Own or manage a building in Windsor that predates 1990? Then somewhere in it there is probably asbestos-containing material, and Ontario expects you to know where. We test and survey offices, retail units, rental properties, warehouses, and industrial buildings across Windsor and Essex County, and we deliver reports that contractors, abatement crews, and Ministry of Labour inspectors accept without argument.
Call (226) 773-8831 to talk through your building, or send the form for a quote.
Rather just talk?
(226) 773-8831Answered 24/7. Tell us the material and the year the place was built, and you'll have a firm price on the call.
- Testing and surveys only, never abatement
- CALA-accredited lab, certificate included
- Results in 2 to 3 business days
Something disturbed today? Call, don't wait.
Or send the details
We respond the same business day with a firm price.
Who calls us
- Landlords and property managers. Windsor's rental stock, from Walkerville multiplexes to student housing near the University of Windsor, is heavy with pre-1980 buildings. When a unit turnover means opening walls or replacing flooring, testing first keeps the job legal and keeps tenants off your phone.
- Building owners planning work. Ontario's O. Reg. 278/05 requires asbestos to be identified before construction, renovation, or demolition work. Contractors who know the rules will not start without it. For full project compliance documents, see our designated substances survey page.
- Buyers doing due diligence. An asbestos survey before closing turns an unknown liability into a line item you can price or negotiate.
- Employers with older facilities. If workers are in the building, asbestos management is an occupational health obligation, not a suggestion. A survey plus a management plan keeps you onside.
- Industrial and institutional operators. Plants, shops, churches, and schools built in Windsor's manufacturing decades carry asbestos in mechanical insulation, ceiling systems, and floor assemblies.
What a commercial survey covers
We inspect and sample the materials asbestos actually hides in:
- Mechanical insulation: pipe wrap, boiler and duct insulation, gaskets
- Sprayed fireproofing and texture coats on structure and ceilings
- Ceiling tiles and the adhesives above them
- Vinyl floor tile, sheet flooring, and mastics
- Drywall joint compound and plaster systems
- Transite panels, siding, and roofing components
- Caulking, glazing compounds, and sealants
Every sampled material goes to a CALA-accredited laboratory for polarized light microscopy. The report maps each material, states the lab result, assesses condition, and classifies what any future work would require under Ontario's Type 1, 2, and 3 abatement categories.
Asbestos management surveys and plans
If asbestos-containing material is staying in place, Ontario expects it to be managed: documented, labelled where appropriate, inspected periodically, and communicated to anyone who might disturb it. We produce the baseline survey and the management plan, and we can re-inspect on a schedule so your documentation stays current. For a building owner this is cheap insurance: the paperwork that proves you knew, you monitored, and you acted properly.
What commercial testing costs
Small commercial jobs, a single unit or a handful of materials, often run in the same range as residential work: a few hundred dollars. Full building surveys are quoted per building and typically land between $1,500 and $5,000 or more depending on size, age, and how many materials need sampling. Rush lab turnaround is available when a stopped project is burning money. You get a firm quote after a short phone walkthrough of the building.
Compare that to the alternative: an unexpected positive mid-project means a stop-work, emergency abatement pricing, and possibly a Ministry of Labour visit. The survey is the cheapest line on the whole project budget.
Windsor's commercial building stock
This city built fast during the auto decades, and much of that construction is still working: strip plazas on Tecumseh Road, warehouses off Walker Road, storefronts in Ford City and Sandwich Town, institutional buildings from the 1950s and 60s. Buildings from those eras used asbestos in fireproofing, mechanical systems, and finishes as a matter of course. That's not a reason to panic. It's a reason to have a survey on file before the next contractor opens a ceiling.
Common questions
Is an asbestos survey legally required for my building?
If construction, renovation, or demolition work is planned, yes in practice: O. Reg. 278/05 requires asbestos to be identified before work that may disturb it, and owners of buildings with known asbestos need a management program. If the building just sits there with no work planned, a survey is strongly advisable rather than mandatory.
What's the difference between a survey and a designated substances survey?
An asbestos survey covers asbestos. A DSS covers all eleven designated substances Ontario lists, including lead, mercury, and silica, and is what construction projects require. If you're tendering work, you likely need the DSS.
Can you test occupied buildings without alarming tenants?
Yes. Sampling is quick, wet, and contained, and we schedule around your tenants. Most sampling in occupied units looks like a maintenance visit.
How long does a commercial survey take?
Sampling for a small building is usually done in one visit. Lab results take 2 to 3 business days standard, faster on rush. Report follows within days of the lab certificates.
What if the survey finds asbestos?
Finding it is normal in pre-1990 buildings. The report tells you condition and risk: material in good condition usually stays in place under a management plan, and only material that's damaged or in the path of planned work needs abatement. We don't sell removal, so the recommendation is what the situation calls for, nothing more.
Do you work outside Windsor?
All of Essex County: Tecumseh, LaSalle, Amherstburg, Belle River, Essex, Kingsville, Leamington.
Call (226) 773-8831 or send the form. Tell us the building's age, size, and what's planned, and you'll have a quote quickly.
Rather just talk?
(226) 773-8831Answered 24/7. Tell us the material and the year the place was built, and you'll have a firm price on the call.
- Testing and surveys only, never abatement
- CALA-accredited lab, certificate included
- Results in 2 to 3 business days
Something disturbed today? Call, don't wait.
Or send the details
We respond the same business day with a firm price.