Asbestos was mixed into more than 3,000 different building products across Australia before it was banned in 2003, which means it isn’t confined to one obvious spot in an older home, it can turn up almost anywhere. Before booking an Asbestos Inspection in Sydney homeowners trust, it helps to know exactly where to look. NSW Government guidance specifically identifies roofing, ceilings, internal walls, eaves, fencing, pipes, fireplaces, areas behind tiles, and flooring underlay as common locations. Here are 15 places worth checking in any home built before the late 1980s.
Where Is Asbestos Commonly Found in Houses?
The short answer is almost anywhere building materials were used, but certain areas are far more likely candidates than others. Roofing, external wall sheeting, eaves, fencing, and flooring are among the most common, simply because asbestos cement and vinyl products were the standard, affordable materials of the era for these exact applications.
Where Can Asbestos Be Found in an Old House?
In a typical older home, suspect materials show up in both obvious and easily overlooked places. Beyond the roof and walls, asbestos frequently turns up in less visible spots like electrical meter board backing, pipe insulation, window putty, and even underground stormwater and water pipes, areas most homeowners would never think to check without prompting.
What Parts of a House Contain Asbestos?
Broadly, any part of the home built with cement sheeting, vinyl flooring, or insulation products from before the ban is a candidate. This includes external cladding, internal wet-area walls, ceilings, eaves, garages, fences, and the less visible corners of a property like subfloor spaces and roof cavities.
Where Is Asbestos Found in Australian Homes?
Across Australia, the pattern is broadly consistent regardless of state. Corrugated roofing, wall and ceiling sheeting (commonly known as fibro), vinyl floor tiles, eaves, fencing, and pipe insulation are the most frequently identified sources nationwide, reflecting how standardised these building products were throughout the mid-to-late twentieth century.
Where Is Asbestos Found in Older Sydney Homes?
Sydney’s housing stock follows the same national pattern, with a particularly heavy concentration in the city’s post-war “fibro belt” suburbs across Western Sydney. Common Sydney-specific finds include fibro garages and sheds, asbestos cement fencing along older suburban blocks, and asbestos cement stormwater pipes still in the ground beneath many properties.
Can Asbestos Be Found in Walls?
Yes, both internal and external walls are among the most common locations. External wall cladding was frequently made from asbestos cement sheeting, while internal walls, particularly in bathrooms, laundries, and kitchens, often used the same material, sometimes finished with a compressed asbestos product or a marble-look wall panel product common in older bathrooms.
Can Asbestos Be Found in Ceilings?
Yes. Flat fibro ceiling sheeting was standard in many homes, and some ceilings feature a textured, “popcorn” style coating that can also contain asbestos. Vermiculite ceiling finishes, sometimes seen in older unit blocks, are another form worth being aware of.
Can Asbestos Be Found Under Floors?
Yes, primarily through vinyl floor tiles and the backing or adhesive used to install them. These are frequently found hidden beneath newer carpet, floating floors, or tiles laid during a later renovation, meaning a home can appear to have no asbestos flooring at all until an older layer is uncovered underneath.
Can Asbestos Be Found Behind Tiles?
Yes, this is a particularly easy spot to miss. Older bathroom and kitchen walls were sometimes lined with asbestos cement sheeting before tiles were laid directly over the top, meaning the material sits completely hidden behind a wall that looks entirely modern.
Can Asbestos Be Found in the Roof?
Yes, corrugated asbestos cement roofing sheets and ridge capping were extremely common on Australian homes for decades. Roof cavities can also contain loose-fill insulation, which is considered a higher-risk friable material due to how easily it can be disturbed.
Can Asbestos Be Found in Eaves?
Yes, eaves are one of the most consistently identified locations for asbestos cement sheeting, since the material’s fire resistance and durability made it a popular choice for this application across nearly every housing style of the era.
Can Asbestos Be Found in Fences?
Yes, corrugated or flat asbestos cement fencing, sometimes marketed under product names like “Super Six,” is extremely common, particularly on older suburban blocks across Sydney and the rest of the country. These fences often remain in place today, sometimes painted over or weathered to a different colour than their original grey.
Can Asbestos Be Found in Garages and Sheds?
Yes, garages and sheds were frequently constructed entirely from asbestos cement sheeting, both for walls and roofing, since it was a cheap, durable option for standalone structures. These outbuildings are often overlooked during general home inspections simply because they’re seen as secondary structures rather than part of the main dwelling.
Can Asbestos Be Found in Insulation?
Yes, in several different forms. Loose-fill insulation in roof cavities appears as a fluffy, granular material and is considered one of the higher-risk types due to how easily it releases fibres. Pipe lagging around hot water systems and thermal insulation on structural beams are two further common insulation-related sources.
Can Asbestos Be Found in Pipes?
Yes, asbestos cement was widely used for water supply, stormwater, and sewer pipes, much of which remains buried underground across older Sydney suburbs today. Asbestos Removal Sydney professionals frequently encounter these pipes during renovation or landscaping work, since they’re easy to forget about simply because they’re out of sight beneath the yard. Flue pipes and pipe lagging around hot water systems are two further common sources above ground.
Checking Your Own Home
Given how widely asbestos was used, the safest approach for any home built before the late 1980s is to treat these 15 locations as starting points for inspection rather than an exhaustive checklist, since the material genuinely could turn up in less common spots too. Visual inspection can flag likely candidates, but only laboratory testing can confirm what you’re actually dealing with.
Get a Thorough Asbestos Inspection for Your Property
Knowing where to look is a good starting point, but a proper inspection covers the areas you might not think to check yourself. Our licensed team can assess your entire property, inside and out, and provide clear, accurate results so you know exactly where you stand. Contact us today to book an inspection.
