Cement shingles taken off the back wall of a house before steel siding and a wider patio door
Example project
Home
1970s one-story house in Corcoran on a large lot
Original request
Re-side the back wall of the house in steel and widen the back door into a patio door
Testing
An MDH-certified inspector samples the gray shingles on the back wall and the caulk around its trim
Found
Asbestos in the cement shingles
Clear
No asbestos in the trim caulk
Area
About 320 sq ft of exterior wall
Timeline
Five-day notice, then one working day
Cost
$3,800
In this example, the owners of a 1970s one-story house in Corcoran want steel siding on the back wall and a wider patio door where the old back door is. That wall is covered in gray cement shingles.
Sampling for a remodel and a full inspection before demolition both begin with asbestos testing.
Sprayed ceilings
Sprayed 1970s texture that tests positive belongs to popcorn ceiling removal, where the work happens wet behind sealed plastic.
Entry, kitchen and bath floors
Sheet vinyl and tile over old glue can turn up in an entry, a kitchen or a bath, and floor tile and sheet vinyl removal lifts every positive layer to the subfloor.
Corcoran requires a building permit to demolish any building or structure. The city’s demolition supplement asks whether asbestos is present, and when it is, the application includes a copy of the MPCA notification form. The state notice itself covers apartment and commercial buildings, and a house only in the few cases MPCA lists, so ask the city which form a single house needs.
Before demolition begins, the city also wants proof that asbestos and other hazardous materials were properly cleaned up and disposed of. Our disposal records cover the asbestos part of that step.
Sheds, barns and other buildings
The supplement covers residential, commercial and agricultural buildings alike. Burning an old building to get rid of it is illegal in Minnesota, apart from legitimate firefighter training done after the asbestos survey and abatement.
Corcoran is building again, with close to 4 in 10 homes dating from 2010 or later. Yet the 1970s still lead every other decade, nearly all homes are one-unit homes, and renters occupy only about 1 in 20.
Houses from the 1970s
Sprayed ceilings, sheet vinyl, duct wrap and cement siding from that decade are on MDH’s list of materials to test. Newer additions on an older house need their own look, since one part can test clean while another does not.
Owners who live in their own single-family house may do it legally. MDH’s strong advice is still to bring in a licensed contractor.
Is a little asbestos fine to remove?
Small amounts fall outside MDH’s rules, but MDH says unregulated doesn’t mean safe, so we still handle them wet and bagged.
Does asbestos found during a remodel count as an emergency?
It doesn’t. MDH keeps emergencies separate from surprises found during a remodel, so the usual five-day notice still has to run before we remove anything.
Where does the asbestos go?
Not into your trash. Our crew dampens it and packs it into sealed, labeled bags, and a manifest tracks every load to a landfill set up to take asbestos.
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