We're renovating a house, and for some reason the previous owners decided covering the timber verandah with asbestos sheeting would be a good idea.
We got quotes. It was going to cost us somewhere between $6k and $9k to pay someone to remove and dispose of it for us.
So I did some research. And discovered that legally, in my state, I'm allowed to remove up to 20 sq/m of asbestos sheeting without any certification, or for $125 I could get a certificate that allowed me to remove an unlimited amount of asbestos sheeting from my own home.
So that's what I did. $125 for the cert, about $300 for the protective garb and plastic and $530 for the proper plastic lined skip bin to get rid of it.
We currently have a shower cubicle that's lined in plastic sheeting stapled to the walls (I wasn't going to pay a 2nd $530 for a skip bin later!) and every muscle in my body aches - that shit is heavy - but I saved us $5,000. That's about a month's salary for me, and it really only took me about 30-40 hours of work (puling up the nail AND glued down sheeting, double wrapping everything in manageable bundles and carrying it to the bin. Through the house and down the back steps because Husband in his excitement decided to take a sledgehammer to the front steps before I'd finished the job...).
Anyway, it's done, and I'm actually pretty proud of my achievement!