I would think you would add more than $12k of value to the property by removing the asbestos, the removal and disposal costs will not get cheaper, only dearer. Then you can insulate the walls and make it a lot nicer to be inside, and also cheaper to heat and cool.
Keep the external fibro, if in good condition, and paint. It will outlast any timber weatherboard and will be low maintenance. If you’re close to the beach or in a bushfire area, fibro is a no-brainer and resists everything. You can always inject foam insulation or, if removing internal boards, batts. If you have internal asbestos (Tilux in bathroom etc.), I would invest the money in removing the interior stuff and replacing, rather than the exterior. Bonus of fibro is you can paint it cool retro pastels like blues or greens or yellows. A lot of airbnbs are done up like that. If you are set on removing external fibro, then possibly replace with Hardieplank. Prob a bit more expensive than timber weatherboard, but much more weather resistant and maintenance free.
One exception I’d make is for a fibro (Super Six asbestos) roof. If it has an asbestos roof (a lot of them still in QLD, if not Sydney), def replace. The good thing is a lot of people are scared of fibro, so the house is priced accordingly. I have had a fibro for 8 years (200m from beach) and it’s weathered the storms, salt and hail for 60 years. Good luck with your search.
https://preview.redd.it/5ywdpl0d2pjc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=153c2503c7ec4e46f296e6646431e87514c80c27
Is it actually asbestos? get it checked before you get too excited, fibro is fine and easy to dispose of.
I owned a 2 bed fibro place years ago. Was a good an easy reno, especially the wood floors which came up awesome after a sand and polish (most are high grade jarrah, depending on age, and scrub up real well). We insulated ceiling and walls, colorbond exterior (don't bother with brick veneer unless thats the look you are after, colorbond looks more modern), and ended up extending the kitchen to make a combined kitchen/living with bathroom to side. Worth the investment, especially when at the time building was a nightmare
Absolutely worth it. Normally houses back then have really good structure and are built well. Just make sure the plumbing and electrical can handle all your needs.
I know to me it looks ugly.
atleast with timber or fubro if you dont like the colour scheme you can change it easily.
yes you can stain or paint bricks but its harder to do.
Why remove it? It's not hurting anybody sitting there, slap some paint on it and call it a day, but if you really want to insulate and add Weatherboard just batton over the top, insulate, then apply the Weatherboard, this asbestos fear mongering really needs to stop!
actually fibro is insulating due to the asbestos! that was the big use of it in construction is insulation. it was used a lot in electrical equipment as it didnt burn and was less fragile than mica.
even modern stuff has some insulating properties.
the main use of asbestos material in homes in aus was in its bonded form as cement sheet boards and is quite safe if sealed with paint and left alone. AND IT DOESNT MATTER WHAT KIND OF PAINT all house paints will seal it.
and its the recommended course of action from the health dept, seal it leave it alone!
I have a fibro house. did all the work myself (insulate walls and roof, replaced the fibro etc. ) why you ask? $40K just to re clad the house, not including if anything needed to be repaired nor installing the insulation
you dont need to sheet with weather board you can use modern fibro sheet or cladding such as linea.
also provided it in good condition paint and leave it alone their is no requirement to remove asbestos especially bonded asbestos as it cant become airborne unless its disturbed by breaking it or drilling or cutting it. the only way to tell is have it tested.
what you cant skimp on is the proper disposal of the asbestos material and the insulation if you do remove it.
also you can do it in sections too allowing you to spread out the cost.
i would focus on the internal walls and ceilings first particularly kitchen, bathroom and laundry these are the locations that would be asbestos fibro unless it had been replaced as fibro was used for most wet areas before wet area plaster was developed and still is used alot as its durable and easy to work with.
there is no big draw back buying a fibro house as you have the opportunity to easily inspect and repair any in wall services at the same time be cuase your removing the fibro (if it is asbestos) plumbing and electrical becomes cheaper when there is no wall sheeting.
> So we will need to put weatherboard, add insulation to the wall, roof insulation. Any one able to give me a roughly quote how much will it cost?
I DIY'd this at my Mother In Laws house during covid. Materials cost was somewhere in the 15-20k range. That was with Hardiplank and earthwool R2.5 in wall and R4 in roof.
Invest in a big drop saw (I got a 305mm Bosch) with a diamond blade, gecko gauges and an air compressor with some cheap Ryobi air-powered nail guns and you can clad a house very quickly even as a novice. There are some nuances/choices like how to trim windows and finish corners but it's all pretty simple stuff. Painting sucks, tape it up and pay a guy of gum-hi-tasker to come and spray it.
Edit: Also whilst ya have the walls off, consider adding/moving any electrical or network points
I would think you would add more than $12k of value to the property by removing the asbestos, the removal and disposal costs will not get cheaper, only dearer. Then you can insulate the walls and make it a lot nicer to be inside, and also cheaper to heat and cool.
12k sounds like a bargain. It's worth doing just to get insulation in the walls
Save the $12k and crush up the asbestos and spread it through the mulch in your yard. It's what we do now.
I thought the thing was to put it into schools and playgrounds.
You mix it around in your own mulch first and then slowly bring it into the schools bit by bit.
