advice please on old house - structural crack - asbestos roof tiles - realistic costs

chikatee

We have gone sale agreed on an old 2 up 2 down semi detached. It is in need of a lot of work and i have started this thread in hope of getting some starting advice. We know it needs a lot of work...heating, electrics etc. Whole new fit out. It will also need to be reroofed. New tiling. However the house has asbestos in the roof tiles. I understand this has to be dealt with properly. Is this a costly procedure? Also our structural report has advised that a large crack between the party wall and the rear wall will need to be mechanically tied. We hav not signed contracts yet but time is ticking and we are sceptical. We hope that if we go ahead that we will also add an extension but for now these two items are our main concern. Would it b normal practice to renegotiate our offer following these discoveries.

arthur daly

Disposal of asbestos is very expensive and so can pinning a building,sorry I can't help more

Dudda

How do you know the slates have asbestos and is any other Asbestos present? It could be worth getting an Asbestos survey done. I've had to get a few done for various projects and believe they are around 500 euro for small projects. Would be worth doing to check if any is present in floors, toilets, boilers, pipes, etc. The report will also tell you the type of asbestos present in the slates and what has to be done. It's possible to leave it where it is if you aren't doing any work to it. If you are doing work to the roof, adding new rooflights etc you'll need to remove it which is costly and has to removed and disposed in a certain way. The cost will vary on the size of the roof and you also have to remember you'll need new slates to replace the ones removed. You may also require new timber battens, felt, lead flashing or other roof repairs to be carried out while working on the roof. People often use the opportunity to replace gutters, facia boards, etc when replacing slates which also add to the overall cost.

For the structural crack I'm not sure of the cost or work required. An engineer will let you know if you need to underpin the foundations which is very very expensive. If it's a case of a few metal straps and expanded metal and plaster over it will be a lot cheaper but you'll need an engineer to advise.

chikatee

Thanks for your replys. We have been advised by the person that did our structural survey that it is present. What's a ball park figure for carrying out an asbestos survey and would the results take long?

Dudda

chikatee wrote: »

Thanks for your replys. We have been advised by the person that did our structural survey that it is present. What's a ball park figure for carrying out an asbestos survey and would the results take long?

Ring around 3-5 companies for quotes and email them 2 or 3 photos and a plan. You will find most of the main asbestos survey companies on Google as I don't think I can list any here. They should all be able to carry out the survey in about 2 weeks presuming you're not at the far end of Cork, Donegal or Achill Island and cost around 500 euro. They should have the written report to you within a week after they visit.

hexosan

There's so many house around without all these issues if it were me I'd be walking away and picking one of them.

chikatee

Unfortunately not the case in my area. I am from a village and I don't drive. The house is within walking distance of where I work, my parents, my sisters house etc.

Dublin City Handyman

I did a job recently (facia and soffit replaced) down pipes and guttering where asbestos.. Cost 800 euro removed.. basically 4 full black plastic big sizes... So I can only image what a roof would cost.

Dublin City Handyman

I did a job recently (facia and soffit replaced) down pipes and guttering where asbestos.. Cost 800 euro removed.. basically 4 full black plastic bag size... So I can only image what a roof would cost.