Example Asbestos Removal Projects in Portland

Scope of work

A visit by an accredited inspector, about eight samples from the materials along the sill line, lab results for each layer and a written report that stays on site while the retrofit crew works. Taking off the positive duct tape is priced separately.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a 1920s house in Portland hire a crew to bolt the house to its foundation and brace the short walls in the basement. The crew will drill and cut along the whole sill, past heating ducts, old pipes and a basement room that was finished years ago.

The house is older than 2004 and a contractor is doing the work, so an accredited inspector surveys the area first. Only the paper tape on one duct seam tests positive. That seam is cleared, and the rest of the sill is ready.

The goal

The goal is a sill the retrofit crew can drill without stopping, with the one positive seam handled first.

Process

1. Before the visit The retrofit plan marks every spot the crew will drill or cut.
2. Visit About eight samples along the sill, each layer bagged and labeled.
3. A few days later Lab results and a report with the one positive seam located and measured.
4. Then The tape on that seam comes off, and the retrofit starts on schedule.

Planning right

• Ask the retrofit crew for its drilling plan, so the survey covers every spot.
• A finished basement room can hide older materials behind its paneling.
• The retrofit crew keeps the report in the basement while it works.
• Anything the crew will not drill or cut can be left alone.

Scope of work

Samples of each textured area, the friable notice to DEQ, the rooms emptied and sealed with 6-mil plastic under negative pressure, the old heat circuits switched off by the electrician first, the texture wetted and scraped into double bags, a HEPA clean, and the haul to a DEQ-permitted landfill with its shipment form. New ceiling board, the heat pump and paint are extra.

Project overview

In this example, the heating cables buried in the ceilings of a 1970s house in Gladstone have stopped working, and the owners switch to a heat pump. The old ceiling board is cracked along the cable lines, so they plan new board and smooth ceilings in every room.

The texture tests positive. A licensed crew scrapes it off wet, one sealed area at a time, before the drywall crew takes the old board down.

The goal

The goal is bare ceiling board in every room, ready for the drywall crew, with no texture left overhead.

Process

1. First visit Texture sampled in each room, the ceilings measured, the old heat circuits marked.
2. Before work The notice goes to DEQ, the electrician switches off the old heat, and the furniture moves out.
3. Days one to three The bedrooms and the hall sealed and scraped, then the living room.
4. Day four Final clean, plastic folded inward and bagged, and the load driven to the landfill.

Planning right

• Have the old heat circuits shut off and labeled before anyone works overhead.
• Cracks along the cable lines are a reason to test before you patch.
• Plan the heat pump line set for after the ceilings are clear.
• Every textured area gets its own samples, even when the rooms look alike.

Scope of work

Samples of the wrap and fittings, the friable notice to DEQ, a sealed work area under negative pressure along the pipe runs, the wrap and fittings wetted and cut away, labeled double bags, a HEPA clean and an air check, and the haul with its shipment form. Moving the pipes and new pipe insulation are the plumber's work and are extra.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a 1920s house in Portland want to lower the basement floor and turn the space into living area. The heating pipes hang below the joists, right where the new ceiling will go, so the plumber has to move them.

The wrap and its elbow fittings test positive, and pipe insulation is friable, so a licensed crew takes it off before the plumber cuts anything. The boiler was replaced years ago, and its jacket is clear.

The goal

The goal is bare pipe the plumber can cut and move, so the dig-out starts with nothing overhead to worry about.

Process

1. First visit Samples of the wrap, the fittings and the boiler jacket; the pipe runs measured.
2. Before work The notice reaches DEQ ten days ahead, and the basement is emptied.
3. Days one and two The pipe runs sealed off, the wrap soaked and cut away, the bare pipe wiped down.
4. Day three Air check, final clean and the bags hauled, so the plumber can start the next week.

Planning right

• Plan the heating changes together with the dig-out, since the pipes are in the way either way.
• Fittings can test differently from the straight runs, so sample both.
• Keep the heat off on the days the crew works on the pipes.
• New pipe insulation goes on after the plumber has moved the lines.

