Asbestos Soffit Removal
Has a roofline installer refused to start work until the asbestos soffits come off, or are the boards cracking and dropping pieces into the garden? Asbestos soffits release harmful fibres once they are drilled, sanded or broken, and those fibres cause mesothelioma and lung cancer decades later.
We have been removing asbestos soffits, fascias and guttering safely for over 30 years. Call us on 0239 307 2182 and we will talk you through your options.
Get In Touch With Our Asbestos Soffit Team
Prefer to complete a form? Tell us what you have and roughly when the property was built, and one of our team will come back to you the same day. Photos of the roofline help if you have any.
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What To Do If You Think Your
Soffits Contain Asbestos
Nothing needs to happen to the boards until you know what they are.
Do not drill into them for vents, lights, cameras or cable clips. Do not rub them down before painting. Do not lever or break them out. Do not clear a bird or wasp nest from the eaves. And do not let a roofline installer, window fitter or roofer start work up there until the soffits have been tested.
If pieces have already fallen, leave them where they are and keep everyone out of that part of the garden.
Intact asbestos-containing soffits pose a low hazard if undisturbed. The boards are stable while they are sound and painted, and leaving them alone is often the safer choice. What matters is knowing what you have before anyone goes up a ladder.
Send us a few photos through our online enquiry form or on WhatsApp and we will tell you what you are looking at.
Do Your Soffits Contain Asbestos?
Asbestos has been used in soffits since circa 1900. Asbestos board declined from around 1985 when the legislation changed, while asbestos cement was used until the end of 1999. So a property built before 1985 is more likely to have insulation board on the roofline. One built between 1985 and 1999 is more likely to have cement. Properties built before 2000 likely contain asbestos materials somewhere, and the roofline is one of the most common places. Asbestos was not fully banned in the UK until 1999, so anything fitted after 2000 will be clear.
From the ground the two look almost identical. Both often resemble painted timber. Both are usually white or grey, sometimes with white spores or discolouration where they have weathered.
There is one physical difference. Asbestos cement soffits are thin and brittle. Asbestos insulating board soffits are thicker and more fibrous. It is not something to test by breaking a piece off, but it is what our surveyors look at first.
The asbestos content is higher than most people expect. Asbestos insulation board contains amosite and chrysotile, and the asbestos content can run from 10 to 40%. That is a great deal more than most asbestos products found around a house.
The uPVC Trap
Plastic soffits never contained asbestos. The problem is that new uPVC boards were very often clad straight over the original asbestos ones rather than the old boards being taken off first.
A white plastic roofline does not mean you are clear. Look at the ends of a run, at the corners and at any box end where the two boards meet. If there is a second board sitting behind the plastic, or the roofline looks unusually thick, there is a good chance the original soffit material is still up there.
This matters most when something has to be fixed through the plastic, because the drill goes straight into whatever is behind it.
Where Asbestos Is Found On A Roofline
The soffit is the horizontal board that closes the underside of the eave. The fascia is the vertical board along the edge of the roof that the guttering is fixed to. Both were made from the same asbestos materials.
You can also find it in bargeboards on gable ends, box ends at the corners, the undersides of porches and canopies, and on the eaves of garages and outbuildings.
The guttering and downpipes matter here too. They are attached to the fascia, and on many properties of this age they are asbestos cement themselves. That is why soffit, fascia and guttering are almost always dealt with as one job rather than three.
Accreditations We Are Proud Of
We hold the accreditations that matter for this kind of work, we are fully insured, and every job is carried out in line with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 and Health and Safety Executive guidance. Our operatives refresh their asbestos awareness training every 12 months.
Do You Have To Remove Them,
Or Can You Cover Them Over?
Not every asbestos soffit needs to come off. If the boards are sound and nothing is going to disturb them, there are two alternatives worth understanding before you commit to asbestos removal.
Cladding Over With uPVC
This is what most roofline installers will offer, and it is how so many asbestos soffits ended up hidden behind plastic in the first place.
The catch is the fixings. If the new boards are nailed or screwed through the old ones, every fixing disturbs the asbestos, which defeats the point of covering it. It can be done properly, with the new boards fixed to trims and battens that avoid the original material, but you need an installer who understands that and will say so in writing.
It also leaves the asbestos in place, so it has to be declared to any contractor who works on the roofline afterwards and to a buyer when you sell.
Sealing Or Encapsulating Them
Where the soffit material is in good condition, sealing the boards can stop further weathering and hold them stable for years.
It is a legitimate option and it costs a fraction of removal. It does nothing for you if the boards are already cracked, or if you need to fit new guttering, run a cable or replace the roofline, because all of those mean disturbing them anyway.
Removal becomes the right call when the boards are cracked or flaking, when the roofline or guttering is being replaced, when an asbestos survey has flagged them part way through a sale, or when the eaves need opening up for any reason at all.
Send us photos and we will tell you honestly which of these suits your property.
Send Us A Photo And We Will Tell You What It Is
Soffits photograph well from the ground, which makes this the quickest way to find out where you stand without booking anything.
