In 2011, Calgary introduced legislation requiring anyone seeking a renovation or demolition permit to fill out an Asbestos Abatement Information Form or AAIF. While this legislation is hardly new news, a lot of homeowners seem to be going through quite a bit of grief. Basically before a demolition or building permit is granted by the
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Did you know that your eaves trough should be cleaned every spring and fall? It’s true! In Calgary, we have trees shedding their leaves in the fall and more than a few gales during the summer and winter months. This can lead to branches, leaves, and all kinds of other things in your eaves trough.
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Asbestos is a super neat, naturally occurring silicate compound. It absorbs sound, it’s stretchy, and it’s resistant to both fire and damage from electricity and chemicals. It’s also quite affordable. Humans began mining asbestos over 4000 years ago, and in the 19th century, it became very popular as a construction material. However, as we became
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Do you think you don’t have to worry about asbestos because your building is brand new? According to the Globe and Mail asbestos pipes are still being installed in new condos, apartments, and even hospitals across Canada. “It is unclear how many asbestos-cement pipes are being installed in Toronto and other cities, and there appear
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In the 11th century, monks at the Enkleistra St. Neophytos monastery in Cyprus added white asbestos to the plaster behind their religious paintings, presumably to enhance the colour of the red paint they used, and this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to asbestos history. People have recognized the remarkable properties
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Some people think that if mould appears on the walls of their house the simple solution is to attack it with bleach mixed with water and that will take care of the problem. While doing that might kill surface mould, it doesn’t deal with the reason why mould is growing in the first place and
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If you live in a home that was built in the last 10 or 20 years you don’t need to be concerned that it might contain asbestos. However, if you own home that was built prior to the 1990’s, there’s a very good possibility that it contains asbestos in some of the materials used in
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We hear a lot about the dangers of asbestos in our homes and asbestos abatement is a billion dollar industry. While we focus mainly on the negative aspects of asbestos, it’s still a fascinating material. Here are ten interesting facts about asbestos that you might not have known about. The word asbestos is derived from
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Asbestos is a serious issue that affects many people. Understanding the health risks associated with this mineral is very important, but it’s also good to know what asbestos is, where it was most commonly used, and how to protect yourself from asbestos exposure. The Asbestos Exposure Risk Sheet can give you all of this information
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That’s a difficult question to answer and every person’s tolerance to mould is different. Some people will be thrown into a panic by a bit of mildew around the edges of a bathroom window that’s prone to condensation. Still others wouldn’t think twice about a bit of mould growing on the walls of a damp
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