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Fixing Richardson homes after leaks, storms and slab movement

Richardson is two housing stocks side by side: streets of houses from the 1960s and 1970s, and a wave of apartment buildings from the 2010s. A burst pipe, a hailstorm or a settling slab plays out differently in each. Here is what the public record says about the city, and how we work in it.

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Our record here

One Richardson job on our log, and a return to North Texas

Our job log for 2026 shows 1 logged job in Richardson. That is the honest count we can back with records today. Before it, our crews worked across Dallas–Fort Worth in earlier years, and we are now reopening in the area. We do not list the kinds of work by city, because our log does not record them that way; what we offer in Richardson is the same as everywhere we work: water mitigation, mold remediation, fire and smoke cleanup, air duct cleaning, and the rebuild once the damage is handled. We answer 24/7, and a person picks up.

The houses

Two Richardsons: the older houses and the newer apartments

The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 American Community Survey counts 47,960 homes in the city. The median home was built in 1986, but that middle number hides the shape. By year built, 21,078 homes, about 44 percent, went up before 1980, and the 1960s and 1970s alone account for 17,589 of them. Then the 2010s added 9,088 more, almost one home in five.

The older houses

A house from the 1960s or 1970s has usually been re-plumbed, re-roofed and remodeled more than once. When wet drywall comes off, one wall can hold several generations of repairs. We photograph the open cavity before anything goes back, so you and your adjuster see what was there.

The newer buildings

The units-in-structure table shows 26,011 detached houses, a little over half, and 9,348 homes in buildings of 50 units or more. In a stacked building, water travels down. One failed supply line can reach two or three ceilings, and each unit needs its own readings and its own record.

Owners and renters, almost even

Of 45,818 occupied homes, 23,246 are lived in by their owners and 22,572 are rented (Census tenure table). In a rental, the tenant sees the water first and the owner pays for the repair. We send the same photos and moisture readings to both, so nobody works from a different story.

Wind and hail

Where the October 2019 tornado ran out of strength

On October 20, 2019, the EF-3 tornado that crossed North Dallas ended in Richardson. The National Weather Service damage survey says it weakened and turned sharply north near Richardson Square, did mostly tree damage with winds near 70 mph around the Huffhines Park area, then narrowed and died out near Duck Creek. Just before that turn, the survey records a few homes with total roof loss.

Hail is the more frequent visitor. The city sounds its outdoor sirens when hail of 1.75 inches, golf-ball size, is imminent, according to its severe weather page. After a spring of storms, its building office has written about hail-damaged roofs throughout the city.

The roof
Richardson asks for a permit when a roof repair or replacement covers more than a quarter of the total roof area, with an inspection of the deck where one is installed and a final inspection at the end (roof permit page).
The meter base
If wind tears the electric meter base or service mast off the wall, the city's severe weather page says that repair is the homeowner's, done by a licensed electrician, and Oncor cannot reconnect power until it is finished. Oncor repairs the line up to the meter.
The water that follows
A torn roof lets rain into the attic and the ceilings below. We tarp first, then measure how far the water went before any drywall comes down. More on storm and hail damage repair.

After the storm

Who hauls away the wet drywall after a Richardson storm?

The contractor who tore it out. Richardson's storm debris plan collects residents' branches and bulky items, and the city's free brush and bulky item pickup is for residents. The same page says contractors are responsible for disposing of the materials they generate, and contractor debris may not be left in the right-of-way. The city expects contractors to take the soaked carpet, pad, drywall and insulation they remove with them, so the curb stays clear for the city's trucks.

February 2021

The week the high stayed below the old record low

The National Weather Service office in Fort Worth notes that on February 15, 2021, the high temperature at DFW Airport was lower than the record low for that date, and the next morning it fell to minus 2 °F (NWS Fort Worth event page). Pipes that had never frozen before split that week.

Where the pipe usually splits

In outside walls, attics and unheated garages, where the cold reaches the line first. The leak often shows only when the ice thaws, sometimes hours later, through a ceiling or under a cabinet.

What to do first

Close the main water valve, switch off power to any room where water reaches outlets, then call us. The city's severe weather page lists a 24-hour response line for water emergencies and storm help.

What we do

We map the wet area with moisture readings, remove what cannot be dried and run drying equipment until the readings say dry. A licensed plumber repairs the pipe itself, and we rebuild the walls, floors and cabinets. See water damage mitigation.

