Professional Asbestos Abatement contractor left mastic & tiles
A licensed abatement contractor left tiles and sticky mastic all over our basement. It’s like wet, smelly road tar down there a week after the work was done. The 2-3 man crew did the work over 2 days and were here for approximately 3-4 hours each day, thus 8 hours max. They say I agreed to let them leave it but my general contractor was on the phone when I told everyone to “stay the course, scope stays the same, price stays the same.” We had 2 bids, both were $3700, which is a ton for the square footage but we knew the heated floor and leveling agent added a good deal of work plus had stair treads removed. Please tell me if you have experience or advice with an abatement situation like this. We have not paid the contractor that left this result and have contracted with another one who was disgusted by this and promised to properly abate and remove everything. We had 2 bids, both were $3700, which is a ton for the square footage but we knew that removing the heated floor added a good deal of work. I don’t know if I should pay the first contractor for part of the work when I’ve got to pay another one to finish it, am now over 3 weeks behind on renovation plus added cost of window AC since we cannot run the furnace. Plus, it’s impossible walk down there without your shoes sticking to the floor. I wore plastic bags over mine to take these photos and it seemed through the bags. I can’t imagine asking another (non-abatement) contractor to work in this environment. I will paste contractor’s email and my after photos below. Thanks for advice for dealing with contractor #1 and Happy Memorial Day! : I received S’s Air monitoring results yesterday( all was good).There will be a copy in you paperwork sent out today with bill. I have deducted $1,000 dollars from quote to provide for the cost of not doing the main area of mastic. S noted that there was still tile- like flooring left and right side of basement fireplace and furnace.That is not tile, that is the by -product of the mastic (cutback) and roofing felt that the put down in the 40s to get an even floor on unfinished concrete. As we talked about those two things with the weight of the additional layered flooring and floor heating system on top caused those two petroleum based products to fuse together then slightly harden. (It is a bit more prominent there because of added heat from fireplace and furnace). When your contractor is done with jack hammering and installing drain in the area we chiseled and chemically removed, have him use Ardex brand Floor Leveler to get a nice finish that will cover the patching and mastic. I would only use the Ardex Brand instead of a cheaper brand. It works best ive seen it finished in hospitals and schools and it looks great and holds up over the years. Ardex is approx $55 a bag and you will need about 12-15 bags so that refund should cover it and some of the labor? I will be gone for the holiday weekend but you can send email if you have any question ill be back in Pgh Tues. Thank you and have a safe and happy holiday , X
Comments (12)
millworkman
3 years ago
PROJoseph Corlett, LLC
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Contractor/sub REMOVED asbestos tile without approval -VERY scared
Comments (5)So....the LAWYER in the house has given over 73.3% of the budget yet only 10% of the project has occurred. No materials have been ordered but demolition has occurred (unsolicited, unsafe and improper removal of asbestos without proper license/abatement to do so). And you have a "worker" (employee/subcontractor) who appears to be unsafe and unable to work without direct supervision and has continued to do things against code. Do I have that so far? I would say contact a lawyer...but it seems the one you have has mucked things up - ROYALLY. OK. So. What to do? Not much. So long as the Project Manager (who is the REAL boss - not DH lawyer who doesn't know to withhold HUGE amounts of money from a project such as this) has your money, you have to deal with the company and their employees/subcontractors. The Project Manager is FULLY responsible for this stuff. All of it. Stop talking to DH and start calling project manager. And start talking about REBATES....yes. They are going against your contract (which your lawyer has mucked up) for scope of work (removing what should not be removed, failure to mitigate, etc). If you REALLY want to get some action: make some statements about contacting state licensing agencies and the health department (unsafe removal and disposal of asbestos). That should REALLY get everyone's attention. That's not a fun thing to do but it will make EVERYONE snap to attention - even deadbeat DH/lawyer. Remember: the work done by the subcontractors/employee is 100% the