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As you have an extended residence, I'm sure the property itself is worth salvaging the structure, as the size would be worth working with. I would have a pro quote to remove it all, and also quote to re plaster. Factor in the cost of painting, possible re wiring, trimming as in skirts and architraves, then consider your time and inconvenience to temporarily vacate. It's sounds much worse than it is. Asbestos is pure evil, and unfortunately so many people hit this hurdle and the only way out is to bite the bullet. So to speak. I hope it works out for you.

They're supposed to check first!! If they suspect asbestos then they shouldn't be touching it. 1 - 2 foot hole? Was this asbestos in the wall cavity or where they cut the holes? That would be a lot of dust even from a plaster wall..... They may not care about their health but what about yours, family, etc.... I'd be looking into this further. Dept of Fair Trading may be your next phone call........ Keep us posted.

I'm not an expert, but we have renovated a pool and made 1 big mistake. We had similar coping that formed a big hob all the way around (unlike yours). We leveled it out with paving (and then coated the pebblecrete with an epoxy sandstone-look product). The mistake? Part of the yard sloped down to the pool. Every time it rained.....all the sand, dirt and debris from down the side of my house and around the pool went straight into the pool. If we had our time over- we'd leave a small hob around the side of the pool where the land sloped down. Yours looks like it is on the downside of your house with some garden. The hob might be there for a reason.....as we learned.