Scope of work

Tile and adhesive tested, DEQ given its nonfriable notice, and the bathroom closed off in plastic once the plumber has pulled the toilet. The squares come up whole and wet, the black adhesive is scraped off wet, and everything leaves in labeled double bags after a HEPA clean. Cutting out the rot, new plywood, the floor and the toilet reset are extra.

Project overview

In this example, the floor around the toilet in a 1950s house in Milwaukie has gone soft after a slow leak. The carpenter needs to cut out the rotted subfloor, and the old 9-inch tile and its black adhesive sit right on top.

Both the tile and the adhesive test positive. The tile is still whole, so each square comes up wet and in one piece after the five-day notice, and the carpenter gets a bare subfloor to cut.

The goal

The goal is a bare, clean subfloor around the toilet, so the carpenter can cut out the rot and the room gets a new floor.

Process

1. First visit Tile and adhesive sampled apart; the soft area and the room measured.
2. Before work The notice goes to DEQ; the plumber pulls the toilet and caps the line.
3. Work day Room sealed, tile lifted whole and wet, adhesive scraped, the floor vacuumed and wiped.
4. Then The carpenter cuts out the rot and lays new plywood.

Planning right

• Stop using the toilet once the floor feels soft.
• Do not pry up loose tile yourself to look underneath.
• Tile in the hall outside the bathroom can stay if the repair does not reach it.
• Ask the carpenter how far the rot runs before the crew comes, so the work area is right.

Scope of work

Removal of every positive material in the survey: 16 window sashes taken out whole and wrapped, about 220 sq ft of sheet vinyl and about 60 ft of pipe fittings and wrap, with the DEQ notices, labeled double bags, the shipment forms and the close-out letter for the demolition permit. The survey and the deconstruction work are not included.

Project overview

In this example, an owner plans to replace a 1930s house in Portland. Houses from 1940 or earlier come down by deconstruction, taken apart by hand, and the city wants the asbestos survey and a close-out letter before it issues the demolition permit.

The putty around the old window panes tests positive, so those sashes leave wrapped with the asbestos load instead of going to reuse. The sheet vinyl and the pipe fittings come out as friable material, and the deconstruction crew starts with the paperwork in hand.

The goal

The goal is a house with every positive material out and the close-out letter ready, so the deconstruction can begin.

Process

1. Week one Survey of the whole house; a report with every positive material located.
2. Next The DEQ notices go in, and the crew books the landfill.
3. Removal days Sashes lifted out whole and wrapped; sheet vinyl and fittings removed wet inside sealed areas.
4. Last step The close-out letter and the shipment forms go to the owner for the permit file.

Planning right

• Tell the deconstruction contractor which windows go to the landfill, so nobody plans to sell them.
• A garage or shed that comes down with the house is part of the survey.
• Apply for the permit once the close-out letter is in hand.
• Materials that tested clear stay in place for the deconstruction crew.

Scope of work

A survey of the boiler room, the friable notice to DEQ, a negative pressure enclosure sealed off from the laundry and the back stair, a licensed crew, the jacket and pipe wrap soaked and removed, labeled double bags, an air check before the room reopens, and the haul with its shipment form. Taking out the boiler itself and the new heating plant are separate.

Project overview

In this example, the owner of an 18-unit brick building from the 1920s in Portland is replacing its steam boiler. Tenants stay in their apartments, and the basement also holds the laundry room and a stair to the back door.

The boiler jacket, the flue wrap and the steam pipe insulation all test positive. A licensed crew seals the boiler room off from the laundry and the stair, removes the insulation, and checks the air before the heating contractor takes the boiler out.

The goal

The goal is a boiler room with no wrapped surfaces left, so the new heat goes in while tenants stay home.

Process

1. Survey About 12 samples from the boiler, the flue and the pipes; a report with every run measured.
2. Before work Notice filed; tenants told when the heat is off and which door to use.
3. Days one to four Enclosure built, jacket and pipe wrap soaked and removed, bags sealed and labeled.
4. Last day Air check, final clean, and the room handed to the heating contractor.

Planning right

• Schedule the work outside the coldest weeks, or plan temporary heat for tenants.
• Keep the laundry room closed while the enclosure is up.
• Apartment buildings of five units or more need a survey before renovation, however new they are.
• Give the building manager a copy of the survey for the next basement job.