How Much Does Asbestos Removal Cost in Little Rock?
Asbestos removal in Little Rock costs anywhere from about $50 for a single lab test to $30,000 or more for a whole house with several materials in it. Most jobs land well inside that. One popcorn ceiling is usually $1,200 to $3,000. A floor of 9×9 tile and black glue is $5 to $15 a square foot. A house of transite siding is $5,000 to $15,000. Below are the asbestos removal prices we see on Pulaski County jobs this year, what pushes them up or down, and how to get a firm number. Call (501) 817-7825 for a written quote.
Asbestos removal prices in Little Rock by job
| Job | Typical price in Little Rock | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| Lab test, per sample | $50–$75 | rush or standard turnaround |
| Inspection with several samples | $250–$800 | how many materials have to be sampled |
| Popcorn ceiling, one room | $1,200–$3,000 | ceiling height, how thick the texture is, furniture in the room |
| Popcorn ceiling, whole house | $3,500–$10,000 | square footage, vaulted ceilings, number of vents and returns |
| 9×9 floor tile and black mastic | $5–$15 per sq ft | how far the glue has soaked into the subfloor |
| Transite siding, whole house | $5,000–$15,000 | height, whether it is painted, how much breaks, what goes on the wall afterwards |
| Pipe and boiler insulation | $50–$150 per linear ft | elbows and joints, crawl-space access |
| Vermiculite attic insulation | $1,500–$8,000+ | depth, how tight the attic is |
| Sealing instead of removing (encapsulation) | $2–$6 per sq ft | surface area, condition of the material |
| Survey before a renovation or demolition | $500–$2,500 | building size, number of samples |
| Clearance air test after the job | $150–$400 per sample; $600–$1,500 for a typical job | number of samples, lab method |
| Whole house, several materials | $15,000–$30,000+ | how many materials, whether the house is lived in during the work |
| Commercial building | $10,000–$100,000+ | size, occupied or empty, state notice |
Prices on this page are estimates from previous work. We cannot quote an exact price. The actual cost can be lower or higher depending on the job. The person who knows is the professional who will do the work. You get a written quote after we see the house.
What moves the asbestos removal cost up or down
How much material there is. Removal is priced by the square foot for ceilings, floors and siding and by the linear foot for pipe insulation, so a 300 square foot bedroom ceiling and a 1,500 square foot house are different jobs even though the material is the same.
Which material it is. Popcorn ceiling is the most straightforward: wet it, scrape it, bag it. Floor tile is harder because the black glue underneath is the part that contains the asbestos and it has usually soaked into the wood or concrete. Siding is outside, so there is no plastic tent to build, but every board that snaps in half makes dust, and the wall needs new cladding when we are done.
Access and height. A vaulted living room, a tight crawl space, or a second-floor attic all add time. Time is most of the price.
What is in the way. Furniture, built-ins, ceiling fans, air vents and returns all have to be moved or sealed before the work area can be closed off. An empty house is cheaper to work in than a lived-in one.
The state notice. Bigger jobs, roughly more than 160 square feet of material or 260 feet of pipe insulation, need a notice filed with Arkansas DEQ ten working days before work starts. That adds waiting time more than money, but it matters if you are up against a closing date. We tell you on the first call which side of the line you are on.
Disposal. The bags go to a landfill that is licensed to take them, and the landfill charges by weight. This is built into the price and you get a copy of the paperwork.
What happens afterwards. Removing the asbestos leaves you with a bare ceiling, a bare subfloor or a bare wall. Refinishing the ceiling, laying new flooring and hanging new siding are separate trades and are not in the removal price unless the quote says so. Ask.
You do not always have to remove asbestos
Asbestos that is in good condition and not being disturbed is not a hazard, and leaving it alone costs nothing. If the material is sound but you want it dealt with, sealing it in place is often the cheapest asbestos solution: a coating or a new layer over the top, at $2 to $6 a square foot instead of a full removal. That is not the right answer when the material is crumbling, when you are about to renovate through it, or when a buyer wants it gone. The encapsulation page explains when sealing works and when it does not. The honest answer on the first call is sometimes "leave it and paint over it", and we will say so.
The one mistake that makes asbestos removal expensive
Almost every job that ends up costing far more than it should started with someone disturbing the material before it was tested: scraping a popcorn ceiling to see what was under it, pulling up 9×9 tile before checking the glue, cutting into siding before a repaint. A $50 to $75 lab sample tells you whether you have a normal renovation job or an asbestos removal job. Skip it and find out halfway through, and you are now paying to clean the dust out of a house that has been contaminated, plus a clearance air test before anyone can move back in. That path costs many times more than the test. If you suspect something, do not touch it. Call and we will sample it.
How to read an asbestos removal quote
A good quote says what is being removed, from which rooms, and how many square feet or linear feet of it. It gives a price per material rather than one lump sum for the house. It says the disposal paperwork and the clearance air test are included. It says what is not included, usually the refinishing, so there is no surprise later. And it asks for a small deposit at scheduling with the balance due when the clearance test has passed, not the full amount up front. A quote that is missing these is not automatically bad, but it is harder to compare with another one, so ask for the detail before you decide.
How to get a firm price
The number on this page is a range. The number you can plan around comes after we have seen the house, taken samples where they are needed, and measured the material. Call (501) 817-7825, tell us the age of the house and what you have found, and we will set up the visit.
Asbestos removal cost questions
How much does asbestos removal cost per square foot?
Floor tile and mastic run $5 to $15 a square foot. Popcorn ceilings are usually priced by the room or by the house rather than by the foot, because the setup is most of the job. Siding is priced by the house. Pipe insulation is priced by the linear foot, $50 to $150.
Is the asbestos test included in the removal price?
No. Testing is a separate, smaller job: $50 to $75 per lab sample, or $250 to $800 for an inspection with several samples. It comes first, because the result decides whether you need a removal at all.
Can I get a price over the phone?
A range, yes. A firm price, no. Every house is different, and a firm number needs someone to see the material and measure it.
Are estimates free?
Yes. There is no charge for the on-site visit and the written quote on asbestos work in the Little Rock area.
Does home insurance pay for asbestos removal?
Usually not for a planned renovation. Some policies pay when the asbestos was disturbed by something they already cover, like a fire, a storm or a burst pipe. Read your policy or ask your agent before you assume either way.
Why is my quote higher than the ranges on this page?
The ranges are typical jobs. Vaulted ceilings, a lived-in house, several materials at once, hard access, or a job big enough to need the state notice all push a job past the typical range. The quote will say which of those applies to you.