# Repiping in South Central Austin: Travis Heights, Bouldin Creek and Zilker > Repiping in South Central Austin (78704): flagged galvanized service lines, the Oltorf pressure zone project and mixed pier-and-beam and slab houses. URL: https://gracklerepipingaustin.com/service-areas/south-central-austin/ ## What starts a repipe in South Central Austin Ticket A Pressure zone ### A notice from Austin Water about pressure near Oltorf Properties in the Oltorf at Travis Heights project area may get a regulator and expansion tank from the utility. Check for that notice before paying for one. Ticket B Service line ### The meter is flagged galvanized requiring replacement 78704 has more flagged service lines than any other Austin ZIP code. The utility program covers the yard line, not the pipe inside the house. Ticket C Bungalow ### An older pier-and-beam house with low flow Raised houses can often be repiped from the crawlspace, which changes how many walls open and how the new lines are protected from cold. Ticket D Condo ### A unit in a small building or a converted fourplex Half of the ZIP code's homes are in buildings of five or more units, where shared risers and shutoffs decide how a repipe is staged. ## Services in South Central Austin ### Whole-house repiping Every hot and cold supply line from the main shutoff to the fixtures replaced, permitted under Austin's plumbing code, pressure tested and patched. Details → ### Galvanized pipe replacement Scaled, rusting galvanized steel supply pipe replaced with PEX or copper, with the restriction, rusty water and the service line sorted out first. Details → ### Water line replacement The buried yard line from the meter to the house replaced by trench or bore, with a new customer valve, a permit and a pressure test before backfill. Details → ### Multi-family repiping Water supply risers and unit piping replaced in condos, apartments and small commercial buildings, phased stack by stack so residents keep water at night. Details → ### Partial repiping One bathroom, one branch or one failing run replaced with new pipe, with a written boundary that shows exactly which old pipe stays in the house. Details → South Central Austin is the one part of the city where two separate Austin Water programs reach the same streets, and both can change what a homeowner should pay for before any pipe is cut. ZIP code 78704 has more service lines flagged “galvanized requiring replacement” than any other Austin ZIP, and the Oltorf corridor near Travis Heights is going through a pressure-zone change that brings utility-installed regulators to some houses. [Grackle Repiping Austin](https://gracklerepipingaustin.com/) offers and manages repiping across Travis Heights, Bouldin Creek, Zilker and Barton Hills, with the work done by licensed and insured plumbing contractors and the permit pulled by a City-registered responsible master plumber. Because of those two programs, a 78704 estimate starts by sorting out what the utility will handle and what stays with the owner. ## The Oltorf at Travis Heights pressure zone Austin Water serves the city through pressure zones, and the Oltorf corridor near Travis Heights has been part of the Central Pressure Zone. The utility is connecting that area to stronger pressure areas to form a new South Reduced Pressure Zone. To keep pressure in a safe range, Austin Water is installing pressure reducing valves at certain points in the system and on some properties and, where necessary, providing and installing thermal expansion tanks free of charge. Owners whose houses are affected receive a notice and a right-of-entry form. The [project page on Austin Water’s site](https://www.austintexas.gov/water/oltorf-travis-heights-pressure-zone) shows the area and the current schedule. That matters to a repipe because Austin’s plumbing code ties the regulator and the tank together. Under the City’s amendment to section 608.2 of the Uniform Plumbing Code, a house where static pressure is above 65 psi needs an approved regulator with a strainer, set to 65 psi or less, and an NSF 61 expansion tank downstream of it. A regulator and tank are a real line on a repipe estimate. In the project area, that line should wait until the owner knows whether a notice is coming. Pressure can also change during the project. A static reading taken at a hose bib on the first visit describes the house today, and new pipe is sized on the regulated pressure, so the walk-through notes where a utility valve and tank would sit and keeps that spot reachable. The [pressure reducing valve guide](https://gracklerepipingaustin.com/guide/pressure-reducing-valve-austin/) explains what a regulator does and how to tell when one has failed, and the [Oltorf project explainer](https://gracklerepipingaustin.com/blog/oltorf-travis-heights-pressure-zone/) walks through what the notice means for a homeowner. ## 158 flagged service lines Austin Water’s service line inventory flags 738 active residential meters citywide as galvanized requiring replacement: lines with galvanized pipe between the meter and the building and an unclear history. 