When looking at asbestos removal cost estimates, there are a few things to consider. For starters, you need to know that not all contractors are qualified or licensed for this type of job. You also want to make sure that they understand how much time and resources it will take. Finally, you may have additional expenses such as air monitoring and disposal fees, where prices differ depending on your location. This blog post will answer what the cost associated with asbestos removal is so you can better plan accordingly!

What is asbestos, and why is asbestos removal costly?

Asbestos is a natural mineral that was historically used in many building materials, specifically, an insulator and fire retardant, because it does not burn easily. Unfortunately, the fibres when inhaled are dangerous to humans, leading many countries to institute bans or regulations against its use.

As such, removal of this material can be costly due to the time commitment and need for specialised equipment like decontamination units, PPEs, respirators with HEPA filters, disposal bags (double bagged) and others. Some providers have this included in the contract price while others might require you to take it away on your own in order to meet standards, which is another added expense on top of your initial costs.

When looking at how much removing asbestos will cost, as a PCBU (person conducting business or undertaking), you also have the task of ensuring the workers doing it has the right certifications, training, and experience to safely deliver the work. There is paperwork like a clearance certificate and these form part of the passive expenses, too.

What is the cost of removing different types of asbestos fibres?

Because the health and safety regulations vary between residential buildings and commercial buildings, the costs also vary for homeowners and other property owners. This should help any property owner to determine the cost of removing asbestos.

There are two checks any property owner can undertake to get started:

1. First, check that the building was built before or after the year 2000. They prohibited the use of the substance on building products from that year, so any structure built after that date is probably free from the problem.

2. Any building built before the year 2000 will need to have a certified sampling company check for asbestos.

The cost can increase if an extra sample is taken for testing, covering their processing in a licensed laboratory with a report back to the property owner.

Asbestos sampling is the first step in an asbestos management plan for the building. It is also valuable information to be held in the property’s file in case of future re-sale. Buyers will ask for this type of information.

If a building is shown to have asbestos in its materials, what will that cost?

Removing asbestos fibres from residential properties

It is important to obtain quotes from licensed disposal companies, who will be happy to provide a free quote once they fully understand what needs to be removed. The cost varies from Class A to Class B. The general rule-of-thumb is that the Class A jobs that you will find inside the house, such as vinyl flooring will be more expensive than the Class B jobs you’ll find outside, such as asbestos cladding.

You’ll also find that the square metre cost does not include the replacement of the removed materials with new materials.

Homeowners, under the new regulations, are not required to produce their own asbestos management plans. The new regulations allow for professional services to help homeowners manage incidents of asbestos. Builders, plumbers, electricians, roofers and other professionals will raise the issue of asbestos when considering a job, however large or small.

Under regulations, homeowners are also permitted to remove up to ten square metres of asbestos material as part of their occasional home maintenance. However, the asbestos must be “non-friable.” This means it must not be crumbly or dusty. And that is the time particles can be inhaled and cause serious long term health problems, probably death.

Any homeowner cannot be accused of “over-doing” safety with asbestos. However, asbestos-related illnesses continue to take the lives of over 150 New Zealanders every year.

Identifying these materials in a home is the first step to a safer future for the occupants of all buildings. How and when the potentially dangerous materials are removed can, in most cases, be planned according to a budget available. Asbestos, if embedded into plaster or cement materials, is quite safe and unlikely to be released into the atmosphere and cause harm to people. This is a factor that can be taken into account when considering its abatement and the cost involved.

Basic removal cost for commercial, industrial and retail property owners

These property owners are required to produce and keep on-site an asbestos management plan.

This plan enables all occupants of buildings to understand where the material is located and what time frame it is planned to replace.

Similarly, the fact that the material is often contained or “bound” into different construction materials means it can be safe for many years, giving property owners time to budget its replacement with safe materials.

Each plan begins with the Checklist at the beginning of this article.

If you are concerned about the hazards in your property and the survey or test has proven that the materials need to be removed, Chemcare is a licensed tried and tested removal company that can help eliminate risks. Get in contact today to get an asbestos removal quote.

Which factors should be taken into account when budgeting for this type of work?

• Size of the space

It is important to consider the size of your property and how much needs to be removed. A general computation for residential properties is that a single room in a nice character house measuring 10 sqm can equate to roughly $5,000 in asbestos removal prices for textured ceilings alone. On the other hand, soffits, asbestos cladding, external materials, fence panels, and similar of the same size can range from $2,000 and up.

For commercial buildings, this can increase up to several thousand dollars since there are more internal areas potentially covered by asbestos as well as higher hourly labour rates. In some cases, it may even require on-site project management fees with an added cost depending on where you live geographically (GST not included). These factors should all be taken into account when budgeting for the de-contamination job.

• Location

You need to consider the property's location when looking for an asbestos removal specialist. It may be more optimal for you to find someone local if the property is in Hamilton rather than finding a provider based in Auckland because transportation and accommodation expenses might add up to your total bill if you get a team from another city. Costs and time delays as well as another possible risk such as logistical issues also factor in on top of rising hourly labour rates in the New Zealand workforce.

Anywhere you are in the country, your best bet is to look up a tested company that will be able to provide the most competitive rates and service based on the proximity of their respective office locations.

• Type of asbestos to be removed

Asbestos removal is usually done in a controlled environment such as the outdoors or indoors. The type of asbestos to be removed will determine how it needs to be dealt with and what kind of license, knowledge, skills, equipment and expertise are needed for someone who wants to remove them.

For instance, removing friable (soft) types of asbestos require more caution than say hard materials that cannot break down into dangerous dust particles because they are not easily "disturbed."

Another example is when doing asbestos roof removal, an associated job in the form of re-roofing needs to be done and as expected, the process will incur more expenses. Other types of related work such as demolition or re-cladding must be completed for some projects.

If you know which type(s) your property has on it then this will help narrow down your search when looking up an expert company who can deal with them appropriately based on their skill set and different methods used for specific substances.

How much is the price to remove asbestos in specific areas of various properties?

• Ceiling

Typically, the cost to remove asbestos such as textured ceilings in Auckland is $500 per sqm for a 10 sqm area. The price goes down as the size gets bigger; for instance it will be $135 per sqm if you have 100 sqm of asbestos to remove.

Another example: To remove asbestos ceiling tiles in a space with one bedroom and an attic, you will need about $8,500 to $18,500. Removal of materials such as textured ceilings or popcorn ceilings may require professional abatement from contractors who use special equipment for these types of surface textures that can release higher levels of particles into the air (and subsequently onto work surfaces).

• Vinyl flooring

Vinyl flooring can sometimes contain the hazardous substance through the bonding glue. Exposure occur when the flooring surface cracks and particles are released into the air where they settle onto surfaces nearby - for example a hand that rests next to it will potentially get exposed when dust becomes airborne again. Asbestos removal for a 60 sqm space can go up to $10,860.

• Asbestos cladding

The process of getting rid of these materials in cladding is also supposed to be done by a specialist contractor who will need to have it professionally removed and disposed of in an appropriate manner, which can be anywhere from $2,000 up to $15,000 depending on size of the area.

Any of these could also involve doing repairs on any damaged walls or insulation if present which could add up more to the invoice depending on what type(s) were used when the home was first built and how much repair work needs to be done based on previous damage before starting the project.

Get in contact today or check out to our dedicated calculator to get started.