Send three photos if you can. One from the ground looking up at the underside of the eave. One at a corner or box end where you can see the edge of the board. And one of any section that is cracked, flaking or missing.
Tell us roughly when the property was built and we can usually narrow it down to cement or board before anyone visits.
Use the online enquiry form or send them straight over on WhatsApp.
How Much Does Asbestos Soffit Removal Cost?
Asbestos soffit removal is priced along the roofline rather than by area, so how far the boards run is the starting point. After that it is scope: soffit only, soffit and fascia together, or the guttering and downpipes as well. Doing the lot in one visit costs less, because the access equipment only goes up once.
Height is the factor people underestimate. Single storey work can usually be reached without fixed scaffolding, two storeys needs proper access equipment, and anything higher needs scaffolding or a powered platform. Access around the property matters just as much. A house you can walk all the way round is straightforward. A terrace with no side access takes longer to set up.
Then there is the material type, which is the biggest single factor of all and is covered in the next section.
We do not give vague ballpark figures over the phone. Send photos so we know what we are dealing with, then we arrange a site visit and give you a fixed price in writing with no obligation and no hidden costs.
Call 0239 307 2182 or fill in our online enquiry form to get started.
Hundreds Have Been Where You Are. Here's What They Say.
Are Your Soffits Asbestos Cement Or Insulation Board?
Two properties can have the same length of roofline and get very different quotes. The reason is almost always the soffit material, because asbestos board removal can cost four to five times more than asbestos cement.
Most people have no way of telling which they have, which is exactly why we test before we price rather than after.
Asbestos Cement Soffits
Asbestos cement soffits were commonly used from the 1950s to 1990s and are the lower risk of the two. The fibres are bonded into the cement, so the material has far less tendency to release them when it is handled.
Asbestos cement removal does not require HSE licensing. The work area is segregated rather than fully enclosed, the boards are kept damp and taken down whole, and the job moves quicker.
That does not make it a job for anyone. It still has to be carried out by trained professionals working to the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, with the right personal protective equipment and full contamination control measures in place.
Asbestos Insulation Board Soffits
Asbestos insulating board is a significantly higher risk material than asbestos cement. It is friable, which means it crumbles and releases fibres far more readily, and the asbestos content is much higher.
Asbestos board removal requires licensed contractors by HSE. That brings a 14-day notification to the HSE before work begins, a sealed enclosure with air extraction rather than simple segregation, decontamination facilities on site, and air monitoring throughout.
A statutory 4-stage clearance procedure is required for asbestos board, carried out by an independent UKAS-accredited consultant, before the area can be used normally again.
Recent Asbestos Soffit Removal Projects Across The UK
Real rooflines, stripped and cleared. Have a look at what the work involves and how a property is left once the job is signed off. You can see more of our recent asbestos projects across the UK in the full portfolio.
Asbestos Removal Project – Salisbury, Wiltshire
Refurbishment Asbestos Survey at Dorchester Middle School, Dorset
Refurbishment Asbestos Survey at Barn House, East Sussex
Targeted Refurbishment Asbestos Survey at Spitfire House, Southampton
Asbestos Ceiling Removal and Reinstatement – Portsmouth
Asbestos Removal Project – Hamble-le-Rice, Southampton
How We Remove Asbestos Soffits In 4 Simple Steps
Every job runs the same way, from a single porch canopy to the full roofline of a commercial building.
Site Survey, Testing And Planning
Asbestos surveys identify the presence and location of asbestos, and surveys are essential before any removal work begins. Where the soffit material has not been tested, our surveyors take a sample and send it to a UKAS-accredited laboratory. Our surveyors are qualified to BOHS P402 standard or higher.
A sample is enough when the roofline is the only thing in question. If the whole property needs looking at, or the work forms part of a wider refurbishment, our asbestos survey team handles that.
The result confirms the material type and condition, and that determines the approach to removal, the access equipment and your fixed price.
Safe Access And Containment
Access goes up first. We help arrange scaffolding or a powered platform where the height calls for it, and we will tell you at quote stage exactly what the property needs.
The ground beneath the work is sheeted and the area segregated, or fully enclosed where the material is insulating board. Our operatives work in disposable coveralls and fitted respiratory masks, to a method statement and risk assessment agreed in advance.
Wetting techniques are used to prevent airborne asbestos fibres during removal. Boards are unscrewed and eased away whole rather than broken out, and no power tools go near the material.
Certified Asbestos Disposal
All asbestos waste must be double-bagged and sealed securely, and that is how it comes down from the roofline and leaves your property. It is consigned to a designated hazardous waste facility, never a skip or a household tip.
Guttering and downpipes come off with the fascia and are disposed of as asbestos waste in the same way where they are asbestos cement.
If you already have asbestos on site that someone else has taken down, we can arrange collection and disposal with the same paperwork.
Final Clearance And Cleaning
Once the material is off site we clean down and check the ground, borders and guttering below for any fragments that have dropped during the work.
