Example Asbestos Removal Projects in Minneapolis

Scope of work

A visit by an MDH-certified inspector, about nine samples from everything the window cut and the bedroom framing will touch, results for each sample from an accredited lab and a written report the contractor keeps on the job. Taking the positive pipe wrap off is priced separately.

Project overview

In this example, a Minneapolis family with a 1920s house wants a bedroom in the basement. Their contractor will cut a bigger window opening into the foundation wall, dig a window well outside and frame new walls along the floor.

A remodeling crew with employees needs a survey before it starts, so an MDH-certified inspector samples the basement first. Only the wrap on a short heating pipe by the wall comes back positive. At about 8 ft it is under the licensing threshold, which does not make it safe to handle, so a licensed crew takes it off before the saw comes out.

The goal

The goal is an egress opening and bedroom walls that go in on the contractor’s schedule, with the short pipe run already gone.

Process

1. Before the visit The contractor marks the window opening and the new wall lines on the basement floor.
2. Visit About nine samples, each one bagged, labeled and sent to the lab.
3. Within the week The report lists every sample, with the one positive pipe run measured.
4. Then The short pipe run is cleared, and the window cut goes ahead as planned.

Planning right

• Mark every spot the crew will cut or frame, so the survey covers it.
• A coating on a basement wall gets its own sample, even when it looks like paint.
• Keep the lab report with the job papers.
• Materials that tested clear can stay where they are.

Scope of work

Samples of each insulation type, the MDH notice filed five days ahead, the boiler area and pipe runs sealed in plastic under negative air, the jacket and pipe wrap soaked and taken off in sections, leak-tight labeled bags, air samples before the plastic comes down, and the haul with its manifest to a landfill that accepts asbestos. Taking out the boiler and the new furnaces are the heating contractor’s work.

Project overview

In this example, the owner of a 1910s duplex in Minneapolis rents both floors and heats them with one old steam boiler. The plan is a furnace for each unit, so each tenant controls their own heat, and the boiler and most of the steam pipe have to go.

The jacket on the boiler and the wrap on the steam mains test positive. A rental is licensed work, so the notice goes in five days ahead, and the job is booked once the heat can stay off. The crew strips the insulation before the heating contractor cuts a single pipe.

The goal

The goal is a basement with no wrapped pipe left, so the old boiler comes out and two furnaces go in.

Process

1. First visit Boiler jacket, steam mains and elbows sampled by an MDH-certified inspector; every run to both floors measured.
2. Before work The notice goes to MDH, both tenants get the dates, and the basement storage is moved.
3. Days one and two The basement sealed, the boiler jacket and steam pipe wrap removed wet.
4. Day three Air samples, a final clean, and the bags hauled with the manifest.

Planning right

• Tell both tenants which days the heat and hot water are off.
• An elbow can hold a different mix than the pipe beside it.
• Keep the basement door locked while the work area is up.
• Hand the air sample report to the heating contractor before they start.

Scope of work

Samples of the fill and the ceiling, the MDH notice filed five days ahead, the hatch and the bedrooms below sealed in plastic, negative air in the attic, the vermiculite moved into sealed, labeled bags, the joists vacuumed clean, air samples at the end and the haul with its manifest. The rewire and new insulation are extra.

Project overview

In this example, a 1920s house in Northeast Minneapolis still runs on its original knob-and-tube wiring, and the owners are replacing it. Their electrician plans to fish new cable from the attic down into the walls, which means kneeling and reaching through the loose fill between the joists.

A sample of the fill comes back positive. The plaster ceiling under it is clear. A licensed crew empties the attic first, so the electrician works on bare joists and the old wires are easy to see.

The goal

The goal is an empty attic with bare joists, so the rewire starts on schedule and new insulation follows.

Process

1. First visit Fill and ceiling sampled by an MDH-certified inspector; the attic measured and the hatch checked.
2. Before work The notice goes to MDH, and the bedrooms under the attic are emptied.
3. Days one and two Hatch and rooms sealed, the vermiculite bagged, the joists vacuumed.
4. Day three Air samples, the plastic taken down, and the bags hauled.

Planning right

• Keep stored boxes and foot traffic out of the attic until the crew is done.
• Plan the rewire and the new insulation together, after the attic is clear.
• The ceiling below gets its own sample if the electrician will open it.
• Ask for the air sample report with the rest of the job papers.

Scope of work

Tile and mastic sampled apart, the MDH notice filed five days ahead, the work strip closed off in plastic, the tile lifted whole and the mastic taken up wet down to bare concrete, labeled bags, a HEPA clean and disposal with its manifest. The radon system and the new floor are extra.

Project overview

In this example, a radon test in a 1950s house in Columbia Heights comes back high. The radon contractor will drill a suction hole through the basement slab near the sump and seal the joint where the floor meets the wall, and old 9-inch tile covers that whole strip.

Both the tile and the mastic test positive. Only the strip the radon crew needs comes up, about 80 sq ft, and the rest of the family room floor stays in place under its rug.

