Renovate a house from the 70s by self-effort without asbestos testing

Hello everyone,

Friends of ours have shown a lucky hand and bought a house for a relatively good price. Now, of course, everything is to be renewed and renovated, and so various demolition works have now started as DIY. I have read that at that time asbestos was a very popular material in building materials. At the moment, all floor coverings are being removed very diligently and the milling of the underfloor heating is already planned.

Our friends absolutely do not want to have such an asbestos test carried out.

Am I being a bit too picky here, having a queasy feeling about continuing to help until this has been checked? Isn’t it also unfair to the other craftsmen and helpers to perform dangerous work in ignorance?

What do you think? I would really appreciate your opinions.

Thank you.

Ffp2 mask?
Yes, it would be appropriate to say so, then everyone can decide for themselves

Am I being a bit too picky here,

As long as nothing there looks directly like asbestos: yes, you are too picky.

P.S. Also remove the screed completely and install a "proper" underfloor heating system. Provided the installation height is suitable. The price is not much different, but thanks to different possible pipe diameters and flexible installation spacing, it is more advisable.

Asbestos was often used in public buildings for fire protection, hardly ever in private ones. Rarely as an additive in screed or adhesive either, except for roofing corrugated sheets. Craft companies know the usual suspects. If you do it yourself, asbestos is completely harmless if it is not inhaled. That means avoid dust formation, wet the area beforehand, and wear a respirator mask. A single contact with asbestos is relatively harmless.

Am I being a bit too fussy here by feeling uneasy about helping further until this has been checked?

I can understand that.

I don't consider a feeling uneasy to be fussy, and yes, it does have its justification.

The problem is more where you yourself aren't wearing protection (garden), but other helpers are fiddling around improperly without telling you, so you can't take precautions regarding protection.

We ourselves had an asbestos roof in our old terraced house... if neighbors in the terraced housing estate started working on something, I wouldn't have wanted to know. Others hired a demolition and disposal company that removed the roof in protective suits and masks. And yes, I know people who simply threw asbestos sheets from a garage roof into the garden, where they then broke. Some nearby people probably also inhaled something unknowingly.

Isn't it also unfair to other craftsmen and helpers to carry out dangerous work out of ignorance?

Consideration, or rather care, is not everyone's virtue.
Ultimately, though, it takes two: the client and the contractor: the client being friends and the contractor you or other helpers.
Do you know that asbestos could be present, and does the other helper know as well?
It is your decision.
If you have doubts, then don't do it. There are things you can tolerate for yourself, meaning possibly risking your health, but for others, that's simply not a favor among friends.

However, it will probably be the case that you won't be understood with a lone decision.

Asbestos was often used in public buildings for fire protection, but hardly ever in private ones. As an additive in screed or adhesive also rarely, except for corrugated roof sheets. Craftsmen know the usual suspects, though. If you do it yourself, asbestos is completely harmless as long as it is not inhaled. That means avoiding dust formation, wetting in advance, and wearing a respirator mask. A single contact with asbestos is relatively harmless.

Thank you very much for your reply, the probability is possibly really low, but certainty is also not given.

I can relate to that.

I don't find cautiousness a bad feeling when it is uneasy and indeed justified.

The problem is more where you yourself do not wear protection (garden), but other helpers mess around improperly and do not tell you, so you cannot take precautions regarding protection.

We ourselves had an asbestos roof on the old terraced house… if neighbors in the terraced housing estate started working on it, I would not have wanted to know. Others hired a demolition and disposal company that removed the roof wearing protective suits and masks. And yes, I know some who just dropped asbestos sheets from a garage roof into the garden, which then broke. Some people nearby probably inhaled some unknowingly.

Consideration or rather care is not everyone's virtue. Ultimately, it takes two: the client and the contractor: client friends and contractor you or helpers. Do you know that asbestos might be present, does the other helper also? It is your decision. If you have concerns, then don't do it. There are things one can tolerate for oneself, i.e., possibly risking health, but for others that is simply no favor.

However, it will probably be the case that you will not be understood with a solitary decision.

Thank you for taking the time to respond so thoroughly. In fact, it is probably exactly as you write. We will see what we do.