Orange County
Foundation repair in Winter Park, FL
Winter Park is built around a chain of lakes, on some of the older streets in the Orlando area. Both facts shape a foundation problem here: houses of many ages and foundation types, on ground with a long history of slow change.
Lakes, and the sinkhole of 1981
The lakes of Orange County are mostly old sinkholes that filled with water, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Winter Park has the area's most widely known modern example: a large sinkhole opened in the city in May 1981. The Survey records that after about 14 years it resembled the other sinkhole lakes around it.
That history is a reason to take ground movement seriously here. It is not a reason to assume the worst about a crack. Settling in Winter Park has the same everyday causes as elsewhere: loose or washed-out sand, rotted roots, leaking pipes. If the ground itself is dipping or cracking, read the sinkhole guide and make the calls it lists.
Older houses and two historic districts
An older Winter Park house may stand on piers over a crawl space, on a low masonry wall, or on a slab that was added to over the decades. Sometimes it is all three. Tell the company the age of the house and what you know about its additions, because each part can move independently.
The city keeps two districts on its local historic register, College Quarter and Virginia Heights East. Its Historic Preservation staff review additions and exterior alterations to designated historic properties, and exterior renovations in the districts, through a Certificate of Review. Interior work is not reviewed. If a repair will change what shows outside, such as piers, skirting or a porch, ask Planning and Zoning at 407-599-3324 whether review applies before the work is booked.
Permits come from the city
Winter Park issues its own building permits. Building and Permitting Services is at City Hall, 401 South Park Avenue, phone 407-599-3237, and applications go through the city's online self-service portal. The city's own permit guide names structural repairs among the work that needs a permit, and it warns of a penalty for starting without one.
Houses in ZIP codes 32789 and 32792 are within the area the repair companies reached from this page work in.
Winter Park questions
My house is close to one of the lakes. Is that a problem?
Not in itself. Lakeside lots can have softer, wetter soil and sometimes fill, which is worth telling the inspector. Ask whether the floor readings fall toward the water.
Does Orange County issue the permit for a Winter Park house?
Not for an address inside the city limits. Those go to Winter Park's Building and Permitting Services. A house with a Winter Park mailing address that lies outside the city goes to the county or to the neighbouring city.
Other places
Ready to have the house looked at?
Only someone standing at the house can tell you what is going on under it. Call, explain what you have noticed, and ask for an inspection.
Describe the problem, book an inspection
Say where the cracks or dips are and when you first saw them. The independent local foundation repair company you reach can set a time to look at the house.
Call (407) 598-8829The call may be recorded. See how referrals are paid for and what happens to your details.