Example Asbestos Removal Projects in Gresham

Scope of work

A visit by an accredited inspector, about seven samples from the stove corner, lab results for each layer and a written report. Removing the positive board and gasket is priced separately. The stove, the hearth and the chimney work belong to other trades.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a 1970s house in Gresham want the old wood stove out of the family room so a new floor can run wall to wall. The stove sits on a raised brick hearth with a gray board on the wall behind it, and the stovepipe rises through the ceiling.

The board behind the stove and the rope gasket on its door test positive. The hearth, the wall texture and the ceiling are clear, so only the board and the gasket need an abatement crew before the mason and the carpenter start.

The goal

The goal is a clear list of what in the stove corner needs a crew, so the hearth and the chimney opening can be finished.

Process

1. Before the visit The stove is cold and its ashes are cleaned out.
2. Visit About seven samples from the stove, the hearth, the wall and the ceiling, each one labeled.
3. A few days later Lab results and a report listing the board and the gasket as positive.
4. Then The board and the gasket are removed, and the stove and hearth come out after.

Planning right

• Let the stove go cold for a day before the visit.
• A gray board behind an old stove is worth a sample before anyone pries it off.
• Door and glass gaskets on older stoves are tested too.
• Keep the report with the house papers, since a buyer may ask about the old stove.

Scope of work

Samples of the ceilings and of the debris, the friable notice to DEQ, the upstairs emptied and sealed under negative pressure, the fallen pieces wetted and picked up with a HEPA vacuum, the rest of the texture soaked and scraped into double bags, a final clean of floors and sills, and the haul to a DEQ-permitted landfill. Skim coat and paint are extra.

Project overview

In this example, a roofing crew replaces the roof on a 1970s house in Gresham. The hammering shakes flakes of ceiling texture onto the beds and floors upstairs, and the owners shut those rooms and ask for a test.

The texture tests positive, and loose texture is friable. The upstairs is sealed, the fallen pieces are cleaned up wet, and then the rest comes down, leaving bare ceilings that will not shed again.

The goal

The goal is clean upstairs rooms with bare ceilings, so nothing shakes loose the next time the roof is worked on.

Process

1. First visit Samples of the ceilings and of the debris; the upstairs rooms and the bath measured.
2. Before work Notice filed; bedding and clothing bagged; the upstairs emptied of what can move.
3. Days one to three Fallen pieces cleaned up wet, then each room scraped inside the sealed area.
4. Day four Final clean of floors and sills, plastic folded inward, bags hauled.

Planning right

• Shut the doors to the affected rooms and keep the upstairs heat and fans off.
• Do not vacuum the flakes with a household vacuum.
• Bag bedding and clothes that sat under the ceiling, and ask how to clean them.
• Before the next roof job, check whether the ceilings below have been tested.

Scope of work

Samples of the vinyl, the backing and the glue, the friable notice to DEQ, the stairwell sealed top and bottom under negative pressure, the vinyl wetted and lifted tread by tread, the backing scraped wet, labeled double bags, a HEPA clean and the haul. Oak treads and the new landing floor are extra.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a 1970s split-entry house in Gresham want oak treads on the short flights from the front door and a new floor on both landings. The old sheet vinyl is glued to every tread and wraps over each edge.

Its felt backing tests positive, and an asbestos backing counts as friable, so the stairwell is sealed and the vinyl comes off wet, tread by tread. The family comes and goes through the garage for the day.

The goal

The goal is bare, clean stairs and landings, ready for oak treads and a new floor.

Process

1. First visit Vinyl, backing and glue sampled apart; the treads and landings measured.
2. Before work Notice filed; a second way in and out agreed for the work day.
3. Work day Stairwell sealed top and bottom, vinyl lifted tread by tread, backing scraped, stairs vacuumed and wiped.
4. Then The carpenter fits the oak treads and the landing floor.

Planning right

• Plan a second way in and out of the house for the day the stairs are closed.
• Rubber nosings and edge strips get their own sample.
• Never sand the stairs before the backing is off.
• Measure the step heights after removal, since new treads change them.

