Asbestos Removal FAQs — Homeowners & Businesses

Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral that resists heat, electricity and corrosion, which made it a standard building material in Australia for decades. The fibres are microscopic and cannot be seen, smelled or tasted. Inhaled, they can lodge in the body and cause serious disease years later, which is why the material is banned and its removal licensed.

If your home was built or extended before 1990, assume asbestos is present until testing says otherwise. It is most common in eaves, roof sheeting, wet-area walls, vinyl floor backing, fencing and sheds. It cannot be identified by eye — a laboratory test on a controlled sample is the only reliable answer.

Intact, undisturbed bonded asbestos is generally considered stable and is often safest left in place. The risk arises when it is damaged, weathered or worked on — drilling, cutting, sanding and demolition all release fibres. Monitor its condition, and never work on it yourself.

Stop work in that area immediately. Don't sweep, vacuum or hose the debris, and keep people and pets away. Call and describe what happened; we respond same-day during business hours and can contain and remove it properly.

Bonded asbestos runs roughly $35–$60 per square metre, and friable asbestos roughly $100–$240 per square metre. Access, whether the work is internal or external, and the total area all move the figure, and larger jobs come down on a per-metre rate. You receive a written quote after the property is assessed, with no hidden fees.

In Queensland you may remove up to 10 square metres of bonded asbestos yourself, but it isn't advisable. Anything above 10 square metres requires a licensed removalist, or a removal licence of your own obtained through an accredited training course. Friable material cannot be removed without a Class A licence under any circumstances.

Friable asbestos crumbles to powder under light pressure and releases fibres easily, so it carries the higher risk and requires a Class A licence. Non-friable, or bonded, asbestos is solid and stable — but it becomes friable when it is smashed, drilled or demolished.

Most residential jobs are completed inside 48 hours of the quote being accepted, including the air clearance test before the site is handed back. A single shed or fence line is often a one-day job.

Usually not for external work such as a roof, eaves or fence. Internal work in occupied rooms is different, and where vacating isn't practical the area is separated with industrial sheeting so the rest of the house stays usable.

It is wetted, double-wrapped and labelled on site, transported under cover, and disposed of at a council-approved facility. The disposal documentation forms part of your job record.

It depends on area, access and whether the material is bonded or friable. Larger industrial works are staged against your shutdown windows, and the quote sets out the program day by day so you can plan the trades behind us.

Yes. Class B covers bonded material, Class A covers friable. Holding both means one contractor and one scope rather than splitting a job across two, and the licence class and number are stated on every quote.

On every job. Air monitoring is carried out before the area is handed back, and you receive the clearance certificate along with the disposal documentation for the site file.

The person conducting the business or undertaking at the workplace — usually the building owner or the managing agent. The register must identify asbestos present, its location and condition, and be reviewed when it changes or when work is planned near it.

A body corporate is responsible for identifying and managing asbestos in common property, which in practice means maintaining a register and managing material before it deteriorates. Work can be quoted per building and staged so it is approved and funded across meetings.

Yes. Settlement and turnover work is scheduled against your date rather than ours, and the program is set out in the quote so you can see it lands before handover. The clearance certificate is issued for the file before the next tenant moves in.

Yes. We work as a subcontracted package inside a larger program, hold our own licence and insurance, and provide SWMS and disposal documentation into your site file. Sequencing is agreed against your program.

Yes. Night and weekend works are standard where trading hours, tenants or operations make daytime access impractical.

Yes. Tender documentation, panel applications and prequalification submissions are handled directly by Somah rather than through the standard quote queue.

It must go to a facility specifically licensed to receive asbestos-contaminated material, transported under cover with documentation tracking the load from site to disposal. That paperwork is what demonstrates the soil was handled lawfully.

Since 2010. The company was founded by Somah Thong in Brisbane, and the crew carries more than forty years of combined experience across residential, commercial and industrial removal.

Brisbane CBD, Brisbane Northside, Brisbane Southside, Brisbane Airport, Ipswich, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast, working out of the yard at 49 Loam Street, Acacia Ridge.

Same day for damaged or disturbed material, during business hours — Monday to Saturday, 6:30am to 5:00pm. This is a fast same-day response, not an after-hours callout service.

No. Response is same-day within business hours. If material is disturbed outside those hours, isolate the area, keep everyone away, and call in the morning.

Yes, public liability insurance is held. Certificates of currency can be supplied on request for commercial and tender work.

No. The property is assessed and you receive a written quote with no obligation and no hidden fees.