Asbestos House
Wednesday, September 12th, 2007
What do I do about my ugly siding on my house possibly having asbestos in it?
I think my ugly siding has asbestos in it. It is like a fake shingle siding, probably from the 50’s when the house was built. It is in good shape but not attractive. The color is the main thing we don’t like. Option 1 is to just paint over it, but that is just a temporary fix since the siding itself is ugly. Can someone just put siding over it? I think this will be expensive!
Actually this is a question involving legal issues as well as environmental issues.
You don’t state where you live.
I worked on a house in Montana 3 years ago, which had asbestos shingles as siding. The customer wanted them removed, and a different type of siding installed.
I went to the local permit/code office and was told I couldn’t do that, even as a licensed contractor.
Remediation of asbestos is potentially dangerous, and it’s disposal is an issue as well. There are no specific laws that I know of however, regarding painting over, or siding over asbestos siding.
It may be expensive, in that if it’s discovered to be asbestos based, you might be required to have it removed in any case?
I understand budgetary constraints, but if you plan to remain in the house for the long term, it seems to me, it would be worth it to explore the removal and disposal.
Certainly if you sold the house you’d be obligated to disclose the substance of the siding, especially if it is in fact asbestos based.
Rev. Steven
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