From first call to a passed dust test.
Step 1: Tell us about the property
Use the quote form or call (301) 610-3977. Useful details: the address and rough year built, whether it is a rental, and what prompted the call: a turnover coming, peeling paint, an MDE or county notice, a renovation, or a purchase. Each of those starts a slightly different clock, and the first call sorts out which one you are on.
Step 2: Test before anything is priced
An XRF survey maps which surfaces carry lead and their condition; dust wipes measure actual exposure where that is the concern. Testing regularly ends engagements on the spot, because plenty of units, especially later-era stock, pass as they stand. We consider that a good outcome and say so plainly.
Step 3: A written quote, itemized per component
The quote lists each window, door, wall, and porch element with its treatment, priced against the same ranges published on our cost guide: stabilization, enclosure, encapsulation, or replacement. Cheaper legitimate treatments appear next to fuller ones wherever both are real options, so you choose with the numbers visible.
Step 4: Accredited correction under containment
MDE-accredited crews do the work: containment up, wet methods only, HEPA cleanup after. Component-level jobs usually run one to three days on site. Renovation-adjacent work on owner-occupied homes runs under the federal RRP rule with the same discipline.
Step 5: Clearance testing by an independent inspector
After the work, an independent MDE-accredited inspector takes dust wipe samples, and a laboratory verifies the unit against the state dust-lead standards. Lab turnaround is a few business days and is usually the longest single step in the schedule.
Step 6: The paperwork that makes it real
Rentals end with the risk reduction certificate filed and a copy for the lease file, the deliverable the whole landlord cycle runs on. Owner-occupied jobs end with the clearance report and surface documentation, which does quiet work at resale time on a pre-1978 house.
What you always get
- Testing before pricing, so the quote treats findings, not fear.
- Per-component itemization against published ranges.
- Accredited crews and independent clearance, with the accreditation number on the quote.
- A straight answer when the honest recommendation is no work at all.