Storm & Flash Flood Damage Restoration
Fast tarping, board-up, and water extraction from licensed local pros after Austin storms and flash floods.
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Water Damage Help Near Onion Creek (78747)
Onion Creek homes sit on slab foundations from the 1970s-1980s in a low-lying flood zone, close enough to the creek that past floods reached well past base flood elevation lines.
Local Water Damage Restoration for Onion Creek, TX
Onion Creek in South Austin takes its name from the creek that runs beside it, and that creek has done real damage here. The Halloween Flood of 2013 crested the creek at just over 40 feet, a level not seen since 1921, and destroyed or damaged hundreds of homes. Most houses in this neighborhood went up in the 1970s and 1980s on slab foundations, built low relative to the creek channel. A slab home in a low-lying flood zone does not have a basement to drain into, so water moves straight across the floor and into walls. The licensed pros we connect you with treat any call from this area as urgent, given that history.
Around Onion Creek
- Onion Creek
- McKinney Falls State Park
- State Highway 71
- Interstate 35
Postal Codes Covered in Onion Creek
- 78747
Onion Creek at a glance
- Distance
- South Austin, along the creek
- Housing stock
- 1970s-1980s slab-foundation homes in low-lying areas near the creek
- Water nearby
- Onion Creek, Colorado River
- Nearby
- Local small businesses
- Flash Floods
- Shoal Creek, Waller Creek, and Onion Creek can rise fast after a hard Hill Country storm, pushing surface water into homes at grade near the Colorado River.
- Mold Rules
- Texas requires a TDLR license for mold remediation work past a size cutoff set in Occupations Code Chapter 1958, not a general contractor license.
Where Water Gets In
Austin's Slab and Clay Problem
Expansive clay under Austin shifts with rain, cracking slab foundations from Zilker to Mueller and letting water into the house.
Burst Pipes After a Hard Freeze
Standing water in an Austin home almost always means a slab, not a basement — flat lots near Mueller or Windsor Park hold surface water at the door before it ever finds a below-grade room, because that room doesn't exist. The real threat here is water working under the slab itself, through cracks clay soil movement opens up over time.
Why Onion Creek matters
The ground around Onion Creek and Colorado River stays saturated well into the warm months. Moisture is part of the damage problem here rather than a separate issue, because structural drying and correcting drainage often does more than any surface treatment would on its own.
Spring Storms Push Creeks Over Banks
Central Texas storms bring short, intense downpours, often in spring and fall, and this creek has flooded from that kind of rain more than once. Outside of storms, ordinary humidity slows drying in any home that took on water, slab or not. Every season around Austin brings its own way for water to get in. Spring runoff near the Colorado River, summer humidity in older Tarrytown homes, and a rare hard freeze all end the same way: a call for help.
Where Slab Leaks Hide Longest
Because of Local small businesses, a steady stream of non-residential jobs runs alongside the houses in Onion Creek. Shared structures let causes move between units, so treating one space in isolation rarely holds; the building gets addressed as a whole.
Foundation Type
Slab Leaks Cost More
A slab leak near Zilker or Mueller runs higher than a Hyde Park pier-and-beam crawl space, since reaching water under concrete takes more work than drying an open void.
| Service | Estimated cost |
|---|---|
| Storm & Flash Flood Damage Restoration | an estimated $2400–$12000 |
| Structural Drying | an estimated $1200–$4500 |
| Emergency Water Extraction | an estimated $450–$1600 |
| Mold Remediation | an estimated $599–$4500 |
Around Town
Local Landmarks & Neighborhoods We Cover in Onion Creek
McKinney Falls State Park
McKinney Falls State Park sits downstream along the same creek system, a sign of how much water this drainage can carry when storms hit hard.
State Highway 71
State Highway 71 runs near the neighborhood, a route that has seen high water cross it during past creek flood events.
Onion Creek (creek)
Onion Creek (creek) itself is the reason this area exists on the flood map, with a recorded crest that reshaped local flood zone lines.
Most Requested Here
Popular Services in Onion Creek
Structural Drying
Licensed pros dry your home with daily moisture readings, not guesswork. Call (512) 764-6583 now.
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Emergency Water Extraction
Standing water in your Austin home or business? Call now and get a local licensed pro on the water fast.
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Mold Remediation
Sealed containment and full source removal for active mold after a leak. Call (512) 764-6583 now.
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We Also Serve Nearby Areas
Questions & Answers
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Onion Creek actually flood?
Yes. The creek that runs through this neighborhood produced the 2013 Halloween Flood, which crested above 40 feet and damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes, and it flooded again in 2015. Heavy rain here is treated as a real flood risk, not routine runoff.
What foundation type do these homes have?
Onion Creek homes were built mostly in the 1970s and 1980s, almost all on slab foundations. There's no basement to worry about, but slab cracking from clay soil movement lets water in underneath, and low-lying lots near the creek take on surface water during heavy rain long before a house that sits higher ever sees a drop.
Why does my house smell musty after rain?
A slab home that took on water after a flood or storm can trap moisture under flooring and inside wall cavities where it's hard to see. Central Texas humidity keeps that moisture around, and a musty smell usually means it hasn't fully dried out yet.
What should I do first after a flood?
Standard homeowners policies usually exclude backup from sewers and drains unless you've added a water backup endorsement. Given Onion Creek's flood history, it's worth checking separately whether your policy covers flood versus rain intrusion at grade, since those are often treated as different claims entirely.
Will someone come out overnight in Onion Creek?
Yes. Onion Creek's history, including the 2013 and 2015 floods, means calls from this neighborhood get treated as urgent day or night. Slab homes near the creek take on water fast when it rises, and waiting even a few hours lets moisture soak into flooring and drywall. Call anytime; response doesn't wait for morning.
How soon should a slab leak be looked at once the smell turns up?
Water in an Austin home almost always means a slab problem, not a basement one. Clay soil under neighborhoods like Tarrytown and Hyde Park shifts, cracks the slab, and lets moisture rise through the floor before anyone spots a leak upstairs.
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Pros Near Your Street
Not every part of Austin drains the same way once a Hill Country storm lets go. Ground that slopes toward Waller Creek moves water differently than a flat stretch near Windsor Park, and that difference shows up in how fast a slab foundation takes on moisture. The pros who work this area regularly notice patterns a citywide description misses. That local detail is why one area's water damage story rarely matches its neighbor's, even a few streets over.
Call (512) 764-6583