Example Asbestos Removal Projects in Walnut Creek

Scope of work

A certified survey of the unit, a J#, the unit sealed with plastic and filtered air, the ceiling texture scraped off wet, the kitchen tile lifted and the mastic scraped off, sealed bags and shipment records. Add the J# fee from the price table. Notices to the neighbors, the new floor, a skim coat and paint are extra.

Project overview

In this example, the owner of a ground-floor unit in a 1960s condominium building in Walnut Creek wants smooth ceilings and a new kitchen floor. The building has ten units, so the short sample list for houses does not apply and a certified consultant surveys the unit. The ceiling texture and the 9-inch kitchen tile are positive. The walls are clear.

The homeowners association board approves the work hours and posts a notice for the neighbors. The ceiling and floor together pass 100 sq ft, so a J# is filed, and the work runs inside plastic on the days the board allows.

The goal

The goal is bare ceilings and a bare kitchen subfloor, with the unit clean and the board and neighbors informed throughout.

Process

1. Weeks one and two Certified survey of the unit, lab results, and the J# filed.
2. Board approval The board agrees the work hours, the waste route and the notice to the neighbors.
3. About five days Unit sealed, ceiling texture scraped off wet, kitchen tile lifted and the mastic scraped, then bagged.
4. Last day Unit vacuumed and wiped, waste carried out by the agreed route, plastic down.

Planning right

• Ask the board for its rules on contractors, hours and the elevator or stairs before you book.
• The unit owner pays for work inside the unit. Shared walls and ceilings may be the building's.
• Neighbors should know the dates. A closed door and plastic keep the dust inside the unit.
• Keep the survey and the waste records for the board and for a future sale.

Scope of work

A lab test of each plaster layer, plastic on the floor and across the doorway, a filtered air unit, the closet wall taken down wet in sections, sealed bags, a HEPA vacuum and a wet wipe, and disposal. Framing, drywall and paint are extra.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a 1920s house in Lafayette want a closet in the back bedroom. Few Lafayette houses are this old, and the wall they will open is plaster on wood lath. A lab tests each layer on its own and finds asbestos in the thin white finish coat only.

The finish coat is bonded to the base coat, so the two come down together. At about 60 sq ft the wall is under the amount that needs a J#. The crew wets it and takes it down in sections, with the plastic and the air unit running.

The goal

The goal is a bare wall for the new closet, with the asbestos finish coat gone and the rest of the house clean.

Process

1. Sampling Pieces of each coat and the lath go to a lab, and the closet wall is marked.
2. Setup Furniture out, the floor and the doorway covered, the air unit running.
3. Removal The wall wetted and taken down in sections, bagged as it comes off.
4. Next morning The room has been cleaned and the carpenter frames the closet.

Planning right

• A thin finish coat can hold asbestos when the thick base coat does not.
• A plaster wall that stays whole is left alone. This one comes down only because it is being opened.
• Keep sawing and sanding out of the room until the wall is down.
• File the lab report with the house papers.

Scope of work

A visit to sample every material in and around the wing, lab fees and a written report the owners can hand to the builder and the demolition crew. A J# for the demolition, the removal of the positive materials and the demolition itself are priced separately.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a 1960s house on a wooded hillside in Orinda plan to take down the wing on the left and rebuild it larger. Any demolition needs a J#, and the wing and the rest of the house the plans touch are sampled first. The ceiling texture and the sheet vinyl in the wing come back positive. The rest is clear.

The owners hand the report to the builder. The positive materials come out of the wing before the excavator arrives, and the wing is taken down first, with the debris sorted in the front yard.

The goal

The goal is one report that tells the owners and the builder exactly which materials in the wing need asbestos removal before it comes down.

Process

1. Before the visit The owners send the plans, and we list every material the work will touch.
2. Survey visit Samples from the wing and from every room the plans reach.
3. One week later Lab results and a written report of what is positive and what is clear.
4. Then The report goes to the builder, and the removal and the J# for the demolition are booked.

Planning right

• Ask the Orinda permit counter what the demolition and the rebuild need. The J# is a separate filing.
• A hillside lot can limit where waste bins and the excavator go. Tell us about the driveway.
• The wing comes down only after the positive materials are out.
• Keep the report with the plans. The builder and the permit file both ask for it.

