On 20 Sep 2013 at 1:11pm cupofjoe wrote:
Hi Lewesians,
I'm looking at buying a house in Landport, and have just had a valuation done to it. The report says there MAY be presence of asbestos due to the house's age, but the only way to find out would be to do a costly asbestos survey on it.
I was wondering if anyone has already encountered this in Landport (particularly Meridian Rd, if anyone lives there) and knows to what extent it might be there or pose a problem? (We know it will only pose a problem if we build on/move it - at the moment we just want to know how likely it's there in the first place before spending hundreds to find out!)
Thanking you in advance.
On 20 Sep 2013 at 1:21pm landporter wrote:
It is likely to be in the rain water downpipes and or gutters unless they are of the finlock type. It will probably be in the water storage tank in the loft and possibly in sheeting of the garden out house or shed and also on the ceiling of the passage way between the houses if there is one.
On 20 Sep 2013 at 1:28pm cupofjoe wrote:
Thank you Landporter 
On 20 Sep 2013 at 1:43pm passing by wrote:
Our house had it. It could be in the ceillings (usually if it is an artex type of ciling) in our water tank which you can just bypass and get a boiler. Also in the passage way between my house and the next doors house. The garage is believed to be asbestos too.
We didnt bother finding out (as sometimes you can be told you have to pay to have it removed). I believe things like ceilings are very low grade asbestos so if your not planning on replacing the ceiling just be careful if your planning on drilling into with new light fixings
On 20 Sep 2013 at 5:15pm Rookie wrote:
Asbestos is everywhere in pre-70's housing. I wouldn't mind betting my place has it too. But as long as you don't go disturbing it then it should be no problem.
On 20 Sep 2013 at 5:25pm Daydreamer wrote:
A member of my family lives in landport and recently had their bathroom replaced there was asbestos behind the tiles in the bathroom - it was used a lot by the company that built the houses we were told
On 20 Sep 2013 at 7:43pm Border Control wrote:
Just another new hoop the solicitors make you jump through, use it to reduce the price!
On 20 Sep 2013 at 10:02pm cupofjoe wrote:
Great to hear where other people have found it. Thank you everyone. Tiles will be a problem as we did want to redo the bathroom and kitchen. Sigh. Probably worth getting a survey then, Nothing is ever simple!
On 21 Sep 2013 at 8:57am Guido wrote:
My house in Malling has asbestos soffits too. Most people just cover them up with upvc. I really wouldn't worry about a survey as many Lewes houses have asbestos somewhere.
On 21 Sep 2013 at 9:35am M wrote:
If you want to remove the tiles cheaply just do it yourself. Where a mask, wet down the tiles beforehand and take them off in one clean piece. Wet asbestos fibres will stick together and not become airborne. There are lots of DIY sites on the net to refer to.
Most damage is caused by long term extended exposure to airborne fibres but you should always err on the side of caution.
You'll need to dispose of the tiles after but I think most councils will collect it for a small fee.
On 21 Sep 2013 at 9:40am M wrote:
'Wear' not 'where' obviously.....
On 21 Sep 2013 at 12:30pm Skeptical Old Tradesman wrote:
Don`t waste your money on a " survey" - and if you want quotes for your bathroom and kitchen contact me 
but you probably can`t due to the forum rules - B`gger .
On 21 Sep 2013 at 12:48pm A person wrote:
I'd be a little wary of doing it myself, to be honest: one rogue fibre in your lungs is enough to cause mesothelioma.
As someone else said above, there are different kinds of asbestos and most of the stuff you'll find in buildings nowadays is the less hazardous white kind. It's only dangerous if you disturb it so that the fibres become airborne, and in an enclosed space like a bathroom I'd hire someone who knows what they're doing.
I wouldn't worry too much. I had a garage at the end of my garden which was pretty much entirely constructed of asbestos. A specialist firm came and demolished the whole thing for about £500, so it wasn't a fortune by any means.
On 21 Sep 2013 at 7:48pm Old-timer wrote:
Aspestos is not dangerous until you start to dismantle it. You need to get it done professionally.
On 22 Sep 2013 at 2:09pm A surveyor wrote:
I also just had a property valuation carried out on a house that we are hoping to purchase and the valuation surveyor said in his report to the bank that the garage roof was asbestos. Luckily I am a very experienced asbestos surveyor and know that what he said was utter rubbish (our garage was pre-cast concrete with roof tiles, sarking felt, plastic gutters & plastic downpipes. There was other asbetsos in the property that the surveyor did not mention however, so please realise that valuation surveyors and most building condition surveyors working on behalf of mortgage companies don't actually know how to recognise asbestos. If you do a search for the HSE document HSG 264 (its a free download from the HSE website) it shows lots of lovely photo examples of asbestos materials that may be present.
Also just to mention that old Marley thermoplastic floor tiles and the old bitumen accoustic pads on the undersde of some sinks may also contain asbetsos, therefore most properties built between the 1960s to 1980s would have probably had some asbestos somewhere.
On 24 Sep 2013 at 12:56am chillax wrote:
I am a surveyor (but not the valuation type!) - we assume that any property pre-2000 will have asbestos but there's no need to panic.
Bathroom - you might have asbestos in the floor tiles (in the bitumastic adhesive), in the artex on the ceiling and in the wall board. All in very small amounts.
Solutions for the DIYer is to latex over the tiles to encapsulate it, then lay your own flooring over it. Suspect artex can be removed with specialist gels that completely contain the material - an easy DIY job. And the wall board can have the tiles removed while wetting down and wearing a mask. Risk is low before these precautions, zilch with them. I'd risk it but it's your choice.
I am of the opinion that the current spate of cancers comes from fibrous insulation that was used extensively until the 70s as pipe and boiler lagging. That is now all removed so not a risk in domestic situations. Drilling and sanding without a mask is asking for trouble but do what most builders do - become asbestos aware.
And guess what was in that dust when the twin towers collapsed - concrete dust and asbestos lagging - let see the heath effects in years to come from that...
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