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Irving apartments and homes after a leak, a freeze or hail

Most Irving households rent, and almost half the homes sit in buildings of five units or more. When water gets loose here, it usually involves a neighbor, a landlord or both. We dry it, document it and rebuild it, and a person answers our phone 24/7.

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Reopening in Dallas–Fort Worth: what this Irving page can and cannot show

We worked across Dallas–Fort Worth in earlier years, and we are reopening there now. No Irving job appears in our current records, so you will not find Irving photos or Irving job stories here, and we will not pretend otherwise.

Instead, this page collects what an Irving owner, renter or property manager should know before the water runs: who lives in the city's housing, the city's own permit lines for water heaters and roofs, how its flood map paperwork works, and what Texas insurance rules say about leaks. Every figure links to the public office that published it. Our services are the same in every area we cover: water mitigation, mold remediation, fire and smoke cleanup, air duct cleaning, the rebuild, and construction and remodeling.

A city of renters and stacked units, in four Census numbers

Irving's housing leans toward apartments more than many North Texas suburbs. The Census Bureau's American Community Survey for 2020–2024 gives these counts for the city.

58,699 renter households
Out of 94,845 occupied homes, roughly six in ten (tenure, table B25003).
49,236 homes in buildings of 5+ units
Close to half of the city's 102,512 housing units; 13,864 are in buildings of 50 or more (units in structure, B25024).
39,946 detached houses
Fewer than four in ten units are a stand-alone house with its own roof and its own slab (same table).
36,774 built before 1980
About 36 percent of all units; the median home dates to 1986, with a margin of one (year built, B25034; B25035).

What that mix means when a pipe lets go

In a stacked building, the unit where the leak starts is rarely the only one that gets wet. Water runs down through ceilings and along slab joints, so the first job is a map: moisture readings in the unit above, the unit below and the rooms on each side, written down with photos. That record helps everyone who has a stake, from the tenant with a renters policy to the owner whose policy covers the building. We are the repair contractor in that picture, not anyone's adjuster: we dry what we are hired to dry, rebuild it and keep the paperwork straight.

The 1950s and 1960s houses: about one Irving home in five

The same survey counts 8,864 homes built in the 1950s and 12,709 built in the 1960s, together 21,573. That is a bigger share of mid-century housing than the city's newer office towers would suggest.

A house of that age has usually been patched and updated several times. When we open a wet wall or lift flooring in one, we expect to meet older supply lines next to newer ones, layers of flooring laid over each other and insulation that has settled. None of it is a reason for alarm; it is a reason to look before anyone quotes. We take readings first, open only what the readings say is wet, and replace what cannot be saved. Insulation removal and replacement after water, mold, fire or pests is part of our rebuild work, as are drywall, flooring and cabinets.

February 2021 was two freezes, not one

At DFW Airport the temperature sat at or below freezing for 93 hours from February 9 to 13, 2021, climbed to 33 °F for three afternoon hours, then dropped again for 139 hours until noon on February 19.

Those figures are from the National Weather Service office in Fort Worth, which also recorded −2 °F at the airport on February 16. A short thaw in the middle of a long freeze is exactly when a cracked pipe starts to leak, then freezes shut again and gives no warning until the real thaw.

The Texas Department of Insurance's freeze advice (January 2026) starts in the attic, where many Texas homeowners saw pipes freeze: wrap exposed pipes, wrap outdoor faucets, and find your indoor and outdoor shutoff valves before a cold front arrives. In an apartment, ask the manager where the shutoff for your unit is, and write it down.

When a frozen pipe does burst, a licensed plumber repairs the pipe. Our part is the water: getting it out, drying the structure to the readings and rebuilding what came out. See water damage mitigation for the first visit and rebuild after damage for what follows.

Water heaters, roofs and walls: where Irving draws its permit lines

Irving's rule is broad: a building permit is required to erect, enlarge, alter, move, demolish or repair a structure. The city then names what is exempt and what needs no plans.

No permit needed

Cosmetic work such as painting, carpeting and cabinetry, and replacing fixtures or appliances at existing connections, according to the city's residential permit guidelines. After a leak, that covers much of the finish work once the house is dry.

The water heater exception

The same page makes water heaters the one appliance that needs a permit even when it goes back on the same connections. Water heater, plumbing, electrical, mechanical and reroofing permits need no plans.

Roof repairs over 100 square feet

The city's separate-permits page sets this line, and electrical, HVAC and plumbing work each take their own single-trade permit, all applied for online through the MGO portal.

Owners doing their own work

A homeowner pulling a permit for their own work needs a homestead exemption filed with the Dallas Central Appraisal District first, roof permits excepted. On our rebuilds and remodels, we handle the permits and the plans, and design is included.

After hail or wind, our roof, siding and gutter repairs are documented for the claim the same way as our water work; the details are on storm and hail damage repair.

