Does my 1960s or 1970s house have asbestos in the soffits, cladding or wallboard?

Are the soffits on a 1960s NZ house asbestos?

Quite possibly. Soffits, the flat sheets under the eaves, were commonly flat fibre-cement sheet in that era, and fibre-cement sheet of that period was usually asbestos-cement. WorkSafe's list of where asbestos is commonly found in New Zealand homes includes "soffits", "cladding, including baseboards", "compressed sheeting", "garage cladding" and "fence panels" (WorkSafe, Where asbestos can be found).

The best-documented date comes from the main local manufacturer. Nigel Isaacs, writing in Architectural History Aotearoa in 2021, records that James Hardie had been making Fibrolite asbestos-cement at its Penrose, Auckland plant since 1938, and that from September 1983 a treated cellulose fibre replaced the asbestos. A house built in 1968 sits well inside that window.

Why does WorkSafe say 2000 if Fibrolite changed in 1983?

Because Fibrolite was not the only product. Other boards, imported sheets and older stock continued to be used, and asbestos-containing products could be imported until the Imports and Exports (Asbestos-containing Products) Prohibition Order 2016 came into force on 1 October 2016. WorkSafe's line for buildings is 1 January 2000: built before then, a building probably contains some asbestos materials. So a 1980s house is not cleared by its date, and neither is a later repair made with old stock.

Does vertical or flat sheet cladding on an old NZ house have asbestos?

Sheet cladding on older homes, whether flat sheet, battened sheet or profiled sheet that runs vertically, was often fibre-cement, and older fibre-cement is the material most associated with asbestos in New Zealand houses. Weatherboards are a different matter: timber weatherboards are timber, though fibre-cement weatherboards also exist. The test is cheap compared with cutting into it to find out. For Hardiflex, Hardiplank and how to tell modern fibre cement from asbestos cement, see fibre cement or asbestos?.

Does Pinex wallboard from the 1960s contain asbestos?

Pinex was N.Z. Forest Products' brand for boards made from pine wood fibre at its Penrose plant: softboard, the soft insulating board most people mean by Pinex, and later hardboards. That is a different material from fibre-cement sheet, and the board itself is not an asbestos-cement product. Many New Zealanders use "Pinex" for any soft ceiling tile or pinboard wall, though, and other low-density boards that look similar did contain asbestos in some countries. Paints and textured coatings applied over the board are a separate question again: see Pinex board: what it is and when to test it. Plasterboard (GIB) is different again: see does GIB board contain asbestos?.

Brand names in an old house are guesses until someone checks. If you are going to cut, drill or remove a board, have it sampled rather than relying on what a previous owner called it.

Is asbestos-cement cladding or soffit dangerous?

Asbestos-cement that is intact and painted is generally managed where it is. It becomes a problem when it is broken, cut, drilled, sanded, or water-blasted, which is why house-washing and repainting an older house deserve a moment's thought. WorkSafe publishes safe-work-practice sheets for drilling asbestos-cement and for removing asbestos-cement sheets and gutters, which tells you these are everyday trade tasks with their own rules.

What should I test before work on an older house?

1. Soffits, if you are replacing spouting, adding vents, or re-roofing.
2. Sheet cladding, if you are recladding, adding a window or door, or running new services through the wall.
3. Wet-area wall linings and the hot water cupboard, if you are doing a bathroom or replacing the cylinder.
4. Any board you are about to remove inside, Pinex or not.

One $249 test covers a surveyor visit and one sample, with extra samples at $85 each at the same visit (how that compares with other asbestos testing costs in NZ). If the job touches a lot of the house, a refurbishment survey is the better tool. If the result is positive and you want it removed, ask for a fixed removal quote.