house made in 40s, roof made with asbestos tiles....anyone delt with this?

[lotusdrift]

Put an offer on a house that has asbestos tiles on the roof. The house looks new outside (as it has been renovated), except the roof that looks like crap. It doesn't leak, so until we do the inspection I expect it is still in working condition.



But what concerns should I have? Cost of replacement (it is "short hair", which I guess is good) ? I mean, obviously I don't want to go up there all buttered up and naked, and roll around on the tiles for my neighbors enjoyment. I'm just more concerned with cost and difficulty when I do have to deal with it? And is this something that should basically last forever? Can I just get someone to come clean it up and be done with it for 50 years?



My friends will get a kick out of this, as they find my fear of asbestos very humorous. I do fear the stuff.

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[styng88]

Rent a dumpster and strip the roof off yourself. Don't tell anyone what it is, and you'll be fine. Bah, lung cancer doesn't get everyone.

[Mud Pig]

Honestly man, don't touch it, move it, or mess with it. Asbestos is no joke. I would call a company that specializes in it's removal and see how much it would cost you.

My guess is a fair amount considering all the precautions they have to take and the fact that it needs to be disposed off in a specific way.

[John C]

Are asbestos tiles dangerous? I thought it was the insulation that crumbles that is the problem.

[BlueDominion]

I'll take "stuff to sort out in negotiations" for $1000, Alex.

[WRXDude]

Asbestos roofing is fine -- as long as it's intact and not broken. When you bust the tiles open and see those nasty little strands is when you have problems. I'd get some concessions from the sellers on replacing it when it's time-- you will pay more for disposal of an asbestos roof over say a fiberglass shingle one.

[Wagon Of Fury]

Originally Posted by John C

Are asbestos tiles dangerous? I thought it was the insulation that crumbles that is the problem.

Not as dangerous as the hysteria might have you believe, especially if you take sensible precautions while handling it. Disposing of it, on the other hand, might be a problem...

Might be best to find some material to cover it up with, I have asbestos shingles on my one "turret" and while they look like crap, they are durable since the mid-30s. I always thought I would cover them up with some driveway sealer or similar.

[Oh Canada]

Wikipedia, read up before you tackle it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asbestos

[Gil]

screw the removal. just throw new shigles on top of it and call it good.

[Charge]

Like noted...as long as they aren't crumbling, it's really not a big deal at all.

If you hire someone to re-do your roof, they'll charge a slight amount more because they'll have to use masks while removing it and pay a bit more for disposal.

I recently removed a room of asbestos floor tiles from my grandfather's house. We did it ourselves. Took it to the disposal facility and they looked over the tiles. Only like 3 were broken, I think we paid about $80 for getting rid of them...it was a 10x20 room. The guy told us it would have been more if they'd been broken up, due to containment concerns.

[Impresario]

If you leave the issue unaddressed, it might be a problem if/when you decide to sell the house in the future.

[BryanH]

Get a estimate for tile removal and negotiate to have the price reduced by that amount.

Then do it yourself while wearing a respirator...just be sure not to break stuff up as much as you can. You may also want to check with your local landfill about disposal of the stuff before hand.

I had a summer job one year unloading trucks at a landfill that were bringing asbestos from the local schools so they made me take a training course on how to properly handle it.

[Mike Wevrick]

Originally Posted by Mud Pig

I would call a company that specializes in it's removal and see how much it would cost you.

Good advice. The issue here is how much extra it will cost you to replace the roof.

[TubeDriver]

We are all exposed to asbestos in everyday life. I think the problem of exposure is mainly directed more towards folks in the construction inductry who may get exposed to high amounts on a daily basis.

If you ripped up an asbestos floor a single time and were reasonably careful to keep as much of the tiles intact and not grinding or sanding the floor I would bet your exposure would be fairly limited. If you work as a contractor who rips this stuff up daily and even worse has to sand/finish asbestos than your exposure would be much higher and probably lead to health issues if proper precedures were not followed.

[vapore0n]

will the bank even give you a loan for a house with asbestos?

Friend bought a house that had some asbestos and the bank put a fit about loaning the money because of it.

[I25]

Bah a little asbestos doesnt hurt anyting.

Abatement how ever will cost a lot, I have been in plenty of places that are crawling with Asbestos. Some of the places were in the process of having it removed, it takes a good minute to get it done.


<---looks at my location

[zoomfactor]

Look - I do environmental consulting for a living. You have two issues:

• Health Issues
• Financial Issues

As long as the suspect material is intact and undamaged, it is not likely to be a significant health hazard. Ignore the hype

The financial issues, however, will be something you will have to face at some point if you choose to re-roof the property. Check with your local building permit department and see if they require an asbestos survey to be performed before they will grant a re-roofing permit. Such a survey can cost between $500 and $2,500. Next, talk to a roofer and see what a potential re-roofing job will cost given the information that you know at this point. A reputable, licensed roofing contractor will give you the best idea of what kind of financial impacts you may be looking at.

PM me if you want more specific info - I help a few large banks sort through these kinds of issues on a routine basis.

John