Vancouver has more pre-1990 housing stock per capita than almost any other city in Metro Vancouver, which means asbestos is not a rare problem here. It is a routine one. Our team at Synchron Demolition carries out asbestos removal across the city, from East Van bungalows to Downtown commercial interiors, under WorkSafeBC License No. AAL-00001079.
What Makes Vancouver Projects Different
Vancouver properties present a specific set of conditions that affect how abatement work is planned and priced.
The city’s housing stock is dense with two-storey single-family homes and low-rise apartment buildings constructed between 1955 and 1985, exactly the window when asbestos use in construction materials was at its peak. Many of these properties have had partial renovations over the decades, which means some ACMs may have already been disturbed, buried under new finishes, or removed without proper documentation. Partial prior abatement without records is one of the most common complications we encounter in Vancouver.
Vancouver also sits within the City of Vancouver’s building permit jurisdiction, which has its own inspection requirements layered on top of WorkSafeBC regulations. Any renovation that triggers a permit will require a Hazmat report before work can begin.
Asbestos Materials We Commonly Find in Vancouver Homes
The type of ACM varies by decade and building type. In Vancouver’s residential stock, the most frequent materials we test and remove include bathroom and kitchen floor tiles and the mastic adhesive beneath them, pipe insulation in basements and crawlspaces, drywall joint compound and textured wall finishes, and basement wall insulation in older two-storey homes.
Vancouver Project Case Study: Full Residential Abatement
A family of six contacted us about a two-storey Vancouver home built in 1972. The property had six bedrooms plus two guest rooms and a history of partial prior abatement with no documentation. With four young children in the house and renovation work planned, they needed a full picture of what remained before proceeding.
We started with targeted testing across the highest-risk areas: bathroom and toilet floor tiles in all wet areas, a section of broken drywall in the library that had been partially demolished by a previous contractor, and the basement wall insulation. Results confirmed asbestos-containing materials in the bathroom and toilet tiles throughout the home, the basement wall insulation, and a portion of the mechanical piping.
The scope of work included removal of all original bathroom and toilet tiles across the property, full removal of the basement wall insulation, and removal of the affected pipe sections. The family relocated for 15 days while work was completed. On day 15, clearance air monitoring confirmed the property was clean and they moved back in.
Projects of this scale in Vancouver (full residential abatement across a two-storey home with multiple ACM types) typically start around $30,000. The final cost depends on the number of materials confirmed through testing, access conditions, and whether mechanical or structural components are involved.
Neighbourhoods We Serve in Vancouver
Our team works across all Vancouver neighbourhoods. The highest concentration of pre-1990 properties, and therefore the most frequent asbestos calls we receive, comes from four areas in particular.
- Kitsilano has a dense stock of character homes and bungalows built between the 1950s and 1970s. Many have had cosmetic updates over the years without a proper Hazmat assessment, which means ACMs are often found behind new finishes.
- East Vancouver has the highest concentration of older single-family homes in the city. Renovation activity here is high, and we regularly carry out abatement work ahead of permitted renovation projects in this area.
- Mount Pleasant combines older residential properties with commercial and light industrial buildings from the same era. Both property types frequently contain asbestos in insulation, flooring, and wall systems.
- Grandview-Woodland has housing stock that is largely pre-1970, with many properties still carrying original materials that have never been tested. It is one of the areas where we most commonly find multiple ACM types in a single property.
If your property is in a different part of Vancouver, we serve the entire city. These four neighbourhoods are highlighted because of the age and density of the housing stock, not because we limit our work to them.
Related Services for Vancouver Properties
Depending on what testing reveals, your project may involve one or more of the following:
- Vermiculite removal: attic insulation in Vancouver homes built before 1985 is frequently contaminated
- Popcorn ceiling removal: stipple ceilings are common in Vancouver homes and apartments from the 1960s through 1980s
- Asbestos insulation removal: pipe wrap and batt insulation in basements and mechanical rooms
- Asbestos drywall removal: joint compound and texture coats in pre-1990 drywall systems
- Stucco removal: exterior stucco finishes applied before 1990
Areas We Serve
We carry out the same certified abatement work across the region:
If you don’t see your area, give us a call. We’ll do our best to help you.
- Asbestos removal in West Vancouver
- Asbestos removal in Burnaby
- Asbestos removal in North Vancouver
