Coastal weather, ageing roofs and asbestos in Brighton and Hove
Salt air and steady exposure are hard on any roof, and they are especially hard on the corrugated asbestos cement sheeting that tops a lot of commercial buildings around Brighton and Hove. The light-industrial units, trade premises and storage sheds on the city’s working estates often date from the era when this material was the default. Weathering opens up the surface over time, which is exactly when owners start asking whether the roof can be saved without a full removal. For a roof that is still sound, encapsulation is usually the answer.
How encapsulation protects a weathered roof
Rather than tearing the sheets off, encapsulation seals them where they are. We clean the roof, stabilise the surface, address minor defects and apply a high-build coating across the whole area. That coating locks the asbestos fibres into the substrate and gives the roof a new weatherproof layer that holds off the coastal rain and UV that ageing cement struggles with. The asbestos remains fully contained, the building stays usable, and you avoid the cost and disruption of a strip-out.
Your legal position under CAR 2012
Anyone responsible for a non-domestic building in Brighton and Hove carries the duty to manage asbestos set out in the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. You have to know where it is, keep its condition under review and act sensibly to control it. Encapsulating a sound asbestos cement roof is a recognised way of doing exactly that, and the survey report we provide documents the roof’s condition so your management plan rests on evidence rather than assumption.
The point where we say remove, not coat
Encapsulation is not a universal fix, and pretending otherwise would do you no favours. Sheets that are cracked right through, heavily delaminated, friable or already releasing fibres cannot be coated safely. On those roofs the only honest recommendation is removal. Taking down asbestos cement sheeting is generally non-licensed work, which means a licensed contractor is not always needed, but it still has to be carried out by competent operatives to HSE standards under CAR 2012, with proper controls and waste disposal. A licensed contractor is reserved for higher-risk asbestos such as sprayed coatings and insulating board. If your roof needs removal, we will tell you, plainly.
Survey first, decision second
Because the right course depends entirely on the condition of the sheeting, we never quote before we have seen the roof. A free survey across Brighton and Hove gives you a clear read on whether encapsulation is appropriate or whether removal is the safer route, along with a written record you can hold on file. The assessment costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
