Estimating asbestos abatement projects: Excellence or 'You said I missed what'?

Between 1900 and 1980, 30 million tons of asbestos were put in place. Because of the known health hazards and increasing federal, state, and local regulations, building owners are now facing the problem of asbestos abatement. There are 4 basic approaches to dealing with asbestos: (1) removal, (2) enclosure, (3) encapsulation, (4) deferred action in conjunction with a well defined operations and maintenance program. Once the full extent of the problem is determined, the decision can be made on which action or combination of actions to take and begin estimating the cost of the asbestos abatement project. There are no high-tech methods of asbestos removal. It is hot, wet, labor intensive work, the ways of removal are archaic. Removal means man power and man hours, labor is a big ticket item, and is an important factor in cost estimating. Become very familiar with the scope of the project and be sure to fully understand the depth of the asbestos problem. The products, supplies, tools, and in some cases, the machines are all disposable items. If one overlooks something or underestimates the time involved for removal, not only will one be way off on material, the labor costs will soar. Be very observant on walk throughs, notice everything. Be sure to get clear, accurate test results on material to be removed. Once all this is done, one can make a good take off with confidence. Finally, when in doubt always remember the 11th commandment of asbestos abatement cost-estimating 'If thou can't figure it out hor-ellipsis thou best figure it in.'