I am considering the purchase of a 2-family home which is shingled with asphalt/asbestos shingles. The 1st two experienced remodelers I asked opinions from concerning the best solution each offered different opinions. Have the shingles properly stripped from the structure and removed from the premises? Reshingle over the the old asbestos laden shingles and forget about them? Any discussion-replies will be appreciated. Thanks.
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I don't believe they are hazardous unless they are delaminated. I would leave them alone unless you don't like the look. Of course removing them could release asbestos fibers if done improperly.
Laws and attituders and tipping requirements vary place to place.
In my area (NW Ohio) the most common way of dealing with them is applying horizontal strapping over them and then vinyl
If they are in good shape, consider leaving them in place. Nothing seems to hold paint as well as they do.
Best, probably, strip and dispose of appropriately.
Youth and Enthusiasm Are No Match
For Age and Treachery
Is this roof or wall shingles?
"Let's go to Memphis in the meantime, baby" - John Hiatt.
http://grantlogan.net/
Wall shingles . . . siding.
Which is it? Asbestos or asphalt?
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The issue is with the asbestos. The shingles are asphalt base with a mix of asbestos.
Ah, those old things - the asbestos is all encapsulated so no danger unless you try burning them
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These are the things that look more like asphalt roof shingles than wood shingles?
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
Have you had these shingles tested to determine if they indeed do contain asbestos?
From what you're describing I'm not sure that they do. It might be worth the lab fees to have it tested,since disposal would be much less costly if it doesn't contain asbestos fibers.
If it does then I'd suggest proper removal and disposal by a licensed firm-it only takes one complaint to the DEP to make life Hell if regulations are not followed.
Good luck, Walter
Yeah, that's my thought. I always assumed the stuff was just standard felt-asphalt shingle material. I can see that it could have asbestos in it, but it seems worth the lab fee to find out for sure.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
Testing could be a good idea. HOWEVER, if you buy the house and if you decide not to remove the siding, then you are stuck with the fact that you know for certain that the siding is asbestos. I can't say for sure about Massachusetts, but here in Ohio that is a condition which you would be legally required to disclose to any potential buyer.
It is reasonable to have it tested as a condition of purchase, however.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
How long you thinking of living there? If you're expecting to "flip" the house in five years or less, leave them up. If you plan to keep the place longer, have them removed, do repairs and "tightening" to the sheathing as required, and reside.
The cost/difficulty of disposal will only go up over time.
Where ever you are (fill out profile) must have a building authority of some kind. Somebody regulates asbestos no matter where you are.
Ask them what needs doing.
There's no point to a bunch of internet guesses from a lot of 13 year olds posing as experts, ask the local authority and then decide if you want to buy.
If you do the wrong thing re disposal you could end up in a world of hurt financially.
Joe H
Look back at the old posts. I am a homeowner with
asbestos shingles, siding shingles. Here in NYState
a homeowner can remove them HIMSELF legally.
If you hire someone, it is a very different story.
I took off about a square . I called the county
waste people and was handed off to the local
county transfer site. I got one of the guys
and he said put it in a barrel or wrap it up
and they will deal with it. I read the OSHA
guidelines on this stuff and they want it
double bagged in 6 mil bags. So I did that.
When I arrived, they weighed me in and
told be to put it in the C&D bins! I
was astounded but hey, they are in
charge.
Yes, I asked all involved about paperwork
and nobody wanted any. Im still wondering
if all this isnt going to come back and
get me in a dozen years or so.
Along the same lines, I was told the other
day no PT wood allowed to go to the C&D.
But this was in another nearby county, mine
cheerfull weighs you in and in the bin it goes!
Scary , ain't it?
many states allow homowner removal.
do it wet (water hose), try not to break/saw on the shingles.
wear a dust mask.
A understand the concerns about asbestos, but PT lumber? Maybe the wood products are recycled and they don't what any of that in there?
"Where ever you are (fill out profile) must have a building authority of some kind. Somebody regulates asbestos no matter where you are."When I ahve done searches for this I have never seen a state where the "buiding authorities" controll this.What I have seen is it is divided between whatever state agency regulates solid and/or hazardous waste, which is usally for the disposla. And the labor/health agencies to protect people workign with it (which would not include homeowners doing their own)."Where ever you are (fill out profile) must have a building authority of some kind"Not true. There are any numbver of places where there is no "building authroity".
Bill, you're right about the building authority, but there's always somebody in the asbestos disposal department. Building dept knows who to contact, but if there's no build dept it's still county gov.
Who may vary from state to state county to county, but there's somebody worrying about it everywhere.
Some more resonable than others, some solutions more expensive than others. Some more legal than others.
Joe H
There's no point to a bunch of internet guesses from a lot of 13 year olds posing as experts
Hey I'm fifteen. Next month.
MikeInsert initially amusing but ultimately annoying catch phrase here.
My house has the same sort of shingles. They are made with a cement base, and asbestos fibers were added to the mix to make them more resistant to cracking.
Replacement shingles, made without asbestos, are available, and are a close enough match if your house is painted.
