Encapsulation as the lower-cost route for Cambridge buildings
Replacing an asbestos cement roof is one of the most expensive and disruptive jobs a building owner can face. That is precisely why encapsulation has become the first option worth weighing for sound roofs across Cambridge. The city is associated with its science and technology parks, but the asbestos roofs we are asked about usually sit on older light-industrial units, workshops and storage buildings around the edges of the city, structures of the right vintage to carry 1960s-to-80s cement sheeting. Sealing those roofs in place, where their condition allows, keeps them serviceable for far less than a full reroof.
What the work involves
Encapsulation treats the existing roof rather than removing it. The sheets are cleaned and stabilised, minor defects are made good, and a high-build coating system is applied over the entire surface. That coating binds the asbestos fibres into the sheet and adds a fresh weatherproof layer that resists rain, frost and UV. The asbestos stays contained, the building stays in use throughout, and there are no skip loads of broken sheeting to handle.
The duty to manage under CAR 2012
The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 require whoever maintains a non-domestic building to manage the asbestos within it: to locate it, log its condition and control the risk it presents. A sound asbestos cement roof in Cambridge can be managed effectively through encapsulation, and the condition survey we carry out gives you a documented basis for your management plan. That record matters as much as the coating itself when you need to demonstrate compliance.
Honest limits: when removal is the right call
We assess every roof on its merits and we will not coat one that should be removed. Asbestos cement that has cracked through, delaminated, gone friable at the surface or begun shedding fibres is past the point where encapsulation is safe or sensible. The correct course there is removal by competent operatives working to HSE standards under CAR 2012. Removing cement sheeting is generally non-licensed work, so it does not always need a licensed contractor, though it does need the right controls, protective equipment and waste handling. Materials such as sprayed asbestos coatings or insulating board are a different category and do require a licensed contractor. We make the distinction clear for your roof specifically.
A survey before any commitment
The deciding factor is always the condition of the sheeting, so we survey before we advise and before we price. A free assessment in Cambridge tells you whether encapsulation is appropriate or whether removal is wiser, and you receive a written record either way. There is no cost for the visit and no pressure to proceed.
- Often a fraction of the cost of full removal and reroofing
- No strip-out, so the building keeps working through the project
- Fibres sealed in place and shielded from the weather
- Documented survey to back your CAR 2012 duty to manage
- Straight advice when removal, not coating, is the right answer
