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What to Do if You Have Asbestos at Home?

What to Do if You Have Asbestos at Home?

Quick Guide To Asbestos For Homeowners

Areas where asbestos are commonly found

 

As a dangerous health hazard, asbestos is no longer used  since the scientific discovery of its cancer-causing fibers.

If left alone, asbestos itself does not pose any problems. But of course, it won’t be long until you need to work it out. Since the materials in your home eventually deteriorates, it will need an update sooner or later.

Now, if your home happens to be built between the 1940s and 1970s, the chances of having asbestos on it are higher. And if you accidentally discover asbestos in your home and at worst, you disturb it, you should be quick to respond to avoid aggravating the problem. A professional asbestos removal company based in Brisbane has shared some tips when you happen to find an ACM within your property.

Asbestos in Insulation

Asbestos is popular for its strength and thermal resistance properties. Therefore, finding asbestos in your home most likely means it is in the insulation.

At some point, you will need to update your insulation, hence you need to remove the old one. When dealing with asbestos this way, it is best to inform your insulation contractor and commence proper removal.

Insulation contractors will need to prep up the space first to reduce the chances of spreading the fibers further. And of course, they also need to protect themselves from exposure. In the process, you also have to leave your home for quite some time and only return when no fibers are left in the air.

More Signs of Asbestos

It is not easy to tell upfront if your home has asbestos unless you discover or disturb it. But, aside from being an old structure, these manifestations may tell you something:

  • Check the pipes in your home that does not have insulation. If you see some remnants of old insulation that are gray or white, that could be asbestos.
  • The flooring tiles that are originally installed in your home are in 9-inch sizes. That is most likely tiles that use asbestos

Disturbing Asbestos

Friable Asbestos

Now, if ever you disturb asbestos accidentally, you have to vacate the premise as soon as you can. Although studies show that the cancerous manifestations of asbestos in our bodies will only happen in 10 to 50 years after exposure, you can never be sure if some fibers are already lingering inside your home for quite some time. Much like a ticking time bomb that can explode your health anytime.

As a precautionary measure, remove your clothes and seal them in a plastic bag. Wash them separately to remove the fibers on the fabric.

Then, wash your hair and body thoroughly to get rid of the fibers that are sticking to your skin.

Vacate the premise and inform your local state authorities so they can refer your case to the proper department.

Asbestos Testing

You can also contact a professional insulation contractor so they can check. They will assess the space by getting swabs of different areas and test for asbestos.

After testing positive for asbestos, your insulation contractor will have to remove the remaining fibers thoroughly and clean the area. The process may take some time, or at worst, may require you to abandon the place completely.

Testing for asbestos roughly costs $100 to $750, which depends on how many areas in your home you want to test. Though it might be an additional cost on your end, this is significantly less than when your health is at stake.

Professional Asbestos Treatment

Your insulation contractor might also refer you to a more credible professional to do the work more safely.

There are certified professionals who can do asbestos treatment using the right methods and equipment like industry-grade HEPA vacuums. They also need to work with respirators, just like what in those sci-fi movies are donning when they deal with toxic infestations in the post-apocalyptic world.

Final Thoughts

You see, the presence of asbestos in your home is a serious issue. And you need to act on it as soon as possible. This is to avoid getting ill yourself or spreading the hazard more.

It is best to seek professional help and not deal with the problem yourself. And even if you have not made any discoveries yet but have been living in an old home built around the 1940s and 1970s, the EPA recommends testing your home for asbestos. After all, prevention remains better than cure.

Brisbane’s Building Industry Booming

Demand For Building In Brisbane Music To The Ears Of Construction Companies

Building Industry in Brisbane Booming 2014

While Brisbane has been seen as an under performing real estate market for several years, research predicts that property prices will hit an all-time high towards the end of the year (2014). Brisbane’s building industry booming means new opportunity for property developers to take their trade to a whole new level.

Property Market Increase Continues

News about Brisbane’s building industry booming trends is spreading like wildfire. Data from a number of property market researchers shows that overall property market in this city has grown in epic proportions and will continue to do so throughout 2014 and 2015. This has seen a number of property investors rush to the relatively under-valued city to take advantage of highly competitive prices.

Luxury apartments claim a lion’s share of this market

According to research firm Colliers International, the first quarter of 2014 saw a surge in luxury apartments in inner-Brisbane. Of the 591 new house sales examined across 47 projects, the research firm confirmed that 25% were luxury apartments.

Prices have risen dramatically

Meanwhile analysts from social and economic market research firm Urbis anticipate that at least 45 new mega-projects will be ready for sale by December this year. The research firm also reported that the average weighted price per apartment has risen dramatically from $128,000 early last year to $665,000 in 2014.

Here are the average national dwelling values for different cities across Australia.

  • Darwin – 3.3%
  • Brisbane – 2.9%
  • Melbourne – 2.3%
  • Canberra – 2.2%

 

(Source: Allan Wargent

Brisbane is defying historical trends

Historically, property prices in Australia do not follow a uniform pattern. That is why you find that some cities tend to outperform others at any given time. Brisbane is currently viewed as the next property hub by a growing number of investors. Urbis associate director Jon Rivera says “The current property boom is revolutionizing the Brisbane market transforming it from an otherwise sleepy town.”

What could be the reason behind this?

Luke O’Dwyer, a property markets expert from Silverstone Developments attributes the strong growth of Brisbane’s property market to the fact that the city is the most affordable property hub as compared to other cities that lie in the East coast. People from as far as Melbourne and Sydney are moving into Brisbane because of its highly competitive property prices.

This phenomenal rise in activity by property investors should see demand of the homes that are currently listed for sale gather new momentum towards the last quarter of this year. This will in turn an upward pressure on property prices in line with the basic demand and supply rules of economics.

Allan Wargent Property Buyers firm has predicted the following growth in property prices in different cities:

  • Canberra – 1% to -4%
  • Perth – 0% to 3%
  • Melbourne – 2% to 5%
  • Brisbane – 2% to 5%

 

Why property investors are moving to Brisbane

Affordability is not the only reason behind the drastic increase in demand for property in Brisbane. One factor that has been linked to this boom is the insurgence of a large number of property investors from outside Queensland. Most of these developers have achieved significant capital gains in their investment of the past few years and now they have the financial muscle to buy a large number of homes in the relatively affordable areas of Brisbane.

Apartments in high demand

According to Andrew Roubicek, director of residential for research firm Colliers, apartments in the $750,000+ price range have always been in high demand. Apartments listed at a $900,000 range contributed to 17% of the total sales made. Further research findings from Colliers indicate that property prices in Brisbane have shot by more than 25% above the five year average.

Predicting 2015 and Beyond

Going forward, pressure for property ownership in this city is expected to reach fever-pitch. But as usual with most property market (historically), this pressure is expected to reduce towards the last quarter of 2015. The exponential demand for property in this region is expected to soften in 2016 as predicted by BIS Shrapnel research institution.

Opportunities for construction companies

Brisbane is about to take off and recent research findings point to a much stronger growth over time. Terry Ryder, a renowned property commentator is confident that this property market is only gathering momentum and we’re yet to see much more growth. Construction companies are being advised to invest in property that falls within a market price range of $700 to $1000 because this is the bracket where most demand falls.

Finally;

The recent trend in demand for construction in Brisbane provides a fantastic opportunity for property developers to cast their nets wide. This also seems to be the perfect time to invest in this market.