Retaining walls in Colonial Heights
Wooded ridges and lake-facing lots make Colonial Heights one of the hilliest corners of the Kingsport area.
Colonial Heights is a census-designated place in Sullivan County, southeast of downtown Kingsport, at about 1,437 feet. Its population fell from 6,934 in 2010 to 3,055 in 2020, a drop that came from Kingsport annexing a large share of it. Close by, TVA's Fort Patrick Henry Dam on the South Fork Holston, finished in 1953, holds back Fort Patrick Henry Lake, an 872-acre reservoir that reaches 10.3 miles upstream to Boone Dam. Warriors' Path State Park takes up part of its shoreline.
What homeowners here call about
- Railroad-tie and timber walls on older homes that are finally rotting through
- Backyards that fall away toward the lake or a wooded ravine
- Driveways cut into a ridge with a bank on the uphill side
- Runoff from the street or the lot above soaking a wall's backfill
City or county?
Because so much of Colonial Heights was annexed, two houses on the same road can answer to different offices. Annexed parcels fall under the City of Kingsport Building Division. Parcels still outside the city go to Sullivan County Planning and Codes in Blountville, which enforces the 2018 International Residential Code. Your property tax bill shows which applies, and a good contractor will confirm it before quoting.
Slopes above the water
A wall on a lot that drops toward a reservoir often sits on the steepest, wettest part of the property. Ask whether the plan includes a deeper footing, stone at the toe and a drain outlet that won't erode the bank below.
Common questions
Is Colonial Heights part of Kingsport?
Much of it was annexed into the city, but some parcels remain in unincorporated Sullivan County. Check your tax bill or ask the contractor to confirm.
Do you cover the area around Warriors' Path State Park?
Yes. Give us the street address and we'll match you with a contractor who covers it.
Services in Colonial Heights
- Block retaining wallsInterlocking concrete block walls that terrace a sloped yard, hold a driveway cut or frame a patio.
- Failing wall repairRepair a wall that's leaning, bulging or dropping blocks, or rebuild the section that's giving way.
- Timber wall replacementRemove rotting landscape timbers and railroad ties and put in a block or stone wall that drains.
- Stone retaining wallsDry-laid limestone, fieldstone, boulder and stone-faced walls for older homes and garden terraces.
- Drainage behind wallsAdd or repair the drain pipe, stone backfill and outlets that keep water from pushing a wall over.
Nearby areas
Blocks creeping forward or an old tie wall going soft?
Call and a Kingsport-area retaining wall contractor will come out, look at it and quote the job.