A reckon there’s more then we think that’s get out illegally put into wheelie bins or taken to the tip 😂
Keep the external fibro, if in good condition, and paint. It will outlast any timber weatherboard and will be low maintenance. If you’re close to the beach or in a bushfire area, fibro is a no-brainer and resists everything. You can always inject foam insulation or, if removing internal boards, batts. If you have internal asbestos (Tilux in bathroom etc.), I would invest the money in removing the interior stuff and replacing, rather than the exterior. Bonus of fibro is you can paint it cool retro pastels like blues or greens or yellows. A lot of airbnbs are done up like that. If you are set on removing external fibro, then possibly replace with Hardieplank. Prob a bit more expensive than timber weatherboard, but much more weather resistant and maintenance free. One exception I’d make is for a fibro (Super Six asbestos) roof. If it has an asbestos roof (a lot of them still in QLD, if not Sydney), def replace. The good thing is a lot of people are scared of fibro, so the house is priced accordingly. I have had a fibro for 8 years (200m from beach) and it’s weathered the storms, salt and hail for 60 years. Good luck with your search. https://preview.redd.it/5ywdpl0d2pjc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=153c2503c7ec4e46f296e6646431e87514c80c27
Great answer
Is it actually asbestos? get it checked before you get too excited, fibro is fine and easy to dispose of. I owned a 2 bed fibro place years ago. Was a good an easy reno, especially the wood floors which came up awesome after a sand and polish (most are high grade jarrah, depending on age, and scrub up real well). We insulated ceiling and walls, colorbond exterior (don't bother with brick veneer unless thats the look you are after, colorbond looks more modern), and ended up extending the kitchen to make a combined kitchen/living with bathroom to side. Worth the investment, especially when at the time building was a nightmare
Absolutely worth it. Normally houses back then have really good structure and are built well. Just make sure the plumbing and electrical can handle all your needs.
Sydney builder here. I thorough job insulated walls straitened, new fascia, gutter, windows, raves, cladding I’d guess 100-120
This seems cheap… I have a job for you lol
brick veneer is actually crap. and has more problems than a fibro house.
Fuck brick veneer. Looks terrible
I know to me it looks ugly. atleast with timber or fubro if you dont like the colour scheme you can change it easily. yes you can stain or paint bricks but its harder to do.
Why remove it? It's not hurting anybody sitting there, slap some paint on it and call it a day, but if you really want to insulate and add Weatherboard just batton over the top, insulate, then apply the Weatherboard, this asbestos fear mongering really needs to stop!
actually fibro is insulating due to the asbestos! that was the big use of it in construction is insulation. it was used a lot in electrical equipment as it didnt burn and was less fragile than mica. even modern stuff has some insulating properties. the main use of asbestos material in homes in aus was in its bonded form as cement sheet boards and is quite safe if sealed with paint and left alone. AND IT DOESNT MATTER WHAT KIND OF PAINT all house paints will seal it. and its the recommended course of action from the health dept, seal it leave it alone!
I have a fibro house. did all the work myself (insulate walls and roof, replaced the fibro etc. ) why you ask? $40K just to re clad the house, not including if anything needed to be repaired nor installing the insulation
Maybe…?
Yes
If it’s a fibro home there is probably a lot of fibro you can’t even see, used in places where it was convenient at the time.
wet areas, ceilings, the eaves and often other walls too
Shims too. Even on tiled roofs. Most fucked is some 60s cunt who lay it in the brickwork of my place, hidden by mortar. Boy if I had a Time Machine
fibro is still used like that today. as it doesnt compress, shrink or swell unlike timber.
Indeed. A lot better not it doesn’t contain asbestos
you dont need to sheet with weather board you can use modern fibro sheet or cladding such as linea. also provided it in good condition paint and leave it alone their is no requirement to remove asbestos especially bonded asbestos as it cant become airborne unless its disturbed by breaking it or drilling or cutting it. the only way to tell is have it tested. what you cant skimp on is the proper disposal of the asbestos material and the insulation if you do remove it. also you can do it in sections too allowing you to spread out the cost. i would focus on the internal walls and ceilings first particularly kitchen, bathroom and laundry these are the locations that would be asbestos fibro unless it had been replaced as fibro was used for most wet areas before wet area plaster was developed and still is used alot as its durable and easy to work with. there is no big draw back buying a fibro house as you have the opportunity to easily inspect and repair any in wall services at the same time be cuase your removing the fibro (if it is asbestos) plumbing and electrical becomes cheaper when there is no wall sheeting.
> So we will need to put weatherboard, add insulation to the wall, roof insulation. Any one able to give me a roughly quote how much will it cost? I DIY'd this at my Mother In Laws house during covid. Materials cost was somewhere in the 15-20k range. That was with Hardiplank and earthwool R2.5 in wall and R4 in roof. Invest in a big drop saw (I got a 305mm Bosch) with a diamond blade, gecko gauges and an air compressor with some cheap Ryobi air-powered nail guns and you can clad a house very quickly even as a novice. There are some nuances/choices like how to trim windows and finish corners but it's all pretty simple stuff. Painting sucks, tape it up and pay a guy of gum-hi-tasker to come and spray it. Edit: Also whilst ya have the walls off, consider adding/moving any electrical or network points