Scope of work

Samples of the shingles and the paper, the nonfriable notice to DEQ, sheeting over the ground and the plants, one course of shingles wetted and pried off whole at each floor, wrapped, a HEPA vacuum of the wall and the ground, and the haul to a DEQ-permitted landfill. Drilling, the insulation and the replacement course are extra.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a 1920s house in Oregon City want insulation blown into the outside walls, which have none. The insulation crew drills from outside, and the house wears gray cement shingles over its old wood siding.

The shingles test positive. Instead of drilling through them, one course is lifted off whole and wet at each floor. That leaves a strip of bare wall for the drill and room for a new course to go back on afterward.

The goal

The goal is a strip of bare wall around the house for the insulation crew, with no shingles drilled or broken.

Process

1. First visit Shingles and paper sampled; the course to remove marked at each floor.
2. Before work Notice filed; sheeting laid along every wall.
3. Two work days One course wetted, pried off whole and wrapped, wall by wall around the house.
4. Then The insulation crew drills and fills, and a matching course goes back on.

Planning right

• Ask the insulation crew where it needs to drill before the course is marked.
• Untested cement shingles should never be drilled.
• Order the replacement course before removal, so the wall is not open for long.
• Any chips that fall are picked up and wrapped with the rest.

Scope of work

In the house, roughly 900 sq ft of ceiling texture plus the 200 or so sq ft of kitchen vinyl, taken out in sealed rooms; on the shop, the roof panels lowered whole, kept wet and wrapped. Both DEQ notices, labeled bags, an air check in the house and the landfill haul are included. The survey and the demolition are not.

Project overview

In this example, a 1960s house in Gresham and the pole-built shop behind it come down so the lot can be built on. A teardown needs a survey of every structure, and the shop counts as much as the house.

The house ceilings and the kitchen sheet vinyl test positive, and so does the gray corrugated roofing on the shop. The ceilings and the vinyl come out as friable material, and the roof panels are lowered whole, so the demolition crew finds nothing left to sort.

The goal

The goal is a lot with both buildings cleared of asbestos, so the demolition crew can take them down in one pass.

Process

1. Week one Survey of the house and the shop; a report with each positive material measured.
2. Next The DEQ notices go in, and the city gets its call 48 hours before work begins.
3. Removal days Rooms sealed one at a time for the ceilings and the vinyl; roof panels wetted and lowered whole.
4. Last day Air check in the house, the last loads hauled, and the site handed to the demolition crew.

Planning right

• Count every building on the lot in the survey, sheds and shops included.
• Roof panels come down whole; breaking them on the roof makes the job harder.
• Keep the survey and the shipment forms with the demolition permit papers.
• The demolition date comes after the last DEQ wait has run.

Scope of work

Samples of the flooring layers and the wall panels, the friable notice to DEQ, the bath and the hall sealed under negative pressure, the vinyl wetted and lifted with its backing, the floor deck scraped and wiped, labeled double bags, a HEPA clean and the haul. The shower, the new floor and any deck repair are extra.

Project overview

In this example, the owner of a 1970s double-wide in Wood Village needs a walk-in shower and a level floor from the bedroom to the bath, so a walker rolls without catching. The old sheet vinyl has to come up first.

The vinyl backing tests positive and is handled as friable. The owner stays with family for two days while the bath and the hall are sealed, and the remodeler starts on a clean floor deck.

The goal

The goal is a clean, level floor deck through the bath and the hall, ready for a walk-in shower and a floor a walker can cross.

Process

1. First visit Flooring layers and wall panels sampled; the floor deck checked for soft spots.
2. Before work Notice filed; the owner's stay elsewhere planned for the work days.
3. Day one Bath and hall sealed, vinyl lifted wet with its backing.
4. Day two Deck scraped and wiped, plastic folded inward, bags hauled.

Planning right

• Plan somewhere else to stay for the work days if the bath is the only one.
• Floor decks in manufactured homes can be thin, so check for soft spots by the tub.
• Test the wall panels and the tub surround before the shower goes in.
• Store the lab report with the papers for the double-wide.