Rain-wet residential street lined with large oak trees and one-story brick homes

Water Damage Restoration for Mesquite Homes

An old supply line under the sink, a water heater that finally gave out, or rain that came in under the door. Call free at any hour and get put through to an independent restoration company that serves Mesquite.

Call (469) 649-7066 Mesquite's 2021 freeze timeline

Older one-story brick ranch home with a carport behind a mowed lawn and a shade tree

A railroad town that became a 1950s suburb

Mesquite started in 1873 as a Texas and Pacific Railway depot, named for nearby Mesquite Creek. Its real growth came after World War II.

The city's own history puts the population at about 1,696 in 1950 and about 27,526 by 1960. Returning veterans, a housing shortage in Dallas and cheap land filled new subdivisions quickly. Big Town Mall opened in 1959, Town East Mall in 1971, and LBJ Freeway was in place by 1970. Today more than 150,000 people live in Mesquite, most of it in Dallas County with a small eastern edge in Kaufman County.

That timeline matters when you are looking for water damage restoration in Mesquite. Houses from that boom are now around 60 to 75 years old. Original drain lines, aging supply pipes, water heaters tucked into closets and decades of clay soil moving under the slab all show up as leaks sooner or later. Newer houses are not immune either: plastic supply lines, ice maker hoses and washer connections fail too.

Where water shows up in older Mesquite houses

Under the slab

Much of North Texas sits on Blackland Prairie clay that swells when it is wet and shrinks when it dries. Over decades that movement can stress the water lines under a slab. A warm floor, a damp patch of carpet or a bill that suddenly climbs are the usual clues.

Closets and kitchens

Water heaters near the end of their life, sink drains and dishwasher lines leak slowly inside cabinets and walls, where nobody sees them for weeks. Slow leaks are also the kind insurers most often decline.

Outside walls and attics

Pipes along exterior walls and in attics are the first to freeze in a hard cold snap, as Mesquite learned in February 2021. A split pipe often lets go during the thaw, not the freeze.

Each of these has a different fix. Know who handles which part before anyone opens a wall.

Flood Damage Restoration

Rising water from creeks, streets and the Trinity is Category 3. What flood cleanup involves, how to read a FEMA flood map, and why a home policy is not a flood policy.

Burst Pipe Water Damage

Frozen and failed pipes in attics, outside walls and garages. Shut the water off, call a plumber for the pipe and a restoration company for the drying.

Slab Leak Water Damage

A leak under the foundation needs two trades: a licensed plumber finds and repairs the pipe, and a restoration company dries the floors and walls it soaked.

February 2021 in Mesquite, day by day

The city's own notices from Winter Storm Uri show how fast a freeze turns into a water problem.

Date	What the City of Mesquite reported
Feb. 17	Boil water notice for north and central Mesquite, north and west of Pioneer Road to the Dallas city limit. A supply disruption from the North Texas Municipal Water District took the Barnes Bridge pump station offline, and several large main breaks slowed the return of pressure.
Feb. 18	Pressure restored, but residents told to keep boiling until test results came back. Water Utilities Dispatch handled requests to shut off water at homes with plumbing emergencies, with waits of several hours.
Feb. 19	Boil notice lifted at 11 a.m. Residents asked to conserve because demand from burst pipes was outrunning supply during the thaw.

The lesson for the next freeze: find your own main shutoff now, so you are not waiting in line for the city to close it at the meter.

August 22, 2022: almost a foot of rain

The August 2022 flash flood hit Mesquite hard. The city reported 11.66 inches of rain during that Monday's storm. Floodwater swept a 60 year old driver's car off the Scyene Road bridge near the LBJ Freeway service road, and she died. The governor declared a disaster for 23 counties the next day.

Rain like that overwhelms streets and storm drains and can push water in under doors and garage seals. Water that comes in from outside is treated as contaminated, the IICRC's Category 3, and soaked drywall and carpet are usually replaced rather than dried.

Never drive or walk into moving water on a road. Inside the house, stay out of standing water, keep away from outlets and cords, and photograph the damage before cleanup begins.

Rising water from outside is a flood under Texas home policies, and the Texas Department of Insurance notes those policies exclude it; flood coverage is sold as its own policy. When you call your carrier, describe exactly how the water got in and let it tell you which part of the policy, if any, applies.

High water filling a residential street from curb to curb in front of one-story homes

Mesquite water, power and permit contacts

Water or sewer emergency: City of Mesquite, 972-216-6278, 24 hours. The city buys its treated water from the North Texas Municipal Water District.
Power: Oncor outages, 888-313-4747. For a downed line, get away from it and call 911.
Gas smell: Leave first, then call 911 and Atmos Energy, 866-322-8667, from outside.
Permits: Building Inspection, (972) 216-6212, 1515 N. Galloway Ave., weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Safety first. Shut off the main water valve if you can get to it without risk. Water and electricity together are the real hazard, so stay out of any puddle that touches an outlet, a cord or an appliance. Switch off the breaker only when the panel can be reached from dry flooring; if it cannot, call Oncor or an electrician. A gas smell means everyone goes outside, and the calls to 911 and Atmos Energy are made from there. Floodwater and sewage are not safe to wade through, for adults, children or pets. Once everyone is safe, take photos for the insurance claim and carry valuables and documents to a dry room.

