Example Asbestos Removal Projects in Coon Rapids

Scope of work

An MDH-certified inspector takes one sample each from the ceiling texture, the seam compound and the attic fill along the duct route. An accredited lab tests each one, and the written results list all three. Nothing else in the house is sampled.

Project overview

In this example, steam and mildew keep building up in the main bathroom of a 1960s rambler in Coon Rapids, which never had an exhaust fan. The electrician will cut a hole in the textured ceiling for a fan and lay its duct across the attic floor to a vent on the roof.

Only three materials stand in the way: the texture, the compound on the drywall seams and the loose fill overhead. All three come back with no asbestos found, and the electrician books the fan for the next week.

The goal

The goal is a vented bathroom, with the fan cut in after the lab results, not before.

Process

1. First visit An MDH-certified inspector samples the ceiling texture, the seam compound and the attic fill on the duct route.
2. Lab An accredited lab tests each sample separately.
3. Results Written results within days: no asbestos in any of the three.
4. Next The electrician cuts in the fan and runs the duct.

Planning right

• Have the electrician mark the fan spot and the duct route before the visit.
• Each result covers the material it came from; other rooms are a separate question.
• Leave a clear path to the attic hatch.
• Keep the written results with your house records.

Scope of work

Two samples, the MDH notice filed five days ahead by the licensed contractor, the bedroom emptied and wrapped in plastic with negative air, the hall door sealed, the texture dampened and scraped to bare board, labeled leak-tight bags, air samples, a HEPA clean of the room and disposal with its manifest. Patching and paint are extra.

Project overview

In this example, a family in a 1970s townhome in Coon Rapids takes down a tall loft bed in their son’s room, and the top rail drags a long scrape through the ceiling texture. They close the door, keep the room empty and call before anyone sweeps up.

Both samples test positive. Patching one strip would leave a scarred ceiling, so a licensed crew takes the texture off the whole bedroom and cleans up the loose pieces with it. The family then patches and paints a smooth ceiling.

The goal

The goal is a clean, bare bedroom ceiling and no loose texture left behind, ready for a smooth finish.

Process

1. First visit An MDH-certified inspector samples the damaged strip and an untouched corner.
2. Before work Once MDH is notified, the loft bed and boxes stay out of the room until the crew is done.
3. Day one The room wrapped, the loose pieces picked up wet, the rest of the texture scraped.
4. Day two A HEPA clean, air samples, and the bags carried out with the manifest.

Planning right

• Keep the door shut and leave fallen texture where it is until the crew arrives.
• Leave the cleanup of the fallen pieces to the crew.
• Other bedrooms with undamaged texture can wait.
• Plan the patch and paint for after the air sample results.

Scope of work

Samples of the tape, the trunk wrap and the cloth connector, the MDH notice filed five days ahead, the furnace corner closed off in plastic under negative air, the tape and wrap wetted and cut away from the metal, labeled leak-tight bags, air samples and the haul with its manifest. The coil, the outdoor unit and any duct sealing are the HVAC contractor’s work.

Project overview

In this example, a family in Coon Rapids wants central air in their 1960s rambler. The HVAC contractor will cut into the supply plenum above the furnace to set a cooling coil, and the seams there are covered in old white tape, with a gray wrap on the first few feet of the main trunk.

The tape and the wrap test positive, and the cloth connector does not. A licensed crew takes the tape and wrap off around the furnace in a single day, so the contractor cuts into bare metal.

The goal

The goal is bare metal at the furnace, so the cooling coil goes in on schedule and the rest of the ducts stay as they are.

Process

1. First visit At the furnace, an MDH-certified inspector cuts bits of seam tape, trunk wrap and the cloth connector.
2. Before work MDH gets the notice, and the family plans a day without the furnace running.
3. Work day The furnace corner sealed, the tape and wrap wetted and cut off, the metal wiped down.
4. Then The air sample results come back, and the HVAC crew sets the coil.

Planning right

• Ask the HVAC contractor to mark where the plenum will be cut.
• Tape on duct runs nobody will touch can stay where it is.
• Nobody goes down to the basement until the crew takes down its plastic.
• Keep a copy of the air sample results for the HVAC contractor.

Scope of work

Testing covers the attic fill and the ceiling under it; MDH gets five days’ notice. We seal the pull-down stair and the rooms beneath it in plastic, then a HEPA vacuum draws the fill into sealed, labeled bags. Joists are brushed and vacuumed bare, air samples are taken, and the bags go out with a manifest. Plywood decking, new insulation and any raised supports cost extra.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a 1960s house in Anoka are short on closet space and want to keep boxes in the attic. Their carpenter plans to lay plywood across the joists near the pull-down stair, and the attic floor is covered in light, pebble-like fill.

The fill tests positive. A licensed crew empties the whole attic floor, so no loose fill is left under or beside the new boards, and the insulation and plywood go in afterward.

The goal

The goal is bare, clean joists, so new insulation and a storage floor go in over them.

