West Austin Gutters installs and replaces gutters in Barton Creek and Lost Creek, the hill neighborhoods along the Barton Creek Greenbelt southwest of Loop 360. Neither is its own city. Barton Creek is an unincorporated community in Travis County, and Lost Creek voted in 2024 to leave Austin’s city limits. The homes are mostly large custom houses on sloped, wooded lots, so the work here is about roofs with lots of edges and valleys, and roof water that heads downhill toward the creek.
What gutters have to handle here
Big, complicated roofs. Community Impact described most Barton Creek homes as custom-built starting in the early 1990s, ranging from about 3,100 to more than 13,000 square feet. Census estimates put the median at about 2005. Large custom roofs mean many corners, valleys, multiple stories and long runs. Each valley sends a concentrated stream into one spot on the gutter below, and each inside corner is a joint that can leak.
Older Lost Creek houses. Lost Creek was ranch land until development began in the 1970s, so it has a larger share of homes old enough for a second or third set of gutters.
Slopes to the greenbelt. Both neighborhoods sit in limestone hill country with thin soils above Barton Creek. Downspout water runs off quickly, and on lots that drop toward the greenbelt it can erode slopes, undercut walls and wash out beds.
Heavy oak canopy. Live oaks drop leaves and tassels mostly in March and April. Oak wilt guidance says to avoid pruning oaks from February through June, which affects when branches over the roof can be cut back.
Common gutter problems in homes like these
- Overflow at valleys, where a large upper roof face concentrates water into a 5-inch gutter
- Leaking inside and outside miters on runs with many corners
- Original 1970s–1990s systems with tired seams, loose hangers and fascia damage behind them, especially in Lost Creek
- Mismatched repairs: a mix of aluminum, painted steel and copper sections added over the years
- Downspouts discharging onto slopes above a retaining wall or toward the lot below
- Gutters on high second- and third-story runs that rarely get cleaned because they’re hard to reach
Recommended setup for custom homes here
- 6-inch seamless aluminum as the baseline, with 3×4 downspouts, plus extra outlets near valleys instead of relying on one corner drop. See seamless gutters.
- Copper or half-round where the architecture calls for it. Copper is a long-life material that weathers to a patina, but it has to be joined and supported correctly, and it shouldn’t be mixed with aluminum or galvanized parts that touch it. See copper and half-round gutters.
- Valley diverters or splash guards where a heavy stream lands.
- Fine metal mesh guards on high runs under oaks.
- Discharge planned with the slope. Buried lines that daylight on stable, planted ground, kept off neighbors’ lots. Texas law bars diverting surface water in a way that damages another property.
- Full replacement when an older system has problems throughout. See gutter replacement.
Jurisdiction, permits and deed restrictions
Because Barton Creek is a census-designated place, it has no city government. Lost Creek was annexed by Austin in 2015, then voted on May 4, 2024 to disannex, and the city’s ordinance took effect Sept. 9, 2024. That means most owners here aren’t dealing with a city permit office, though a few Barton Creek sections may sit inside Austin. Deed restrictions apply either way. In Lost Creek, the Lost Creek Limited District was set up to enforce the development’s deed restrictions, and Barton Creek sections have their own. Check those before changing gutter color, profile or material, and confirm your address’s status if you’re unsure.
FAQ
Do I need a city permit for gutters in Barton Creek or Lost Creek?
For most addresses, there’s no city permit office involved: the Barton Creek census area is unincorporated, and Lost Creek left Austin’s city limits in September 2024. Some sections near Barton Creek may still fall inside Austin, so check your address on the City of Austin jurisdiction map. Deed restrictions and any architectural review apply either way.
Are copper gutters worth it on a Barton Creek house?
On a high-end custom home where looks matter, copper can be worth it. It lasts a long time and develops a patina. It costs more than aluminum and needs installers who solder seams and use copper hangers. Aluminum in a matching color handles the water just as well.
Why does my gutter overflow at the same spot every storm?
On large custom roofs, it’s almost always a valley dumping into the gutter at one point, or a long run with too few downspouts. Adding an outlet near the valley, upsizing that section or installing a diverter usually fixes it.
Should I replace the gutters on an older Lost Creek house?
If the system is original or a patchwork of repairs, replacement usually makes more sense than another round of fixes. We’ll also look at the fascia, because older homes often have soft spots behind long-leaking corners.
Get a Barton Creek or Lost Creek gutter estimate
Quotes are free, written and itemized after we measure on site. Every quote is written and itemized after we measure: linear feet, gutter size and material, number of stories, downspouts, guards and any fascia repair are listed as separate lines. We also work in neighboring West Lake Hills and Oak Hill.
Book a free gutter quote. We measure on site and send a written, itemized quote.