Why did my water or fire job suddenly turn into an asbestos job?

Anything built before the mid-1980s can have asbestos in its building materials, and a leak or fire tends to damage exactly the kind of materials it hides in. Once they're wet, burned, or have to come out, they can't be disturbed until they're tested. In every asbestos job we've done recently, the customer called us about water, not asbestos. The testing is what turned it up.

Why does the asbestos stop the rest of the work? Can't you just dry it or tear it out?

Not safely or legally. Disturbing asbestos-containing material sends fibers into the air, so it has to be removed first, under full containment. That means the water or fire work pauses behind it, and sometimes we hold a wet structure in place on purpose until the abatement is done and the air is cleared. It feels backwards when you're watching your house sit wet, but it's the only correct order to work in.

How do you know whether a material actually contains asbestos?

You can't tell by looking, so we take small samples and send them to an accredited lab. The results are often specific: in one home the drywall itself was clean and only the joint compound on the seams tested positive. As a rule of thumb, anything built before the mid-1980s should be tested before it's torn out, because asbestos products kept being installed into the early 1980s even after the bans started.

What materials commonly contain asbestos in older Atlanta homes?

The most common ones in older homes are drywall joint compound and tape, vinyl floor tile and the mastic under it, pipe and duct insulation, popcorn ceilings and certain roofing. Older floors can be especially layered. On one job the floor was six layers deep , with asbestos in both the old vinyl and the adhesive bonding it to the wood beneath.

How do you keep the fibers from spreading through the rest of my house?

We seal the work area in full containment under negative air pressure with HEPA filtration, so air flows in but nothing escapes into the rest of the building. We wet the materials down as we remove them to keep fibers from going airborne, bag and label everything as regulated waste, and clean as we go rather than only at the end.

Do we have to leave the house during the abatement?

For the area under active abatement, yes. Occupants, kids and pets need to stay out of the work zone until it passes clearance testing, both for safety and to keep the containment intact. For a smaller job you can often stay in an unaffected part of the home, sealed off from the work; for a larger one we'll usually recommend staying elsewhere for those few days. If a covered loss makes the home unlivable during the work, your policy's Additional Living Expenses coverage may help, and we'll help you make that case.

After abatement, who confirms it's safe before we move back in?

Not us. We bring in an independent third-party inspector who does a visual check and collects air samples that go to a lab. Only when those come back clean, ideally with no detectable fibers, is the area cleared for you to reoccupy and for the rebuild to start. We never sign off our own asbestos work, because the all-clear means more coming from someone with no stake in it.

Is asbestos removal covered by insurance, and will it delay my claim?

When the asbestos is tied to a covered loss like a burst pipe or a fire, the abatement is usually part of the claim, and we document it from the first sample. The lab results, the state notification and the clearance report all go to your adjuster. It does add time and cost to a job, which is exactly why we test early and put it on record instead of discovering it halfway through.

How long does the asbestos part take?

Two timelines matter here. The testing usually comes back within a business day, but before abatement can legally start, the scope has to be approved and the state notified, and that state notification can take up to ten days. The abatement itself is often just a couple of days: build containment, remove the materials, then the independent clearance test before anything reopens. So the hands-on work is short, and the wait for clearance to begin is the part people don't expect. We keep it as tight as we can because the rest of your restoration is waiting on it.

Can you also test before a planned renovation?

Yes. If you're planning to remodel or demolish an older building, testing first is the safe move, and federal and Georgia rules require it before demolition of anything that might contain asbestos. Most of our asbestos work comes through restoration, but the testing and removal process is the same either way.

Asbestos Testing & Abatement

Asbestos is a serious hazard in older Atlanta homes and buildings, and most of it turns up mid-restoration. We test it, contain it, and remove it safely, then clear the air before anyone moves back.

Licensed asbestos testing and abatement
EPA and Georgia EPD compliance
We work with your insurance for you

Sealed asbestos containment with a zippered entry, warning sign, and negative-air duct running in

Asbestos was used in all kinds of building materials into the 1980s, in things like floor tile and the glue under it, pipe and duct insulation, roofing, textured ceilings, and the joint compound on drywall seams. Left alone and intact it usually isn't a danger. The problem comes when those materials get damaged or disturbed and release microscopic fibers, which the EPA classifies as a known human carcinogen. At that point, testing and licensed removal are the only safe way to handle it.

Most of the asbestos we deal with turns up in the middle of another job. A pipe bursts or a roof leaks, or a fire runs through it, we open up the damage, and the old materials coming out test positive. Because we're licensed to abate it ourselves, we can handle the asbestos and keep your restoration moving, instead of stopping the job to bring in a separate company.

How we handle asbestos

Test before anything is disturbed. We take small bulk samples and send them to an accredited lab, because you can't tell by looking. Nothing gets torn out until we know what's in it.
Get it approved and notified, then sequence the work. Testing usually comes back within a business day. From there the scope gets approved, by your insurer when it's a covered loss, and Georgia law requires the state be notified before abatement can legally begin, a wait of up to ten days. The rest of the job sits behind all of that, which sometimes means holding a wet structure in place on purpose, because disturbing asbestos to dry it out isn't an option until the abatement is done.
Contain it, and remove it wet. We seal the work area under full containment and negative air with HEPA filtration so fibers can't drift into the rest of the building, and wet the materials down as we remove them to keep fibers from going airborne. Everything comes out bagged, labeled and hauled as regulated waste.
Clean, then lock down what's left. We HEPA-vacuum the studs, sill plates and joists and wipe everything down, cleaning throughout the job rather than only at the end. Then we spray a lockdown sealant over the surfaces inside containment to trap any stray fibers before the clearance test.
Independent clearance before anyone moves back. We don't clear our own work. A third-party inspector does a visual check and collects air samples, and the lab has to come back clean before the area is released for reoccupation and the rebuild.

