probably right. The UK is a major importer of asbestos from all over the world. This unprocessed asbestos is added to many products, such as floor tiles, riser boards, door heads, etc.
Asbestos fibers can cause lung disease
The United Kingdom only banned all asbestos products in 1999, so the property may contain asbestos.
Gary Bambury replied: Every corner and crevice of their property is extremely unlikely to contain asbestos.
If it exists, it is likely to be located in a place that has not been disturbed or sealed or covered by other materials for many years, so there is little or no risk.
If undisturbed and in good condition, asbestos is the best flame retardant material.
Satish Patel replied: Avoid contact with asbestos dust.
Asbestos fibers decompose and spread in the air. Once inhaled, they penetrate into our lungs and cause damage.
The time of exposure to asbestos-related diseases and diagnosis may be 10 to 30 years.
Asbestos-related diseases include mesothelioma. Once diagnosed, the recovery rate is almost zero.
Textured decorative ceiling paint may contain small amounts of asbestos
Satish Patel answers: Asbestos may be present in the structure of the building, or it may be present in a specific product that may have been installed.
Boiler flues, gas and electric meters, bathroom panels, rainwater systems, and riser panels covering soil pipes are just a few common locations.
Gary Bambury replied: I suggest that they conduct a renovation survey before any project starts.
This will highlight any asbestos in the refurbished area and any other asbestos present in the property before the start of the project.
The survey can then be used when obtaining removal quotes from asbestos companies.
The contractor performing the refurbishment should also request this document before any work starts.
The cost of an asbestos investigation is between £100 and £900, depending on the contractor used by the homeowner, where they live, and the size of the affected area
Mark Button answers: The cost is not as expensive as you think, and it is usually cheaper than the buyer's report when you plan to buy the property.
A simple survey of a two-bedroom property can be as low as £295 plus VAT, while the price of a large property should be less than £900.
Mark Button: Until 2000, there were many types of asbestos-containing materials commonly used in properties, and your contractor probably did not have the knowledge, experience or training to correctly identify all asbestos-containing materials.
In addition, many materials containing asbestos can only be identified in approved laboratories and the samples checked under a microscope.
Satish Patel Re: You can use the Health and Safety Executive website to help select a qualified surveyor.
Mark Button replied: Any survey company that conducts asbestos investigations must use a UKAS accredited laboratory for sample testing.
It must also follow the HSE guideline HSG264 "Asbestos-Investigation Guidelines" and hold professional indemnity insurance covering asbestos investigation and testing.
Basement pipes wrapped in asbestos insulation. When selling houses containing asbestos, the seller needs to declare on the property information sheet
Mark Button replied: Unfortunately, this is not covered by the family insurance policy unless the investigation is conducted after insurance losses such as fire, flood or storm damage.
Carol O'Leary replied: If the seller knows that there is asbestos, they should disclose it in the property information form.
However, usually, the seller does not know whether it exists.
Sellers are not experts, which is why homebuyers investigations should always be conducted regardless of whether they have obtained a mortgage.
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