Retaining walls in Gray
Between Johnson City and Kingsport, Gray has filled in with new houses on hilly ground, and many of them came with walls.
Gray is an unincorporated community in Washington County, counted as a census-designated place with 1,293 people in 2020. It sits along I-26 just short of the I-81 interchange, and parts of the area have been annexed into Johnson City. It's best known for the Gray Fossil Site, an early Pliocene deposit uncovered during road construction in 2000 that now has a museum.
What Gray owners call about
- Walls built during construction that have started to shed blocks
- Flattening a sloped backyard for a swing set, garden or shed
- Walls along long driveways cut across a hillside
- Water coming down from a lot above and soaking the yard
Builder walls on new lots
When a subdivision goes in fast, walls sometimes get stacked on loose fill with the same clay used as backfill and no drain at the base. They can look fine for a few years, then the corners crack and the middle starts to belly. If your home is fairly new, check what the builder's warranty covers before you hire anyone. A wall builder can tell you whether the wall can be reset or needs to come down and go back with stone and a drain.
City or county rules?
Because some of Gray is inside Johnson City and some isn't, the permit office depends on your exact parcel. Ask your builder to confirm before work starts.
Common questions
Do you cover Gray and Fall Branch?
Yes. Call with your address and we'll connect you with a builder that serves it.
Is my Gray address in Johnson City?
Some parcels are, after annexation, and some are in unincorporated Washington County. Your property tax bill or the county's property records will show which.
Services in Gray
- Block retaining wallsInterlocking concrete block walls that level a sloped yard, edge a driveway or hold a patio.
- Failing wall repairFix a wall that's bowing, cracking or shedding blocks, or rebuild the section that's giving out.
- Timber wall replacementTear out rotting landscape timbers and railroad ties and replace them with block or stone.
- Stone retaining wallsDry-laid limestone, fieldstone and stone-faced walls that fit older homes and garden terraces.
- Drainage behind wallsAdd or fix the drain, stone backfill and outlets that keep water from shoving your wall over.
Nearby areas
Wall bowing out, timbers rotting or water pouring through the face?
Call and a local retaining wall builder will come look at it and give you a quote.