158 of them are in 78704, about one in five, more than in any other ZIP code. Austin Water is replacing these lines. Owners can sign up, or replace the line themselves and request reimbursement of eligible expenses. The program covers the yard line from the meter to about five feet from where it enters the building. It does not touch the pipe inside the house. When the yard line is galvanized, the supply pipe indoors is often old too, and a house that has steel indoors still needs its own plan: a [galvanized pipe replacement](https://gracklerepipingaustin.com/galvanized-pipe-replacement/) or a [whole-house repipe](https://gracklerepipingaustin.com/whole-house-repiping/), sequenced so loosened scale from the old inside pipe does not land in new valves after the utility’s crew swaps the line outside. The [water line replacement page](https://gracklerepipingaustin.com/water-line-replacement/) separates the yard line from the house piping in more detail. Austin Water’s separate polybutylene service program lists 78704 among the ZIP codes where it is replacing public-side lines, the short run from the main to the meter, and that program gives priority to lines where static pressure tops 105 psi. A new line on the utility side leaves the owner’s yard line and house piping exactly as they were. ## Raised bungalows, slab houses and condos The housing in 78704 is mixed. Census figures put 13.3% of homes before 1960 and another 8.6% in the 1960s, while 28.8% date from 1970 to 1989 and the median house was built in 1989. Half of all homes in the ZIP code are in buildings of five or more units, and only about three in ten are detached houses. That mix shows in the City’s plumbing permits. 78704 ranks third in Austin for permits that mention pier-and-beam foundations or crawlspaces, with 30, behind 78751 and 78703, and it also has 51 slab mentions. From October 2021 to October 2026 the ZIP had 11 water repipe permits and 9 reroutes, and galvanized pipe appears in 9 permit descriptions, fourth in the city. Of 18 repipe and reroute permit locations checked against the federal soil survey, 8 sit on soils rated low for shrink-swell, 3 on high shrink-swell clay and 7 on urban land or unrated ground, so slab movement is a smaller part of the story here than on the clays farther south in 78745. ## Under the floor or through the attic Where a house stands on piers, the new supply lines can run through the crawlspace and come up through the floor at each fixture. That usually means fewer and smaller wall openings than an attic route, as long as there is room to work under the house. The trade-off is cold air: a vented crawlspace sits close to outdoor temperature, and in the February 2021 storm Austin issued 123 freeze-related plumbing permits between February and April. Crawlspace runs get insulated, and the skirting and vents deserve a look while the work is under way. Slab houses from the 1970s and 1980s take the attic route instead. New lines drop down interior walls to the kitchen, baths and laundry, and Austin’s amendment to section 312.6.1 requires R-4 insulation, at least five-eighths of an inch thick, on water lines outside the thermal envelope. Where a house has plaster walls or original tile, openings are planned around them, often inside closets or behind fixtures. The [guide to identifying your pipes](https://gracklerepipingaustin.com/guide/what-kind-of-pipes-do-i-have/) helps sort out which kind of house and pipe you have before the walk-through. ## Units in shared buildings In a condo or small apartment building, the supply pipe in one unit often connects to risers and shutoffs that serve others. A repipe may be limited to one unit’s branch lines, or it may need to be planned for the building with the owners or association. The [multifamily repiping page](https://gracklerepipingaustin.com/multifamily-repiping/) covers staging, shutdowns and how the work is split. A [partial repipe](https://gracklerepipingaustin.com/partial-repiping/) inside one unit is possible when the shared pipe is in better shape than the branches, and the estimate says plainly which pipe stays. ## How a 78704 job runs The first visit checks the pipe material at several points, measures static pressure at a hose bib, looks at crawlspace or attic access and marks where walls can open. It also notes the service line status on Austin Water’s inventory and whether a pressure-zone notice has arrived. The estimate lists the permit, the pressure test and the patch scope as separate lines. During the work, water goes back on at the end of each work day. The new system is pressure tested, then inspected by the City before walls close. Old pipe that can be reached is removed, and the rest is capped and abandoned in place. The [repipe cost guide](https://gracklerepipingaustin.com/guide/repipe-cost-austin/) explains what sits inside each line. ## Where 78704 meets its neighbors South of Ben White, [South and Southwest Austin](https://gracklerepipingaustin.com/service-areas/south-austin/) is newer slab housing where reroutes after slab leaks and high pressure lead the conversation. North of the river, [North Central Austin](https://gracklerepipingaustin.com/service-areas/north-central-austin/) has the second-largest cluster of flagged service lines, and [East Austin](https://gracklerepipingaustin.com/service-areas/east-austin/) combines older galvanized pipe with patches of expansive clay. ## Neighborhoods and coverage - Travis Heights - Bouldin Creek - Zilker - Barton Hills - South Lamar - Galindo - Dawson ### Landmarks - Zilker Park - Barton Springs Pool - Stacy Park - Blunn Creek Greenbelt ### Routes - South Congress Avenue - South First Street - South Lamar Boulevard - Oltorf Street - Barton Springs Road - Riverside Drive 1. 