Typical cost in Portland
Testing tells you what is inside a ceiling, wall or floor before anyone cuts into it. We arrange a survey with an accredited inspector, who samples every suspect material in the work area and sends the samples to an accredited lab. You get a written report with a result for each one.
That survey is a legal step in Oregon for any home built before 2004 that is being renovated or demolished, and the report stays on site until the job is done. Owners in Portland, Milwaukie and Gladstone can book it through us.
A remodel survey covers the part of the house you are changing. DEQ gives a kitchen remodel as its example, where only the kitchen needs a survey. If the plan grows to take in a hallway or a bathroom, those rooms need samples of their own.
Tearing a house down, or gutting most of it, calls for a survey of the whole building, from the roof and siding down to the basement. Portland asks for this survey with a residential demolition permit, so book it before you apply.
Walls and floors can carry several layers. Since November 2018, labs in Oregon have had to read each distinct layer separately instead of combining them into one sample. The exception is a drywall system, where joint compound, tape and wallboard may be analyzed together.
Some owners skip testing and simply treat a material as asbestos. It saves the lab wait. The trade-off is that the material is then packed, removed and landfilled under every asbestos rule, even if it never contained any.
The survey rule sets a minimum number of samples, so the report covers every material the work will reach.
Sprayed and troweled finishes, like popcorn ceilings and textured plaster, need at least three random samples from each area that looks the same. Other materials need at least one.
Labs must hold national accreditation or proficiency status, a rule since January 2021.
Keep a copy of the survey report at the house while the work happens. DEQ can ask to see it.
Positive results? Read popcorn ceiling and texture removal, or return to the home page.
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