The town in “the Florida Alps”
Citrus grower William John Howey began platting land near Lake Harris in 1921, and the town incorporated in 1925. Two years later it took its current name to reflect the rolling hills he nicknamed “the Florida Alps.” The town sits on the west shore of Little Lake Harris, about eight miles south of Tavares on State Road 19 (Wikipedia).
Census estimates show a split housing stock: 26.3% of homes predate 1970, while 44.2% were built in 2000 or later. Most homes are single-family and owner-occupied (Census Reporter).
| Feature | Older homes (before 1970) | Newer homes (2000 and later) |
|---|---|---|
| Likely fireplace | Masonry with a brick chimney, if original | Factory-built or gas in a framed chase |
| What wears first | Crown, mortar joints, damper | Chase cover, storm collar, dryer duct runs |
| First step | A Howey chimney inspection with the flue checked | Chase and prefab chimney check |
Likely fireplace
- Older homes (before 1970)
- Masonry with a brick chimney, if original
- Newer homes (2000 and later)
- Factory-built or gas in a framed chase
What wears first
- Older homes (before 1970)
- Crown, mortar joints, damper
- Newer homes (2000 and later)
- Chase cover, storm collar, dryer duct runs
First step
- Older homes (before 1970)
- A Howey chimney inspection with the flue checked
- Newer homes (2000 and later)
- Chase and prefab chimney check
Hilltop and lakefront lots are more exposed to wind-driven rain, which tests the weather-facing side of a chimney. If a stain appears on a ceiling beside the chimney after a storm, water stains around a chimney explains how to tell a flashing leak from a roof leak. For slow dryers in either kind of home, dryer vent cleaning for Howey homes starts by checking airflow at the outside cap.
Town plat or new subdivision: what each visit covers
Most homes are on the historic town plat, with newer subdivisions to the north and south such as Venezia South, Talichet at Venezia North and Mission Carmel. On the older streets, a surviving brick chimney usually needs chimney repair in Howey-in-the-Hills at the crown and upper mortar joints before anything else. Where the stain appears only after wind-driven storms, chimney leak repair traces it to the flashing, crown or chase first.
For fireplaces that still burn wood, a seasonal chimney sweep keeps creosote down, and a flue that has sat unused with nests or debris gets a full chimney cleaning. Warped dampers, cracked fireboxes and gas units that won’t light are fireplace repair work. Across Little Lake Harris, the town of Astatula is covered too, and chimney and vent service in Tavares is eight miles north.
References (2)
Facts and figures on this page come from these references.
