Houses from the 1930s to the 1950s
About 1,500 Highland Park homes predate 1960. Roughly 1,000 are from 1939 or earlier, about 290 from the 1940s and about 230 from the 1950s. That is close to 4 in 10 of the town's homes.
EPA's list of possible asbestos sources goes beyond ceilings and floors. It includes vermiculite insulation in attics and walls, roofing and siding shingles, and wrap on hot water and steam pipes. OSHA presumes thermal insulation and sprayed-on surfacing in a building from 1980 or earlier to contain asbestos until a test says otherwise.
If an inspection turns up pipe or thermal insulation, DSHS says to bring in a consultant. A survey ahead of the remodel is the logical first move in a house this old.
Remodeling or rebuilding
A two-room update and a full teardown follow one sequence. Test first, remove what is positive, then bring in demolition and the building trades. You keep the lab report and the disposal records.
Permits come from the office covering your address, so ask it what it needs on asbestos before you apply. A single private residence sits outside the state asbestos rules, which makes testing your call. EPA advises it whenever the work will disturb the material.
Frequently asked questions
My Highland Park house dates from the 1930s. Should it be tested?
State rules do not demand it for a single private residence. A house from that decade can have several layers of old finishes, though, and EPA advises sampling a suspect material when a renovation will disturb it.
Do I need an asbestos survey for a teardown?
One house demolished alone triggers no DSHS notice. Check with the permit office about what it requires, and consider a survey regardless, so you know what the house holds before the crew arrives.
What does a survey cover in an older house?
It samples the materials your project will touch, such as ceiling texture, wall coats and floor layers, and the lab reports on each one. Ask for the results in writing.
The Mesquite page covers Mesquite, which has a larger share of rentals than Highland Park, along with the building boom after 1950. The Dallas Asbestos Removal homepage links all our services.
