Ceilings in new house contain white asbestos - best course of actions?

3 years ago

Hi,

We just received the asbestos report back on a property we're planning to purchase.

Two rooms with Artex ceilings (out of four) tested positive for white asbestos, chrysotile. The recommendations were to manage by "regular visual inspections and not drilling or cutting into the material". It's classified as low risk.

I'd like to redecorate as I absolutely dislike the look of it. Unfortunately, I didn't know at the time of viewing that these type of ceilings can contain Asbestos. So now it's not just about the aesthetics. Also, I can imagine that it might become an issue if we were looking to sell further down the line.

Removal would cost about £1000 plus VAT. Adding to that, the cost of reinstating a new ceiling in those two rooms. How much does it cost to redo ceilings? (21m2)

Are there other, more cost-effective alternative to dealing with this? I read about skimming, overboarding etc. etc.

Have you come across this issue yourself and how did you deal with it?

Thanks for your thoughts and advice!

Featured Answer

Rowland

3 years ago

hi,

the best solution and course of action i's to have the artex removed from the plaster board. if you remove it now it will cost you less than it will in the future.

at the moment artex is not classified as a highly dangerous and does not have to be notified for removal. this means the level of removal cost its not as high as for other classification if asbestos removal. in the future the removal will become more expensive as the classification will be increased resulting in the removal only being carried out by licensed contractors with more specialised equipment and setup.

make sure the company is competent and have a test carried out on completion to ensure no fibres remain before occupying the space.

it should cost between 25-40 per sq m for removal. plus the costs for plastering.

best

Rowland

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Comments (8)

Daisy England
3 years ago
You could overboard it but at the end of the day the problem is still there. There’s only one way to do the job and that’s to have it removed.
Sonia
3 years ago
Artex can be skimmed over, but if it contains asbestos then that could be dangerous to the plasterer? I’m just not sure. I wonder if it is worth chatting to a plasterer and see what he advises. I bet they come across this problem quite often.
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mii2
3 years ago
If it’s making you at all apprehensive about the sale, then it will do exactly the same for any future buyer, with you now taking the place of your vendor. Your vendor will be well aware of the issue and is probably hoping with fingers crossed that you keep proceeding without it affecting the sale. If you are going to the hassle of over boarding, then you should just go for it and have the whole lot professionally removed so whenever you come to sell, this issue no longer exists. Get some quotes for the work and go back to the vendor to discuss - they may decide to half the cost off your sale price or may decide to refuse to budge but you will not be in a worse position than now, you can still proceed if it’s your dream house knowing that you tried to negotiate a reduction for it.
W T
Original Author
3 years ago
Thank you all for your comments and advice.

We've decided it's best to get it done properly - for peace of mind and also if we come to sell the house ourselves in the future.

@mii2 yes, I've been thinking along those lines, it'd be off-putting to any future buyers.
Rowland
3 years ago
WT,

you have made the right decision. you now dont have the worry of any changes in legislation, plus peace of mind your home will be asbestos free.

I hope the works are completed soon and you can start to enjoy your home.

best

Rowland
Wayne Bryan - Designer
3 years ago
We had artex on every ceiling in our house (though we don't know if it had asbestos in or not). We had it skimmed over. Some ceilings came out better than others, some you could still see bits of the pattern through and some developed a couple of bubbles. The plasterer said "that's as good as you can get" so that was that. However, unless you knew that we had had artex you wouldn't be able to tell without close examination. I would do the same thing again, tearing out and replacing all the ceilings would have been horrendously expensive.
PRO
i-architect
3 years ago
It's more dangerous to remove asbestos than it is to leave it in place. Removing it releases particles. As long as you don't drill through it or damage it then it will be safer to leave it in place. Although some asbestos types are less harmful and dangerous than others it's still a risk and if you've had an asbestos survey carried out then I would speak to those specialist surveyors and get their professional advice on it. They may have noticed that it's not in such good condition or something so it would be best to remove it, or a patch of it. They will also be able to advise you on how to encapsulate it and change the appearance of it in a cost effective and safe way.

Ceilings in new house contain white asbestos - best course of actions?

Rowland

Comments (8)

Daisy England

Sonia

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Ceilings in new house contain white asbestos - best course of actions?

Rowland

Comments (8)

Daisy England

Sonia

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