Forest Hills Plumbing, 1926 Streets and 1950s Ranches
Forest Hills in Tampa was platted in 1925-26 by Burks Hamner, who had co-founded Temple Terrace earlier in the decade, around a golf course now named for Babe Zaharias. It is not in Temple Terrace, but the neighborhood, ZIP 33612, lies 4.8 miles west of City Hall, and its early homes were built in a Tudor style.
County records for 859 single-family parcels show a median year built of 1955, with 80.6 percent built before 1960 and 93.7 percent before 1980. Census data show 88.4 percent of households own, so most calls come from owners living in the house.
Pipes That Are Now 65 to 80 Years Old
Most of Forest Hills came together between 1947 and 1958. Homes in the Golfland plats, Tuxedo Terrace and Unit No. 1 of the North Side Country Club area likely carry original copper or galvanized supply and cast-iron or clay drains, and some have been repiped. Tampa rates cast iron laid in the 1940s-1960s at 80 to 100 years.
That puts many houses at the old edge of the window. We camera drains (see drain cleaning) and check supply before recommending anything, and our older-homes guide explains when repair beats repiping.
Service for Owner-Occupied Houses Near the Golf Course
- Emergency Plumbing Repairs — After heavy rain, a backing-up drain or a failed fitting gets the main shut off, a camera on the line and a written price.
- Plumbing Repairs — With 80.6 percent of houses built before 1960, worn stops, corroded valves and slow drains lead the repair list.
- Plumbing Installation — A backwater valve, a raised heater platform or a bath update all start with finding the original drain and cleanout.
- Leak Detection — On Tampa water with chloramine at 3.6 ppm, an unexplained bill increase in a 1950s house is pressure-tested before any wall is opened.
- Water Heater Repair & Replacement — Heater placement matters more here than in many neighborhoods, so a replacement quote includes the height and location question.
- Repiping (PEX) — Many Forest Hills supply lines are 65 to 80 years old, and the repipe discussion is about scope and access, not rumor.
- Drain Cleaning & Hydro Jetting — Cast-iron and clay laterals clog and gurgle in heavy rain, and a camera shows whether the fault is in the house line or the main.
After October 2024: Backflow, Cleanouts and Heater Height
In October 2024, floodwaters covered Forest Hills, including areas outside normal flood zones, and news reports say pump stations failed without power. Eight of nine sample points here are still FEMA minimal-hazard. That is why a backwater valve and a reachable cleanout are worth discussing, and why a replacement heater might go on a platform. Read our backwater-valve post.
Plumbing cannot stop floodwater from entering a house, and we do not do flood restoration. Water and sewer are City of Tampa, with hardness at 211 mg/L and chloramine at 3.6 ppm; the sewer emergency line is 813-247-3451. Nearby are Lake Magdalene to the north. See water heater repair.
Golfland and the Other Forest Hills Plats
Most Forest Hills plats grew up around the Zaharias golf course between the late 1920s and the late 1950s.
- Golfland of Tampa's North Side Country Club Area — 328 homes averaging 1956, with the earliest dating to 1925; this is the core around the golf course.
- North Side Country Club Area, Unit No. 1 — 201 homes averaging 1963, with the earliest built in 1928, so ages vary from block to block.
- Golfland Resub — 115 homes averaging 1953, built from 1949 onward, one of the older groups around the course.
- Golfland Park Subdivision — 76 homes averaging 1956, a mid-1950s plat in the Golfland group around the course.
- Golfland Revised, Blocks 39 and 40 — 11 and 15 homes built in 1952-53 in Blocks 39 and 40, small early-1950s pieces of Golfland.
- Tuxedo Terrace — 42 homes averaging 1955, putting original supply and drain lines at roughly 70 years old.
- Imperial Estates — 19 homes averaging 1962, a small plat from the early 1960s whose original lines are about 64 years old.
- Eva Egla Terrace — 5 homes averaging 1967, the smallest and youngest of the older Forest Hills plats listed.
