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11-07-2007, 05:43 AM
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222 posts, read 1,022,470 times
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Hi! Hubby and I are thinking of purchasing a 1951 rancher as a fixer upper. we have 2 kids and have discussed the lead paint and the asbestos siding, but where else might we find potential hazards like asbestos? I have searched and found a few sites, but nothing with lots of pictures or dates when items were commonly used and when they stopped being used. Can anyone help me with ideas of what to look for? We will have an inspection, but I am worried about things that may not come up, such as wall boards or insulation (we will eventually rewire the whole house as none of it looks grounded).
TIA!
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11-07-2007, 07:03 AM
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Location: A little suburb of Houston
3,702 posts, read 17,614,354 times
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Potential sources:
siding (really not much of a problem as long as it stays there)
Textured ceiling (more of 60's & 70's thing)
Ceiling tiles
wallboard
Floor tile (has usually been replaced by this time but check it)
Mastic in floor tile
Insulation (includes piping insulation, systems insulation, and general insulation)
Transite piping (not really a problem as it is in the ground, usually for old sewer pipes)
I live in a 1950's ranch with asbestos siding, I did not have the insulation problem as this house originally did not have central air or heat and other insulation had been removed; however, I will soon have to deal with the floor tile problem as the original asbestos tile is underneath the existing floor in the kitchen and I will be replacing it. With proper precautions, this should not be a problem. The real problem with asbestos is with the friable kind generally found in insulation. The rest is fine unless you disturb it and crush it up like you would have to do to get all the mastic off the subflooring which will have to be done wet and cleaned strictly to prevent dust.
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11-07-2007, 08:21 AM
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Location: Connecticut
32,912 posts, read 52,169,263 times
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One other place may be insulation around pipes in your basement. My parents had it in their home and my father pulled it all out before the dangers of asbestos were known. Jay
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11-07-2007, 09:17 AM
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392 posts, read 1,804,165 times
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As Poltracker said you basically just don't want to disturb these sorts of things and get them airborne. Don't sand lead paint, paint over it. I lived in a 1920's home with asbestos insulation on the pipes. I ripped old sheets into strips, dipped them in glue and wrapped the pipes and insulation, basically encapsulating it all.
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11-07-2007, 05:33 PM
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222 posts, read 1,022,470 times
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Well, eventually we plan to add a second story so we will probably have to deal with attic insulation, and I imagine we may have to deal with the wall insulation as we rewire. There is no central air and the heat is oil baseboard heat, so that won't be a problem except that we would install an hvac system through the walls, messing with insulation.
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11-07-2007, 08:23 PM
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Location: Jax
8,200 posts, read 34,345,091 times
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In my area, late 40's and early 50's houses don't have lead or asbestos, but some earlier ones do. Yours might have none at all, let's hope so  . |
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11-08-2007, 10:23 AM
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Location: A little suburb of Houston
3,702 posts, read 17,614,354 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by koofie
Well, eventually we plan to add a second story so we will probably have to deal with attic insulation, and I imagine we may have to deal with the wall insulation as we rewire. There is no central air and the heat is oil baseboard heat, so that won't be a problem except that we would install an hvac system through the walls, messing with insulation.
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Make sure you have insulation in various places checked. There are several products used in that area that could be mistaken for asbestos including one that is made from a wood fiber. |
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11-08-2007, 08:02 PM
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555 posts, read 2,143,987 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by koofie
Hi! Hubby and I are thinking of purchasing a 1951 rancher as a fixer upper. we have 2 kids and have discussed the lead paint and the asbestos siding, but where else might we find potential hazards like asbestos? I have searched and found a few sites, but nothing with lots of pictures or dates when items were commonly used and when they stopped being used. Can anyone help me with ideas of what to look for? We will have an inspection, but I am worried about things that may not come up, such as wall boards or insulation (we will eventually rewire the whole house as none of it looks grounded).
TIA!
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My first home I purchased had asbestos siding. The siding wasn't a problem, but the plywood underneath had termite damage that we did not know about. The siding on part of the back of our house had to be removed to replace all the bad wood. It was a pain. If you live in termite prone areas and if there was any termite damage noted on the home inspection, make sure the owners had it replaced because the siding hides the damage. |
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11-10-2007, 06:46 PM
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222 posts, read 1,022,470 times
Reputation: 83
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I just got an email from Dad - he's wanting to pay for lead/mold/asbestos testing once we put a contract on the house!  Love my Dad!
Thanks for the link - I will be educating myself! |
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