Sorry,

I misread the question. lack of sleep I guess. In that case more than lilely they are asbestos and you may want to take a look at this link http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/ashome.html#4 , it is the US Environmentla protection agency site regarding asbestos.

Good Luck

David, I think he's referring to siding, since he asked:

"" what they called "cement shingles" on the side "

Hi Wayne,

Are you referring to roofing shingles or siding tiles? I think most of the answer posts were thinking of siding tiles also. My exerience with concrete "roofing" tiles has been that they will get to a point in which they start to wick water back into the living area because they have become porous over the years. The concrete roof shingles did not have asbestos but you should have a good roofing company make the determination as to what you have and go from there.

Wayne, it's only the preferred method because it's expensive to remove them (you have to hire the guys in the space suits and dispose of them properly)... BUT... if they've begun deteriorating, you don't want them continuing to deteriorate underneath your new siding.

I would not choose that option, if you could afford to do it correctly. But hopefully, if you maintain the shingles, they'll last a very very long time.

Thanks everyone. Just wanted to verify what the home inspector told me which was something too the effect. "Take good care of them and keep them painted and they'll last forever. (sic). I was also told that if I decide that I don't want them anymore, the prefered method is to leave them in place and put siding over them.

Durenda is right on target. Those asbestos tiles, (which do have the appearance of cement) were a wonderful product, with a long durable lifespan. The shingles seem to have a life span of something close to 100 years, if treated well. If not for the fact that they're made with asbestos, I'm sure they'd still be manufacturing them.

My understanding is that as long as they're not deteriorating, they pose no health risk and are an excellent product to leave in place. In fact, just like the asbestos you might fin in an old basement, there's less risk in just leaving them alone, rather than disturbing the

They are usually OK if they are not disintegrating. Most people don't remove them, they just side right over them. I'd run it by the building inspector in Clinton and make sure siding over asbestos shingles is legal. If you have to remove them, it could be expensive. Good luck!

Wayne

The asbestos shingles are a very durable product. Most of the time the deterioration is confined to cracked or missing shingles.

Asbestos is purported to produce health risks in it's friable state.

Few companies are qualified to remove and dispose of the asbestos shingle.

Best of luck in your new purchase