Example Asbestos Removal Projects in Dallas

Scope of work

A visit to mark each cracked joint, eight small samples taken with a mist of water at each spot, a lab report with the results marked on a plan of the house, and a short note for the painter on which walls to leave alone until the positive joints are dealt with. Repairs and paint are separate.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a 1950s brick house in Dallas have the foundation leveled with piers, and cracks open at door frames and in a few corners. They plan to patch and repaint the rooms themselves and ask for tests first, since sanding a patch is the quickest way to put dust in the air.

Eight samples go to the lab. The joint compound on the hall and bedroom walls comes back positive, while the ceiling texture and the newer patches at the door frames are clear. The painter is told which walls to leave closed, and the three positive walls are priced as a separate job.

The goal

The goal is a plan showing which cracks can be patched now and which walls need a crew first.

Process

1. Visit Cracks marked on a plan of the house and eight spots sampled, each misted first.
2. Results A written report with the positive walls marked on the plan.
3. Before patching The owners and the painter told which walls to leave alone.
4. Then Positive joints cleared by a crew before any patching, or a different repair chosen.

Planning right

• Test before anyone patches. Sanding cracked compound is the step that puts dust in the air.
• Ask for samples at the corners that cracked, not only at a flat piece of wall.
• Newer patches are sampled apart from the original compound. Here only the original is positive.
• Keep a copy of the report for the next contractor who opens a wall.

Scope of work

A lab test of the hall texture, plastic across the hall and the doorways, a HEPA vacuum running, the texture soaked and scraped into sealed bags, a wet wipe and HEPA clean of the walls and floor, and the haul. The framing for the stair, the patch, paint and the stair itself are on the carpenter’s bid.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a 1970s house in Dallas want a pull-down stair in the hall ceiling so they can use the attic for storage. A carpenter will cut the opening and frame it. Before he starts, the owners have the hall texture tested.

It is positive, and the hall is small enough that the whole ceiling comes off instead of a patch around the opening. A job this small costs more per square foot than a room, because the sealing, the vacuum and the haul are the same as for a bigger one. The carpenter arrives to a bare, clean ceiling.

The goal

The goal is a bare, clean hall ceiling, ready for the carpenter’s opening and a smooth finish.

Process

1. Before work Texture sampled in two spots; the hall emptied of rugs and pictures.
2. Setup Plastic over the hall and the doorways; the HEPA vacuum switched on.
3. Removal Texture soaked and scraped, bagged, the walls and floor wiped and vacuumed.
4. Then The carpenter cuts the opening; the owners smooth and paint the ceiling.

Planning right

• Test before the carpenter cuts. A saw through positive texture sends dust into the hall and the attic.
• Take the whole small ceiling rather than a patch. A ragged patch around an opening shows after painting.
• Ask for the air return in the hall to be sealed during the work.
• Let the carpenter start only after the final clean.

Scope of work

Separate samples of each layer, plastic over the floor, windows and doorways, the skim coat misted and scraped off by hand down to the plaster, sealed bags, a HEPA clean of the floor, sills and trim, and the haul. Plaster repair and paint are for the plasterer and the painter.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a 1930s house in Highland Park find that an earlier owner covered the dining room walls with a textured skim coat in the 1970s. They want the old plaster back, smooth and painted. A lab tests each layer on its own.

The skim coat is positive; the plaster and its base coat are clear. So only the skim coat has to come off, and it is scraped by hand while it is kept wet, so the plaster below is not gouged. The plasterer then repairs what is left and the painter finishes.

The goal

The goal is bare, original plaster in the dining room with the textured skim coat gone, ready for repair and paint.

Process

1. Before work Skim coat, plaster and base coat sampled apart on two walls.
2. Setup Floor, windows and doorways covered; furniture and drapes out of the room.
3. Removal Skim coat misted and scraped by hand down to the plaster, bagged as it comes off.
4. Then HEPA clean, then the plasterer repairs the walls and the painter finishes.

Planning right

• Sample every layer apart, since the plaster under a skim coat can test clear.
• Scrape wet and by hand. A power sander on old plaster makes dust and ruins the surface you want to keep.
• Ask the plasterer to look at the walls once the skim coat is off, before agreeing a repair price.
• Keep drapes and rugs out of the room until the final clean.

