Asbestos Roof

The cost for the removal of an AC roof is not that dramatic – call up a couple of roofing contractors either for a quote or an estimate that way you wil know how much you will be your exposure should you decide to replace the roof. It is a simple process, they spray the roof with a pva sealer then take the sheets down & dispose at an assigned tip. Vacuum the roof cavity and jack's your uncle.

I did know the deadline for QLD but a few years has passed now.
If I remember correctly it was 3yrs for commercial buildings and some thing like 10yrs for housing.
I'm fairly sure the commercial time has passed as I do remember many shops last year having their roof replaced.
Maybe this only applies to certain councils , I cannot seem to find any details online about it.

Hello Trustieone;

I do this for a living so there are a couple of factors in assessing the roof -is it painted or unpainted? do the drain pipes go underground or empty on the surface? What are the gutters and drain pipes made of? Have you had a look into the gutters and roof surface? Is it near a major pollutant area (freeways, industrial area or CBD) as this impacts on the rate of cement deterioration which releases the asbestos from the matrix of the material.
If its unpainted and in a polluted area your best choice is to get rid of it. As Scott no mates said get a couple of roof removalists (3+ as they will give you excessive quotes if they think they can!) who advertise they do this kind of work. Check they are licenced to remove it! In Qld there are 2 kinds of licence A & B Class either will allow you to do rooves at the moment but this is under discussion.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS ENSURE THEY VACUUM OUT THE ROOF SPACE. The last thing you want is a cheap job leaving asbestos cement fragments scattered through the roof space for other tradies to find!
There is as far as I'm aware no requirement in any state to remove asbestos roofs on residential properties! (The roofing companies would be making billions if there was!)
As for insurance I've been involved in doing reports for houses on this matter after hailstorms and it all comes down to your insurer some are happy to remove and replace it with little or no argument others will fight tooth and nail not to! Check you policy fine print!
If its got an asbestos roof it will will probably have asbestos elsewhere.
Happy to provide you with more info.
Brian Sketcher
Asbestos Audits Queensland

Hi Builder Bob
As far as I'm aware unless its a local council thing there is NO requirement to replace asbestos roof cladding of any kind.

And your right about it being a killer- estimates are that asbestos will kill more people in Australia than AIDS between now and 2020!!!!
CSIRO have identified 3500+ materials used in Australia that contain asbestos. ANY fibro or AC pre 1984 will have asbestos. Fibro pipe until 1989 and it was still imported for brakes and gaskets etc till 2003- yes 2003.
The State government in QLD got caught in a big problem when they tried to install aircon in school s- they didn't realise so many had asbestos roofs thats why they carried out the roof removal program because there was not point in putting in insulation to keep the schools cool if it was going to be contaminated….

For commercial building ALL COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS built pre 1990 Must have an asbestos report, register & Management plan. 
If residential properties are to be renovated and businesses employed to carry out this work then it becomes a Workplace and the same laws apply.
The biggest danger to renos are by far the asbestos backed vinyl and asbestos insulation board (rated 3rd most dangerous in England but here we don't recognise it!!!!) 
If you need any further info contact me.

HI Trustie,

How did it all work out? Did you end up purchasing this property?

Mick

3 of the bathrooms in my investment portfilo have asbestos in them… i Enquired to have them removed and was told its not worthwhile..
So i took the builders opinion but i still wonder

 Hi trustieone

Being a person who is a, A CLASS prescribed license holder and an a class license holder in his own right I would advise that you go to a hygienist company such as Queensland audits, Noel Arnold and associates, Queensland laboratories or Parsons and Brinkerhoff and ask them to do a report upon the stability and state of your roof as it is.

As we all know there are many varied and different reports into when a roof becomes friable or not. The common train of thought is that after ten years or so in the sun a roof can become brittle and can become friable if hail damage occurs.

I point you to the nohsc code of practice part 12.1.2.2 for roof removal which is the standard code of practice which most companies follow however there are a few companies who do not. But be aware that in 12.1.1 of the same code it talks of hail damage and how much of a risk it presents. The words according to the code of practice are hail, storm and fire damaged asbestos cement- products can pose a high risk of asbestos exposure and should be assessed to determine if they are friable.   The code can be found here at this website http://www.ascc.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/1A198A7C-D0A7-40AD-964E-31673C695E92/0/AsbestosCode.pdf

As far as the insurance companies covering this if there is a hail storm the sad fact currently after having worked with many insurance companies is probably not due to many of the insurance loss adjusters not knowing infact what they are dealing with. Many of the loss adjustors who turn up to fires which contain asbestos don’t even wear mask or overalls.

My advice to you is to seek a company who will do the work according to the code of practice who is insured to do asbestos removal work as many companies in this industry do not hold asbestos removal insurance they only hold public liability insurance which if you check with the insurance companies public liability NO LONGER COVERS ASBESTOS REMOVAL unless it is stated as demolition component and has asbestos nominated upon their policy

The check list for you should be.

Are they licensed? To do this removal

Are they insured? To cover you in the event they contaminate your home. Recently there was a company who removed a roof and broke the asbestos into the ceiling space leaving it behind and contaminating the home of the people involved.

Do they have references which you can contact about their workmanship? When I normally give a price and quote I offer something which no other company does and that is a full checkable work history including previous air test certificates I have obtained if the client has required them and also offer the clients the chance to check previous clients I have had and let them discuss amongst themselves as to my ability to do the job safely and in a timely fashion,

You will more than likely get quotes ranging from 60 dollars a square meter to 75 dollars a square meter. The difference in price is one of choice and sadly people normally are money driven but the price difference means the difference between doing a job properly and doing it in a hap hazard fashion

I would make just one more comment here which is

You would not trust your family to go to an unlicensed doctor so why trust an un licensed asbestos removalist to do your work which could if handled wrong potentially contaminate your family and also your tenants

Jayson

Asbestos removal tech