DIY Asbestos abatement in Los Angeles?

Question

Perhaps this isn't the best place to post this question.  If anyone has any suggestion of a better place, please let me know!

Bought an older house in Los Angeles (City), started doing some light demo, then thought it's best to stop and get things tested for asbestos before I really started tearing things out. Had a company collect and test a bunch of samples, found that some of the materials contain asbestos, including material I had already "damaged" (e.g., linoleum floor, of which I removed a few square inches). Company states the following:

" Due to the presence of damaged asbestos containing materials and debris, a Procedure 5 (P5) cleanup plan is required to be generated by a Certified Asbestos Consultant (CAC), such as JLM Environmental, and approved by the SCAQMD prior to asbestos abatement in accordance with SCAQMD Rule 1403."

A few questions:

Does the company report its findings to any government agency?

Am I obligated to hire professionals / certified people to submit a cleanup plan and then also to clean it up? The FAQ for SCAQMD Rule 1403 (http://www.aqmd.gov/docs/default-source/compliance/Asbestos-Demolition-/1403-frequently-asked-questions.pdf) states the following:

- Survey requirements do not apply to an owner-occupant of a residential single-unit dwelling who resides at the property and solely and personally conducts a renovation activity at that dwelling

- No Notifications are required for ... Renovations by owner-occupants of single-family residences.

So I understand those above two points to mean that I don't need to involve any further professionals and I can proceed to carefully take care of this on my own (I'm in the process of educating myself on proper abatement methodology).

Anything else I should know?

Will Barnard · Answer

Good. I am a bit late to respond here but in CA, asbestos is no joke and highly regulated. The testing company should report findings and the abatement company certainly must. AQMD is the authority over this and fines are in the tens of thousands for violations. The abatement company must be licensed and certified for asbestos abatement and since you disturbed the item containing asbestos, a level 5 procedure is required. Yes, they will come in with "space suits" along with all the necessary equipment and then report back to AQMD. There is also a mandatory 10 day waiting period so make sure you are aware of that. The abatement company will report, then must wait 10 days prior to doing any work. I have gone through this process several times and just completed a procedure 5 abatement at a flip project.

Tony Kim · Answer

As the owner of a 107 year old house in metropolitan Los Angeles, I went through the asbestos abatement process myself. I used a company called VM3 Environmental and couldn't be happier with their services. I had the enormous "octopus" gravity heater in the basement which had asbestos wrapped around its ducts. Luckily the popcorn ceilings and lineoleum floorings were asbestos-free. 6 years ago the cost was very reasonable also, but I imagine the cost would be around double that amount today. Getting that gigantic heater out of the basement was a bigger headache, TBH.

I wasn't home when they did the abatement, but the neighbors told me it looked like people in space suits were going in to fix a hazmat spill or something. This is just an opinion and based on very limited knowledge, but I wouldn't try tackling this yourself. In all likelihood, the effects of asbestos are probably overblown, but still, this is the house that my family was going to live in. I just wanted to make sure none of that crumbling 100-year old asbestos got into the air and all over the house.

If this house is a flip, then I would personally be worried about liability issues. Also, an experienced buyer would ask about asbestos...and I think the CA forms have a section on asbestos, asking if you were aware of any issues.

Chad Green · Answer

Thank you guys for your input.  I am moving forward with hiring professionals to take care of it.

Dennis Maynard · Answer

No, there are specific procedures for Asbestos remediation. I cannot say for certain, but I do believe there is a reporting in the process and this includes a demolition permit.  You cannot just dump this stuff in your trash cans.  Hire a professional general contractor or at best seek the consultation of one prior to your attempting.  Do more homework from a professional.  At the very least, when you go to sell the property you will have to disclose you did it yourself which will send buyers running away.  This is not the best approach.

Hope this helps.

Chad Green · Answer

Thanks again to everyone for your replies.

Bruce Woodruff · Answer

In reality, Asbestos is no big deal to get rid of.......but in some areas it is made a big deal. Cali being one of these areas. Do not mess with doing it yourself, you need a company that does this. The fines for messing with this are huge....

Colleen F. · Answer

@Chad Green before any remediation is done read up on asbestos. For floor tile specifically know that the black cutback adhesive can contain asbestos. PErsonally I had no problem removing non adhered tiles and bagging them  but then we had to do something about what was on the floor. That you should have a professional handle.  Ours they skim coated but Cali could be different.

Scott Mac · Answer

It's probably best to use the proper companies to remove this stuff:

https://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/2016/05/detroit_free_press_recaps_bay.html

https://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/2015/03/contractor_gets_up_to_5_years.html

Good Luck!

DIY Asbestos abatement in Los Angeles?

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