Plain answers to the foundation repair questions Gainesville homeowners ask most. Do not see yours? Call (352) 724-7728 for a free inspection and a written price.
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Much of Gainesville sits on about five feet of sand over clay-rich soil, with limestone below that water slowly dissolves. Heavy summer storms soak the sand and wash it down into gaps in the rock. That is why the county sees sinkholes and settling under both old homes near downtown and newer slab homes on the west side.
Every house is different. The fastest way to a real answer is a free inspection. Call (352) 724-7728 or send the short form, and a local crew will call you back, usually the same day.
You can also read the cost guide, the signs of foundation problems page or the sinkhole repair page.
Gainesville Foundation is a lead referral service. We connect you with one independent local foundation contractor who works in Gainesville. That contractor inspects your home, writes the estimate and does the work if you hire them. Your agreement for the work is with them.
Yes. The inspection and written estimate cost nothing, and there is no obligation to go ahead.
Several sticking doors, cracks from the corners of doors and windows, stair-step cracks in block and sloping floors are the most common signs. A floor level check at the inspection shows if the house really moved.
You cannot tell by looking. The county lists many other causes of sinking soil, like rotting debris, leaks and roof runoff. If the signs point to a sinkhole, an engineer or geologist tests the ground to confirm it.
One cost guide puts Gainesville jobs at $2,300 to $23,600. The national average is about $5,200. Piers run about $1,000 to $3,000 each. Your exact price comes in writing after the free inspection.
Every Florida home policy must cover a catastrophic ground cover collapse. That is a sudden hole, damage to the house and the house condemned. Wider sinkhole coverage is optional and costs extra. Normal settling is usually not covered.
Florida law gives you 2 years from when you knew, or should have known, about the sinkhole loss. Report it early.
Florida law lets you ask for testing in writing within 60 days of the denial. You pay half the cost, up to $2,500. You get it back if the tests confirm a sinkhole.
The City of Gainesville says repairs to a building need a permit under the Florida Building Code. Its permit exemption for small jobs does not cover structural work. The contractor should pull it.
Look them up at myfloridalicense.com, the state licensing site. Florida's licensing agency says structural work needs a state license. A business registration number is not a license.
If you got a paid sinkhole claim, yes. Florida law says you must tell the buyer before closing. You must also say if all the money went to repairs. Keep the engineer's report and repair records.
You can, but small problems are cheaper to fix than big ones. A free inspection tells you if the house is still moving and how urgent it is.