Asbestos in a Nutshell
As early as 1930, Asbestos is already booming in the construction industry because of its great resistance to corrosion, heat, chemicals, and sound. Therefore, it is no surprise for contractors and house renovators to see houses and buildings built with ‘asbestos-infused’ materials. Brisbane started using asbestos during the 1960s. House parts such as insulation blocks, roofing sheets, door sealants, floor vinyl sheets, millboards, and plasters, are only a few of the countless products that use asbestos materials.
It was only a few decades ago when health researchers discovered the adverse effects of being exposed regularly to asbestos. Deadly diseases such as lung cancer and mesothelioma are often connected to inhalation or ingestion of asbestos. Asbestos inhalation or ingestion became very common to people in factories, construction sites, demolishing works that a disease was named after the asbestos. Asbestosis, a serious chronic and non-cancerous disease, is caused by inhaling asbestos fibre. These fibres aggravate the lung tissues and cause them to scar.
This health issue sparked debates against health officials and industrial companies, which prompted the government to create rules and regulations in using asbestos as a material for any product or building parts. This leaves companies no choice but to avoid using asbestos as much as possible and to only use it when necessary. Because of the health risk that using asbestos brings, consumers started avoiding buying products with the said material, and people whose houses are built with asbestos parts started worrying about the effects of being exposed daily to the material. Thus, the business of asbestos removal started to exist mainly in states who want to have a safe and asbestos-free environment.
The Cost of Asbestos Removal in Brisbane
As early as the 1960s, Asbestos is already used widely in the Brisbane construction industry and it was only after two decades when the first asbestos-related death occurred. This is why there is a great chance that a Brisbane resident today is living in a house built with asbestos material.
The average cost of Asbestos removal in Brisbane will range from $50 – $150 per square metre depending on multiple factors. Meanwhile, the estimation per square metre dollars should give the resident an idaea of whether they are willing to spend a huge amount of money for the Asbestos removal.
If the owner has 100 square metre lot, this means that they must spend $15,000 at most for the land property only. While the price looks daunting for the resident at first, they should still consider saving for one because the disease brought by being exposed to Asbestos far outweigh the price. Inhalation of asbestos material in any house is most likely to occur, especially in Brisbane where intense weather conditions occur. But don’t worry, whether the decision is to remove the Asbestos or not, this article will still discuss the cost and the benefits of spending cash with asbestos removal.
To start, here is a list of some approximated costs of asbestos removal in Brisbane:
• $50 – $150 removal per square metre
• $100 – $1,000 for the removal of asbestos flooring for a room
• $1,500+ for the removal of eaves
• $1,000 – $3,500 for the removal of internal cladding from a room
• $150 – $200 per ton of asbestos-contaminated soil
• $2,500+ for the removal of external cladding
Parts of the house such as the plasters, door and window sealant, paints, furniture, and vents are still to be included in the total cost of Asbestos removal. However, the factors affecting the prices still need to discuss to give a better view of the price range.
What Affects the Prices of Asbestos Removal?
Many factors can affect any construction project and Asbestos removal is not exempted from the list. Since Asbestos removal is like a renovation project, the present state of the house will greatly affect the service fee.
There are five main factors that asbestos removal companies compute for any type of household:
Specialists, Materials, and Equipment.
Companies prioritise this factor because the safety of the specialists is the top priority. To execute asbestos removal with no accidents or risks, the company makes it a top priority to have the right equipment for the process. In Australia, the average labour per crew is $75-$200 AUD per hour, and the average level project requires $200 in materials and another $250 in equipment. The equipment includes respirators, eyewear, Tyvek whole body suit, rubber boots, disposable gloves, and HEPA Vacuum. All this equipment is designed to ensure safe and efficient asbestos removal for both the specialists and the surrounding neighbours.
Proximity of the nearest drop-off point. This describes the distance between the waste disposal point from the house. If the house is far from the waste disposal area, an additional charge will likely be incurred to the bill. There is also a permit fee for waste disposal and may change from state to state.
Obstacles to be removed from the extraction point. Obstacles such as broken ceilings, pillars blocking the way, broken staircases, will require additional manpower and equipment. Some companies may need to hire other specialists to remove different parts of the house. These factors are also computed and added to the final bill.
State or type of Asbestos. Asbestos can be friable or non-friable. When asbestos is friable, it might be more difficult to collect because it is pulverised or powdered. Non-friable asbestos is asbestos that was mixed with cement or other bonding materials and is easier to collect. There are also different types of asbestos and depending on the toxicity level, it can be more challenging for the specialists to collect these wastes. We should expect that the companies will add these factors to the pricing of the service.
Amount of Asbestos material. Bigger houses with bigger areas infused with Asbestos will likely cost more money, and smaller houses will require fewer resources and are also quicker to be fixed.
Benefits of Asbestos Removal
Now that all the expenses are discussed, the question “Is it worth a load of cash?” comes into play. As stated before, this question is subjective to the resident’s financial capabilities and status in life. One can argue that it is worth a load of cash, but this doesn’t apply to everyone because other people may choose to just leave the house. A person with a huge house may not see the $100 per square metre appealing and might just consider selling the house or an elder person might have no choice but to sell the house and use the money to rent an apartment. These options are also okay and acceptable at this state of time.
The most important benefit that the resident will get from Asbestos removal is a safer and non-toxic environment. Without the Asbestos in any of the house parts, the resident is assured that their family is safe from diseases brought by Asbestos and that they can inhale fresh air anytime without the fear of ingesting toxic chemicals.
