How Much Does It Cost to Get Rid of Asbestos in Your Home?

Asbestos can occur in the environment and industrial settings. But it also has been used in building materials for homes, which can pose a serious health hazard to residents. 

Exposure to asbestos from deteriorating or disturbed building materials can affect your health. Common conditions associated with asbestos exposure include asbestosis, mesothelioma, and lung cancer.

Asbestos removal should be left to the professionals. Having asbestos removed from an area of your home costs around $2,000 on average, but it can be much more depending on the size of the issue. This approach is more expensive than sealing or covering, which are other remediation options.

What is asbestos?

Asbestos is a mineral fiber found in rock and soil. It has been useful in building materials because of its strength and heat-resistance. But it has been found to cause cancer and lung disease in humans, usually after prolonged exposure.

Where is asbestos found in homes? 

Asbestos in homes is most often found in walls, floors, and ceilings. The material also can be found in roofing. It’s most common in homes constructed, remodeled, or repaired before 1980. But sometimes, stocked materials that contained asbestos were used in home construction as recently as the 1980s.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), asbestos can be found in:

• Attic and wall insulation

• Vinyl floor tiles and vinyl flooring backing 

• Roofing and siding shingles

• Popcorn ceilings

• Heat-resistant fabrics 

• Walls and floors around wood-burning stoves

• Insulation around pipes 

• Oil and coal furnaces

Why is asbestos dangerous? 

Asbestos can increase your risk of developing lung disease or cancer. These conditions can lead to disability and death. Even mild exposure to asbestos can injure your respiratory system. According to the National Cancer Institute, it can take 10 to 40 years or more for the symptoms of asbestos-related conditions to appear.

How do I know if my home has asbestos?

You can’t look at something and know if it contains asbestos. The EPA recommends you don’t touch or disturb anything that might include asbestos.

An asbestos inspector can determine if you have the material in your home. You can use the EPA’s database to find inspectors in your state. 

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Inspection typically costs between $250 and $750, according to Fixr.com. Prices can be less than $200 for dust sample testing and $1,000 or more for air testing.

Is it safe to remove asbestos on my own?

No, don’t remove or repair asbestos yourself. To avoid increasing exposure, these projects should be completed by a trained and accredited professional.

How is asbestos removed?

Safely dealing with asbestos is a complex, multi-step process that includes removal specialists and at least one inspector. For asbestos inside your home, these are the typical removal steps:

• Preparation: Your contractor turns off your regular heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system and installs a temporary one. This keeps the asbestos fibers from getting outside and contaminating the soil and other people. Crew members seal the work area and build a decontamination enclosure to reduce airborne spread. They set up waste containers and schedule pickup for proper disposal. Finally, they vacuum the entire area with a special HEPA machine. 

• Removal: Your contractor wets the surface of the material that contains asbestos to reduce dispersal of airborne particles and make the material easier to remove.

• Disposal: Crew members put the material in containers labeled “hazardous.” Special trucks transfer the waste to an approved hazmat dumping site. 

• Finalization: The crew uses vacuuming and other cleaning tactics to make sure no asbestos fibers or dust are left. They test the treated area to verify that it meets clearance requirements and do additional cleaning if needed. Then, they remove the barriers and clean up any project-related items.

• Inspection and testing: An inspector may suggest a secondary inspection to ensure the space is fully cleared of asbestos. There’s often an additional charge for this. You may want to select a different company for the second inspection to avoid a conflict of interest. 

What is the cost of asbestos removal?

The price of asbestos removal depends on many factors including the size and location of the treated area. Cost estimates range from a little more than $1,000 to more than $10,000. For instance, Fixr.com research shows that the average cost for asbestos removal in a 1,500-square-foot home is $7,500.

According to Angi, an online tool that connects homeowners and home services professionals, the average range for the price of asbestos removal is $1,164 to $3,056. And a whole-house remediation can cost more than $5,600.

The national average for home asbestos removal is around $2,000, according to the website of renowned, veteran home-improvement personality Bob Vila.

If the issue is in an attic or on a roof, the cost of asbestos removal can soar above $10,000. Attic insulation and roofing are essential items that must be removed and replaced. Another costly location is in siding, which also has to be removed and replaced.

What factors affect the estimated cost of asbestos removal?

If you have an asbestos issue in your home, these expenses will figure into the final price tag:

• Setup: Sealing off the area for treatment and other preparation can be the largest part of the total expense — often 60% to 70% of the final bill, according to Angi.

• Labor cost: Each crew member is typically paid  $75 to $200 an hour. Let’s say you need two crew members to work for 8 hours to complete the job. On the lower end, that’s $1,200 for a day of labor factored into the cost of the job. The labor on your bill may cover preparation, removal, and disposal. Sometimes, there are extra charges for permits and disposal.

• Location: The more dangerous or complex the location of the asbestos is, the higher the cost. You’ll pay more for jobs involving roofs, siding, and cramped spaces like attics,  versus easier-to-access areas.

• Inspection and testing: An asbestos test can cost $250 to $850, according to Angi. You may be required to test for asbestos before and after your home is treated. A full air-quality report may cost extra.

• Relocation: If you want or need to leave your home during the removal, you may need to include the cost of a hotel room in your budget.

Are there alternatives to asbestos removal?

Sealing, also called encapsulation, and covering, known as enclosure, are other ways to abate asbestos that can save you money. These remediation options can cost 15% to 25% less than removal because there is no demolition or disposal involved.

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Written by:

Margot Lester

Margot Lester began her journalism career as a teenager, reporting news from the high school for her local paper. In the course of her 38-year career, she has written for national magazines, big-city newspapers, business journals, and trusted websites.

Edited by:

Cindy George, MPH

Cindy George is the senior personal finance editor at GoodRx. She is an endlessly curious health journalist and digital storyteller.

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