If you are shopping for a house in Henrietta, Brighton, Pittsford, Rush or Honeoye Falls that went up before 1980, you will run into asbestos. Not maybe. Regularly. It shows up as hard grey siding shingles on the outside and as white wrapped pipes in the basement. This post covers what those materials look like, when they actually matter, what testing involves, and how to write it into an offer without blowing up the deal or ignoring a real cost.

I have walked through a lot of these basements. The word asbestos scares people more than the material usually warrants, and it also gets waved off in situations where it should not be. Both reactions cost buyers money.

What asbestos siding looks like on a Rochester area house

Asbestos cement siding was mass produced for decades and it is all over the older housing stock here. You are looking for rigid, thin shingles nailed in overlapping rows, usually around a foot tall and two feet wide. Common tells:

• A hard, brittle feel. Tap it. It sounds like a dinner plate, not like wood or vinyl.
• Nail holes near the bottom edge of each shingle, often two or three per piece, sometimes with a small stapled or clipped fastener.
• A faint wood grain or a wavy, scalloped bottom edge pressed into the surface. It was made to imitate cedar and it does a mediocre job.
• Chipped corners. Asbestos siding cracks rather than dents. Look at the corners of the house and anywhere a ladder or lawn mower has touched it.
• Chalky, faded paint. These shingles hold paint badly and many have been repainted several times.

Plenty of homes with asbestos siding rochester ny buyers tour have since been covered with vinyl. That is worth knowing. If the listing says vinyl siding and the house dates to 1955, there is a decent chance the original shingles are still underneath. Ask the seller. Check inside the soffit or at a window return where the layers are visible.

Is asbestos siding dangerous to leave in place?

Intact, painted asbestos cement siding sitting on the outside of a house is generally left alone, because the fibers are bound in cement and are not going anywhere. The material becomes a hazard when it is broken, sanded, sawn, power washed aggressively or torn off. That is the whole distinction. Undisturbed is one situation. Disturbed is another.

So the practical questions for a buyer are not philosophical. They are:

• Is the siding currently intact, or are there broken and missing shingles letting water behind the wall?
• Do you plan to put on new siding, add a window, cut in a side door or build an addition within a few years?
• Are there loose pieces in the yard or in the garage from a past repair?

If the siding is sound and you are not planning exterior work, you maintain it: paint it, replace broken shingles carefully or have them replaced, and keep water out. If you are planning a full re residing job, price abatement before you close, not after. Removal is specialized work and it is not a weekend project.

What about the pipe insulation in the basement?

Basement pipe insulation asbestos is more common in these houses than siding, and it is the item I ask about first, because damaged pipe wrap is friable, meaning it crumbles into dust with hand pressure. That is a different risk profile than a cement shingle.

In a pre 1980 home monroe county basement, walk the ceiling joists and look at the heating pipes coming off the boiler. What you are looking for:

• White or grey wrap that looks like corrugated cardboard under a cloth or paper jacket, often painted.
• Lumpy plaster style mud packed around elbows, tees and valves, sometimes cracked open.
• A boiler or old furnace with a cement like jacket, or cloth tape at duct seams.
• Torn, sagging or hanging sections, especially where a plumber cut into a line and never patched the wrap.
• Debris on the floor or on top of storage boxes underneath a damaged run.

Tape and dust below the pipes is the finding that matters. Intact, sealed wrap that nobody touches is a maintenance item. Shredded wrap over a basement you intend to finish is a project with a real number attached.

While you are down there, note the other usual suspects in houses of this age: nine by nine inch floor tile, the black mastic under it, and loose grey brown pellets in the attic. None of those confirm anything on their own. They just tell you where a tester should sample.

Siding versus pipe insulation, side by side

How to handle it during your inspection period

Your general home inspector will flag suspect material. Most will not sample it, and under New York rules they are not the ones to do the abatement anyway. Here is the sequence I use with buyers.

1. Get the general inspection done first. Let the inspector identify every suspect location, inside and out.
2. Bring in a licensed asbestos inspector for sampling if anything is questionable or damaged. Samples go to a lab. Turnaround is usually quick, but build it into your contingency timeline rather than hoping.
3. Get a written abatement or repair quote from a licensed contractor for anything that tests positive and is damaged or in your renovation path. A quote is what you negotiate with. An opinion is not.
4. Decide between repair, encapsulation and removal. Sealing a damaged elbow costs far less than stripping a whole heating system. Match the fix to the actual problem.
5. Confirm current licensing and notification requirements with the New York State Department of Labor and Monroe County before anyone touches the material, including you. Do it yourself asbestos work is not a gray area in this state.

What it does to price and negotiation

Asbestos rarely kills a Monroe County deal on its own. It shifts the number. Sellers of older homes here generally know what is in the basement, and a specific, quoted repair is an easier conversation than a vague concern. Ask for a credit tied to a written estimate, or ask the seller to complete abatement with a licensed contractor before closing and provide documentation.

Two things to keep in mind. First, condition drives lender and appraiser reaction more than the presence of the material itself. Peeling, deteriorated surfaces get noticed. Intact ones usually do not. Second, if you are buying with plans to open up the kitchen wall or finish the lower level, the cost belongs in your renovation budget either way. Better to know it in week one than in month six.

Common questions

Does asbestos siding have to be removed before I can sell the house later?

No. There is no requirement to remove intact asbestos cement siding in order to sell a home in Monroe County. What matters is disclosure of what you know and the condition of the material. Many homes in Henrietta, Brighton and Pittsford have been sold repeatedly with the original shingles still on the walls.

Can I put vinyl siding right over asbestos shingles?

Contractors do it, but it involves fastening through the existing shingles, which disturbs them. Talk to a licensed contractor about the correct approach and confirm current New York State requirements before any work starts. Get the scope in writing, including how they will handle broken pieces and cleanup.

Will a home inspector tell me for certain whether material contains asbestos?

Generally no. A home inspector identifies suspect materials based on age and appearance and recommends testing. Confirmation requires lab analysis of a sample collected by a licensed asbestos inspector. Plan for that extra step if you are buying a pre 1980 home and something looks questionable.

Should I walk away from a house with damaged pipe insulation?

Not automatically. Damaged pipe wrap is a defined problem with a defined fix, and licensed contractors handle this work routinely in Rochester area basements. Get it tested, get it quoted, then decide whether the price still works for you. Walking away makes sense when the seller will not allow testing or will not adjust for a documented cost.

Is asbestos a problem for financing an older Monroe County home?

Intact material is usually not an issue. Deteriorated surfaces and visible damage can draw appraiser comment on any loan type, and government backed loans pay close attention to property condition. If the material is damaged, address it in the contract rather than waiting for the appraisal to force the conversation.

If you are looking at older homes in south and southeast Monroe County and want someone who has been in these basements and knows which findings are routine and which are worth a credit, book a time with me and we will go through it together. Khem Kadariya.

About this data

The figures in this post were compiled from publicly available sources including Zillow, Redfin, Movoto, Freddie Mac and FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis), along with other public market data. Real estate numbers change quickly, and these were accurate as of September 2026. For current figures on a specific home, street, or town, ask me directly rather than relying on a published average.