Before the First Scrape
What your HOA should test for before demolition starts on an older building
Picture a tear-off on a 1978 building. The crew pulls back a section of stucco and the roofing felt underneath. Someone on the crew says, "That might be asbestos." Everything stops. Residents are watching from their balconies. The board gets a call from the manager, and the first three questions are the ones nobody can answer: Who tests it? Who pays? How long are we down?
Nothing here is unusual. It is what happens when an older building meets a demolition scope that no one checked first.
1. What is probably in your building
Exterior and roofing work on a building from the 1970s or earlier disturbs materials that were routinely made with asbestos or lead:
Roofing felt and flashing cement
Stucco and textured coatings
Window glazing and caulk
Floor tile and the mastic under it
Pipe wrap
Exterior and interior paint, which may contain lead on older buildings
Cutoff dates and rules vary by state and city, and newer buildings are not automatically clear. A testing firm can tell you what applies to your property.
2. Why boards miss it
Bidders price "remove and replace." The fine print excludes hazardous materials. The board assumes the contractor will handle it. The contractor assumes the owner already tested. Nobody tested.
That gap is where the money goes. If the contract excludes hazardous materials, abatement is a change order the contractor is entitled to, and it arrives on the worst possible day.
3. What it costs when you find out mid-demolition
Schedule. Stop-work, sampling, lab turnaround, then an abatement contractor who has to be found and mobilized. Weeks, not days.
Cost. Abatement is its own trade with its own pricing, and you are negotiating it under pressure with no competing bids.
Residents. Dust, notification obligations, and unit owners asking whether they were exposed. The association is the owner of the project, so these questions land on the board.
Regulatory. Many jurisdictions require a survey and notification before disturbance. Penalties for skipping them fall on the owner, not only the contractor.
4. The fix is cheap and early
Commission a pre-construction hazardous materials survey from an accredited firm, sized to the work that will actually be disturbed. Roof, stucco, balconies, windows, and flooring each get sampled if they are in scope.
Put the results in the RFP. Every bidder prices the same known conditions, which keeps your bids comparable.
Write the contract for the surprise. Unknown suspect material triggers a defined stop-work and notice process, with unit prices or an allowance for abatement so you are not negotiating from scratch.
Plan resident notices and containment before work begins, not after the first complaint.
Keep the paperwork. Survey results, clearance documentation, and disposal records belong in the closeout file, the same place as your warranties and lien waivers.
The close
Testing before bid costs a few thousand dollars and a few weeks of lead time. Finding the same material mid-job costs a stopped project, a change order, and a community that wants to know why nobody checked.
Test before the first scrape.
This article is general information, not legal or health advice. Requirements differ by jurisdiction, so confirm with your testing firm, local agency, and association attorney.
Sean, DHA Construction Management. Owner's representative for HOA and condo capital projects.
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