Choosing a water damage restoration company for your Mesquite home

The free line connects you; it does not vouch for anyone. Before a company starts tearing out materials, ask:

Where is the water coming from, and has a plumber stopped it yet?
Is this clean, gray or black water, and what does that change about the plan?
Will the plumbing or electrical repair need a City of Mesquite permit, and who pulls it?
Will you put the price and the list of tear-out work on paper for me to sign off on first?
Is your firm listed on the IICRC Global Locator, and can your insurer send me a certificate of insurance?
If mold turns up, does its size mean Texas expects one licensed firm to assess it and a different one to clean it up?

Kitchen with a water heater closet door open and a small puddle on the floor

There is more detail in our company vetting checklist and the cost guide.

Ask your insurer, not the contractor. Guidance from the Texas Department of Insurance separates water that shows up suddenly and by accident, like a split pipe, an overflowing toilet or a failed washer hose, which most home and renter policies include, from slow leaks and seepage, which they usually leave out. Flooding is excluded from home policies altogether and needs a separate flood policy. Insurers can also refuse a claim when the owner did not take reasonable steps to limit further damage. Before you sign for any work, pull out your policy and call the insurer about what it includes. More on water damage and insurance.

What happens when a Mesquite caller rings the line

Call the numberAn automated assistant answers (469) 649-7066 at any hour and asks what you need help with. The same number answers other home service calls too, so start with "water damage" or "mold".
Describe what happenedA burst pipe, standing water, a wet ceiling, a slab leak, a sewage backup or mold, plus your town and whether water is still coming in.
Get transferredWater damage calls go to an independent, locally owned DFW restoration company; mold removal calls go to an independent mold remediation company. Each hears a short summary before it picks up. Mold testing calls are taken as a message for now.
Deal with that company directlyIt inspects, quotes and does the work, and you pay it (or your insurer does, as you arrange). If it cannot answer, it gets your name, number, city and problem so it can call you back.

Mention Mesquite and the street you are on, then describe the leak. The assistant passes that summary along so the restoration company hears it before it answers.

Call (469) 649-7066

About this line: Water Damage Pro Dallas is a free phone line, not a restoration or mold company. It answers your call and connects you with an independent local company, which inspects, quotes and does the work, and which you pay directly. Companies may pay a referral fee. Calling the line costs you nothing. See how a call is handled.

More pages that may help

More DFW cities on the free line

What Mesquite homeowners ask about water damage

What number do I call in Mesquite if I can't turn my water off?

The City of Mesquite lists 972-216-6278 as its 24 hour emergency service line for water and sewer problems. During the February 2021 freeze the city warned that a shutoff could take several hours because so many people called at once, so learn where your own valve is now. After the water stops, call the free line about drying. See burst pipe water damage.

Do I need a city permit to fix water damage in Mesquite?

It depends on the work. The city's permit FAQ says permits are required for repairs, remodels, plumbing, electrical and heating and air work, while cosmetic jobs such as paint, carpet, cabinets or trim do not need one. Plumbing has to be done by a Texas licensed plumber unless you are the homeowner living there and pull the permit yourself. Building Inspection is at (972) 216-6212.

Is Mesquite in Dallas County or Kaufman County?

Both, though most of the city is in Dallas County and only a small eastern piece reaches into Kaufman County. For water damage it rarely matters which side you are on: the city runs the water system for both, and the free line takes calls from anywhere in Mesquite. County lines can matter for flood maps and appraisal records, so look your property up on the FEMA flood map.

My Mesquite house is from the 1960s. Should I worry about a slab leak?

Age alone does not mean a leak, but older pipes and North Texas clay that swells and shrinks under a slab are a known combination. Watch for a monthly bill that climbs while your habits have not changed, a warm or damp spot on the floor, or running water sounds when every tap is off. A plumber finds and fixes the pipe; a restoration company dries what got wet. Read slab leak water damage.

Mesquite house taking on water? One free call

Say what happened and which town you are in. The automated assistant passes a water damage call to an independent, locally owned DFW restoration company, and a mold removal call to an independent mold remediation company. That company comes out, sees the damage and prices the work itself.

Call (469) 649-7066

Answers day or nightPipes burst at 3 a.m. and storms roll in after dark. The assistant picks up at any hour, every day of the year.
Free to callThe line never bills you. Any price comes from the company you are connected with, and you can ask for it in writing.
Mold testing is separateTexas keeps the mold assessor and the remediator on one job apart, so testing calls are taken as a message.
You decideHear what the company found, read its estimate, ask your insurer your questions, and say yes only when it makes sense.