Scope of work

Samples of the tile and the glue, plastic over the doorway, the tub and the vanity, an air filter running, the tile lifted wet, the black glue scraped off the concrete wet, sealed bags, two HEPA cleans and the haul. Cutting the slab, the repair, the patch and the new floor belong to the plumber and the tiler.

Project overview

In this example, the water bill at a 1960s house in Dallas keeps climbing, and the plumber traces a leak to a line under the hall bathroom floor. The way in is through the floor, so the small tile and the glue beneath it have to come up first. A lab test says both are positive.

The tile comes up wet and the glue is scraped off the concrete, so the plumber’s saw never cuts through either. A second HEPA clean follows, and then the plumber works on a bare slab.

The goal

The goal is a bare concrete bathroom floor, with the old tile and glue gone before the plumber cuts.

Process

1. Before work Tile and glue sampled apart; the bathroom emptied and the line marked by the plumber.
2. Setup Doorway, tub and vanity covered; an air filter switched on.
3. Removal Tile lifted wet, glue scraped off the concrete, everything bagged.
4. Handover Two HEPA cleans, then the plumber cuts and repairs the slab.

Planning right

• Tell the plumber before the first cut. A dry saw through old tile and glue makes the dust this work is meant to avoid.
• Keep the tile wet while it is up, and do not sweep the pieces.
• Settle the floor you want afterward with the plumber, so the same trench is not opened twice.
• Close the bathroom door and the nearest air register while work is under way.

Scope of work

Plastic and filtered air in each unit, the ceiling texture soaked and scraped, the sheet vinyl and its glue lifted wet in both kitchens and baths, sealed bags, disposal records and a HEPA clean of both units before the wrecking crew comes. The survey report goes into the permit file. The demolition itself, and the survey before it, are priced separately.

Project overview

In this example, a builder buys a 1950s duplex in Dallas to replace it with townhomes. Dallas wants a survey of the area being renovated and/or demolished with the demolition permit application, so the whole building is sampled first. The ceiling texture in both units and the vinyl and glue in both kitchens and baths come back positive.

A building of two units sits outside the state rules, so no state notice is filed, but the survey and the disposal records go into the permit file all the same. The materials come out one unit at a time, and the wrecking crew starts on a building whose positive materials are already out.

The goal

The goal is a duplex with its positive ceilings and floors out and a report on file, ready for the demolition permit.

Process

1. Survey Both units, the closets and the attic sampled; the report sent to the builder.
2. Permit The report included with the demolition permit application.
3. Removal One unit at a time: texture scraped wet, vinyl and glue lifted wet.
4. Handover Disposal records and a HEPA clean, then the wrecking crew.

Planning right

• Order the survey before the permit application, so the report is ready to file with it.
• Test both units. The two halves of a duplex are not always finished the same way.
• Ask the demolition contractor to start only after the final clean.
• Keep the disposal records with the permit papers.

Scope of work

The walls and the unit door covered in plastic, an air filter running, the ceiling texture soaked and scraped, the kitchen and bath vinyl lifted wet with its backing, sealed bags carried down the stair, then a HEPA clean and an air test of the unit before the paint and flooring crews return.

Project overview

In this example, the owner of a 1970s fourplex in Mesquite has an empty upstairs unit between tenants and wants smooth ceilings and new kitchen and bath floors. The ceiling texture and the backing under the sheet vinyl test positive.

Four units is the limit for the state rules, so nothing is filed, but the three other units are lived in. The work is sealed, the bags go down the stair, and the neighbors are told the dates. An air test clears the unit before the painters and the flooring crew return.

The goal

The goal is an empty unit that passes the air test and is ready for paint and floors, with the other three tenants left in peace.

Process

1. At notice Unit sampled while the tenant is still moving out.
2. Setup Walls, door and registers covered; an air filter switched on.
3. Removal Ceilings scraped wet; kitchen and bath vinyl lifted with its backing.
4. Handover HEPA clean and air test, then paint and new floors.

Planning right

• Sample when the tenant gives notice, so the results are in before the unit is empty.
• Tell the neighbors the dates and where the bags will go out.
• Four units is outside the state rules, but safety rules still protect the crew you hire.
• Keep a copy of the report in the building file for the next unit.