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Sunset Valley, Texas
Inside Sunset Valley's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 58% of mapped land, the 5th-highest of 18 cities in Travis County. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
That clay share is above Travis County's 39%. FEMA's flood data list 11 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 357 homes, 31% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1997.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Travis County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 2 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Sunset Valley
Foundation repair in Sunset Valley: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 58% of Sunset Valley's mapped land, more than in 64% of Texas cities.
About 400 of Sunset Valley's 357 homes are detached houses.
| Who designs the repair | The ASCE Texas Section's repair guidelines say a Texas-licensed engineer should evaluate the foundation and design the repair (2022 guidelines) |
| Prices | Cost guide ranges compared |
Soil under Sunset Valley city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 57.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 88.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 51.6% |
| Urban land, not rated | 4.4% |
| Mapped soil | 895 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Eckrant | 24% | 8% |
| Speck | 16% | n/a |
| San Saba | 15% | n/a |
| Crawford | 12% | n/a |
| Denton | 10% | n/a |
| Volente | 1% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.0% by land area here, and 52% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 58% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Travis County is in drought on the latest map, and 58% of Sunset Valley's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 88% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Travis County
100% of Travis County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Sunset Valley. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78745 | 89% | 10 | $103,179 |
| 78735 | 11% | 1 | $11,790 |
Homes in Sunset Valley
| Housing units | 357 |
| Median year built | 1997 |
| Built before 1980 | 31% |
| Built 2000 or later | 45% |
| Owner-occupied | 96% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $917,500 |
| Single-family detached | 100% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rollingwood | 4 mi | 3% | 0% |
| West Lake Hills | 5 mi | 4% | 0% |
| San Leanna | 6 mi | 35% | 0% |
| Austin | 6 mi | 40% | under 1% |
| Hays | 8 mi | 25% | 0% |
| Bear Creek | 8 mi | 6% | 0% |
| Bee Cave | 10 mi | 16% | 0% |
| Buda | 11 mi | 61% | under 1% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status