Before you renovate or demolish
Asbestos Testing & Surveys in Bakersfield
Know what is in the building before work starts. We arrange certified surveys and lab results quickly.
- 39 yrs
- In business
- 40+
- Cities served
- 5.0
- Client rating
- Licensed
- & insured
Test it before anyone touches it.
Asbestos is invisible in the materials that hold it: floor tile, ceiling texture, joint compound, pipe insulation, siding. Cal/OSHA requires building owners to know where it is before work starts, and the air district wants the survey report with any demolition or major renovation notice. A.S.I. arranges the survey with an independent certified consultant and an accredited lab, explains the results in plain terms, and quotes the removal if anything comes back positive.
Who is allowed to test, and why it is a separate company
In California only a Cal/OSHA Certified Asbestos Consultant, or a site surveillance technician working under one, can survey a building and collect samples for an asbestos determination. State law also says that consultant may not have a financial interest in the contractor that removes the asbestos. That rule protects you, and we work within it. A.S.I. arranges the survey with an independent certified consultant and an accredited laboratory, you receive their report directly, and we act on it. Nobody who profits from the removal decides how much removal you need. The practical difference for you is one phone call. We schedule the consultant, get the samples to the lab, help you read the report, and if the building needs abatement, the plan and the quote come from the same people who will do the work.
How asbestos testing works.
One call from scoping to a plan you can act on.
Scope
You tell us what is being renovated or demolished; we define what needs sampling.
Survey & sample
An independent certified consultant inspects and samples the suspect materials.
Lab analysis
Samples go to an accredited lab for analysis by the right method.
Report & plan
You get the report, an explanation, and an abatement quote if anything is positive.
What usually tests positive in Kern County buildings
Federal and state rules treat anything built in 1980 or earlier as suspect until tested, and that covers a lot of the county: about 43 percent of homes in Kern County were built before 1980, about 66 percent in Oildale and about 75 percent in East Bakersfield, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. Commercial and industrial buildings from the same era are just as likely to contain it. The materials that most often come back positive here are 9-by-9 floor tile and the black mastic under it, sprayed acoustic ceilings, drywall joint compound and wall texture, cement (transite) pipe and siding, roofing mastic and flashing, duct wrap, and the pipe and boiler lagging in older plants, schools and oilfield buildings. Loose vermiculite insulation in attics is another one to test before anyone disturbs it.
How a survey works and what it costs
The consultant walks the areas that will be disturbed, takes small samples of each suspect material, and sends them to an accredited lab. Most samples are analyzed by polarized light microscopy; floor tile and some other materials may need transmission electron microscopy for a reliable answer. The report lists each material, where it is, how much there is and whether it contains asbestos, which is what the air district and your building department need. Cost depends on the size of the building, how many different materials need sampling, and how fast you need results. A single room before a remodel is a small job; a full pre-demolition survey of a commercial building is a larger one. Tell us what you are planning and we will set it up and quote it.
Asbestos testing questions.
What people ask before they book a survey.
How much does asbestos testing cost in Bakersfield?
It depends on the building size, the number of materials to sample and the turnaround you need. A limited survey before a small remodel costs far less than a full pre-demolition survey. We scope it and quote it before anything is booked.
Can I test for asbestos in my home myself?
Home test kits exist, but the sample you cut can release fibers, and the result will not satisfy an air district or a building department. A certified consultant's survey is the reliable answer and the one permits accept.
Do all buildings built before 1980 have asbestos?
Not all, but enough that Cal/OSHA presumes pipe insulation and sprayed surfacing in buildings from 1980 or earlier contain it until testing proves otherwise.
Is a survey required before renovation or demolition in Kern County?
For commercial, public and multi-unit buildings, yes. The San Joaquin Valley district requires a survey before renovation and before any demolition, and Eastern Kern requires a certified survey regardless of the building's age.
How long do results take?
Usually a few business days from sampling. Faster turnaround is available from most labs at extra cost when a schedule depends on it.
What happens if the building tests positive?
Depending on the material and your plans, it may need removal, encapsulation or simply management in place. If abatement is needed, we quote it and file the notices.
Can the same company test and remove asbestos?
Not with an in-house consultant on the same project. California law keeps the consultant independent of the abatement contractor, so we arrange an independent survey and then do the removal.
Do you test for lead paint and mold too?
We arrange lead inspections through certified inspectors, and we assess mold problems directly, so a building with more than one issue gets one plan.
Related services.
The work that usually comes up on the same kind of job.
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