Scope of work

A lab test of the texture and the drywall, the living room sealed with plastic and a filtered air unit, the texture wetted and scraped off, sealed bags, a HEPA vacuum and wet wipe, and disposal. Add the J# fee from the price table. Taking the drywall down, the beams, a new ceiling and paint are extra.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a 1970s house in Walnut Creek want the living room ceiling opened up to the roof for a vaulted ceiling with exposed beams. The ceiling has its sprayed texture, so a lab tests it and the drywall under it. The texture is positive and the drywall is clear.

The texture is stripped first, wet and inside plastic, while the drywall is still up. At about 320 sq ft it passes 100 sq ft, so a J# is filed and the work starts 10 working days later. Only after the clearance does the builder take the clean drywall down.

The goal

The goal is bare drywall with no texture left, so the ceiling can be opened to the roof without spreading asbestos.

Process

1. First visit Samples of the texture and the drywall go to a lab, and the J# is filed.
2. Ten working days later Furniture out, plastic up, filtered air unit running.
3. Two days Texture soaked and scraped off, bagged, the room cleaned.
4. Then The builder takes the bare drywall down and opens the ceiling to the roof.

Planning right

• Strip the texture before the drywall comes down. Breaking the ceiling first spreads the texture.
• Tell the builder about the clear drywall. It can come down the usual way once the texture is gone.
• Keep other rooms with the same texture in mind. Adding them now costs less than a second visit.
• Ask for the lab report for the permit file.

Scope of work

A lab test of the tile and the mastic, the kitchen and nook sealed with plastic, the tile lifted whole while kept wet, the mastic scraped off the slab wet, sealed bags, a HEPA vacuum and wet wipe, and disposal. Add the J# fee from the price table. The radiant heating, the new tile and the cabinets are extra.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a 1960s house in Walnut Creek are putting radiant heating under new tile in the kitchen and the dining nook, with the cabinets staying. The heating pads go on bare concrete, so the old floor has to go first. A lab finds asbestos in the 9-inch tile and in the black mastic under it.

Wet and by hand, the tile comes up whole and the mastic is scraped from the slab up to the cabinet bases, never ground. At about 260 sq ft it passes 100 sq ft, so a J# is filed and the work starts 10 working days later. The heating installer arrives to bare concrete.

The goal

The goal is a bare, clean slab ready for the radiant pads, with the asbestos tile and mastic gone.

Process

1. Before the quote The heating installer asks for the lab result, so the sample goes in first.
2. Setup Counters and doorways are covered, and a filtered air unit is set up.
3. First day The tile is wetted and lifted whole, then bagged.
4. Second day The mastic is scraped from the slab, the kitchen is vacuumed and wiped, and the plastic comes down.

Planning right

• Radiant pads need the mastic gone, not painted over, for the new tile to bond.
• Cabinets that stay are wrapped, and the floor under them is left alone.
• Sanding or grinding the old floor yourself to save a step spreads the dust.
• Choose the pad layout with the installer after the slab is bare, not before.

Scope of work

A certified survey of the suite, a J#, a sealed work area with a zipper door and a filtered air unit, the tile and sheet vinyl lifted wet and the mastic scraped off, sealed bags and shipment records, and a clearance air test. Add the J# fee from the price table. The trench, the plumbing and the build-out are extra.

Project overview

In this example, a small shop in a 1960s downtown building in Walnut Creek is becoming a hair studio. The new sinks need a drain trench cut through the slab, and a commercial suite needs a certified survey first. The 9-inch tile and its mastic in the main room and the sheet vinyl in the back room are positive.

The neighbors stay open, so the work runs behind a plastic wall and a filtered air unit at the entrance. At about 500 sq ft it needs a J#, and a clearance air test is done before the plumber cuts the slab.

The goal

The goal is a clean slab for the plumber, with the asbestos floor gone and the neighboring shops open throughout.

Process

1. Weeks one and two Certified survey of the suite and lab results; J# filed.
2. Before work The building manager and the neighbors are told the dates.
3. About three days Suite sealed, tile and vinyl lifted wet, mastic scraped off the slab, waste bagged.
4. Last day Clean, inspection and a clearance air test before the plastic comes down.

Planning right

• Ask the landlord for any earlier survey of the building. It can save sampling.
• The plumber cuts the slab only after the clearance result is in.
• Waste leaves by the route the building manager sets.
• Keep the survey and the clearance result for the tenant file.