Almost everyone has heard of asbestos and knows that it can cause health issues, but you may not really understand what it is, when it was primarily used or what materials may contain it. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that has been used in thousands of different materials, including many building materials. The use of asbestos was drastically reduced in the 1980s, so most modern building materials and buildings rarely contain asbestos. If your home or business was built before 1985, it is more likely that it may contain materials with asbestos.
“Remtech Environmental is a highly professional and very responsive company. I would recommend them to those who are looking for a skilled company to handle asbestos remediation.”
★★★★★ 22th August 2018 -Derek H.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was extensively used in construction and manufacturing during the twentieth century due to its heat resistance, strength, and insulating characteristics. However, it is now understood to cause major health concerns if its fibers become airborne and ingested. Our team at Remtech Environmental is well-versed in asbestos and offers a wide range of services to help identify, remove, and dispose of it properly. Some of the common questions we get about asbestos and our services are answered below.
Insulation, roofing shingles, floor tiles, cement, siding, and HVAC duct tape or duct insulation are all places where asbestos might be found on your property.
Asbestos-containing products can discharge microscopic fibers into the air when disturbed. When breathed, these fibers can lodge in the lungs, causing inflammation, scarring, and deadly diseases such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer.
Asbestos is invisible to the human eye. The only way to establish its presence is to have a team, such as us, take samples of various materials in your house and have them tested. If you suspect asbestos on your property, it is important to contact us right away and not disturb it.
Once we complete the removal process, we will do secondary testing to make sure it has all been removed.
You can rely on us for testing, removal, abatement, and inspection.
At Remtech Environmental, we offer a range of services to help handle asbestos present in buildings throughout Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Asheville, Morrisville, Wake Forest, Wendell, Winston-Salem, Apex, Chapel Hill, and Greensboro, North Carolina.
Before we perform asbestos abatement, we begin by taking samples from the building for assessment. Read More →
An asbestos inspection can protect your health and offer peace of mind. Read More →
We are proud to provide professional asbestos removal services. Read More →
Every Winston-Salem project follows a documented five-step protocol designed around EPA NESHAP standards and North Carolina's asbestos hazard management rules.
Winston-Salem's housing stock spans three centuries, so our inspection begins with a structured assessment of the era and likely materials. In Old Salem and West End, we sample plaster keys, original pipe lagging, and chimney flue cement that often predate any asbestos regulation. In Buena Vista and Reynolda-area estates built between 1920 and 1950, we focus on boiler rooms, decorative ceiling textures, and 9x9 floor tile beds. Mid-century Ardmore ranches typically yield popcorn ceilings, vinyl sheet flooring with asbestos backing, and HVAC duct mastic. Every suspect material is sampled in triplicate and submitted to an NVLAP-accredited lab for polarized light microscopy. Results return within 48 to 72 hours, and we provide a written abatement scope before any work proceeds.
Once the lab confirms asbestos content above one percent, our crews build engineering controls calibrated to the friability and quantity of the material. Two-layer six-mil polyethylene sheeting is sealed to walls, floors, and ceilings around the work area, and a decontamination chamber with three stages is installed at the entry point. We pull the workspace into negative pressure using HEPA-filtered exhaust units that complete a minimum of four air changes per hour, with manometers logging differential pressure throughout the shift. HVAC registers are sealed, and any adjacent occupied zones receive supplemental air monitoring. For Old Salem properties under historic preservation oversight, we coordinate containment anchoring methods that protect original wood, plaster, and masonry surfaces.
All abatement is performed by NC-accredited workers under the direct supervision of a licensed supervisor. Materials are kept saturated with amended water during removal to suppress fiber release, and removal sequences are dictated by the material category. Friable items, including pipe insulation, boiler jackets, and damaged plaster, come down first in small sections directly into labeled six-mil disposal bags. Non-friable materials such as floor tile and mastic are removed intact whenever feasible, with infrared softening rather than aggressive grinding. We never use power sanders, abrasive blasters, or compressed air on suspect surfaces. Each bag is goosenecked, double-bagged, and staged inside a locked waste load-out before leaving the containment for the disposal trailer.
After removal and HEPA cleaning are complete, we initiate a mandatory settling period before clearance testing begins. An independent third-party industrial hygienist, not affiliated with our removal crew, performs aggressive air sampling using leaf blowers and oscillating fans to dislodge any residual fibers, then collects samples on 25mm cassettes for phase contrast microscopy or transmission electron microscopy depending on project scope. Clearance criteria follow EPA AHERA standards of 0.01 fibers per cubic centimeter for PCM, with TEM used in occupied residential clearances. Containment cannot be dismantled and the property cannot be reoccupied until written passing results are issued. Failed samples trigger additional cleaning and a fresh round of testing at no additional cost to the homeowner.
Asbestos waste leaves Winston-Salem under a tracked manifest system. Each load is transported in a sealed, placarded vehicle to a permitted Subtitle D landfill approved for asbestos-containing material; the closest accepting facilities serve Forsyth County and surrounding Triad jurisdictions. Drivers carry the original manifest, and signed copies return to the homeowner within ten business days as proof of legal disposal. We also file the required NESHAP notification with the NC DHHS Health Hazards Control Unit at least ten working days before any regulated project begins. Final project closeout includes the lab analysis, daily air monitoring logs, supervisor licenses, worker accreditations, waste manifests, and clearance reports, bound in a single PDF for real estate, insurance, or refinancing records.
