UNSEEN EVILS

An evil menace lurks unseen! Yes, I know you can’t see Covid germs but this is not a virus.  This menace has been around for years, hanging about in homes like the smell from a forgotten pair of sweaty socks festering in the bottom of the laundry bin.  You’d never know this menace was there, well you would if it was a pair of my ‘cheesers’ but besides them you’d never know this evil was there unless you accidently came across it.

To the untrained eye this evil menace looks like a dull expanse of greyness about as interesting as pak choi is to a non-veggie and as we carnivores all know, anything green and of dubious spelling should be given a wide berth.  So what is it then?  Drum roll please – shock horror it’s asbestos!

 

Asbestos was commonly used in the past in the construction of houses, schools and many buildings.  The type used in residential dwellings is not dangerous in itself unless it begins to biodegrade or you start drilling holes in it and then it’s about as fatal as a piano falling on your head from a 4^th floor.  You breathe in the invisible particles and boom!  Kiss goodbye to that retirement cruise in the Seychelles.

 

We have asbestos cement boards lining the garage ceiling.  This was highlighted on the property survey but not as an issue as the boards are in good condition.  Yet now that we’re going to replace the central heating boiler and re-pipe the system, it’s a major concern as no work can be done until the Hazmat Team have declared the garage a contamination free zone. 

Getting rid of asbestos is only a major headache if you have the super atomic grade variety so the first thing to do is to get a reputable asbestos company in to test it.  We were charged £90 for a test and report.  If you are lucky enough to have the less toxic variety as we are then removal is fairly straight forward and likely to cost you under £1000.  I’ve found a local asbestos company who will remove the asbestos cement sheets and encapsulate the rest of the ceiling for around £700. 

 

Less fortunate punters who have the atomic grade stuff in their homes usually end up paying several thousand pounds to get rid of it due to the extra safety precautions that have to be taken.  The way the procedure was described to me sounded like something from a zombie apocalypse so I’m thankful ours is the less toxic type. 

Work on the garage is now complete.  Let’s just say that I didn’t poke my head round the door to ask if the workmen wanted a cup of tea.  Sorry.  Please don’t take it personally.