Environmental Safety Cost Guides

Toxic Lead

If you have children, lead in your home can cause serious long term health and behavior problems. Lead is a hazard to children under 6 years of age in particular. Lead can also harm a pregnant woman and her developing fetus. Most homes built before 1978 have some lead paint while homes built before 1960 have the most lead paint. Sanding, scraping or otherwise disturbing lead paint can release large amounts of toxic lead dust. Lead-based paint inspections are a surface-by-surface investigation to determine whether there is lead-based paint in the home and where it is located. An inspection may be particularly useful before renovation, repainting, or paint removal. The presence of lead-based paint in a home does not necessarily mean there is a lead-based paint hazard to occupants. To make sure, you may want a different testing approach - either a risk assessment or hazard screen. Either way, a professional method is needed and will be necessary if you decide to remove the toxic lead found in your home. The average cost of toxic lead abatement ranges from $5 to $20 per square foot - depending on the area in which you live. The cost is more if you need the lead removed from the outside of your home because there will need to be protective screening required.

Asbestos

There are many ways to test for the presence of asbestos in a home and while there are home kits available on the market that test for the presence of asbestos in certain materials, the extremely hazardous nature of asbestos dictates that you hire someone for testing and subsequent removal, if necessary. Some roofing and shingles are made of asbestos cement and houses built between 1930 and 1950 may have asbestos insulation. Asbestos could also be in paint, vinyl floor tiles, steam pipes and furnaces. Asbestos professionals can conduct home inspections, take samples of material, assess its condition, and advise about what corrections are needed and who is qualified to make these corrections. Remember, material in good condition doesn't need to be removed unless it is going to be disturbed. If removal is warranted, be prepared as in some cases, you may have to relocate while this is being done. Charges for these services can vary greatly

Interior and Exterior Modifications for Disability

Interior modifications like adding grab bars and handrails throughout the home, lowering cabinets and sinks, non-slip flooring, stair lifts, widening halls and doors, etc. can all be done by a qualified professional. You may also need to think about lowered toilets, thermostats installed at a lower height and even simple things like access to window treatments and easier to use door knobs. There are so many considerations based on the type of disability that it's difficult to narrow down here. Just know that your professional will have some great ideas and will be able to help you get started.

If you need a wheelchair ramp or increased access to areas around your home or maybe even adding automatic gates for ease-of-use - your professional can do all this and more. Talk to your contractor about the disability and the activity level of the person needing the modifications and together you can come up with a customized solution for your home.