Long story short: we ended up going with a different company, but my experience getting an estimate from Young Environmental was so positive that I wanted to leave them a Yelp review anyway.
To our great dismay, we found out on Tuesday morning that we had some residual black mastic (glue from floor tiles, left over from a previous owner's flooring, which contains asbestos) on our basement floor, which put the brakes on the installation of a new subfloor drainage system. We called several asbestos removal companies and ended up getting quotes from three. Even though Young's schedule was full, Evan squeezed us in for an estimate the very next day, Wednesday, and had a quote ready for us before 7am on Thursday. (It usually takes 24 hours or longer, but Evan REALLY hustled at every stage because he knew we were anxious to get our main basement project back on track. He asked great questions when I spoke with him on the phone on Tuesday, gave us great additional information and context both on the phone and in person, and generally left us with a great impression. (By the way, Young works with a local asbestos lab, Geller, to have someone onsite to verbally tell you the air quality test results right away, with a written report to follow a day or two later, which can save some time, especially since contractors in situations like ours usually require a clear air quality test before they will proceed with their work.) Finally, when Young sent us the estimate, they also told us two upcoming timeslots, which was very convenient for our decision process--including one the very next day. I know their scheduling is tight, so Evan and Peter really must have been working some magic to accommodate us, and we REALLY appreciated that.
In the end, we did decide to go with another company because their estimate was a little bit cheaper...and we're brand-new homeowners who need to pinch pennies. However, I have a hunch that Young's air quality testing procedure may be of higher quality, and that may have accounted for the slight price difference...which, if true, is probably something that other people would happily pay a little extra for. (The amount of asbestos in our particular job was very small, so it didn't make a big difference in our case, and it was worth saving the money.)
Even though we didn't end up hiring them, Young Environmental truly were so great to work with as we discussed the problem and got the estimate that I'd recommend them to anyone. They worked hard to fit our rushed timeline and limited budget, and I have full trust in them to do a great job for anyone that hires them. read more