If you’re planning a basement unit, a kitchen gut or new flooring in an older York home, the first question to settle is whether the materials you’re about to cut, lift or sand contain asbestos. The former City of York, including Oakwood Village, Weston, Mount Dennis, Baby Point and Corso Italia, is full of detached homes and semis built long before 1991, the era when asbestos turned up in many building products. At Golden Home Inspections, we test for asbestos as part of our home hazard testing, and samples are analysed by accredited labs. Your inspector is Yama Nehan, a Certified and Registered Home Inspector with about 15 years of home inspection experience. To book in York or anywhere in Toronto, call 647-704-7100.
Key takeaways
- In York neighbourhoods such as Lambton Baby Point, Corso Italia-Davenport and Oakwood Village, roughly nine in ten occupied homes were built before 1991, according to City of Toronto 2021 neighbourhood profiles.
- Asbestos can’t be identified by looking. A sample analysed by an accredited lab gives the answer.
- Health Canada says asbestos is mainly a concern when fibres are released into the air, so undisturbed materials in good condition are usually best left alone until you plan work.
- The best time to test is before demolition starts, not after a contractor has opened the floor or ceiling.
- Ask the right questions up front: what’s being disturbed, which materials are original, and what was tested before.
Why ask about asbestos before renovating in York?
Because York’s housing is old, and renovations disturb exactly the materials that matter. City of Toronto neighbourhood profiles based on the 2021 Census show how much of the area’s housing predates 1991:
| York-area neighbourhood | Occupied homes built before 1991 |
|---|---|
| Lambton Baby Point | 95.2% (69.4% built 1960 or before) |
| Corso Italia-Davenport | 91.9% |
| Rockcliffe-Smythe | 90.0% |
| Oakwood Village | 88.7% |
| Caledonia-Fairbank | 87.2% |
| Weston-Pelham Park | 84.0% |
| Mount Dennis | 75.4% |
Source: City of Toronto Neighbourhood Profiles (2021 Census). An older house doesn’t automatically contain asbestos, and many have been updated over the years. Testing tells you what’s actually there.
Question 1: Which materials will the work actually disturb?
Start with the scope of work, not the whole house. A basement-unit conversion in a York semi can touch flooring, ceilings, heating pipes and walls all at once, while a bathroom refresh may only touch one floor and one wall. These are the materials we commonly look at in homes of this age:
| Material | Where it shows up in older York homes | Test before you |
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl or asphalt floor tiles and mastic (often 9″ x 9″) | Basements, kitchens, under newer flooring | Lift, grind or level the floor |
| Pipe and duct wrap | Old heating pipes, boiler and furnace areas | Remove or reroute heating lines |
| Plaster and textured or stippled ceilings | Living areas, stairwells, basement ceilings | Open walls, add pot lights, scrape ceilings |
| Vermiculite insulation | Attics and some wall cavities | Re-insulate or work in the attic |
| Older siding, roofing or cement board | Exteriors, garages, sheds | Re-side, re-roof or demolish |
Question 2: Which materials are original, and which were replaced?
Ask the seller, previous owner or your own records what has been redone and when. A basement floor laid recently over old tiles still hides the old tiles. Health Canada notes that asbestos was used in many building materials in older homes, so original finishes are the ones worth sampling first.
Question 3: Has anything already been tested?
If a previous owner had materials tested or removed, ask for the lab report or removal paperwork and keep it with your house records. If nothing was documented, assume it hasn’t been checked.
Question 4: What does asbestos testing involve, step by step?
- Tell us the plan. Share what you want to renovate so testing focuses on the materials that will be disturbed.
- On-site review. We look at the suspect materials in the work area and note their condition.
- Sampling. Small samples of the suspect materials are taken and sealed.
- Accredited lab analysis. Samples are analysed by an accredited lab.
- Plain-language results. You get the lab report and an explanation of what it means for your project.
See our home hazard testing page for Toronto and the GTA for asbestos, vermiculite, radon and mould testing.
Question 5: What affects the cost of asbestos testing?
Every home is different, so the cost depends on the house and the job. The main factors are how many different materials need sampling, how many rooms or areas are involved, how easy the materials are to reach, and whether you’re combining testing with a home inspection or other hazard testing. Call us with your scope of work for a quote for your home.
A situation we often see in York
A buyer or owner of an older semi plans to turn the basement into a separate unit. Under the carpet there’s a layer of old square floor tiles, the ceiling has older plaster, and there’s a run of wrapped heating pipe near the furnace. Nothing has been documented. Rather than guess, the sensible move is to sample those specific materials before the contractor’s start date, so the demolition plan and schedule are based on lab results instead of assumptions.
Mistakes to avoid before a York renovation
- Pulling up old floor tiles or scraping a ceiling “just to see what’s underneath.”
- Assuming a material is fine because it looks newer or has been painted over.
- Taking samples yourself, which can release dust and fibres.
- Booking testing after demolition has already started.
- Losing track of earlier lab reports or removal records.
If a lab finds asbestos in a material you plan to disturb, have a qualified professional handle its removal before work goes ahead. Read Health Canada’s guidance on asbestos for more.
Is asbestos checked in a regular home inspection?
A home inspection is visual and non-invasive. If we see materials that may contain asbestos, we note them, but confirming it takes a lab test. If you’re buying in York, you can book a home inspection and add asbestos testing. Our guide to older home inspections in Toronto covers what else we check in houses of this age, and our post on asbestos testing in East York and Leaside looks at similar homes on the other side of the city.
Frequently asked questions
Do all older York homes contain asbestos?
No. Many older homes have been renovated, and many materials never contained asbestos. Age is a reason to test before renovating, not proof that asbestos is present.
Should I remove asbestos materials that are in good condition?
Health Canada says asbestos is mainly a concern when fibres are released into the air. Materials in good condition that won’t be disturbed are generally best left alone. Testing matters most when you plan work that would disturb them.
How long do results take?
It depends on the lab and the number of samples. We’ll tell you the expected timing when you book, so you can plan around your contractor’s schedule.
Do you also test for radon and mould?
Yes. Our hazard testing covers asbestos, vermiculite, radon and mould. Radon testing uses a long-term detector analysed by an accredited lab, and Health Canada’s radon guideline is 200 Bq/m³.
Which areas do you serve?
We serve York, Oakwood, Weston, Mount Dennis, Baby Point and the rest of Toronto, plus Etobicoke, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa and other GTA cities. See our Toronto service page.
Planning a renovation or buying an older home in York? Call 647-704-7100 or email contact@goldenhomeinspections.ca to book asbestos testing with Golden Home Inspections, based in Toronto, Ontario.
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