Our Work

Recent jobs, start to finish

The room sealed in poly containment before demolition began

Decatur, GA

Asbestos turned up during a Decatur sewage cleanup

A sewage backup flooded the bathroom and living room of this 1972 Decatur home. When we tested the soaked materials before tearing anything out, the lab came back positive for asbestos, which meant licensed abatement had to come first, before any of the water demolition could start.

Demolishing the affected ceiling under containment during the abatement

Northwest of Atlanta, GA

Asbestos in a funeral home northwest of Atlanta

What came in as a water leak above the preparation room of this 1970 funeral home turned into a full asbestos abatement once testing confirmed asbestos in the old materials. Here's how we sequenced the work around an active facility and saw it through clearance and drying.

See all our work →

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my water or fire job suddenly turn into an asbestos job?: Anything built before the mid-1980s can have asbestos in its building materials, and a leak or fire tends to damage exactly the kind of materials it hides in. Once they're wet, burned, or have to come out, they can't be disturbed until they're tested. In every asbestos job we've done recently, the customer called us about water, not asbestos. The testing is what turned it up.
Why does the asbestos stop the rest of the work? Can't you just dry it or tear it out?: Not safely or legally. Disturbing asbestos-containing material sends fibers into the air, so it has to be removed first, under full containment. That means the water or fire work pauses behind it, and sometimes we hold a wet structure in place on purpose until the abatement is done and the air is cleared. It feels backwards when you're watching your house sit wet, but it's the only correct order to work in.
How do you know whether a material actually contains asbestos?: You can't tell by looking, so we take small samples and send them to an accredited lab. The results are often specific: in one home the drywall itself was clean and only the joint compound on the seams tested positive. As a rule of thumb, anything built before the mid-1980s should be tested before it's torn out, because asbestos products kept being installed into the early 1980s even after the bans started.
What materials commonly contain asbestos in older Atlanta homes?: The most common ones in older homes are drywall joint compound and tape, vinyl floor tile and the mastic under it, pipe and duct insulation, popcorn ceilings and certain roofing. Older floors can be especially layered. On one job the floor was six layers deep, with asbestos in both the old vinyl and the adhesive bonding it to the wood beneath.
How do you keep the fibers from spreading through the rest of my house?: We seal the work area in full containment under negative air pressure with HEPA filtration, so air flows in but nothing escapes into the rest of the building. We wet the materials down as we remove them to keep fibers from going airborne, bag and label everything as regulated waste, and clean as we go rather than only at the end.
Do we have to leave the house during the abatement?: For the area under active abatement, yes. Occupants, kids and pets need to stay out of the work zone until it passes clearance testing, both for safety and to keep the containment intact. For a smaller job you can often stay in an unaffected part of the home, sealed off from the work; for a larger one we'll usually recommend staying elsewhere for those few days. If a covered loss makes the home unlivable during the work, your policy's Additional Living Expenses coverage may help, and we'll help you make that case.
After abatement, who confirms it's safe before we move back in?: Not us. We bring in an independent third-party inspector who does a visual check and collects air samples that go to a lab. Only when those come back clean, ideally with no detectable fibers, is the area cleared for you to reoccupy and for the rebuild to start. We never sign off our own asbestos work, because the all-clear means more coming from someone with no stake in it.
Is asbestos removal covered by insurance, and will it delay my claim?: When the asbestos is tied to a covered loss like a burst pipe or a fire, the abatement is usually part of the claim, and we document it from the first sample. The lab results, the state notification and the clearance report all go to your adjuster. It does add time and cost to a job, which is exactly why we test early and put it on record instead of discovering it halfway through.
How long does the asbestos part take?: Two timelines matter here. The testing usually comes back within a business day, but before abatement can legally start, the scope has to be approved and the state notified, and that state notification can take up to ten days. The abatement itself is often just a couple of days: build containment, remove the materials, then the independent clearance test before anything reopens. So the hands-on work is short, and the wait for clearance to begin is the part people don't expect. We keep it as tight as we can because the rest of your restoration is waiting on it.
Can you also test before a planned renovation?: Yes. If you're planning to remodel or demolish an older building, testing first is the safe move, and federal and Georgia rules require it before demolition of anything that might contain asbestos. Most of our asbestos work comes through restoration, but the testing and removal process is the same either way.

Testimonials

What our customers say about us

“Throughout the process, Paula and Gio explained everything clearly - what they were doing, why it mattered, and later walked me through the mold report results in detail. … knowledgeable experts who gave me real peace of mind that I, my wife and my clients are breathing clean air while exercising at my gym.”

Milen M.

“Paula helped me navigate plumbing, insurance and the mitigation process with a confident and reassuring voice. … my wife noted how great communication had been through this harrowing process.”

Byron H.

“As a State Farm agent I always send my customers dealing with crises to Andrew and the team at Flood & Flame because they have consistently taken care of our customers quickly and professionally.”

Hector G.

Get help now

If you've had water or fire damage in an older building, or you're about to disturb materials that might contain asbestos, the safe first step is testing before anything comes out.