The goal

The goal is a bare concrete strip along the wall, so the radon system goes in and the rest of the floor stays put.

Process

1. First visit Tile and mastic sampled by an MDH-certified inspector; the radon contractor marks the strip and the hole.
2. Before work The notice goes to MDH, and the furniture moves off the back wall.
3. Work day Strip sealed off, tile lifted, mastic taken up wet, the concrete vacuumed and wiped.
4. Then The radon crew drills, seals the edge and runs its pipe.

Planning right

• Ask the radon contractor to mark the exact strip before the crew comes.
• Tile left in place can stay covered by a rug or a new floor.
• Keep the sump cover on while the work area is open.
• A second radon test after the system runs tells you it is working.

Scope of work

Samples of each textured area, the MDH notice filed five days ahead, the rooms emptied and sealed in plastic under negative air, light fixtures and smoke alarms taken down, the texture wetted and scraped into leak-tight bags, air samples, a final clean and disposal with its manifest. The rewire, skim coat and paint are extra.

Project overview

In this example, an inspection of a 1960s house in St. Anthony turns up aluminum branch wiring. The electrician will open the ceiling at every light and smoke alarm box, and the owners want smooth ceilings when the work is done.

Four rooms come back positive. Before any box is cut, a licensed crew closes off two rooms at a time, keeps the texture damp and scrapes it down to bare board.

The goal

The goal is bare ceilings in all four rooms, so the electrician opens every box and the finish goes on smooth.

Process

1. First visit One or more samples per room by an MDH-certified inspector, plus a count of every light and alarm box.
2. Before work The notice goes to MDH, the furniture moves out, and the fixtures come down.
3. Days one to three Two bedrooms first, then the hall with the living room, each pair under its own plastic.
4. Day four Air samples, a final clean, and the plastic folded and bagged.

Planning right

• Book the electrician for the week after the air samples clear.
• Texture that was patched or painted over in one room can test unlike the rest.
• Kitchen and bath ceilings without texture may not need any work.
• Plan the skim coat after the new boxes are in.

Scope of work

Removal of every positive material in the survey: the furnace and duct wrap, about 400 sq ft of basement tile and about 150 sq ft of kitchen sheet vinyl, with the MDH notice, leak-tight labeled bags, air samples, the manifests, and a signed abatement contract for the wrecking permit. The survey and the wrecking are not included.

Project overview

In this example, the owner of a house in Minneapolis buys the run-down 1910s house on the adjoining lot to turn it into a yard and garden. The owner pulls the wrecking permit, so the city wants a contract with a licensed abatement contractor, and Hennepin County inspects before the house comes down.

The whole-house survey finds wrap on the furnace and ducts, basement floor tile and kitchen sheet vinyl. A licensed crew takes it all out at least two days before the wrecking date, since any asbestos left in the house would turn all of the debris into asbestos waste.

The goal

The goal is an empty shell with nothing positive left inside and the county papers in one folder, so the lot turns into a garden after the wrecking crew leaves.

Process

1. Week one Whole-house survey; a report with every positive material located and measured.
2. Next The abatement contract goes with the permit application, and the notice goes to MDH.
3. Removal days Furnace and ducts, basement tile and kitchen vinyl removed inside sealed areas.
4. Last step The survey, receipts and manifests handed over for the county inspection.

Planning right

• Apply for the wrecking permit with the signed abatement contract in hand.
• Keep the survey, receipts and manifests in one folder for the county inspector.
• If the old garage goes as well, have the inspector walk through it on the same visit.
• Book the wrecking crew for at least two days after the last bag leaves.

Scope of work

A survey of the storage room, the MDH and MPCA notices, a sealed work area kept apart from the laundry and the stairs, the tile and mastic taken up wet, the pipe fittings wetted and removed, leak-tight labeled bags, air clearance before the room reopens and the haul with its manifest. Taking out the lockers, the new floor and the bike racks are separate.

Project overview

In this example, the owner of an 18-unit walk-up from the 1960s in Minneapolis wants to turn the basement storage room into a bike room. The old wire lockers come out, a new floor goes down, and tenants keep using the laundry room beside it the whole time.

The floor tile, the mastic and the fittings on the pipes overhead all test positive. The building has more than four units, so the MPCA notice goes in ten working days ahead, along with the MDH notice. A licensed crew seals the room off from the laundry and the stairs and clears it before the new floor goes in.

The goal

The goal is a clear basement room with a bare concrete floor, ready for bike racks, while tenants stay home.

Process

1. Survey About 10 samples from the floor, the walls, the ceiling and the pipes.
2. Before work MDH and MPCA notified; a posted letter gives tenants the closing date and the stair to use.
3. Days one to three Room sealed, tile and mastic taken up wet, the pipe fittings removed.
4. Last day Clearance samples pass, and the flooring crew gets the keys.

Planning right

• Ask tenants to empty their lockers before the survey visit.
• Keep the laundry open, with the work area door sealed and signed.
• File the survey with the building records, so the next project can see which materials were sampled and where.
• Plan the new floor and the bike racks for the week after air clearance.