Bellevue Asbestos Removal takes on asbestos work for Mercer Island homes and condos, from testing to removal and teardown prep. About 61% were built before 1980, so any remodel here begins by asking what the work will touch.
Mercer Island has about 10,600 homes. The 1960s are the biggest building decade, with roughly 2,500 homes, two-thirds of homes are one-unit homes, and about a third of households rent.
Ceilings, floors and pipe wrap cleared from a house before the owners rebuild
Example project
Home
1960s two-story house of about 3,000 sq ft on Mercer Island, lived in by its owners until the week before
Original request
Replace the house with a new build on the same lot
Testing
House, garage and shed sampled by an accredited inspector, about 35 samples
Found
Asbestos in the sprayed ceilings of four rooms, the kitchen and bath floors and the wrap on the basement hot-water pipes
Clear
Nothing in the siding, the roofing or the detached garage
Timeline
Survey, then the notice with the 10-day wait, then about six days of removal
Cost
$17,500
In this example, the owners of a 1960s house on Mercer Island are building a new one on the same lot. They live in the house until a week before the work, but a teardown always needs a survey by an accredited inspector, so they hire one even though the house is theirs.
On Mercer Island, sampling comes before the sledgehammer. Whatever a remodel will touch is tested first, by the resident owner personally or, for rentals and demolitions, by a certified inspector. See asbestos testing and surveys for the process.
Popcorn ceiling removal
Mercer Island has about 4,200 homes from the 1960s and 1970s together, roughly 2,500 and 1,700, and ceiling texture from those decades is worth sampling. The wet method is described under popcorn ceiling removal.
Floor tile and sheet vinyl
Entries, kitchens and laundry rooms of that era may carry vinyl tile or sheet vinyl over an older layer. How layers and backings are handled is explained under floor tile and sheet vinyl removal.
Siding and roofing
Cement shingles and some roofing can contain asbestos. Shingles come off whole and wet, as described under siding and roofing removal.
Pre-demolition abatement
Demolition in Mercer Island comes with a city asbestos form, covered further down this page. For the steps in order, see pre-demolition asbestos abatement.
Mercer Island’s housing and asbestos
Roughly 6,500 homes on Mercer Island, about 61% of the city’s 10,600, were built before 1980. Another way to see it: about one home in ten is older than 1950.
The 1950s and 1960s
The 1960s produced about 24% of Mercer Island’s homes and the 1950s about 11% more. Sample ceiling texture, vinyl flooring, siding and old duct wrap first. Age only points to where to look, and homes that old can test clean.
The city’s demolition form
A Community Planning and Development form on asbestos policy for demolitions, dated February 2019, says Mercer Island requires proof of compliance with asbestos abatement regulations before issuing a demolition permit. The form adds that a survey is required before most renovations and all demolitions, and that a Notice of Intent to Perform a Demolition goes to PSCAA before any demolition starts. Ask the city’s permit office before a demolition what it requires now.
Disposal
Waste from Mercer Island has two listed destinations. One is Cedar Hills Landfill in Maple Valley, which books appointments on Tuesdays and Fridays and wants double bags or 6-mil plastic. The other is Republic Services in Seattle, which also asks for a copy of the PSCAA notice.
Two-thirds of Mercer Island homes are one-unit homes, so the owner-occupant route is relevant here. A resident owner of a single-family house may do the survey and removal personally, though PSCAA still strongly encourages a certified contractor. Friable removal past the small-quantity limits needs a Single-Family Residence Notification beforehand.
Rented homes, condos and apartments call for a certified contractor, and buildings of five or more units hold about 32% of the island’s homes. If a house is headed for demolition, a certified inspector surveys it even when the owner lives there.
Does Mercer Island require proof of asbestos compliance for a demolition permit?
A city form dated February 2019 says it does. Ask Community Planning and Development what it requires now.
Is Mercer Island covered by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency?
Yes. PSCAA’s territory includes King County, and the island is part of it. State L&I rules apply as well.
Where does asbestos waste from Mercer Island go?
Both outlets on PSCAA’s list can take waste from Mercer Island. Cedar Hills Landfill works by appointment on Tuesdays and Fridays, and Republic Services is in Seattle. Either one wants a waste shipment record.
Can asbestos be sealed instead of removed?
It depends. Asbestos that nobody will touch can be left alone, or repaired or sealed without a PSCAA notice, and removal is the third path PSCAA lists. A project that will cut or sand the material has to choose removal.
We recommend calling, but do feel free to contact us using this form. We'll get back to you with a free, personalized quote or additional questions as soon as possible. We're here to help.
