Restoration & Refurbishment

Removal of arches with old artex coating

Anonymous user 28/02/2024 - 3.29 PM

There are two stud wall arches in our kitchen making a separate hall area, and we'd like to completely remove them. They sound hollow, but I know we'd need to get a structural survey. My main concern is that both sides of the arches and the underside are coated with textured plaster. We've had them tested, and confirmed that they contain chrysotile asbestos. I assume this complicates things, so I was wondering what the process for removal would be? Would the texture be removed first (steamed off?), or is it possible to "cut out" the wall without greatly disturbing the plaster? (The plaster does not go all the way to the wall.) Picture: http://imgur.com/Z5VEBsK Extra question: the asbestos survey company was keen to point out that since it was a non-intrusive survey, they couldn't say whether the stud partitions contained asbestos-containing insulation. As they are interior walls, it seems unlikely (to me at least) that they'd contain any insulation. Should we pay extra for the internal survey just to be safe? Thanks!