Air monitoring is mandatory during asbestos board removal, and licensed jobs end with the four-stage clearance air test before the enclosure comes down. You receive a hazardous waste consignment note and full disposal documentation as your proof the job was done legally.
What Happens To Your Guttering And Roofline
This is the part that catches people out, so it is worth being straight about it.
The guttering and downpipes are fixed to the fascia, so they come off with it. We remove them, take them away and leave the timbers clear and clean. We do not fit new soffits, fascias or guttering. Replacing the roofline is a roofline installer’s job.
The order matters. Most installers will not touch a property until the asbestos is off and the disposal paperwork is in hand, which is why a lot of people find us halfway through a roofline quote. Get the asbestos removed first, then the new boards and guttering go straight onto clear timbers.
It is worth booking the two close together. Access equipment is a large part of both jobs, and where the timing works the same scaffolding can serve the removal and the installation rather than being paid for twice.
Tell us what you are planning and we will tell you what state the roofline will be in when we leave.
Asbestos Soffit Removal Across The UK
We remove asbestos soffits, fascias and guttering anywhere in the UK. Our main coverage areas are Hampshire,Berkshire,Dorset,Wiltshire,Surrey,Kent,London,West Sussex,East Sussex,Essex,Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Asbestos soffits are a common feature of the housing stock across these areas. The post-war estates, the 1960s and 1970s suburban builds and the low-rise flats of the same period were finished with asbestos board or cement rooflines as standard, because the material was cheap, weatherproof and offered good fire resistance.
We work for homeowners, landlords, housing associations, main contractors and owners of older buildings and commercial buildings. For non-domestic property holders there is a legal duty to manage asbestos under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, and the Health and Safety Executive estimates around 5,000 people die each year in the UK from asbestos-related illness, including around 2,500 from mesothelioma.
Call 0239 307 2182, message us on WhatsApp or send photos through our online enquiry form and we will talk you through your asbestos removal options.
Book Your Asbestos Soffit Removal Asbestos Soffit Removal
Soffits in good condition are not an emergency. Boards that are cracked, dropping pieces or holding up a roofline replacement need dealing with properly.
We handle the whole job from sampling through to certified disposal and clearance, so there is nothing left for you to sort out except the new roofline.
Call us on 0239 307 2182, email admin@meyerenvironmental.co.uk, message us on WhatsApp or fill in our online enquiry form and one of our asbestos soffit specialists will get back to you.
Contact Information
UK Head Office:
Meyer Southern/Surveys Ltd.
Langstone Gate,
Solent Road,
Havant,
PO9 1TR
Get Your Asbestos Soffit Removal Quote
Fill in the form and one of our team will come back to you the same day. If you have photos of the roofline, send those over too and we can tell you more.
Questions Our Customers Ask About Asbestos Garage Removal
What do asbestos soffits look like?
Like painted timber, which is the difficulty. They are usually white or grey, often with weathering marks, white spores or discolouration, and they are screwed or nailed to timber battens under the eave.
There is no colour or pattern that separates asbestos soffits from ordinary ones. The only visual clue worth anything is thickness. Cement soffit boards are thin and brittle. Insulating board is noticeably thicker and more fibrous at the edges.
Age is the stronger indicator. If the roofline has not been replaced since before 2000, treat the boards as suspect until they are tested.
Can PVC soffits have asbestos underneath them?
Yes, and it is common. PVC soffits themselves never contained asbestos, but a great many were fitted straight over the original asbestos boards rather than the old material being removed first.
Look at the ends of a run, at the corners and at any box end. A second board sitting behind the plastic, or a roofline that looks thicker than it should, usually means the original soffit is still there.
It matters as soon as anything is fixed through the plastic, because the screw goes into whatever is behind it. If your roofline was clad rather than replaced, get it checked before anyone drills.
How can I tell if mine are cement or insulation board?
Not reliably from the ground, and it is not worth breaking a piece off to find out.
Cement is thin, hard and brittle. Insulating board is thicker, softer and more fibrous. Age helps as well: board was largely gone from use after around 1985, while cement carried on until the end of 1999.
A laboratory test settles it. It is the same sampling process either way and the result is what your quote is built on, because board removal is a different job with different rules.
Do I need a survey, or is a sample enough?
A sample is usually enough when the roofline is the only thing in question. Our surveyors take a piece of the soffit material and send it to a UKAS-accredited laboratory for testing.
A full asbestos survey makes sense when other parts of the property are suspect, or where the soffit work forms part of a wider refurbishment. A refurbishment and demolition survey identifies everything the work might affect rather than one material.
Tell us what you are planning and we will tell you which one you need.
Does the fascia contain asbestos as well as the soffit?
Usually yes. The soffit and fascia were generally fitted at the same time from the same material, so if one contains asbestos the other almost certainly does too.
It is worth checking the bargeboards on any gable ends and the undersides of porches and canopies while you are at it, because those were often done in the same material and then forgotten about.
Send photos of the whole roofline rather than one elevation and we will tell you what we can see.