My place, built in 1940, had never been painted. Painting began two years ago, in part because of graffiti. That the spray paint was impossible to remove was actually a good sign; it meant that the shingles would hold house paint real well.
Should you have to paint such a material, I strongly advise that you use a sprayer, and allow for twice as much paint as you think you need. The raw material really absorbs paint!
My problem was repairing, or replacing, the broken pieces. Never, under any circumstances, let anyone drive a nail into them! They WILL crack soon after. Rather, drill with a bit intended for drilling tile and glass.
If your budget allows, I would strip off the old siding, then re-side. Why? because the underlying wall is likely not very well sealed, and is a significant addition to your heating bill.
Try to strip the old pieces carefully; I suspect that you can re-sell them, in small lots, to neighbors who wish to repair their homes.
he is describing a different kind of siding
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Thank You for the correction.
I assumed same thing at first, just because that is the more common asbestos siding
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I'm not sure the OP has ever made it totally clear.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
Totally, no, but I'm pretty clear based on what he said, but then too many verbal descriptions here leave something to be desired especially when wrong terms are used by novices.
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So you take the OP to be talking about the stuff that looks like asphalt shingles, vs wood shakes?
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
I was thinking about the old brick siding stuff
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Yeah, that's what I meant. It's got a red/white brick pattern printed on, but when you get up close it's got a granular surface like asphalt shingles? Sometimes it comes in roll roofing form, and sometimes individual shingles. Barely a step up from bare tarpaper.I haven't seen that stuff in a coon's age. Only ever recall seeing it in the rural South.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
Lots of it in the shadowy urban parts of the south too.
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That siding is common in my area. The guy I work for has 3 houses with it and 4 or 5 houses with the cement kind too.
"I haven't seen that stuff in a coon's age. Only ever recall seeing it in the rural South."
There's still a fair amount of houses in Minneapolis and St. Paul covered with that stuff. For whatever reason, it must have been a popular choice in a lot of towns in northern Minnesota as well.
There is a house near my grandparents that appears to have some sort of roll roofing looking siding, ugliest stuff I've ever seen. It almost looks like some sort of stacked ledge stone pattern was attempted to be made in it.
Rather, drill with a bit intended for drilling tile and glass
WARNING!!! Drilling into these shingles will cause airborne dust. Airborne dust is what the asbestos issue is all about. Employers are serving time in jail for not protecting their workers.
I would suggest googling the issue.
blue
ps Some 13 year olds could possibly be experts in this area of expertise.Our Skytrak is for sale. It has 500 hrs on it. We want 50k (you pay the freight) and we'll finance it. Drop me an email; it's a good buy.
As soon as you mention the word "asbestos" these days, everybody immediately gets scared and gives the most conservative answer possible to whatever the question is, without thinking about it. Sometimes their conservatism is warranted. Most of the times it is just based on fear.
I have hired asbestos abatement firms for probably half a dozen major asbestos removal jobs here in Ohio. The local building authority has never been involved, however the State EPA and the State Health Department (yeah, that's right) do have oversight roles. The biggest health concern posed by Asbestos is when its "friable" - which is to say, when it breaks into little fibers. When you're dealing with plaster in old houses, its a HUGE concern, not least of all because its inside your house where it will be trapped for years (SIDEBAR: This is a topic that I don't think I have ever seen addressed in this forum and which I would argue is a serious concern). When your dealing with siding, the threat is probably far less (I would argue negligible) unless you are shredding the stuff or just being completely wreckless.
Based on my own exprience, I would quietly and carefully rip it off, double bag it and dump it as construction debris. But I'd be really careful, b/c I would know that I was probably breaking some laws/regulations. If you don't want to risk it, I will tell you that based on my experience here in Ohio I would expect to spend somewhere between $3,500 to $7,000 to have an abatement firm rip siding off of an average size double. Except for normal inflation, I absolutely do not expect to see that price go up over time.
Finally - you need to consider the back end of the deal. When you go to sell this property, the buyer is going to be asking all the same questions you are. So if you do decide to keept it (which may not be a bad alternative) just be aware that you will have to deal with the issue a second time.
I'm in Massachusetts; in the Boston area. You raise a good point; that is to to the extent the absestos is a question for me today, I'll obviously have to deal with it again 5, 10 or whatever number of years down the road if I should sell the property. I've had one licensed asbestos removal contractor already quote me $5k-$7 on a sight unseen basis. I'm beginning to get a better feel for the situation. Bottom line is that I'll only buy the property at a price properly reflective of the work that will be required for the restoration. Thanks for the input.
Bottom line is that I'll only buy the property at a price properly reflective of the work that will be required for the restoration. Thanks for the input.
Attention lurkers! The above statment is one of the best bits of wisdom ever gleened from this forum!
blueOur Skytrak is for sale. It has 500 hrs on it. We want 50k (you pay the freight) and we'll finance it. Drop me an email; it's a good buy.
Yeah, too many people get the impression that it is some kind of a poison that will immediately cause some kind of growth if you even touch it.
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