If your home was built before 2000, there could be asbestos present.
While it’s often safe while left undisturbed, it’s always a good idea to know where asbestos is found. This means you can always plan refurbishment and home improvement work safely and easily in the future, factoring in any professional asbestos removal requirements to the project costs and time involved. It also allows you to keep an eye on those areas which may deteriorate, such as barn and garage roofs.
Here are a few of the most common places around domestic dwellings where asbestos is found.
Attics
While it’s often a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’ for your attic or loft area, don’t forget some of the fixtures and fittings up there that may have asbestos containing materials (ACMs) present, such as asbestos cement in water tanks.
Asbestos could be present in:
- Pipe lagging
- Insulation (loose fill)
- Water tanks
Floors, Walls & Ceilings
You’d be surprised at all the ways asbestos was used in the past, even for decorative touches such as Artex textured coatings on walls and ceilings. Loose asbestos may also be found in ceiling or floor cavities. When removing ACMs on ceilings, walls and floors, always used a trained professional. They will remove the asbestos using safe, expert techniques.
Asbestos could be present in:
- Ceiling tiles
- Textured decorative coatings
- Sprayed coatings
- Partition walls
- Wall cladding
- Vinyl floor tiles
Other Areas Around the Home
Asbestos can be found in various places around the home, especially those spaces with AIB (Asbestos Insulating Board) present such as behind fuse boxes, airing cupboards and fireplaces.
Asbestos could be present in:
- Bath panels
- Toilet seats and cisterns
- Boiler insulation
- Airing cupboards
- Fuse boxes
- Interior window panels
- Fireplaces
Outside
It’s not just inside the home where asbestos can be found as it may also be present on the outside of the building or in other areas around your property, such as garage roofs. You can also find asbestos cement in old roofing, so if this is the case, consider a roof replacement.
Asbestos could be present in:
- Gutters and downpipes
- Soffits
- Exterior window panels
- Roofs (including roofing felt)
- Asbestos cement panels
Do you need an asbestos survey?
If you need to plan work at your residential property, but you’re unsure about the presence of asbestos, safety must always come first. At Goodbye Asbestos, we provide a wide range of asbestos testing and removal services, providing expert advice to help manage the situation safely and effectively.
We operate across London, Surrey and the Home Counties, including services in Ashtead, Ascot and Barnes. For more information and advice about what happens next, call our friendly and knowledgeable team now on 0800 024 6203.
