Asbestos Removal in Powell, TN

From a rail stop to a north Knox suburb

Powell lies between Copper Ridge and Beaver Ridge, with Knoxville on the far side of Beaver Ridge and Emory Road running through it. Settlement goes back to the late 1700s, and the name comes from Powell Station, a stop on the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia line named for local resident Columbus Powell. In the early 1900s, mud from Beaver Creek fed a brickmaking trade that shipped out by rail, and the old station building still stands downtown.

The last century brought a small airstrip near the I-75 interchange that operated from 1951 to 2012, a Levi’s plant that closed in 2002 and whose site now houses Crown College, and the suburban growth that the 2020 census measured at 13,802 residents and 5,766 housing units.

Remodeling a Powell house built before the 1980s

Most asbestos questions come up in the middle of a remodel. Pulling up a kitchen floor, opening a basement wall or replacing an old furnace is the moment a hidden material gets cut, sanded or snapped. In houses of that age, check the vinyl floor tile and its black mastic, the backing on old sheet flooring, ceiling texture, joint compound and the wrap on heating pipes and ducts.

Sampling before demolition day is usually simpler than halting a project halfway through. Negative results mean your contractor carries on; positive ones mean the affected material comes out under containment first. Our guide to testing before a renovation explains how the samples are taken.

What a Powell floor or ceiling job costs

Rates match Knoxville. From our cost page: floor tile and mastic removal runs $5–$15 per square foot, roughly $1,500–$4,500 for a kitchen or mudroom; popcorn ceiling removal is $3–$7 per square foot; testing is $250–$600. Tile size, the type of mastic and the state of the subfloor decide where a job lands in those ranges.

Services available in Powell

• Asbestos testing and inspection — PLM sampling, TEM where it matters, written report.
• Asbestos removal — containment, wet removal, HEPA cleanup, manifested disposal.
• Popcorn ceiling removal — the most common job on pre-1980 stock.
• Floor tile and mastic removal — 9x9 tile and black cutback adhesive.
• Vermiculite attic removal — Zonolite fill, HEPA-vacuumed into sealed bags.
• Transite siding removal — cement-asbestos shingle, stripped whole and wet.
• Pipe and duct insulation removal — glovebag or full containment.
• Pre-demolition surveys — required before any demolition, asbestos or not.

City limits, county rules

Annexation has brought pieces of the Powell area into the City of Knoxville, including the old airstrip site near I-75 before a 2013 retail plan was approved. For asbestos, though, the state’s program excludes Knox County altogether, and the Knox County Department of Air Quality Management describes its asbestos program as covering the county. City or county building and demolition permits are a separate step, so confirm those with whichever office covers your parcel.

For a commercial or light-industrial building, a renovation that removes regulated material at 260 linear feet of pipe, 160 square feet of components or 35 cubic feet needs ten working days’ notice, and a $100 county fee applies above the pipe and component thresholds. Demolition needs notice whether or not asbestos is present. Call (865) 420-5764 with the building’s use and size and we will explain what the job involves.