Find out what's actually in it.
Popcorn ceiling, old vinyl flooring, pipe wrap in the basement. If your house was built before the mid-1980s, those are fair questions — and they have a definite answer. I come out, take samples, and send you a written report.
You may not need to do anything
Asbestos that's intact, in good condition, and left alone is generally not releasing fibers. The risk comes from disturbing it — sanding, scraping, drilling, demolition. A popcorn ceiling you're not touching is a different situation from one you're about to scrape.
So the honest answer is that testing matters most when you're planning work, buying or selling, or something is already damaged. If none of those apply, it's reasonable to wait. I'd rather tell you that now than take your money for a report you didn't need.
Test before you start work
The expensive version of this problem is finding out mid-renovation. Once a contractor has disturbed material that turns out to contain asbestos, the cleanup is a different job at a different price — and the work stops until it's handled.
Buying or selling?
Transactions run on deadlines. Tell me the date you're working toward when you book and I'll tell you honestly whether it's achievable, rather than finding out together.
What it costs
Published, because you deserve to know before you call. The visit and the report are the cost — once I'm there, testing a second material is cheap.
One material, tested and reported
Site visit, sampling to the required density, accredited laboratory analysis, and a written report you can hand to a contractor.
Additional materials, same visit
Standard laboratory turnaround is three business days and is included in every price above. Prices cover Seattle and the surrounding Puget Sound area; travel beyond that is quoted.
What actually happens
I come out
Usually under an hour. I look at the material, confirm what needs sampling, and take small samples — each one is about the size of a coin, and I patch where it makes sense. You don't need to leave the house.
The lab analyzes it
Samples go to an accredited laboratory under chain of custody. Standard turnaround is three business days. Rush is available if your timeline is tight.
You get a written report
What was sampled, where, what the lab found, and what it means for the work you're planning. It's a document your contractor can work from and your buyer's agent can read.
I test.
I don't remove.
Cadence does no abatement work. If your samples come back positive, I have nothing to sell you — I'll tell you what you're dealing with and, if you want, point you toward contractors who do the removal.
That's the whole reason to hire an independent tester rather than the company that also quotes the removal. There's no version of this where finding asbestos makes me money.
Things people ask
Can't I just use a mail-in kit?
You can, and for a single obvious material it may tell you something. The gaps are that you have to disturb the material to collect the sample — which is the exact thing you're trying to avoid — and a kit won't tell you whether there are three more materials in the room that also need testing, or how many samples the material actually requires.
If a contractor, a buyer, or a permit office needs documentation, a kit result generally won't satisfy them.
How many samples do you take?
It depends on the material. Ceiling and wall texture and pipe insulation each require three samples. Most other single materials require two. That's set by the federal standard, not by me — which is also why the pricing above varies by material rather than by the job.
Should I scrape a bit off and look at it first?
Please don't. You can't identify asbestos by eye, and scraping is precisely what releases fibers. Leave it alone until you know.
Do I need to be home?
Someone needs to let me in, but you don't have to follow me around. If you'd rather walk through what I'm seeing, I'm happy to — most people find it useful.
What if it comes back positive?
Then you have a document that says exactly what's where, which is what any abatement contractor needs to quote the work accurately. Positive results are common in older houses and are not an emergency. Knowing is what turns it into a manageable line item instead of a mid-project surprise.
Tell me what you're looking at
A rough description is plenty — "popcorn ceiling in the living room, 1962 house" gets us most of the way there. I'll confirm the price and we'll find a time.
- Phone
- (206) 657-7673
- [email protected]
- Service area
- Seattle, King, Snohomish, Pierce and Kitsap counties