Asbestos Roof Tile Removal Cost Guide for 2024

Why would I remove asbestos roofing tiles?

Asbestos roof tiles are made from asbestos cement. They look very similar to slate tiles. Asbestos cement roof tiles are however a mixture of asbestos fibre and Portland cement. They are a preformed factory-made product designed to have the same appearance as the much more expensive slate tiles that are widely available.

Asbestos cement roof tiles have been used on domestic and commercial property since the 1940’s and were continued to be used right up until the full UK asbestos prohibition late in 1999. If your property has roof tiles which look similar to slate tiles but are smooth and flat, then there is a high probability that you have asbestos cement roof tiles.

Asbestos cement roof tiles are water and heat resistant with a very hard-wearing construction. These asbestos roof tiles last for many years and when in full usage were relatively inexpensive and had high availability. When asbestos roof tiles were available for usage, they were considered the best product for the job.

If your roof has asbestos tiles, there are a few problems which may make you consider full removal. The first is that if any of the tiles are cracked or damaged you cannot get replacements. The newer cement tiles look different and are not as sturdy. If you are having a roof repair, an extension or even a new roof then most people are taking the opportunity to upgrade the roofing tiles in full to new more modern alternatives.

How much does asbestos roof tile removal cost?

How much the removal cost of asbestos roof tiles will mainly depend on the size of the roof being removed (i.e., how many square metres of asbestos roof tiles) and the height of the roof for access purposes. Your first job will be to measure the roof size / area and its height from the floor to the highest section requiring removal of asbestos roof tiles.  This will enable you to compare this against the cost guide.

Access to asbestos tiled roofing is generally via fixed scaffolding. Scaffolding is sometimes supplied by the customer especially where they are having other roofing work undertaken. For these scenarios, the guide has an asbestos roof tile only removal cost. We have also included a fixed scaffold price for other heights. This is a guide, and the cost may be different depending on your specific building. If you need a fixed price quotation on access and roof tile removal speak to a member of the team.

For the purposes of the price and cost guide we have assumed that the minimum asbestos roof tiles that require removal would be 75 square metres. This is the average size of a semidetached 3-bedroom house. The cost with scaffolding also includes for the general height of the same type of house. For commercial and other different properties, you will need to speak with a member of our team for more cost detail so you know how much the price will be.

These costs for asbestos roof tile removal are based on good overall access either from scaffolding already in place or good access to build our own scaffolding. The costs include for full set up of the working area and include all necessary safety, equipment, materials, and asbestos waste disposal for the project.

The costs do not include for any reinstatement work. You must be aware that once the asbestos roof tiles have been removed the building will not be watertight and any protection from weather conditions will have been taken away.

Do I need an asbestos survey?

Visual identification of asbestos cement roof tiles is relatively easy for a trained asbestos professional. If you send good photographs to a member of the team, they will be able to help you determine if additional testing or sampling would be required. If you do need additional identification this would be via specific asbestos sampling.

Specific sampling is usually enough to be able to identify basic requirements when it comes to the safe removal of asbestos cement roof tiles. However, if it is a larger building or part of a larger project then an asbestos survey may be needed. If you are not sure speak to a member of our team who will be happy to advise you.

What does an asbestos cement roof tiles removal include?

Asbestos is a Class “A” cancer causing carcinogen. Therefore, you should use a professional asbestos organisation. The safest and easiest way to be sure is to only use an HSE licensed asbestos removal company. If you do this then the asbestos cement roof tile removal will include:

• A trained asbestos team with the right protection
• Covering of any areas that need protecting
• Barriers to keep people out of the work area
• Usage of sprayers with special liquid to control asbestos dust
• Appropriate storage and transport of asbestos waste
• A final detailed clean of the work area
• On completion an asbestos waste certificate

There is much more to the asbestos roof tile removal than those listed. Therefore, asbestos containing roofing tiles removal should be carried out by professionals.

Can I remove the asbestos roof tiles myself?

Asbestos is hazardous and only those with the correct training and safety equipment should attempt to remove it.

It is not recommended that you try and remove asbestos cement roof tiles yourself. You will not have correct training, correct equipment or experience needed for the safe removal of asbestos. You could potentially put yourself and others at risk. That could lead to health and legal implications. If you did decide to do it yourself, if you were for instance fully trained and had the correct equipment, you would still have to legally dispose of the asbestos waste.

Asbestos waste disposal is very expensive. This will be the biggest part of an asbestos professional’s cost. If you were to work out the time it would take you to do the work yourself and then add in all the equipment, materials, waste and other considerations it is easy to see why it would be far less expensive and safer to leave it to a professional asbestos removal company.