Austin · Travis Heights · Stone walls and steep drives
Travis Heights home maintenance tips
Austin, TX 78704 · 4 min read
Travis Heights was built into a hill, and gravity sets the maintenance schedule. Steep driveways funnel water, old stone walls hold back soil, and the canopy fills gutters faster than most of Austin.
What these homes are made of
1930s stone and frame homes, hillside additions, and stair-access lots.
- Retaining walls and stairs need washing and settlement checks.
- Steep drives channel runoff toward foundations after storms.
- Heavy canopy shortens the interval between gutter clearings.
Three tips for Travis Heights homeowners
1. Add a trench drain or check the one you have
A steep drive delivers hundreds of gallons to the garage slab in one storm. Confirm the existing drain still flows before you need it.
2. Look for bulges in the stone retaining walls
A wall that leans a little more each year is telling you the drainage behind it failed. Weep-hole clearing is far cheaper than a rebuild.
3. Clear gutters three times a year
Between pecans in October and live oaks into December, two clearings leave the roof loaded through the wettest months.
The Austin maintenance year
Layer the Travis Heights items above on top of the calendar every Central Texas house follows.
- Late winter (January to February)
- Book the spring HVAC tune-up before the first 90-degree week, flush the water heater, and check attic insulation while it is still cool enough to work up there.
- Spring (March to May)
- Clear oak catkins and cedar fines from gutters, wash pollen off exteriors and screens, and re-caulk windows and doors before storm season.
- Summer (June to September)
- Change filters monthly, clear the condensate line, water the foundation evenly through drought, and keep dryer vents clear while the unit works hardest.
- Fall (October to December)
- Second gutter clearing after the oak and pecan drop, drainage and grading check before winter rain, and pipe and hose-bib protection ahead of the first freeze.
Maintenance service in Travis Heights
We run this schedule for members across Travis Heights and the rest of Austin, with the same crew and written notes after each visit.