Simmans - Help for Home Asbestos Removal

Hello -- my name is Steve. I am bringing a need to your attention for some dear friends of ours. Bob and Jennifer Simmans purchased their first home with the hopes of raising a family. They leveraged a lot to get into the home. While self-performing work in the house, days before they were to move in, they discovered it has asbestos in all the sheetrock and texture and air conditioning vents throughout the home. I hope that by reading the letter below, you might see their need and generously support their housing and future family situation during this difficult time.

Here is a letter they've written telling their story and detailing their need:

Dear Friends,

We find ourselves in a predicament we didn't even dream possible a few months ago. After much research, counsel, and prayer, we have been encouraged by those we trust to express our need publicly and provide an avenue for people to help in whatever way they feel best, particularly financially.

After years of waiting, medical uncertainties, deferred plans, difficulties, and financial setbacks, we became first-time home buyers in April this year. We purchased the home as a first move toward pursuing adoption, a long sought-after step for our family after many years of struggling with a genetic condition Jennifer has called Tuberous Sclerosis (TSC). This condition comes with many medical (and thus financial) uncertainties. Still, we had finally gotten to a place where we might be able to pursue adoption despite fourteen years of childlessness.

We were thrilled about the house. Despite a difficult market and the strains of first-time home buying, we managed to buy a modest, older home (1974) in need of some love. We had some resources to address the problems we knew about. We anticipated being able to do most of the work over time and much of it ourselves like many others as part of the plan toward the purchase of our first home.

Unfortunately, just 12 days before our intended move-in date, Bob was doing some repairs around the house and came across something while replacing air registers. A white material was crumbling out of the air vents. The material was easily disturbed and more significant amount than expected. In light of some of the repairs (both planned and ongoing) in the house already, we had this material and some drywall tested for asbestos. To our gut-wrenching shock, these tests confirmed that all had asbestos-containing materials, friable (loose and easy to disturb), and present throughout the house -- namely in the materials disturbed by our repairs and previous alterations in the history of the home. Additionally, it is present in areas where repairs are necessary.

No home inspection revealed anything concerning asbestos in this home, even when the inspector was specifically asked. In Texas, it turns out that inspectors are not required and typically do not test or make determinations about asbestos.

Preliminary (limited) air tests confirm some presence of asbestos in the air, but complete testing is needed. Bulk sampling of the walls also confirms that asbestos is present. As a result, all work has stopped, and plans for repairs are on hold. Our belongings are now all in storage. We (and our two dogs) are living as guests with another couple from church who has graciously taken us in until this can be resolved.

We sought the advice of many contractors, environmental engineers, and abatement professionals. We leaned on advice from several realtors we know and an attorney who formerly worked in asbestos/environmental law. We even considered unthinkably selling at a loss. The overwhelming advice we were given was to first remove the few items that were already in the house (appliances, tools, etc), avoid working in the house for any measurable amount of time or disturbing the environment without wearing appropriate protection. Most importantly, we should certainly not move in until we had further air quality tests and (at a minimum) decontamination of the disturbed areas completed to address the safety and long-term livability of our home.

Our plans to address what we thought would be relatively minor repairs have suddenly become anything but mild or minor. We know we will have to disclose this to any future buyers, contractors, and (most poignantly) anyone who asks about any environmental concerns if we were to continue in the hopes of adoption in the next couple of years. Due to the nature of asbestos and requirements for disclosure in the future, we know that professionals will have to be hired to address our home’s issues.

The cost of testing, abatement, and decontamination are extreme and range in price. The affected areas will take four days, and we have also been universally shown that doing more of the house now – while it is unoccupied and without furnishings (which could be contaminated if present) – is the absolute best time to address this. We have been given quotes beginning at $19,000 for this work alone. Beyond the testing, abatement, and decontamination, we still have to pay to replace the insulation, drywall, texture, and carpet, which will all be contaminated by the process. We are currently seeking estimates from contractors, but it will also be a substantial cost in addition to the removal of material.

We have spent two months facing the complexities of properly moving forward. Insurance does not cover this. The State of Texas does not have regulations or resources for assistance in residential homes. Being a new purchase, many of the financial tools available to homeowners for tackling the unexpected on this scale are not available to us. The steps in front of us are overwhelming, complex, and require a completely unanticipated and significant financial lift for resolution.

We are overwhelmed – the work to be done, the conflicting answers, the financial burden, and the effort to maintain/repair a house in which we’ve been told to disturb very little. This all now stands in the way of the reason we purchased a home to begin with – the hope of adoption after many years of postponement and setbacks.

We are utterly heartbroken by this situation. Our hopes for family and finally opening our home to a child have grown very dim. Unfortunately, that hope will be deferred even longer, if not gone entirely, if this situation is not resolved.

This process is taking a significant emotional toll on both of us, but we have come to a place where we feel placing our struggle before you is wise and warranted. To our church family, to those we have shared life with over the years, and to any others who might consider our need, we are asking for help if you feel led to do so.