Find an Asbestos Removal Specialist near you
The average rating for Bark Asbestos Removal Specialists is 4.85, based on 1,104 reviews
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Thinking of hiring an asbestos removal specialist? Read our handy guide to find out how much you can expect to pay for asbestos removal in the US.
The average price of asbestos removal is $2,250. This number varies based on the amount of asbestos, your location in the US, and how easily accessible the asbestos is.
Penn Medicine estimates that there’s around 30 million homes with asbestos across the USA. This material was often used in house construction up until the 1950s. But now, the severe health risks of asbestos are well-known, and homeowners are keen to remove this substance when they find it.
You’re more likely to find asbestos in or around:
Attic insulation
Vinyl floor tiles
HVAC duct insulation
Pipes, boilers, and furnaces
Two of the most serious health risks associated with asbestos are mesothelioma and asbestosis. Both of these cause permanent damage to your lungs. You’ll thus find that many homeowners are extremely wary of asbestos when young children are in the house. And if you’re selling your property, buyers will be put off by this too.
For all of these reasons, you can’t afford to cut corners with asbestos inspection and removal. Check out our webpage below for data about asbestos removal costs in the USA.
Keep in mind that all figures listed on this page are based on our data and research. If you want a personalized quotation, get in touch with an asbestos remover near you.
On average, an asbestos survey costs $400. This number can go slightly up or down, depending on the level of detail in the report. For example, an asbestos refurbishment and demolition survey costs $1,000 on average. This type of report is done before a demolition project.
Most experts recommend that you pay for an asbestos survey on your house. You could have asbestos in your property without knowing it.
Your asbestos surveyor will inspect your house and create a report on any asbestos found. They’ll then give advice on how to continue living with asbestos in your property. This could involve removing it or containing it. A typical asbestos report includes:
Analysis of asbestos samples
Asbestos management plan
Sample locations
Room photos and construction details
Any recommended action
Many people pay for an asbestos report every 5 or 10 years. If asbestos is damaged inside your house, the recommendations in your report could change. You might damage asbestos without knowing it or meaning to, so regular check-ups is worthwhile.
If you’re using a qualified asbestos surveyor, you should take their recommendations seriously. For a $400 average price, it’s not worth risking the health of your loved ones.
Even if an unqualified asbestos specialist offers to look at your situation, you shouldn’t pursue it. The findings could be inaccurate and cause you to be sued by future owners of your home. It also risks your health. And these people might not have the necessary expertise, equipment, or even insurance.
| Type of report | Column 2 |
| Asbestos survey | $400 |
| Asbestos refurbishment and demolition survey (residential) | $1,000 |
| Asbestos refurbishment and demolition survey (commercial) | $1,500 |
You’ll find that many asbestos removers charge by the cubic yards they need to address. This averages at $30 per cubic yard. So, if you have ten cubic yards to remove asbestos from, it costs around $300.
Other experts will do an inspection on your property, and then give a quote on the entire project. The average price is $2,250, but you’ll see a range from $750 to $6,000 on the largest residential cases.
You pay more for asbestos removal, compared to similar services, because of the danger involved. Of the 255,000 global deaths related to asbestos exposure, 91% of these are work-related. Your professional is thus putting themselves at risk – and this pushes your price up.
You should keep a close eye on all the factors that impact the cost of asbestos removal. We’ve summarized these below. Each one can affect your price by hundreds, or even thousands of dollars.
Lots of asbestos removal specialists charge by cubic yards. This is $30 per cubic yard on average. If you’ve got 15 cubic yards of asbestos, it’ll cost around $450. But if you’ve got 50 cubic yards of asbestos, expect the price to increase to $1,500.
The size of your property can play a big part of this figure. After all, if the professional that built your house used asbestos materials throughout the project, it’s likely to be in several areas. You’ll thus typically have more asbestos in a four-bedroom residential home, compared to a small apartment.
Your specialist can point out all the places asbestos is present. Keep in mind that it’s not always visible, so if you try to work it out yourself, your conclusion could be inaccurate.
Removing asbestos is not the only solution when you discover it in your home. A specialist might choose to ‘encapsulate’ it instead. This means that a sealant is applied to enclose the asbestos, and thus prevent it from spreading into the house.
Your specialist may prefer encapsulation if the asbestos is in good condition. They want to keep it this way, so it doesn’t become ‘damaged’ and thus harmful. Proper encapsulation means that no penetration can occur, and you’re safe from the asbestos.
Encapsulation is less expensive than removal. It takes less time and has fewer health risks attached. While asbestos removal costs $30 per cubic yard, encapsulation costs no more than $10 per cubic yard. This results in a price that’s half as expensive, and perhaps even better than that.
Asbestos can be found in dozens of different places, and some of these are easier to access than others.
For example, you could come across asbestos in textured paints and decorative materials. This involves specific techniques for safe extraction. If asbestos is found in pipes, then this is more complicated too, because it can force you to dismantle the plumbing network to fix it.
