Asbestos impact on renovation costs?

Discussion in 'Renovation & Home Improvement' started by Bran, 13th Dec, 2015.

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  1. Bran

    Bran Well-Known Member

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    Any ideas of a rule of thumb/ballpark costs/adjustments I need to make for asbestos walls/ceilling when doing renos? I know it will cost MORE, but I don't know at what point it becomes prohibitive

    - Installing lights (not down lights/ceiling fans/air cons)
    - Removing partitioned internal wall and patch
    - Complete bathroom (lets say 15K reno without asbestos)
     
    Bran, 13th Dec, 2015
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  2. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    We've had four or five asbestos removal jobs done now. We use Total Asbestos Removals (Somah Thong - nice man).

    Biggest was $9k for our son's house - walls in two large rooms, large hallway, complete gut of two bathrooms (walls, ceilings, baths, toilets, vanities dumped, floor tiles and under sheeting removed, front verandah walls and ceiling, plus several walls and ceilings under a house (probably a larger area than the upstairs are). We had several pieces tested that Somah was concerned may have needed a special treatment, including a health officer on site and completely airtight enclosure, but luckily that wasn't the case once tested.

    This particular house and land is valued about $1m so well worth the spend.

    Another son had $5k job done (two bedrooms, walls and ceiling, complete gut of kitchen and bathroom, two trucks full to dump including bath, vanity, cupboard, whole kitchen, walls ceiling, two toilets, a store room, hallway walls and ceiling.

    Replacement for the walls and ceiling by plasterer was $5k.
     
    wylie, 13th Dec, 2015
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  3. rhinsor

    rhinsor Well-Known Member

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    You will need to be more specific on size of the place, rooms and where it is located.
    What you want to achieve from the renovations? Asbestos removal, make a place rentable, selling?

    A suspended ceiling can overcome having to remove a asbestos ceiling.
    You can cover an asbestos wall with gyprock.
    Bathroom you can tile over asbestos.
     
    rhinsor, 16th Dec, 2015
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  4. Bran

    Bran Well-Known Member

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    Minor renos as major value adds (the unnecessary partial wall obscures an otherwise amazing living room view for example), but ultimately a major internal remodelling to realise its potential.

    I'm trying to determine if a small bathroom gut if its asbestos is going to add 50k to the reno.
    The forever wise father of mine tells me asbestos automatically = 100's of 1000's of dollars, and frankly I don't believe it.

    I've never dealt with asbestos. I have some experts weighing in with some pics too
     
    Bran, 16th Dec, 2015
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  5. rhinsor

    rhinsor Well-Known Member

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    Get it tested first, it's the easiest & cheapest thing to do.

    Find out from some real estate agents in the area to see if people who are buying worry about asbestos in the properties.

    With my current renovation I've removed some asbestos as it was to annoying to work with, others I've just painted and others I'm going to tile over.
     
    rhinsor, 16th Dec, 2015
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  6. Brodie66

    Brodie66 Member

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    We're thinking of gutting our 3 bed 1 bath post war house (asbestos walls & ceiling), but we've been quoted over $20k to have the walls and ceiling replaced. You don't happen to have the details of the plasterer you used in the past do you?
     
    Brodie66, 4th Aug, 2019
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  7. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    Sorry, it was our son's house but I organised two quotes, both similar.

    I'd suggest putting the job up on hi-pages or similar, or give Mitch a call. He is a builder who's done a lot of work for us and he recently hung plaster in our new bathroom and double garage. He can do the lot but for our recent job got in a plasterer mate to tape the joints.

    Mitch 0457 006 920
     
    wylie, 4th Aug, 2019
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