Asbestos Removal in Port Coquitlam, BC

Port Coquitlam's Central PoCo, Oxford Heights and Mary Hill areas are densely packed with homes from the 1975-1988 construction window, the peak period for asbestos in drywall compound and textured ceilings.

Port Coquitlam developed rapidly as a family suburb during the 1970s and 1980s. Central PoCo, Oxford Heights, Birchland Manor and Mary Hill all saw intense residential construction between 1975 and 1988, right in the thick of the period when chrysotile asbestos was still routinely used in drywall joint compound, textured ceiling spray, vinyl floor products and pipe wrap. The result is that a large percentage of Port Coquitlam's single-family housing stock has asbestos present, often in multiple materials, and homeowners undertaking renovations encounter it frequently.

The drywall compound asbestos issue is particularly pronounced in Port Coquitlam homes from the 1975-1988 window. Joint compound products containing chrysotile asbestos were widely used by PoCo's production homebuilders during this period, applied at every seam, screw hole and corner bead throughout the house. This means that any wall work — whether it's opening a wall for plumbing, adding a doorway or doing a full renovation — disturbs asbestos-containing material. Sanding drywall compound without knowing whether it contains asbestos is a significant WorkSafeBC violation and a real health risk.

Port Coquitlam's Wilson Centre commercial area and the older industrial properties near the Dominion Triangle have a different asbestos footprint. Warehouses, light-industrial buildings and commercial properties from the 1970s-1980s in this area frequently have asbestos in insulation, floor tiles and roofing. Tenant improvement work, building sales and commercial demolitions in this area all require pre-renovation or pre-demolition asbestos surveys.

Basement suite additions are the most common asbestos job we do in Port Coquitlam. When PoCo homeowners add a suite to a 1980 home, they're typically removing old carpet, patching walls, updating the ceiling and doing electrical and plumbing rough-ins. Every one of those tasks has a high probability of disturbing asbestos-containing material in a home from this era. We come in first, sample everything in scope, get lab confirmation and remove what needs to come out so your contractor can do the rest cleanly.