1. Cedar Park 2. 2. East Austin 3. 3. Georgetown 4. 4. Kyle 5. 5. North Central Austin 6. 6. Northwest Austin 7. 7. Round Rock 8. 8. South Austin 9. 9. South Central Austin ## South Central Austin questions ### How much does a repipe cost in South Central Austin? A typical Austin-area range for a whole-house repipe is $4,500 to $15,000+, and about $4,500 to $9,000 for PEX with typical access. A small pier-and-beam house with a roomy crawlspace tends toward the lower end; two stories, tile baths and a regulator with an expansion tank push it up. A condo unit depends on how the building's risers are shared. ### Will Austin Water install a pressure reducing valve at my Travis Heights house? Only if the house is one of the properties the Oltorf at Travis Heights project needs to protect. Austin Water is installing regulators at certain points in the system and on some properties, plus thermal expansion tanks where necessary, at no charge. Affected owners get a notice and a right-of-entry form. Without that notice, the regulator stays the owner's decision. ### My 78704 meter is flagged galvanized requiring replacement. What does Austin Water replace? Austin Water's program covers the customer-side line from the meter to about five feet from where it enters the building. Owners can sign up for the utility to do it, or replace it themselves and ask for reimbursement of eligible expenses. The last few feet, the entry into the house and every pipe inside stay the owner's. ### Should I wait for the pressure zone project to finish before repiping? A leaking or badly scaled system does not need to wait. What benefits from waiting is the regulator: if a notice is likely, the repipe can leave a clean, accessible spot near the entry for the utility's valve and tank instead of paying for a second set. New pipe is pressure tested and inspected the same way either way. ### Is a Bouldin Creek bungalow repiped differently from a 1980s slab house nearby? Usually, yes. A raised house lets new lines run under the floor and come up at each fixture, so wall openings are fewer and the crawlspace runs get insulated against cold air. A slab house sends new lines through the attic and down interior walls, with R-4 insulation on the attic runs. ## Related guides - Learn [Do I need a pressure reducing valve in Austin?](https://gracklerepipingaustin.com/guide/pressure-reducing-valve-austin/)Austin's plumbing code sets the line at 65 psi: above it, a house needs a pressure reducing valve with a strainer and an expansion tank after it. Here is how the rule works, how a valve fails, and how it fits into a repipe. - Learn [Why is my water pressure low in Austin, and is it the pipes?](https://gracklerepipingaustin.com/guide/low-water-pressure-austin/)Low water pressure in an Austin house can start at the utility, the pressure regulator, the pipe or a single faucet. Two gauge readings, static and flowing, usually tell you which, before anyone talks about repiping. - Learn [What kind of pipes does my house have?](https://gracklerepipingaustin.com/guide/what-kind-of-pipes-do-i-have/)You can identify most water pipe yourself in a few minutes by looking where it shows: the water heater, the main shutoff, under sinks and in the attic or crawlspace. This guide shows what each material looks like, what its age suggests and what each one tends to need. - Cost Guide [How much does a repipe cost in Austin?](https://gracklerepipingaustin.com/guide/repipe-cost-austin/)What a whole-house repipe typically costs in the Austin area, what sits inside that price, and the handful of things that move one house from the low end to the high end. - Learn [Do I need a plumbing permit to repipe a house in Austin?](https://gracklerepipingaustin.com/guide/repipe-permit-austin/)A repipe in Austin is permitted work. This guide covers who can pull an Austin plumbing permit for a repipe, what the inspector checks and when, what a failed inspection costs, and how the rules change in Round Rock, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Kyle and the other suburbs. ## Nearby service areas - [South Austin](https://gracklerepipingaustin.com/service-areas/south-austin/)Most water reroute permits in Austin; high static pressure on the southwest side - [North Central Austin](https://gracklerepipingaustin.com/service-areas/north-central-austin/)Postwar galvanized lines; Austin Water replaces flagged galvanized service lines - [East Austin](https://gracklerepipingaustin.com/service-areas/east-austin/)Old galvanized pipe and expansive clay meet; slab and supply problems overlap