What to do if you encounter hazardous materials
Asbestos, lead paint, or other hazardous materials surface occasionally during renovations of older homes. Stop work, escalate, and follow the right specialist process.
Hazardous materials — most commonly asbestos in older buildings, occasionally lead paint, sometimes others — surface during renovations of older homes. The right response is structured: stop work, escalate, and follow the right specialist process.
What to do immediately
If your builder identifies (or suspects) a hazardous material on site, work stops in the affected area. Your builder will isolate the area, ensure no further disturbance, and tell you and your build advisor straight away.
Don't try to handle hazardous materials yourself. Don't ask your builder to "just keep going". Disturbing asbestos or lead paint without specialist controls can cause real harm.
What happens next
A specialist builder — licensed for the material in question — assesses, samples, and (where required) removes the material safely. Asbestos removal is regulated work; only licensed builders can do it. Your build advisor will help you arrange a specialist if your builder doesn't already work with one.
A discovery like this is always handled as a Mandatory Change in the change-order process — it's not in the original scope because it wasn't visible at the time, and the work has to happen for the build to continue safely. The article What is a change order covers the mechanics.
Programme impact
Hazardous-material discoveries cost time. The survey itself takes time, and there's typically a gap between the survey and the removal — both have to be factored into the programme. A small asbestos removal can take a few days; a larger one can take longer.
Your builder works with the specialist on how long the disposal will take, and then updates you on the revised programme. Your build advisor stays in the loop to help on the Beams end.
Who pays
Specialist removal is a project cost. The cost falls to the customer in most cases — it's part of the cost of renovating an older building, regardless of who's doing the work. We won't always be able to predict it; we'll always be transparent about it when it happens.
If the hazardous material was knowable in advance and missed (for example, an asbestos survey was carried out and missed it), there may be a route back to the surveyor. Your build advisor will help you assess.
Related articles
- What to do if your project is significantly delayed
- What is a change order