How Much Does Asbestos Removal Cost?

Finding out that your home contains asbestos can be frightening and shakes things up. If the asbestos has been disturbed, it must be removed, and that can be nerve-wracking. Removing asbestos comes at a price, but it is worth it to eliminate the threat that it poses.

The average cost to remove asbestos is $2,000. Asbestos siding removal costs average $2,300 or $15 per square foot. You can expect to pay $30 an hour in labor costs and another $400 for an asbestos air test. Blue asbestos is the least common and most expensive type to remove, and the average cost is $500 per hour.

Disposing of asbestos properly is also important, and failure to do so is against Environmental Protection Agency regulations. It costs roughly $30 per cubic yard to dispose of asbestos, and you’ll thank yourself when you aren’t inhaling hazardous material.

Follow along, and we’ll take a look at how much it costs to remove asbestos.

Asbestos removal generally costs $1,000-$3,000, but varies based on the contractor, labor, and the particular asbestos installation. Removing asbestos is both hazardous and labor-intensive, which contributes to the high cost.

Contractors typically charge roughly $5-$15 per square foot, or more, for asbestos removal. However, removing a popcorn ceiling with asbestos can cost $3-$8 per square foot. The process of removing asbestos is called abatement, and it is best done by professionals.

One of the most common places for asbestos in a home is the flooring. It can cost as little as $5 per square foot to remove asbestos flooring, and it is well worth it. However, it can cost up to $20 per square foot if it is hard to access, or your contractor’s rate is high.

Pricing gets more complicated when it comes to removing flooring, and you have the added cost of new floors. The older and more worn down asbestos flooring is, the more likely it is to release into the air.

If your ceiling tiles have 1% asbestos or more, it needs to be removed and replaced. Contractors generally charge an average of $10 per square foot for removing asbestos ceiling tiles. With that said, call around for multiple quotes, and you could spend as little as $5 per square foot.

There may be additional charges for cleanup and disposal with asbestos ceiling tiles. It can create quite a mess, because as the tiles are removed, the material flakes and spreads. Sometimes removal is part of labor costs, but other times it costs as much as $150 total.

Many old attics have insulation with at least some percentage of asbestos. Asbestos is a nightmare for an attic because they are often stuffy and have little airflow. The combination of a confined space and hazardous particles in the air is not worth risking.

It will cost you $1,000-$10,000, or more, to remove asbestos insulation from your attic. That cost does not include replacing the asbestos with new insulation. Add another $2,000 to the bill to account for the new insulation in your attic.

Besides paying by the square foot, you also pay by the hour for asbestos removal. Asbestos abatement is tough and dangerous work, so the hourly rate reflects that. Homeowners typically spend an average of $2,000 in labor, and it can cost up to $200 per hour.

Removing the asbestos itself can take as little as one day, and its rarely more than 10 hours. Some contractors charge up to an extra $500 for the tools and equipment. However, other professionals simply include said tools without any supply fee.

Asbestos must be disposed of properly due to how dangerous it can be. Entities such as Waste Management are able to get rid of asbestos with minimal environmental or human impact. By definition, asbestos is a hazardous waste and can harm others it comes into contact with.

You must obtain a permit in order to dump asbestos. Permits typically cost roughly $75-$100. You are charged by the cubic yard for disposing of asbestos, and it often costs $30 per cubic yard.

Both OSHA and the EPA enforce proper asbestos abatement and disposal.

Testing for asbestos is critical, and it can let you know just how safe the air you’re breathing is. The most common type of asbestos test is an air test, and it costs $300-$500. For the same price, you can get a visual survey by a professional who can identify asbestos.

Asbestos testing is often the first step in getting it removed, and you want to do it as soon as possible. Full demolition and refurbishment surveys cost up to $1,500 for residences and are thorough.

There are asbestos testing kits for sale that cost between $8 and $30, but it is not advisable. Your safest bet is to spend the money for a test, and not risk breathing asbestos.

Encapsulation spray is a great way to reduce the risk of harm from asbestos. You can prevent the disbursement of asbestos in the air by using encapsulating spray on it. Luckily, encapsulating spray costs between $20 and $80, or you can 5 gallons from SerpiFlex for $159.

When you use an encapsulation spray, it takes 25-30 minutes to dry. Once 12 hours have passed, it is safe to paint over it and not have to worry about asbestos in the air. Encapsulating spray can stay good for 20 years and is a good alternative to abatement for mild and contained cases.

