Asbestos Testing Buffalo Grove IL
312-972-2321
When a condo owner in Buffalo Grove called me, the request was straightforward — their association had voted to require asbestos testing before anyone in the building could remove a popcorn ceiling. Not a suggestion. A requirement. The board had decided that before any ceiling work began in any unit, a licensed inspector needed to sign off.
I drove out to the building located between Old Farm Park and the Buffalo Grove Firefighters Memorial Museum — one of those well-kept north suburb condo developments that looks newer than it actually is. Built in the late 1970s. The kind of building where everything has been updated on the surface but the original construction is still there underneath if you know where to look.
Popcorn ceiling texture from that era is one of the materials I sample most often. It was sprayed on in millions of homes and condos across the Chicago suburbs during the 1970s and into the early 1980s, and a meaningful percentage of it contained asbestos. You cannot tell by looking at it. The only way to know is to test it.
I collected samples from the ceiling texture in several areas of the unit and sent them to an accredited laboratory. The results came back negative — no asbestos detected. The owner submitted the report to the association and the renovation moved forward without delay.
That’s how the process should work. Test first. Know what you have. Then decide.
Buffalo Grove is a planned community — almost all of it built between the 1960s and early 1990s. That timeline matters because it overlaps almost perfectly with the decades when asbestos was commonly used in residential construction materials.
The condominiums and townhomes along Buffalo Grove Road, the homes near Mike Rylko Community Park, and the developments along Prairie Road and Arlington Heights Road were largely built during that same window.
Over the years I’ve tested properties throughout this village. Materials that come up most often include popcorn ceiling texture, vinyl floor tile and the black mastic adhesive beneath it, drywall joint compound under layers of paint, sheet vinyl flooring in kitchens and bathrooms, and pipe insulation in basement mechanical areas. In some homes built before the mid-1980s, vermiculite attic insulation also appears.
None of these materials are dangerous when they remain undisturbed. The concern arises when renovation work begins — when ceilings are scraped, floors are removed, or walls are opened during remodeling. Testing beforehand allows homeowners and contractors to understand exactly what materials are present before work starts.
Buffalo Grove is also unusual because the village sits in both Lake County and Cook County. That can matter when permits are involved. Both counties require asbestos inspection documentation before certain renovation or demolition permits are issued on older structures.
Our inspection reports are accepted by both county permit offices and by the Buffalo Grove Building Department. If you’re not sure which county your property falls in, we confirm that when scheduling the inspection.
Every inspection in Buffalo Grove is performed personally by Frank Masoud, Illinois IDPH Licensed Asbestos Building Inspector #100-20238. No subcontractors. No rotating inspectors. The person performing the inspection is the same licensed professional whose name appears on the final report.
Residential and condo inspections typically begin at $375, which includes up to three samples, accredited PLM laboratory analysis, and a photo-documented PDF report suitable for HOA or permit documentation.
Commercial inspections generally begin around $550, depending on the building size and scope of the inspection. Additional samples can be collected if necessary, and expedited laboratory results are available when projects are working under tight timelines.
Buffalo Grove homeowners often ask a few common questions before scheduling.
If your association requires asbestos testing before ceiling removal, they usually need a complete inspection report from a licensed asbestos inspector showing where samples were collected and what the laboratory results were. We provide a report formatted so it can be submitted directly to an HOA or association board.
Another common question is whether popcorn ceilings need testing if they appear normal. The answer is yes. Appearance alone cannot determine whether a material contains asbestos. Laboratory analysis is the only reliable way to know.
Homeowners also ask about houses built in the early 1980s. A 1982 home sits right at the transition period when some construction materials still contained asbestos and others did not. Testing the specific materials in your home provides certainty before renovation begins.
If laboratory results come back negative, the report provides documented confirmation that the tested materials do not contain asbestos. That documentation often satisfies association requirements, contractor requests, and permit applications.
Nearby areas: Wheeling • Arlington Heights • Palatine • Deerfield • Libertyville