Permits and rules
Can a house with asbestos siding or stucco be torn down in Oakville?
- asbestos
- designated substances
- teardown
Yes, once a qualified abatement contractor has removed the asbestos-containing materials under O. Reg. 278/05. The owner's designated substances survey under OHSA section 30 identifies those materials, and the excavator does not touch the house until the abatement clearance is in.
Asbestos changes the order of the work, not whether the teardown can happen.
Where asbestos shows up on mid-century houses
Many 1950s and 1960s houses in Bronte, Old Oakville, Kerr Village and Glen Abbey were built with materials that can contain asbestos. In general terms, the places a survey often looks include:
- Cement board siding and some older stucco finishes.
- Roofing materials and flashing.
- Pipe and duct insulation in the basement.
- Vermiculite insulation in the attic or walls.
- Vinyl floor tile and its adhesive.
Why the survey comes first
Under OHSA section 30, the owner must identify designated substances before the project is tendered or arranged. That means the survey is done before contractors price the work and before the job is scheduled, so everyone knows what they are dealing with.
It also matters for the permit. Town of Oakville Building Services handles the demolition permit itself, and our Town requirements guide covers what the Town asks for.
The sequence
On a house with asbestos, the work follows a fixed order:
- Survey: a qualified surveyor samples materials and reports what contains asbestos.
- Abatement: a qualified abatement contractor removes those materials under O. Reg. 278/05.
- Clearance: the abatement work is confirmed complete.
- Demolition: only then does the demolition crew take the house down.
What the demolition crew still watches for
A survey covers what can be reasonably sampled, but houses sometimes hide materials behind later renovations or inside wall cavities. The demolition crew watches for anything that looks like it was missed, such as unfamiliar insulation, old tile under newer flooring or siding under siding. If something turns up, work in that area stops until it is assessed.
What Bolan does about it
Bolan does not perform abatement. Before we schedule a teardown, we ask for the owner's designated substances survey and, where asbestos was found, confirmation that the abatement is complete. Our crew then carries out the residential demolition, or the interior demolition if only part of the house is being gutted, and stops work if anything unexpected appears. Request a free estimate and have your survey ready.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need an asbestos survey if the house is being torn down anyway?
- Yes. Under OHSA section 30, the owner must identify designated substances before the work is tendered or arranged, whether the house is being renovated or demolished. Tearing down a house without knowing what is in it puts workers and neighbours at risk, and a responsible crew will not start without the survey.
- Can the demolition crew remove asbestos siding?
- Not unless they are a qualified abatement contractor working under O. Reg. 278/05. Asbestos removal is specialised work with its own procedures. Bolan does not do abatement; a separate qualified contractor removes the siding or stucco first, and our crew takes the house down after clearance.
- Is all old stucco asbestos?
- No. Some older stucco finishes contain asbestos and many do not. The only reliable way to know is to have it sampled as part of the designated substances survey. Guessing either way is a bad idea, because the answer changes how the house has to be taken apart.
- What if asbestos is found during the demolition?
- Work in that area stops. The material is assessed, and if it contains asbestos, a qualified abatement contractor removes it under O. Reg. 278/05 before demolition continues. This is why the crew keeps watching for hidden materials even when a survey has been done.