A family member is considering purchasing a house, built in the Midwestern United States in 1958. In the basement, there are nine inch ceiling tiles on the ceiling. The home inspection mentioned that it cannot confirm that these tiles are not asbestos.
I've received four pieces of advice:
- "Just remove it yourself."
- "Hang drywall underneath the tiles and seal it up."
- "Professional removal is the only way to go."
- "Take a sample and send it in to a laboratory."
I suspect the tiles do have some asbestos content. Some of the advice sounds reasonable enough (especially 2, 3, and 4)… looking for guidance.
What's the best approach in this situation?
EDIT: Thanks all for the helpful advice. We had it tested, and it turns out not to be asbestos.
Best Answer
As a certified home inspector I will give you some more specific advice from a Buyer's point of view. If the inspector suspected asbestos, then this warning should be taken seriously. At this point in the house buying negotiations, it would be wise to insist the "Seller" have the material sampled by a licensed tech and tested by a certified lab with a copy of the results given to you before proceeding to a closing. If the tests do come back positive for asbestos, get a quote from a licensed asbestos remediator to remove it, and a quote to replace the ceiling with some safe material such as drywall. I would recommend asking that the total amount of both of these projects be adjusted from the selling price.
Under no circumstances would I advise one of my customers to proceed further into the purchase until this issue is resolved. If positive for asbestos, this could be an expensive fix and definitely not a DIY project under any circumstances.