- Reserve at Curiosity Creek — 16 homes built in 2023-24, the newest infill in Forest Hills and far removed from the 1950s pipe eras.
Zaharias Golf Course and Roads That Place a Forest Hills Address
Forest Hills is built around one golf course, and the course's street is the easiest way to place an address.
- Babe Zaharias Golf Course — At 11412 N Forest Hills Dr; city-owned and operated by the Tampa Sports Authority.
- Forest Hills Drive — The neighborhood's namesake road, which also gives the Zaharias golf course its address.
- Forest Hills Park — A neighborhood park listed in map data near Forest Hills Drive.
- North Boulevard and Country Club Drive — Two streets named in the neighborhood's Wikipedia entry, which also notes its golf-themed street names.
- Curiosity Creek pump station — One of the pump stations cited in news coverage of the October 2024 flooding.
- Forest Hills Elementary — One of the schools the neighborhood's Wikipedia entry lists; attendance zones were not confirmed.
- Lake Magdalene — Lies north of Forest Hills and gives its name to the neighboring census area.
Forest Hills Pipe Age, Owner Share and Water-Main Figures
Forest Hills is an owner-occupied neighborhood of mid-century houses on City of Tampa pipes, and these numbers explain the work.
- 80.6% of Forest Hills' 859 single-family parcels were built before 1960, and the median build year is 1955. Pipes 65 to 80 years old are the baseline here, which supports repiping conversations and drain-line camera work.
- 88.4% of households own their homes and 87.3% of units are detached houses in the neighborhood's census tract. Customers are homeowners making their own decisions, so estimates and the guarantee matter more than property-manager scheduling.
- Tampa has about 2,200 miles of water main, and the city rates cast iron laid in the 1940s to 1960s at 80 to 100 years of service. Forest Hills' 1947-58 build years sit at the old edge of that window, so pressure or discolored-water calls may start on the main side.
- In October 2024 floodwater covered Forest Hills, although 8 of 9 sampled map points are in minimal-hazard Zone X. Flooding and pump trouble reached places outside the mapped flood zones, so backflow protection is worth discussing on any low lot.
- 665 of the 859 single-family parcels were built between 1947 and 1958. A tight build window means one pipe vintage repeats across the neighborhood, so what one house shows often predicts the next.
Forest Hills 33612: drains gurgling in the rain?
Note whether every drain does it or just one. If all of them gurgle, call Tampa's sewer line at 813-247-3451; if it is one fixture, we can camera the house line and clear it.
CALL 813-733-7188Forest Hills Questions About Backflow, Heaters and Old Laterals
A backwater valve stops sewage flowing back from the city main into your house line. It cannot stop floodwater from entering through doors or windows. Whether one is worth installing depends on your cleanout and drain layout. Our post on backwater valves explains the limits.
Higher is better: a raised platform, a utility closet above floor level, or a different location. The heater's burner or elements and controls are what water damages. We measure the space and price a platform or relocation alongside the heater itself.
Yes, before closing. A camera shows cracks, offsets, roots and sagging, and a recording gives you something to negotiate with. If the pipe is broken, a licensed underground utility contractor does the repair; we do the inspection and clearing.
It is usually a capped pipe at ground level near the house or along the property line. Keep it visible, not buried under mulch or planters, and have the cap checked. An accessible cleanout makes clearing a main line faster and cheaper, around $250-$450.
If every drain gurgles and the smell is in the yard, call Tampa's sewer line at 813-247-3451, since the main may be overloaded. If it is one fixture, the house line is clogged. A camera on the house line separates the two quickly.
Neighborhoods Around the Golf Course
Lake Magdalene
North of Forest Hills, a lake community whose south end is on Tampa utilities and north end on the county's.
Sulphur Springs
Southeast, a river neighborhood whose houses are older still.
Tampa
Terrace Park, University Square and other North Tampa addresses, all on the same City of Tampa utility, about five miles east.
Egypt Lake-Leto
Southwest of Forest Hills, a rental-heavy area of 1960s ranches.