Roof Materials for Industrial Lets/storage

[ConanPB]

Looking for some alternative uses for some of our redundant buildings.
One of the local agents has told us that asbestos rooves are a big no -no if we change use to let the sheds.
Has anyone had issues with this ?
How do you tell if your roof is asbestos and not fibre cement ?
Thanks in advance

 

[Doing it for the kids]

Get a sample tested, costs £30.

there are 3 types of asbestos, lethal, real nasty and there in tiny amounts.

most shed roofs have the latter and it’s really no concern.

where are you based?

 

[ConanPB]

Thanks, we're leics./warks. borders

 

[suffolksmallholder]

Letting old farm buildings for anything more than a peppercorn rent requires an investment. Decent insulated buildings really bring in customers of all sorts. Stick with old asbestos type and you simply limit yourself to bumping along on the bottom rung.
Aim high. A Physiotherapist next door to a picture-framer and a Dentist in the 18 century calf shed and opposite in the old Bull pen a film directors storage pod plus a Pinewood studios set builders tools. An Antique restorer next to a cake maker in another. Bigger storage in the big shed opposite with doors to allow wagon access in the winter. Avoid 'motors' unless it is bespoke vintage or veteran.

Shared 'facilities'. Good secure plot and sensible parking.

For some reason I filled half a farm up with tenants like the above and most are still in business even though I don't work there now. I could have done more but owner didn't want to remove the asbestos from the roofs of the 1960's steading. He is regretting that now! I managed to get Land-Rover restoration and a General Builder in there.

SS

 

[Doing it for the kids]

Letting old farm buildings for anything more than a peppercorn rent requires an investment. Decent insulated buildings really bring in customers of all sorts. Stick with old asbestos type and you simply limit yourself to bumping along on the bottom rung.
Aim high. A Physiotherapist next door to a picture-framer and a Dentist in the 18 century calf shed and opposite in the old Bull pen a film directors storage pod plus a Pinewood studios set builders tools. An Antique restorer next to a cake maker in another. Bigger storage in the big shed opposite with doors to allow wagon access in the winter. Avoid 'motors' unless it is bespoke vintage or veteran.

Shared 'facilities'. Good secure plot and sensible parking.

For some reason I filled half a farm up with tenants like the above and most are still in business even though I don't work there now. I could have done more but owner didn't want to remove the asbestos from the roofs of the 1960's steading. He is regretting that now! I managed to get Land-Rover restoration and a General Builder in there.

SS

assuming basedin Suffolk? An I ask what your £Psf are roughly out of curiosity

 

[suffolksmallholder]

This was home counties based and 20 years back. £1500 PA 12' x 16' Tenants pay legal. Open shed £750 PA Same on legal.

SS

 

[suffolksmallholder]

Mistake. Make that 32' x 16'. Two knocked into one.

SS

 

[average farmer]

Letting old farm buildings for anything more than a peppercorn rent requires an investment. Decent insulated buildings really bring in customers of all sorts. Stick with old asbestos type and you simply limit yourself to bumping along on the bottom rung.
Aim high. A Physiotherapist next door to a picture-framer and a Dentist in the 18 century calf shed and opposite in the old Bull pen a film directors storage pod plus a Pinewood studios set builders tools. An Antique restorer next to a cake maker in another. Bigger storage in the big shed opposite with doors to allow wagon access in the winter. Avoid 'motors' unless it is bespoke vintage or veteran.

Shared 'facilities'. Good secure plot and sensible parking.

For some reason I filled half a farm up with tenants like the above and most are still in business even though I don't work there now. I could have done more but owner didn't want to remove the asbestos from the roofs of the 1960's steading. He is regretting that now! I managed to get Land-Rover restoration and a General Builder in there.

SS

why avoid motors?

Have a few units here 3 or 4 of them tinker about with motors mainly there own but do a few jobs for others. Mainly have the smaller £200 pcm units which I suppose is more of a hobby. Have a guy who fixes up tanks in a bigger one some of the jobs he does are impressive.

 

[suffolksmallholder]

why avoid motors?

Have a few units here 3 or 4 of them tinker about with motors mainly there own but do a few jobs for others. Mainly have the smaller £200 pcm units which I suppose is more of a hobby. Have a guy who fixes up tanks in a bigger one some of the jobs he does are impressive.

I suppose this was before folk started to restore 60's & 70's vehicles. My dad got caught by a so-called 'Land-scape' Gardening co who ran a taxi co on the fly and the 'land-scape' rubbish was contaminated by used engine oil and a plethora of other vehicle parts buried within! Only discovered when they moved on and I had to clear the mess up.....Needless to say they lost the deposit but that all takes time. So just preferred to avoid 'motors', except for Land-rover restorations. Something like cornish rattler here on this forum would be fine.

SS

 

[Steevo]

I suppose this was before folk started to restore 60's & 70's vehicles. My dad got caught by a so-called 'Land-scape' Gardening co who ran a taxi co on the fly and the 'land-scape' rubbish was contaminated by used engine oil and a plethora of other vehicle parts buried within! Only discovered when they moved on and I had to clear the mess up.....Needless to say they lost the deposit but that all takes time. So just preferred to avoid 'motors', except for Land-rover restorations. Something like cornish rattler here on this forum would be fine.

SS

I'd agree with you on this. Car mechanics etc. are often untidy in my experience. Too many "projects".

Depends on the attitude of the person a bit though - a tidy, fastidious person can make all the difference.

 

[How much]

It depends on what you want to achieve as to what you would need to do , are you wanting to let the buildings or simply store some stuff in on causal basis or do you want to let them to bona fida business for a 5 year lease ?? The asbestos roof are in an agricultural setting its likely to be cement asbestos in any case as has been said they are not ideal but are not Illegal , usually the sheet would need to be "encapsulated inside" , encapsulated really just means painted so no dust comes off the sheets into to area where people are working.
However as there are now minimum EPC standards that commercial landlords must adhere to it is quite likely if any heating was to be used in these areas they would fail the EPC as the roof is not insulated .
You could let the property as un-heated one , a tenant could perhaps use mobile heaters but you landlords insurance will very likely have a warranty on not using or allowing the use of mobile heating because of the increased fire risk .

In all honesty removing and replacing the sheets with something insulated is the better option all round and doing a good job on converting the buddings to ind use will yield a better return and bring with it ultimately less problems .

Any Change of use would need change of use planning permission and building regs approval also along with a asbestos survey and land registery lease plan etc so its not a cheap process but for a long term use well worth doing