He Thought the Asbestos Survey Was Just a Council Box to Tick — Then We Found This
“I’m Only Doing This Because Council Asked”
Recently, I was contacted by a homeowner carrying out a full renovation of his property.
He was a builder by trade and had already started stripping out parts of the house when council requested an asbestos survey as part of the renovation process.
From the outset, he was fairly convinced the survey was unnecessary. In his mind, it was simply another box that needed to be ticked for council so he could get on with the work.
As it turned out, the survey was anything but a box-ticking exercise.
The Renovation Had Already Started
As I worked through the property, I reached one of the bedrooms where the ceiling had already been completely demolished.
The textured ceiling coating and underlying ceiling material had been pulled down, with demolition debris left across the bedroom floor.
During the asbestos survey, the textured coating was identified as a suspect material and a sample was collected for laboratory analysis.
The result came back positive for asbestos .
By the time the asbestos had been identified, the material had already been extensively disturbed during the renovation.
The Lounge Told the Rest of the Story
The significance of the result became even clearer when I inspected the lounge.
Unlike the bedroom, the lounge ceiling was still completely intact and had the same type of textured coating present.
Here was an asbestos-containing material that could have been identified before any renovation work began .
Had the asbestos survey been completed first, the material could have been properly assessed and managed before anyone started pulling ceilings down.
Instead, one ceiling had already been demolished before anyone knew asbestos was present.
Why Renovation Surveys Need to Happen Before Work Starts
An asbestos renovation survey isn’t designed to slow a project down. Its purpose is to identify asbestos-containing materials that could be disturbed by the planned renovation work before that disturbance occurs .
Once asbestos-containing materials have been demolished, the situation can become considerably more complicated.
Instead of planning for the controlled removal or management of an intact material, you may now be dealing with broken asbestos-containing debris, potential contamination of surrounding areas and additional assessment or remediation before renovation work can safely continue.
That is exactly why the survey needs to come first — before the walls, ceilings and floors start coming apart.
A Survey Can Save a Much Bigger Headache
Before renovation work begins, finding asbestos might feel like an inconvenience. But finding it after it has already been demolished is a very different situation.
An asbestos renovation survey gives you the opportunity to know what you are dealing with before materials are disturbed. If asbestos is identified, the work can be planned appropriately and the affected materials dealt with safely before the renovation continues.
In this case, what initially seemed like an unnecessary council requirement turned out to identify a very real issue.
Sometimes that “box to tick” is there for a reason.
Planning a Renovation? Get the Asbestos Survey Done First
If you’re renovating an older property, don’t wait until demolition has started to think about asbestos.
At Asbestos Safe Consultancy , we carry out independent asbestos renovation surveys across Hawke’s Bay and surrounding regions, helping homeowners, builders and property professionals identify asbestos-containing materials before they are disturbed.
A survey completed at the right time can help you plan the work properly, avoid unexpected delays and, most importantly, prevent asbestos-containing materials from being unknowingly disturbed.
Renovating? Find out what’s there before you start pulling it apart.
Independent Asbestos Advice Before You Renovate
Asbestos Safe Consultancy is an independent asbestos consultancy — we identify and assess asbestos-containing materials, but we don’t remove them.
That means our advice is focused on what is actually present at your property and what needs to happen next.
If you’re planning renovations to a home or commercial property, arranging the asbestos survey before work begins can save a lot of uncertainty, disruption and potentially costly problems later.
Need an asbestos renovation survey? Contact Asbestos Safe Consultancy before the renovation starts.