Asbestos-cement facade

[Macke202]

Hello again forum,

I wanted to ask if anyone has some information on what to consider when looking at an older house with an Eternit facade. I've been a bit influenced by my dear father, but as soon as I hear Eternit, all the alarm bells in my head ring about radon emissions and needing a cleaning company for any work with it, etc.

Maybe someone knows more about it than I do, is it something that could be interesting to look into? We're looking for a renovation project with good potential, and this house fits that, but as I said, Eternit is still a sensitive word for me...

Thanks in advance.

 

[Lilla_vargen]

Asbestos certainly has its health risks. But NOT ALL workers who were construction workers, who sawed, nailed, and handled eternit boards daily year after year without protection during the 1940s-70s, have gotten lung cancer since. If you buy ONE house and wear respiratory protection and wet the eternit boards when you tear them down, you are very unlikely to get sick. Statistically, the risk is probably greater of being run over on the way home from work on a completely ordinary day...

The municipal environmental and health protection office or building inspectors can surely provide more practical advice on which building parts are asbestos-containing and how to handle them.

 

[fia_mstd]

My friend and her husband have looked into this, so technically I only have second-hand information, but they are usually reliable. What they've found out is that if you do something YOURSELF, you can do it pretty much as you want, but you should naturally be careful during dismantling. However, there are no specific regulations governing this.

On the other hand, if you hire a company to take down the facade, THEN there are immediately a lot of rules and complications, and the house should essentially be wrapped in a tent and all sorts of precautions should be taken to protect those working. Rightfully so, of course!

Then it's different from one municipality to another how you dispose of the eternit afterward; you need to check with your local landfill on how to handle the waste.

So I agree with Lilla Vargen - if you're dealing with your own house, be careful, don't unnecessarily saw or break the panels, and use a protective mask, then there are no problems. And above all - eternit is a GOOD facade material as long as it stays in place. That it might not be so aesthetically pleasing is another story... :

Good luck!

 

[pappskallen]

You should not be afraid of an eternit facade; on the contrary, these houses are usually quite well-built. Moreover, it's perfectly fine to install battens directly on the eternit facade if you want to switch to, for example, wood siding

I'm also not aware of any connection to radon.

I've also been involved in demolishing eternit at work, and in terms of protection, there aren’t any major battles. (protective clothing + a proper respirator that should be sealed and disposed of after the work is completed.)
The risks lie with long-term work and mainly indoors.

 

[swede]

Yep, you can tear it down as much as you want with it.

Radon? Eternit? Then you have probably heard something I haven't. Asbestos is the unpleasant thing about it, but it's bound in it as long as you don't mess with it.

Hello
Yes, you can tear it down, but check what you have to pay for hazardous waste.
Regards
Göthe

 

[Macke202]

OH, Thank you for all the answers!

I probably meant asbestos.. well, it was toxic anyway.

So you can frame directly on the outside, isn't it dangerous to build it in if it breaks then or if something happens to the facade?

 

[MathiasS]

Wow, Thanks for all the responses!

I probably meant asbestos.. well, it was at least toxic.  

So you can install directly on it, isn't it dangerous to build over it if it breaks or something happens to the facade?

Of course you remove the eternite if you are going to replace the facade. The walls become thick enough anyway. Removing and disposing of the eternite is the least of the problems/jobs you have once you've decided to change the facade.

 

[Macke202]

Hehe you read it as you want when you're on vacation and have had a few German beers. I thought it was strange that you would build in the eterniten... oh well.

We will look further into it and see how much other work there is on it! Thanks for all the posts here! =)

 

[annash]

Why is it clear that you should remove the asbestos cement facade during additional insulation and facade replacement? :-/

I think it seems practical to put up studs, insulation, and a new facade on top of the asbestos cement...
That way, you skip a lot of work with demolition and removal of the panels.

We also have asbestos cement and are thinking of switching to a wood facade.

/Anna

 

[pappskallen]

Why is it clear that you should remove the asbestos cement facade when adding insulation and changing the facade? :-/

I think it seems practical to put up studs, insulation, and a new facade on top of the asbestos cement...
Then you skip a lot of work with demolition and disposal of the panels.

We also have asbestos cement and were thinking of switching to a wooden facade.

/Anna

You are absolutely right, in fact, it's a really good substrate, why people are so afraid of it I don't know, it does no harm where it sits. (however, when you tear it down......) remember that it must be documented when it's built in, how I don't know - check with your municipality!

 

[MathiasS]

You are absolutely right, the fact is that it is a really good material, why people are so afraid of it I don’t know, it does no harm where it sits. (however, when you tear it off...) remember that it should be documented when it is built in, I don’t know how - check with your municipality!

I don’t understand how people can even think about keeping the asbestos cement inside a new facade?

When I build, I want it to be straight and nice. Nice transitions at windows, etc. Asbestos cement on the wall is not a flat surface. It's overlapping sheets. Hold up a beam, hit it with a hammer and 10 sheets break. The surface is now even more uneven. I can’t even understand how someone can think of working like that. The quick fixes at windows and doors I don’t even want to think about. I can possibly see that it is possible to put horizontal beams, but then it will be a little insulation or alternatively horizontal wooden cladding.

 

[fia_mstd]

Changing the facade is an area I haven't studied, but I overheard a conversation where they talked about "double air gaps" that could occur if you nailed a new facade onto a house that had a timber facade with asfaboard on the outside...

 

[pappskallen]

I can possibly see that it can be attached to horizontal studs, but then there will be little insulation or alternatively horizontal wooden facade.

if you have horizontal studs, the paneling will be vertical, right???

 

[devnull]

Asbestos is only dangerous if it produces dust; there is white, brown, and blue. The blue is the most dangerous. The blue dye, combined with the wounds that asbestos fibers cause in the lungs, can lead to Cancer. In Eternit, there should be brown asbestos - not quite as dangerous.

If it is possible to take down the Eternit panels whole, it is best. Drilling into the panels and framing over them is the worst option; the drilling dust is not good. Most asbestos dust was inhaled by those who installed "fattiglapparna" in the 50s and 60s.

Inform the neighbors beforehand so they do not ventilate during the process.

Good luck.

 

[MathiasS]

If you have horizontal joists, then it will be vertical paneling ???

I'm thinking in terms of joists 45x45 and that it's pointless to put on less than 90mm insulation, i.e., two layers with joist.