Process

1. First visit Fill and hall ceiling sampled by an MDH-certified inspector, who also measures the attic floor.
2. Before work Coats and boxes come out of the closets below the stair before the crew arrives, after MDH has its notice.
3. Days one and two The stair opening and the rooms below sealed, the vermiculite vacuumed into bags.
4. Day three Bare joists brushed down, the air tested, and the last bags loaded out.

Planning right

• Hold off on storing anything up there until the plywood is in.
• Ask the carpenter how much insulation will fit under the new boards.
• A ceiling opened later gets its own sample.
• Save the air sample report; it records the air test done after the fill came out.

Scope of work

Samples of the wall, floor and ceiling, the MDH notice filed five days ahead, the kitchen sealed in plastic under negative air, the board on the window wall misted and taken down to the studs, the sheet vinyl lifted wet, labeled leak-tight bags, air samples and a manifest for the load. Plumbing, cabinets and the new floor are extra.

Project overview

In this example, a couple in Coon Rapids is redoing the kitchen in their 1970s rambler and wants the sink under the window, looking out at the yard. The plumber needs the window wall open to the studs for new lines, and the old sheet vinyl has to come up for the new floor.

The joint compound on that wall and the sheet vinyl both test positive, and the ceiling is clear. A licensed crew opens the wall and lifts the floor before the plumber and the cabinet installer arrive.

The goal

The goal is an open window wall and a bare subfloor, so the sink moves and the new floor goes down.

Process

1. First visit Behind the old sink spot, an MDH-certified inspector cuts into the window wall, then samples the vinyl floor and the ceiling texture.
2. Before work Dishes, food and the table leave the kitchen during the five-day MDH wait.
3. Day one Kitchen sealed, the window wall board removed wet, the vinyl lifted.
4. Day two Air samples, a HEPA clean, and the waste carried out.

Planning right

• Plan meals elsewhere for the two work days.
• Walls that stay closed in this remodel can stay as they are.
• Have the plumber confirm the wall section before the crew comes.
• Put new board up once the plumbing is in.

Scope of work

Separate samples of tile, adhesive and walls, the MDH notice filed five days ahead, the trench strip closed off in plastic, the tile lifted whole where it lets go, the adhesive taken up wet to bare concrete, labeled bags, the strip HEPA-vacuumed, and the waste hauled with a manifest. The saw cutting, the pipe work and the concrete patch are the plumber’s.

Project overview

In this example, a camera inspection shows a cracked section of the old cast iron drain under the basement floor of a 1960s rambler in Fridley. The plumber will saw a trench through the slab to reach it, and the floor along that line is covered in old vinyl tile.

The tile and its adhesive test positive. A saw would grind both into dust, so a licensed crew lifts about 50 sq ft of tile along the trench line first, and the plumber cuts into bare concrete.

The goal

The goal is a bare concrete strip along the drain, so the plumber cuts the trench without touching the old tile.

Process

1. First visit The plumber snaps a chalk line where the slab will be cut, and an MDH-certified inspector samples tile, adhesive and wall along it.
2. Before work MDH receives the notice; the basement shelving that sits over the drain line is pulled away.
3. Work day Plastic walls go up along the drain path; the crew pops the tile, scrapes the wet adhesive and wipes the slab.
4. Then The plumber cuts the trench and replaces the pipe.

Planning right

• Ask the plumber to mark the full trench, including any branch to the floor drain.
• Avoid drilling or sanding the tile that stays in the room.
• Run water sparingly until the plumber says the line is ready.
• Keep the disposal manifest with the plumbing invoice.

Scope of work

A survey of the lobby, the MDH and MPCA notices, the lobby sealed off while tenants use the rear entrance, the mailbox wall board misted and cut out, the tile and mastic taken up wet, labeled leak-tight bags, air clearance before the lobby reopens and the haul with its manifest. The mailboxes, the new floor and the wall repair are separate.

Project overview

In this example, a Coon Rapids landlord with a 36-unit building from the 1970s is replacing the cramped mailbox wall in the front lobby with a larger recessed unit. The new boxes need a wider opening in the wall, and the worn lobby tile is being replaced at the same time.

The tile, its mastic and the joint compound on the mailbox wall test positive. A building with more than four units needs MPCA notice ten working days ahead along with the MDH notice. For the three work days tenants use the rear entrance, and the owner sets up a temporary spot for mail.

The goal

The goal is a bare lobby floor and a clean wall opening, ready for the new mailboxes, with tenants using the rear door for three days.

Process

1. First visit Lobby floor, walls and ceiling: an MDH-certified inspector pulls about 7 samples for the survey.
2. Before work Both agencies hear from us, and each tenant gets a letter naming the work days and the side door to use.
3. Days one and two Lobby sealed, mailbox wall board cut out, tile and mastic taken up wet.
4. Day three Air clearance passes, and the lobby opens for the mailbox installer.

Planning right

• Get the exact opening size from the mailbox supplier before the survey.
• Set up the temporary mail spot before the lobby closes.
• The owner’s maintenance file gets the survey, a map of every lobby material sampled.
• Book the flooring crew after the clearance date.