In other cases, asbestos is found in wall insulation that’s easily accessed. Ceiling tiles might have it as well. These scenarios come with fewer complications and your expert may charge less as a result.
Your location in the USA has a big impact on price. Where cost of living is the highest, prices for services usually goes up. And if your asbestos remover must travel a long way to reach your house, this’ll reflect in the price too.
Data shows that the states with the highest prices are Hawaii, Massachusetts, California, New York and Alaska. You should increase your budget, compared to the average fee, for asbestos removal in these places.
In states with large rural areas, the typical prices tend to go down. Common examples include Mississippi, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska and Alabama. You often don’t need to save up as much money to afford asbestos removal here.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has clear guidelines for asbestos removal and disposal. These are designed to keep everyone safe, including your family, and the workers themselves. This adds extra costs.
Asbestos removal specialists sometimes must liaise with local government, and regional water bodies, to see their laws on this subject. It can vary state-by-state.
For example, a landfill must be authorized to accept asbestos wastes by its Regional Water Quality Control Board. Some of these have special requirements that push up your cost.
| Cubic yards of asbestos | Average expected price |
| 1 | $30 |
| 10 | $300 |
| 25 | $750 |
| 50 | $1,500 |
| 100 | $3,000 |
| 200 | $6,000 |
You can’t afford to cut corners when it comes to asbestos removal. The health and safety of your loved ones is often on the line. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t a couple of ways to keep your costs down.
Firstly, don’t pay for a level of asbestos survey beyond what you need. If you don’t have plans to demolish your house, a ‘demolition’ survey is not needed.
Speak to the professional you bring in about whether encapsulation is viable in your situation. You shouldn’t compromise safety to do this. But if it makes sense, it can be significantly less expensive.
Find out if your asbestos remover will negotiate on price if you provide some of the materials. For example, if you’ve already got protective eyewear, boots, or waste bags in your house, then this could save your expert from bringing these themselves. It’s unlikely they’ll reduce their price for this, since they might feel more comfortable using their own things, but there’s no harm in asking.
Make sure you compare prices from all the asbestos specialists in your area. You shouldn’t proceed with the first asbestos specialist you speak to without getting quotes from others first. You could even mention that you’re getting quotes from several specialists, to see if they compete on price.
Just remember that some professionals have call-out charges, which can counteract this, so find out before inviting them to your house.
No. Asbestos is a dangerous substance to remove and dispose of. You should not attempt to do it yourself.
The Environmental Protection Agency states that training is needed for asbestos professionals, under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act of 1986. You’re only usually qualified to remove asbestos if you’re one of the following:
Worker
Contractor/supervisor
Inspector
Management planner
Project designer
You can be sued for damages if you sell your house to someone, who finds out that you haven’t followed correct protocol to remove asbestos. This is even worse if asbestos is found further down the line, improperly contained. It’s also a risk to the health of everyone in your house if you don’t do a good enough job.
You should hire a qualified professional to inspect your house for asbestos. They can take samples and complete an in-depth report summarizing the situation.
Asbestos is often found on walls, flooring, and ceilings. It was once renowned for its fireproofing properties. It was often used in asphalt floors and tiles and even added to the textured coatings found on walls and ceilings.
Asbestos has a distinctive pattern. It comes in six different forms and most have a swirl pattern, or one that has dimples on it. In the 1980s, asbestos was banned. So, it’s unlikely for it to be in a newer property, although not impossible.
Not always. But you should have it assessed by an expert who can explain whether action is needed.
Sometimes, small quantities of asbestos can be left alone without any risk. You should then schedule regular inspections over the years, so you stay on top of the situation. You could also encapsulate it to prevent spread. Lots of experts recommend this.
Once asbestos is damaged, you’ll need to remove it. You or a loved one could damage it without meaning to – especially if you don’t know it’s there.
Asbestos is harmful to people who are exposed to it for a long period of time. This is because breathing in asbestos fibers can damage your lungs and their lining.
An illness such as asbestosis, for example, is specifically caused by exposure to asbestos. Other illnesses connected to asbestos exposure include mesothelioma.
Some types of asbestos are more dangerous than others. For example, crocidolite (known as blue asbestos) has thin fibers and breaks down easily. This makes it more likely that anyone in the vicinity will become exposed to it.
Yes. The presence of asbestos will reduce the value of your property. Many buyers will not even consider purchasing a house with asbestos in it. Especially if they still have very young family members.
If asbestos is discovered during a survey, you should ensure that it’s managed or removed before putting your property on the market. This makes your property more attractive to potential buyers and help you get a higher price.
Some experts suggest that damaged asbestos in your house can decrease its value by 20% or more. But if you manage the situation well, the impact can be far less.
The average rating for Bark Asbestos Removal Specialists is 4.85, based on 1,104 reviews
5/5
based on 1,104 reviews