The ground under the slab

Clay soil and Richardson's four-pier permit line

Richardson's foundation repair page is written for the dry Texas summer. It asks owners to water evenly on all sides of the foundation, keep water from ponding against it, send downspouts at least three feet away, and give extra water to areas near trees within 20 feet. If cracks show in the slab, brick or sheetrock, it suggests a structural or foundation engineer.

The reason is the clay. The USDA's official description of Houston Black, a clay soil of large extent across the Texas Blackland Prairies, rates its shrink-swell potential high and records cracks up to 4 inches wide in dry periods. Water enters it rapidly when it is cracked and very slowly once it is moist. To see the soil under your own lot, use the USDA Web Soil Survey.

When the city wants a permit

A foundation repair of four or more piers needs a permit, with a drawing of the repair and a report signed and sealed by a Texas licensed engineer. The permit must be approved and posted at the house before work starts.

A leak can start the movement

A slab leak wets the clay under one part of the house and not the rest. When we dry a slab-leak job, our photos note new drywall cracks, sticking doors and gaps at the baseboards. Foundation repair for clay movement is part of our rebuild work in Dallas–Fort Worth.

Creeks and floodplains

Checking a Richardson address against the flood maps

Start with the FEMA Flood Map Service Center: type the address and read the zone. High-risk zones start with A; shaded X marks the 1-percent-annual-chance shallow areas and the 0.2-percent-annual-chance floodplain. The city's floodplain information site adds two things the federal map does not.

A fully developed floodplain
The city says FEMA maps show today's risk, not the risk after more building upstream. For new construction or substantial improvements near a floodplain, its engineers use fully developed floodplain information, so a large rebuild near a creek starts with the city's engineering department.
A visit from city engineers
On request, the city's engineering staff can visit a property, evaluate flooding and erosion problems and advise on lot grading or drainage. Construction, regrading or fill near streams may need a city permit.
Flood cover is separate
Standard homeowner policies do not cover flooding, every property in the city can buy flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program, and a new policy takes effect 30 days after purchase.

Building Inspection

What the rebuild needs from the city

Richardson's storm damage guidance says building permits are required for all structural, electrical, plumbing and mechanical repairs, and the interior remodel page adds moving or adding walls. The application wants before-and-after floor plans and a framing plan for structural changes. We handle the permits and plans on our rebuilds and remodels, so sorting out which of these your job needs is part of our work, and design is included.

Every contractor must be registered with the city before a permit is issued. The city keeps a registered contractor list, and it is worth checking for anyone you hire before work begins.

Mold under Texas law

Mold after a Richardson leak: two separate companies

Texas keeps the company that assesses mold and the company that removes it apart on the same project (Occupations Code 1958.155). So on any Texas project we remediate, an independent licensed mold assessor does the assessment, never us. We remove what the mold touched and replace it with new material, never cleaned and reused. Details on mold remediation.

Insurance

What your adjuster receives from us

The city's storm guidance tells owners to photograph the whole building and its contents and to call their insurer to start the claim. From our first visit we add our own record: photos, moisture readings and measurements, then an itemized estimate in Xactimate sent to your adjuster, whose questions about our scope we answer. We are the repair contractor, never the adjuster. On a covered repair you pay only your deductible and the insurer pays us the rest directly; upgrades you choose are priced separately. More on working with insurance and the rebuild after damage.

Questions

Questions people in Richardson ask

How many foundation piers can go in at my Richardson house before a permit is needed?

Three. The City of Richardson requires a permit for a foundation repair of four or more piers, with a drawing of the repair and a report signed and sealed by a Texas licensed engineer, and the permit must be posted at the house before work starts. When clay movement is part of our rebuild, we plan the foundation work first.

A storm tore the electric meter off my Richardson house. Who fixes it?

You do, through a licensed electrician. The city's severe weather page says homeowners are responsible for the meter base and service mast, Oncor repairs the line up to the meter, and power is not reconnected until the repair is complete. Meanwhile we tarp the roof and dry what the storm let in.

Can the City of Richardson look at flooding or erosion on my lot?

Yes. On request, the city's Capital Projects and Engineering staff can visit a property, evaluate flooding and erosion problems and advise on grading or drainage. Its floodplain site also notes that regrading or fill near a stream may need a city permit. Once the water is out of the house, we dry it and rebuild.

Can I put a contractor's storm debris out for Richardson's bulky pickup?

No. The city's storm debris plan says contractors are responsible for disposing of the materials they generate, and contractor debris may not be left in the right-of-way. The free brush and bulky item pickup is for residents. Under the city's rule, ask any contractor you hire how they will haul away what they tear out.