West Durham and Duke, Durham County
Water and fire damage help in West Durham and Duke
Water on the floor or soot on the walls somewhere in West Durham and Duke? Tell us the street's ZIP. One restoration company that works here follows up and writes the price down before starting.
- Homes
- 25,051
- Median year built
- 1987
- Flood claims on record
- 60
- Built before 1980
- 23%
About West Durham and Duke
ZIP 27705 runs from Trinity Park and Walltown out past Old West Durham and Duke's campus, then north through Watts-Hillandale toward the Eno. About 56% of occupied homes are rented, many of them to Duke students and staff (Census ACS). The older streets near Ninth Street have bungalows and four-squares on crawl spaces, and the median home in the ZIP was built in 1987. There are 60 flood insurance claims on record, 12 of them from Fran in 1996.
Homes and water in West Durham and Duke
West Durham and Duke has about 25,051 housing units according to the Census ACS 2020-2024, with a median year built of 1987. Housing ages are all over the place: 23% predates 1980 while 30% dates from 2000 on, so a mid-century ranch can sit a few streets from a new subdivision.
Flooding is a genuine risk in this ZIP code, which hold 60 federal flood insurance claims and $0.8 million in payouts. By storm: Fran (September 1996) 12, Florence (September 2018) 8, Chantal (July 2025) 2. A standard homeowners policy won't pay for flood water, so where the water came from decides the claim. Cleaning up after a flood.
Tenants occupy 56% of the homes here (Census ACS). If that's you and something is leaking or growing, the first step is written notice to the landlord. North Carolina rental repairs.
Weather doesn't change much from one end of the county to the other. Over 2016-2025 the airport recorded 13.4 days a year with an inch of rain or more, mostly from summer thunderstorms, and 4.8 nights a year at or below 20°F, nearly all between December and February. Anything that stays wet more than a day or two in a humid Durham summer is a mold candidate.
West Durham and Duke ZIP codes
| ZIP | Area | Homes | Median built | NFIP claims |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27705 | West Durham and Duke | 25,051 | 1987 | 60 |
Census ACS 2020-2024; OpenFEMA NFIP claims, all years. Compare all 9 ZIP codes.
Federal flood insurance claims per year, Durham County
Services in West Durham and Duke
How it works
- Describe the damage. The form takes about a minute, or text us pictures. A rough guess at when the water started helps.
- One Durham County company phones you. A couple of questions, then a time to come see it.
- The scope and price arrive on paper first. Nothing starts until you say yes. On an insurance job, ask what records they keep for the adjuster.
Questions
Do you cover all of West Durham and Duke?
Yes, ZIP 27705 included. When the company phones, they double-check that your street is one they serve.
How fast can someone come out?
That depends on the day, and on how many other houses got hit by the same storm or freeze. Flag it in the form if water is still flowing or if someone in the house has asthma or a compromised immune system. The company gives you its arrival window when it calls.
Do I get a price first?
You should get scope and price on paper before work begins. When water is still active, crews often start extraction on the first visit, so ask for the day one cost and the daily drying rate before signing.
Nearby: Downtown and Central Durham, Hope Valley and South Central Durham, Northeast Durham, North Durham, South Durham and Southpoint, East Durham, Bahama and Rougemont and all of Durham.