Cost to Remove Asbestos
We are currently thinking about finishing the basement of our duplex brownstone condo to create a rec room and laundry. There is asbestos on the pipes. I’ve gotten a couple quotes and they all seem so high. There is about 250 linear feet and I’ve been quoted from $2,500-3,500 for the removal job. I know…
We are currently thinking about finishing the basement of our duplex brownstone condo to create a rec room and laundry. There is asbestos on the pipes. I’ve gotten a couple quotes and they all seem so high. There is about 250 linear feet and I’ve been quoted from $2,500-3,500 for the removal job. I know that the remving isn’t the real job, it’s the disposing. But still, it seems steep. Anyone have any experience and knowledge about how much this kind of work should cost? Much appreciated!
Hi my name is John Rodriguez and have done plenty of work for my fellow brownstoners. In regards to asbestos and have plenty of references if you’d like a estimate please just call me 347-996-6148
VBP, were you commenting on the OP’s job of 250 feet or SoSlopes? 250 feet, that’s a lot to take out without some experience, imo. 2 sft, sounds like a good beginning 🙂
I agree with what you say and would add a couple of things. You can get inexpensive Tyvek suits including hats from McMaster that you can wear over your clothes so they don’t have to be discarded. Discard the suit instead and get the clothes right into the washer. Also get yourself into the shower immediately to get anything out of your hair.
I’d run an air cleaner with a Hepa filter in the area for 24 hours, then either wash the filter (if washable) or change it.
H, you’re right, there’s no longer a legal way to dispose of asbestos in the City of New York altho if SOSlope had a way to dispose of it he’s legally allowed to remove it. I believe you can remove up to 25 feet on your own.
The NYS Division of Solid & Hazardous Materials regulates transportation and disposal of asbestos. It is NOT okay to expose sanitation workers to asbestos waste, nor to dispose of asbestos-contaminated waste or workclothes in the same manner, or in the same landfill, as household trash.
Department of Environmental Conservation info @: dec.ny.gov/chemical/8791.html
Oldie but goodie NY Times article on household asbestos @: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950deed91e3ef931a25750c0a96f948260
Asbestos rules and regulations PDF @: nyc.gov/html/dep/html/air_and_noise/asbestos.shtml
I would consider doing a tiny job like that myself.
Get a good P99 or P100 respirator that fits your face perfectly, a shop vac with a hepa filter and a spray bottle. Keep the asbestos damp, and double-bag it.
When you’re done, wet down your area and take up any debris with the shop vac.
Double-bag what’s in your shop vac. Throw away your clothes. No sharps in the bags–nothing but the lining.
This should take an afternoon. You shouldn’t wind up posing a health problem to anyone. Asbestos is *not* good for you, especially when you repeatedly expose yourself, but it’s certainly not kryptonite.
I used a guy named Joe Bova who really knows the code & is quite reasonable. 917 697 1853. He has a beeper so that he doesn’t have to respond to calls if he’s in the middle of something too – 917 457 2291.
Assuming the job is done to code per H’s posts, plus air monitoring before and after, sealing properly, and so on, and the contractor is a licensed asbestos remover, that doesn’t seem like a lot of money. That makes your statement incorrect btw, disposal is the least expensive part of the job. It’s setting up the tents, the monitoring, and so on that’s really expensive.
SS, I have to say tho, 2sft is a job I would handle myself. You could take adequate precautions to handle that, altho you still have a problem legally disposing of it.
justinm, please do post when you feel comfortable. I have ~2 square feet of asbestos blanket on one heating duct that I would like to be rid of, but would also like to avoid spending a fortune for such a little bit of removal.
I’ll second @hakonechloa point about worker protection: you have to make your own decision, but you should think really hard about letting some day laborer tear out asbestos in a little dust mask. Asbestoses is a serious condition and while you can justify anything if you really put your mind to it, figure you’re giving anyone without a proper mask one “go straight to lung cancer” card with a fine glaze of “no workman’s comp; no health insurance” to sweeten the deal.
And no, I wouldn’t assume that mister $3000 is going to provide adequate protection or that the $600 contractor won’t. I wouldn’t assume anything. But I would ask.
A word of caution on asbestos abatement: The contractor may be licensed, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to perform the job to spec. Ask them whether their bid guarantees an isolation unit for the job site and proper uniforms and protection for workers, or whether they’re hiring inexperienced and unprotected workers from the welfare-to-work rolls, and just vouching a certificate of completion along with their bill.