How do you check an Irving address against the flood map?

Irving's Capital Improvement Program sends residents to FEMA: enter the address in the Flood Map Service Center and it produces the Flood Insurance Rate Map for that property. Mortgage and insurance companies use that map to decide whether flood insurance is required.

If you believe the house sits higher than the map shows, the city's CIP questions page explains the route. A surveyor you hire does the field work for an elevation certificate; the City of Irving receives it and submits it to FEMA, in support of a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) or a Letter of Map Revision based on fill (LOMR-F) to take the structure out of the floodplain. The city also asks residents to report areas of flooding and standing water to its Municipal Drainage Utility, which documents each event.

Why it matters for a repair: a regular home policy does not cover flood, so rising water and a burst pipe are paid for in very different ways. When we document a loss, our photos and readings show where the water came from as well as where it went.

Clay soil, slabs and the leaks you cannot see

North Texas clay swells when it is wet and shrinks and cracks when it dries. The USDA's record for the Trinity clay series, a floodplain soil of North Central Texas, notes cracks of at least 0.4 inch reaching more than 20 inches deep when the soil is dry.

Not every Irving lot sits on that soil; the free Web Soil Survey maps the soil under any address. What matters to us is that a slab on moving clay can stress the pipes cast inside it. A slab leak often shows up as a warm spot on the floor, a damp baseboard or a water bill that climbs without explanation. We locate the wet area with meters, open only what has to come out and dry it. Foundation repair for clay-soil movement is also part of our construction work.

What Texas insurance rules say about leaks, and where we fit

The Texas Department of Insurance's water and mold coverage tips draw one line that decides many Irving claims: sudden and accidental water damage is usually covered, gradual leaks and seepage usually are not.

Covered as a rule
A burst pipe, a toilet overflow or a broken washer hose, under most homeowner and renters policies; mold that grows on a covered damaged item is covered too.
Usually excluded
Gradual leaks and seepage and the mold they cause, and flood, which home policies do not cover.
What the agency asks you to do
Stop the water, dry the area quickly because mold can start within a day, tell your company soon, take photos or video before repairs and keep damaged items until the adjuster has seen them.

For a covered repair you pay only your deductible, and your insurer pays us the rest directly; upgrades you choose are priced separately. Our part of the file is the evidence: photos, moisture readings, measurements and an itemized estimate that goes to your adjuster, whose questions about our scope we answer. We never act as the adjuster, and the claim stays between you and your insurer. More on working with insurance. The first consultation and quote are free, our work carries a written warranty with its terms in each contract, and financing is available through our lending partner.

Mold in an Irving home: the assessor comes first

Texas keeps testing and removal apart. On any project we remediate, an independent licensed mold assessor does the assessment, and we never assess and remediate the same Texas project (Texas Occupations Code 1958.155).

In practice, the assessor inspects first, we carry out the removal, and afterward, as the Texas Department of Insurance notes, an inspection has to show that the mold was removed and that the cause was fixed. Everything the mold touched is replaced with new material, never cleaned and reused. In an apartment building, the same order applies unit by unit. The full process is on mold remediation.

Irving permit, flood and leak questions

Does replacing a failed water heater in Irving need a permit?

Yes. The City of Irving does not require permits for swapping fixtures or appliances at existing connections, but it names water heaters as the exception. A water heater permit needs no plans, and it is applied for online through the city's MGO portal.

How much hail damage on an Irving roof can be repaired without a permit?

The city's line is 100 square feet. Irving's separate-permits page says roof repairs exceeding 100 square feet need a building permit, applied for through the MGO portal. Reroofing needs no plans, and a homeowner doing a roof permit does not need the homestead exemption the city asks for on other owner permits.

Can my Irving house be taken off the flood map?

It can be asked for. The city explains that an elevation certificate, filled in after a surveyor you hire does the field work, supports a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) or a Letter of Map Revision based on fill (LOMR-F) that removes a structure from the floodplain. The City of Irving receives the form and submits it to FEMA.

Can I pull my own Irving permit for repairs after water damage?

Only if the house is your homestead. Irving asks homeowners who do the work themselves to have a homestead exemption filed with the Dallas Central Appraisal District before they apply, except for roof permits. When we do a rebuild or remodel, we handle the permits and the plans.

Is a slow leak under my Irving sink covered the same way as a burst pipe?

Usually not. The Texas Department of Insurance says most homeowner and renters policies cover sudden and accidental water damage, such as a burst pipe, but usually not damage from gradual leaks or seepage, including the mold they cause. Your own policy wording decides, so ask your insurer.

Don't Wait—Call Remediate.

Water in your Irving unit or house right now?

Tell us whether you own or rent, which rooms are wet and whether the water is still running. We call you back, or call us now.

Call (281) 671-7777