From Estimate to Inspection: A Real Customer Call on Asbestos Testing in Denver

This is a transcript of a phone conversation between a potential client looking for asbestos testing in Denver and the representative of our company. It’s been edited and redacted for the purpose of this presentation.

Tom: Good morning! Thank you for calling EnvioCore. This is Tom. How can I assist you today?

Bri: Hi, this is Bri. My husband and I recently bought a house in Denver, and we’re planning some renovations. I think we need to test for asbestos, and I’d like to get more information—including pricing, if possible.

Tom: First of all, congratulations on your new home! I’d be happy to help. Before I provide a quote for asbestos testing, I just need to ask a few questions.

Bri: Sure, go ahead.

Tom: Could you tell me a bit more about your renovation plans? What areas of the house are you planning to update?

Bri: We’re remodeling the kitchen and two bathrooms, and we’re also thinking about removing the old popcorn ceiling throughout the entire house.

Tom: Got it. And what’s the total livable square footage of your home?

Bri: I believe it’s around 1,700 square feet.

Tom: Is that all on one level, or are there multiple floors?

Bri: There’s also a basement.

Tom: Is the basement included in the 1,700 square feet?

Bri: No, but we’re not planning to renovate the basement—at least for now.

Tom: Just to confirm, does the basement have a popcorn ceiling? And even if it does, are you planning to remove it?

Bri: Actually, now that you mention it, we might also renovate the utility room in the basement. There was some previous water damage, and I’m concerned there could be mold under the vinyl flooring.

Tom: That makes sense. And on the main floor, how many different rooms or areas are there?

Bri: We have a combined kitchen and dining room, a guest bathroom, a master bedroom with an en-suite bathroom and walk-in closet, plus two additional bedrooms.
Just out of curiosity, why do you need all these details?

Tom: Great question! I need to understand the scope of work to give you an accurate quote. Based on what you’ve told me, this is a fairly extensive renovation. The flat fee for the inspection itself would be $450, and we charge $35 per sample we collect.

Bri: How many samples would you need to take?

Tom: That depends on the inspector’s evaluation during the site visit. They’ll assess all the materials that will be disturbed, measure the areas, and determine how many samples are necessary. However, I can try to estimate based on the details you’ve provided. I just need a couple more questions answered.

Bri: Sure, go ahead.

Tom: Regarding the kitchen remodel—what exactly are you planning to update?

Bri: We will put up new closets and all the kitchen equipment. We’re also removing the old tiles and the popcorn ceiling.

Tom: Will you be replacing the windows?

Bri: No, those will stay.

Tom: What about the flooring?

Bri: We’ll be replacing it with tiles.

Tom: And what’s the current flooring made of?

Bri: Wood.

Tom: Got it. And for the bathrooms?

Bri: In both bathrooms, we’ll be replacing the floor and wall tiles, as well as the ceilings. We’re also installing all new fixtures.

Tom: Understood. How many different types of tiles are there in the bathrooms?

Bri: Four—two different types of floor tiles and two different wall tiles.

Tom: So, it’s four different tile types in the bathrooms. Thanks for the details! I know it’s a lot of questions, but just a couple more to make sure I have everything right. Are you removing any flooring besides the kitchen wood floor?

Bri: No, we’re keeping the existing wood floors. They’re beautiful.

Tom: And are you planning to move or remove any walls?

Bri: Not really, except for a small partition between the kitchen and living room.

Tom: Perfect, thanks! That should be enough for me to give you an estimate. Just two final questions—what year was your house built, and do you know if it has undergone any renovations in the past?

Bri: It was built in 1960, and I believe there have been a few renovations over the years. The house seems to be in decent shape, so I assume some updates have been made.

Tom: That’s helpful to know. Based on this information, I can either give you a rough estimate of the number of samples required or take a moment to calculate a more precise figure. Which would you prefer?

Bri: I’d prefer a more detailed estimate since I can already tell this is going to cost more than I expected.

Tom: Absolutely. Let’s start with your popcorn ceiling. If the entire ceiling is the same material, we’d need to take only five samples—plus two additional samples if there’s joint compound between the ceiling and walls. However, since the house has had multiple renovations, it’s possible that different rooms have different ceiling materials. Do the ceilings in different rooms look the same to you?

Bri: No, actually, they’re different colors.

Tom: What about the texture?

Bri: I never really paid attention, but I can check now.

Tom: Sure, that would be helpful.

The customer is away from the phone for a moment, and then she returns.

Bri: The ceiling in the master bedroom looks quite different from the rest.

Tom: That suggests it’s not the same material, meaning it will need to be tested separately. That adds five more samples. Additionally, when the inspector arrives, they may determine that other rooms have different ceiling materials, which would require more samples. Right now, we’re looking at twelve ceiling samples, but that number could increase by another five, ten or even fifteen, depending on how many different popcorn ceilings there are.

Bri: I’m a little confused—you initially mentioned seven samples, but now you’re saying five. Could you clarify?

Tom: Of course! Here’s how it works: The number of samples depends on the total ceiling area. If all 1,700 square feet of ceiling is the same material, we’d take five samples, plus two from the joint compound. However, since the master bedroom ceiling is different, we need three samples from that area plus two for the joint compound. The reason for the difference is that smaller areas require fewer samples.

Bri: So the sample count is based on square footage?

Tom: Exactly! You got it. You could do my job—you’re catching on quickly!

Bri: Haha, thanks! That actually makes sense now.

Tom: Now, moving on to the kitchen and bathrooms. We’ll take two samples from the kitchen tiles, five samples from the partition you are planning to remove, and four samples from each bathroom (two from each tile type). All this makes up fifteen samples for the kitchen and the bathrooms.
And we need not to forget about two samples from the vinyl flooring in the utility room.
Right now, we’re looking at approximately thirty samples total, but that could change once the inspector assesses everything on-site.

Bri: Okay, so what’s the estimated total cost in the best-case scenario?

Tom: The inspection fee is $450, and with 30 samples at $35 each, that’s an additional $1,050 So the total would be $1,500.

Bri: Wow, that’s more than I expected. Is there any chance of a discount?

Tom: Let me see. How about…

EnvioCore Comments:

The company representative asks a series of detailed questions to understand the scope of work better and gather key information, such as the total area and any past renovations.

Understanding the area of surfacing materials—such as the popcorn ceiling—is crucial, as the number of samples required for asbestos testing of these materials depends on their area. However, it’s worth noting that Tom does not ask about the specific area of the utility room or the partition wall in the kitchen. The reason for this is twofold: first, vinyl flooring is classified as a miscellaneous material not a surfacing one, meaning only two samples are required regardless of its size; second, a partition wall is unlikely to exceed 1,000 square feet, which is the threshold at which the required number of samples increases from three to five.

Additionally, information about past renovations in an older home helped Tom identify that the popcorn ceiling was not a single, uniform material. This allowed him to explain that a final determination on the number of samples could only be made after an on-site visual inspection, depending on how many different ceiling materials were present. Tom also inquires about the kitchen windows, as the owner mentioned a kitchen remodel, which could suggest window removal as part of the project. However, since the windows were staying in place, sampling of window caulking was not necessary.