Winston-Salem grew up around tobacco, textiles, and furniture, and the neighborhoods built to house that workforce reflect every wave of American construction technology, including the eras when asbestos was unrestricted. The R.J. Reynolds expansion between 1900 and 1940 produced thousands of bungalows and mill houses across West Salem, Ardmore, and Waughtown, most of which used asbestos-cement siding, asbestos-wrapped steam piping, and plaster systems containing chrysotile binders. Old Salem's Moravian buildings, while predating commercial asbestos, were retrofitted with mid-century mechanical systems that introduced the hazard during boiler and duct upgrades. Buena Vista and Reynolda Park estates built in the 1920s often hide asbestos in original boiler rooms, decorative coatings, and tile flooring beneath later renovations. Mid-century Ardmore, Sherwood Forest, and Sunset Hills ranches almost universally contain popcorn ceilings sprayed before the 1978 ban and 9x9 floor tiles bedded in cutback mastic. North Carolina regulates abatement under 15A NCAC Subchapter 19C, administered by the NC DHHS Health Hazards Control Unit, which licenses contractors, supervisors, workers, and inspectors and enforces the ten-day NESHAP notification window. Forsyth County's Inspections Division coordinates with state regulators on demolition permits, and any structural project that disturbs regulated quantities of asbestos must show proof of state notification before a permit is released. Remtech holds active NC accreditation across all required disciplines and maintains an unbroken compliance record on Triad projects.
Winston-Salem asbestos abatement projects generally fall between $1,500 and $4,500 for a single defined scope such as a popcorn ceiling in one or two rooms or a basement boiler with insulated piping. Whole-house siding removal on an Ardmore bungalow or full mechanical room abatement in a Buena Vista estate can run $8,000 to $25,000 depending on linear footage, friability, and access. Pricing is driven by the licensed labor hours required, the volume of disposal at permitted Triad landfills, third-party clearance testing, and the engineering controls needed to protect adjacent occupied space. We provide written, itemized quotes after the lab confirms positive samples, and we never charge for inspection follow-up or NESHAP notification filings.
For any abatement that disturbs friable material such as pipe insulation, popcorn ceilings, or damaged plaster, the work zone is sealed under negative pressure and cannot be entered by occupants until clearance testing passes. Most Winston-Salem homeowners choose to relocate for the duration of the active removal phase, which typically runs one to four days for residential scopes. If the abatement is confined to a basement, attic, or detached garage with completely separate HVAC, families may be able to remain in unaffected areas of the home, but this decision is made jointly with the supervisor on site after evaluating the building's air handling layout. We coordinate timelines tightly so displacement is as short as possible.
Yes, and the regulations are strict. North Carolina enforces 15A NCAC Subchapter 19C through the Health Hazards Control Unit at NC DHHS, which licenses every individual and company that performs abatement, inspection, project design, or air monitoring. Federal NESHAP rules also apply, requiring written notification at least ten working days before any regulated project begins. In Winston-Salem, the Forsyth County Inspections Division verifies state notification and contractor accreditation before issuing demolition or major renovation permits. Self-performed homeowner abatement is technically allowed in single-family owner-occupied dwellings but is not recommended and can void insurance, complicate future sales, and create liability for fiber release into adjacent properties. Hiring a state-licensed firm protects you legally and physically.
Most Winston-Salem residential abatement projects are complete within two to five working days from containment build to clearance pass. A single-room popcorn ceiling removal can finish in a single day plus overnight settling and morning clearance testing. A basement with insulated steam piping and a boiler jacket usually requires two to three days. Whole-house transite siding removal on a Reynolda or Ardmore property can stretch to a full week, particularly when weather windows are tight. Add the mandatory ten-working-day NESHAP notification period to the front of the schedule, plus 48 to 72 hours for initial lab results. We publish a daily progress log so you always know where the project stands.
Removal is one specific response option within the broader category of abatement. Abatement encompasses any state-approved method of controlling asbestos hazards, including encapsulation with specialized sealants, enclosure behind permanent barriers, operations and maintenance programs that manage materials in place, and full removal. Encapsulation is sometimes the right choice for intact transite siding on a Buena Vista estate or stable ceiling textures in a low-disturbance area, because it costs less and avoids fiber release. Removal becomes mandatory when materials are friable, damaged, or in the path of planned renovation or demolition. Our inspectors recommend the least invasive compliant option for each situation, and all four approaches require licensed professionals under North Carolina law.
Remtech serves the full Winston-Salem metropolitan footprint and surrounding Forsyth County communities. We routinely abate asbestos in Old Salem, West End, Washington Park, Ardmore, Buena Vista, Reynolda, Sherwood Forest, Sunset Hills, Country Club Estates, West Highlands, Konnoak Hills, Waughtown, and the historic mill villages around the former Reynolds and Hanes properties. Outside the city limits, our crews respond throughout Clemmons, Lewisville, Pfafftown, Rural Hall, Walkertown, Kernersville, and Tobaccoville. Commercial accounts include downtown loft conversions, Wake Forest University-area rentals, Innovation Quarter renovations, and former tobacco warehouses being repurposed into mixed-use space. Emergency response is available for storm damage, fire restoration, and unexpected discoveries during demolition.
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