Many homeowners are trying to protect themselves as much as they can against shady contractors. Often a good place to start and something we at Homeworks always recommend is checking the BBB site for company ratings.
There are other considerations that homeowners should be aware of when renovating their home. Today we would like to focus on the strong possibility of asbestos, a strong, fire-resistant mineral fibre used in all sorts of building materials until the 1980′s . It can be found in ceilings, walls, siding, insulation, flooring, drywall and duct insulation.
There are serious health risks related to exposure of asbestos, many of these can be avoided if proper care is taken when undertaking renovations. BC has seen a 69% rise in asbestos related diseases since 2002, the highest increase in Canada. This can result in serious health risks including death which has been on the rise.
It is estimated that home renovation, improvement and repair in BC this year is approximated to a $7.8M expenditure. Over 50% of this is expected to be in the Metro Vancouver area. We would like to recommend that before you undertake a major renovation that you have qualified workers identify, remove and dispose of asbestos-containing materials.
In order to properly remove and dispose asbestos the cost could vary but it is important to do this to ensure the prevention of health risks to your family. We suggest getting 2 or 3 quotes to make an informed decision. Asbestos work is quite common and there are people who are qualified and deliver superior, worry-free results.
It is believed that 30% of the $7.8 expenditure is completed “under the table” without the protection of contracts, permeits, inspections, tax remittance or WorkSafe BC compliance.
We want to encourage homeowners to include asbestos assessments in their home renovation planning. This could save you a life time of headaches and health risks.
To learn more about safety with asbestos visit WorkSafeBC to learn more including other job site issues. Information from this article was taken from the GVHBA.