Replacing sill plates on a facade with asbestos cement panels

[Gargamel777]

Looking at a house and probably the sill plates need to be replaced.

The question is whether it is possible to replace the sill plates without first removing the asbestos panels (which would involve increased costs due to special handling, etc.).

See attached images.

 

[fribygg]

I think that will be difficult

 

[Ossian K Olsson]

There might be a possibility to replace the syllabus via the crawl space if there is one! Do you have any pictures from inside the crawl space?

 

[Gargamel777]

There might be a possibility to change the sill through the crawl space if there is one! Do you have any pictures from inside the crawl space?

There is a crawl space. Attached is the only picture I have; it's not towards the outer facade, so I don't know if it looks the same there.

But a side question, what you see in that picture is also a sill in the sense that it's the junction between the concrete and the wooden structure. Perhaps an inner sill? Don't these also need to be replaced if the sills against the facade need it?

 

[Ossian K Olsson]

There is a crawl space. Attached is the only picture I have; it's not against the outer facade, so I don't know if it looks the same there.

But a side question, what you see in that picture is also a sill in the sense that it is the meeting between the concrete and the wooden structure. Maybe an inner sill? Don't these need to be replaced if the sills against the facade need it?

Why do you think the sills need to be replaced at all?

 

[Gargamel777]

Why do you think the syllar need to be replaced at all?

There is a distinct musty smell in the house that, according to the inspector (Anticimex), comes from the pressure-impregnated syllar used at that time. The house is from 1974.

 

[Ossian K Olsson]

There is a distinct musty smell in the house that, according to the inspector (Anticimex), comes from pressure-treated sill plates used at the time. The house is from 1974.

Okay! It is similar conditions to our house (built in 1962). There was also quite a musty smell when we moved in.

What kind of ventilation is there? In our case, it was "natural ventilation" that did not work at all. In other words, the air was completely still, and it smelled like a "summer cottage"; one room didn't even have a vent. We installed proper ventilation (FTX), and now the smell is gone. So another solution is to address the ventilation first and see if that helps.

 

[Gargamel777]

Okay! It's similar conditions as our house (built in 1962). There was also quite a musty smell when we moved in.

What kind of ventilation is it? In our case, it was "natural draft" that didn't really draft at all. In other words, the air was completely still, and it smelled like a "summer cabin", one room didn't even have a vent. We installed proper ventilation (FTX), and now the smell is gone. So another solution is to fix the ventilation first and see if it helps.

OK, I don’t know if it’s a long-term solution. It’s natural draft, but there are vents in every room that can be opened and closed. From what I understand, the smell will only get worse over time, and then maybe just better ventilation won’t help. I guess it’s not the same problem; these "syllar" have been treated with something (maybe something toxic like PCP). It might be best to address the root cause in the long term.

Or was it determined that the smell came from treated "syllar" in your case?

 

[useless]

There is a crawl space. Attached is the only picture I have, it is not against the outer facade, I don’t know if it looks the same there.

But a side question, what you see in the picture is also a sill in the sense that it is the meeting between concrete and the wooden structure. Maybe an inner sill? Don’t these also need to be replaced if the sills against the facade need it?

Looks like there is also asbestos cement underneath...

 

[Jansson69]

There is a crawl space. Attached is the only picture I have; it's not against the outer facade, so I don't know if it looks the same there.

But a side question, what you see in that picture is also a sill in the sense that it's the junction between the concrete and the wooden construction. Maybe an inner sill? Don't these need to be replaced if the sills against the facade need to be?

Is it the sill at the bottom of the wall that needs to be replaced? Because it should be above the flooring, so you can't replace it from within the foundation..
But you probably have a sill under the flooring too, but that usually doesn't affect indoor air..

 

[Gargamel777]

Looks like there's eternit under there too...

OK, it would be good to know if that's the case. Attaching another picture. I think it says ASFAROCK. Could it be asbestos/eternit?

 

[Jansson69]

OK, would be good to know if that is the case. Attaching one more picture. I think it says ASFAROCK. Could it be asbestos/eternit?

It's asfaboard!

 

[Gargamel777]

It is asfaboard!

OK, and these do not contain asbestos even if they are from that time?

 

[krambriw]

Could it be them contributing to the bad smell??

If the asfaboard is damaged or if it has been exposed to moisture for a long time, it can emit an unwanted odor and contribute to a worse indoor climate.

 

[Gargamel777]

Is it the sill at the bottom of the wall that needs replacing? Because it should be above the floor structure, so it can't be replaced from within the foundation..
But you probably have a sill under the floor structure as well, but it usually doesn't affect the indoor air..

OK, I'm not really sure which sills exist and which exactly need replacing.
The companies I contacted wanted to replace them from the outside anyway (they wanted pictures of the house, etc.)

Can't sills under the floor structure (I thought all sills were under the floor structure) affect indoor air if they are treated with some substance as in this case?

I should add that neither I nor the inspector noticed the smell when we were in the crawl space. But it was quite noticeable (came in wafts) in certain parts of the house. Only on the ground floor and mostly in the hallway.