Asbestos encapsulation is only a temporary fix and does not remove asbestos. It simply masks the asbestos for a long period of time, but eventually, it needs to be removed.

You can safely live in a house with asbestos siding, but it is somewhat complicated. Due to the nature of asbestos, it is most dangerous when it is agitated and released in the air. That is why asbestos can be so dangerous in confined places, but it is different with siding.

Most homeowners have little chance of being exposed directly to asbestos siding. If you do have asbestos siding, do not touch it or even breathe too close to it. The asbestos could still be diffusing in the air, it just can dissipate more easily.

With that said, removing asbestos siding is the best bet to ensure you are safe and asbestos-free.

If your home was built in the 1960s or 1970s, there may be a lot of asbestos. Some homeowners find out that the whole house contains asbestos, and that is expensive to remove. You could spend up to $16,000 or more if you need over 1,500 square feet of asbestos removed.

Some houses do contain asbestos all throughout, for a few reasons. For one thing, older building standards viewed asbestos as an ideal building material. The other reason is that if they used asbestos insulation, then it likely runs throughout the whole house.

Even if your entire house does not contain asbestos, but your walls, ceiling, and flooring does, it can cost $7,000-$10,000. It is worth the high cost to make the house livable and allow you to sell it in the future.

Technically, yes you can sell a house with asbestos, and no rules stop you from it. The only problem is that, as you can imagine, prospect homeowners don’t always jump at the idea of hazardous materials. Nobody can force you to remove asbestos and make replacements, but it can hold you back if you don’t.

If you spend the $300-$500 for testing costs, and the test shows there is asbestos, that is fine. As long as the asbestos is not crumbly, clearly damaged, or disturbed, it is safe to sell. However, if there is visible damage or asbestos in the air, you cannot sell the house without abatement.

You could buy a house with asbestos and be safe, but there are a few risks involved. As mentioned above, a seller can only sell a house if the asbestos is not disturbed.

If you buy that house, that means that the asbestos is a minimum of 40 years old at this point. That means that even if it is not crumbling now, it very well could be soon. Depending on the location and levels of asbestos, you could spend $1,000-$3,000 or more on removal alone.

Don’t forget that if there is a lot of asbestos you are removing; replacements could cost 10s of thousands. It is not always worth buying a house with asbestos, even if it is not disturbed. You risk massive costs if it becomes disturbed, as well as respiratory illnesses.

Related Questions

Does old blown-in insulation contain asbestos?

Yes, old blown-in insulation can contain asbestos, and it often does. It doesn’t always, however, so asbestos testing needs to be done. Blown-in insulation in particular can crumble quite easily, so removing it if it contains asbestos is imperative.

When was asbestos used in attic insulation?

Between the 1860s and 1978, asbestos was used in attic insulation. It was also quite popular for insulating pipes and other parts of the home. Houses built in the 1950s through the 1970s also often had asbestos siding and insulation under the roof.

Can you remove asbestos tiles yourself?

Some states don’t have specific rules against it, but many do. Besides the fact that not all states allow it, asbestos removal is best done by professionals due to the danger. Professionals use proper face, eye, mouth, and skin protection and can safely remove asbestos.

Does all vermiculite insulation have asbestos?

No, not all vermiculite insulation contains asbestos, and vermiculite is still sold. Back when asbestos was not regulated, it did often show up in vermiculite insulation. If you have vermiculite insulation that was installed before 1978, consider having it tested for asbestos to be safe.

Should I be worried about asbestos?

You should only be worried about asbestos if it has been physically agitated. However, if you cannot detect that by eye, then an asbestos air test can tell you if you have it or not. While you should be concerned about the potential for danger, you are only in danger if an inspection reveals that it has been disturbed, thus released into the air.

It can cost between $1,000 and $3,000 to remove asbestos. You can incur more costs when it comes to actually replacing the asbestos with less hazardous materials. The cost per square foot varies based on type of asbestos and location, but generally runs $5-$15.

Your most common kind of asbestos is white asbestos, and it is the cheapest removal cost per hour. White asbestos costs $300 per hour for labor, materials, and removal. If your whole house contains a lot of asbestos, you may have to spend up to $16,000 on abatement.

Asbestos is highly dangerous, but if left undisturbed, your house is livable and sellable. Get your house tested for asbestos before selling it, and if it appears undamaged, you can safely unload it. Do not try to remove asbestos on your own and call a professional to be as safe as possible.