responsibility of the General Contractor/Project Manager. Every. Stick. Of. It. Anything that is out of place with this employee is to be reported to the Head Dude In Charge! Figure out who that is and speak with him/her. Point out to whomsoever is in charge that the employee/sub that concerns you is NO LONGER welcome on your property. Put it in writing. Get copies. Everyone signs a master copy (which you keep) and they in turn receive a copy for their records. I would suggest leaving it with your lawyer....but this seems to be an issue. Again...I would suggest a lawyer but it seems yours is on temporary leave of absence. I would put these guys on notice. They get one more kick at the can and then you kick them to the curb! Oh. Wait. That have OODLES of your money. Hmmmm. They should have only received 30% of what was needed....not 73.3%. This is not a healthy place to be....but it is *possible to get out of this. A lawyer could get it done...but alas......See MoreLinoleum Paper & Asbestos Mastic
Comments (1)If by "vapor barrier," you mean polyethylene sheeting, not the greatest idea. The moisture drive upwards to an area of lower pressure won't cease, but instead of dissipating, the moisture will condense to water and feed mould growth. Three means to a floating floor: 1) layers of XPS followed by plywood; 2) an airgap membrane such as Delta FL; 3) Dri-Core or equivalent products. Or remove the remnants of asbestos containing materials--if indeed they do contain asbestos**--in a recommended manner or by an abatement company and skim coat away....See MoreAsbestos flooring left after abatement
Comments (3)I am not a professional or an expert, but a family member of mine went through this. It’s my understanding that if it is intact, there is no issue whatsoever. In fact, you are probably more at risk from the abatement process than you are from that remaining tile. And in saying that, I don’t mean to imply that anyone did anything wrong, just that no matter how careful they are, some asbestos dust is going to escape. People occasionally manage to get infected in medical / science research facilities with negative pressure systems, disinfecting showers, etc. no contain,etc system is perfect. There is asbestos in our environment. Everyone has some exposure to it. From what you are describing - no worries....See MoreAsbestos tiles question
Comments (9)Excellent questions all of them...so start where you need to start = Asbestos Abatement/Remediation Company. Tell the 'contractor guy' to STOP the work. Then contact the nearest abatement company (the people who clean up after floods/fire/etc). Ask your questions DIRECTLY to them! If a company needs to be reported, then they should know who to contact etc. (there are HEAVY fines for improper asbestos waste disposal...at least in Canada). Now that you have information, you move forward. Get out your contract and read it CAREFULLY. Find out if you are liable for anything the contractor does WRONG. If the contractor is fined, you want to know if s/he can put it back on you. Excellent questions all of them...so start where you need to start = Asbestos Abatement/Remediation Company. Tell the 'contractor guy' to STOP the work. Then contact the nearest abatement company (the people who clean up after floods/fire/etc). Ask your questions DIRECTLY to them! There is a reason why the other GCs did not want to deal with the asbestos. They aren't allowed to and they knew it. Your 'guy' won the job because he said something he knew you wanted to hear: that HE would deal with the asbestos. That won him the job. Now you need to deal with the asbestos as well as the 'guy' who told you what you wanted to hear. Start at the beginning = Abatement company. Have them come in and view what has been done and ask them for recommendations. Pay them the consulting fee if they request it. Pay for proper disposal and 'clean up' if you need to clean the ducts, wash down walls/ceilings/etc (get rid of the clinging dust the 'guy' created). Once you are on firm footing with your knowledge, make sure you deal with 'guy' and explain what you had to do because of his actions. This could get ugly. Make sure you document all discussions with him via email or text. Save those communications to a paper source (print them off before they automatically delete) and have them ready should he walk out without offering financial compensation for his mess (which is 99% certain he will). I'm sorry you have been taken in by 'guy'...this is a sad lesson that both you and he have to learn....When NO ONE else will TOUCH a job you want to be wary of ANYONE who says then can do it 'No problem'. They are normally saying it because they know you want to hear it....and nothing more....See More
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