If you are living in an old house, it is wiser to restump the house. Restumping is the process of resetting or replacing the stumps on the house. It is important when the house stumps have settled as a result of soil movement or when wooden stumps of the house rot due to moisture. The article covers all the details that you must know while restumping your house.
However, you must inspect the following signs before starting to restump the house.
If your house needs restumping, then you will have the following signs:
- The interior walls of your house will be continually cracking.
- You will notice uneven, bowed, or 'soft' floors.
- There will be exterior cracking on brickwork.
- Doors and windows will not function correctly.
There will be deterioration in every house in different ways. If you do not treat failed stumping, then it will cause a serious problem; the partial or total collapse of the structure will take place.
You can partially restump your house, but if the stumps you thought to be in good condition are rotten may collapse later on. Maybe there will be wooden stumps that may look fine but are rotting under the ground. Therefore, there is a need to check these wooden stumps. To check the condition, you have to dig around 10cm next to the stump and then scratch at the base.
The Process of Restumping
The first step is to find out which stumps are there that need to be replaced. This step is done by using a level to assess how even your floors are and by checking the stumps themselves for movement and deterioration. After finding out the rotten stumps, jack up the house slightly, and then rotten stumps are compensated for settling or are replaced altogether. This process may cause some issues like doorframes warping, cracks in the plasterwork, or tile damage.
You can do restumping with galvanized steel or concrete stumps because wooden stumps have many weaknesses. Galvanized steel or concrete stumps do not rot and are immune to termites. They will not warp over time. Also, Steel stumps are adjustable on-site, which comes in handy at the time of installation. It may be a bit expensive but is much better than wood because of its advantages.
Restumping is a difficult job, but it is important for your house before commencing any renovations. Restump the house while renovating because the easier access available at this time will usually reduce the time required to safely reblock your home.
You need to replace the timber stumps of most houses after every 15 years. Restumping also becomes essential if you add more strain to your house through different renovations. However, restocking a big house is a technical job and must be done carefully.
What is Re-Stumping?
Homes are supported by wooden posts known as stumps. Over time, these stumps become worn, rotten and damaged. The erosion of your home's structural support can cause damage to your walls, floors and foundation. Restumping is the process of removing these old, damaged stumps and replacing them with new support stumps.
The restumping process is completed in five steps. First, the home is prepared for work to begin. Secondly, the house is lifted to expose the old stumps. The company will then dig the necessary holes and set up the new support posts. The support posts are set in concrete. After the posts are set, the house is lowered onto its foundation, and the work area is cleaned appropriately.
Why Do You Need to Restump Your Home?
If you notice shifting in your home's foundation, you might want to consider restumping. Also, if you are planning to invest large sums of money into renovating your home, you should have a professional examine your home's foundation and determine whether or not restumping is necessary. It is important that you make sure your home's foundation is sturdy before you invest loads of money into upgrades and renovations.
Choosing the Best Restumping Company
When you are planning a huge undertaking such as restumping your home, it is important that you elect to work with an experienced company. Locate potential candidates by doing some research on the Internet. Ask how long the company has been in business and how many homes they have repaired. Make sure that they are licensed and insured, and be sure to review the contract in detail prior to signing.
The Importance of the Right Reblocking or Restumping Contractor
Reblocking or restumping is a rather difficult task that requires the right engineers and workers to analyze, remove and restump or reblock a home. A reblocking or restumping contractor can help you find the right company, one that will do the job right. Whether it is reblocking a few blocks or replacing a single blown-out concrete stump, they can help you find people who will complete the job quickly and effectively. Most importantly, they will find you a company that meets your budget, ensuring you can reblock or restump without breaking the bank.
The Difference Between Re-Stumping And Underpinning
We all know how important it is to lay a strong foundation for a building since the entire structure will stand on it. However, a number of reasons why homeowners will opt for revamping the foundation. Some specific requirements may lead property owners to reblock, restump or underpin the home. But, the first thing people should is the difference between these procedures.
To start with, these all mechanisms have one thing in common, and that is related to lying the foundation. These are the processes involved in replacing and repairing wooden or concrete stumps. Find how different they are from each other-
Reblocking or restumping: You will hardly find any difference between these two. Both of these terms are used interchangeably when the foundation of concrete house stumps in Melbourne has to be replaced. The basic procedure will remain the same for these procedures, and professionals will work on it when the building foundation starts disintegrating.
While supporting the whole structure by placing the jack beneath, both restumping and reblocking remove the worn-out stumps. Depending on the age of the house or the soil beneath the structure, it rots the wooden structure or becomes prey to termites. Eventually, they are replaced with concrete stumps. To make the base stronger for a long time, concrete is poured into the gaps between the stumps.
Underpinning: Underpinning doesn't carry out the replacement or removal of the stumps. Instead, the process makes the stumps stronger. If you find that your building has a concrete foundation and walls are made from bricks, then underpinning is undoubtedly a great option. Due to the weather conditions, the soil becomes hard, resulting in subsiding the concrete slabs and causing cracks in the walls. If such conditions are not treated on time, floors get misaligned and cause cracks across the walls.
How do these procedures differ from each other:
- The main difference you can see in foundation-level work where the restumping and reblocking work on stump replacement. On the other hand, the underpinning repairs the stumps.
- Underpinning involves stabilizing the soil, whereas concrete stumps installation in Melbourne works on making the floor even or getting rid of cracks by replacing the stumps.
- Structures built in the early '90s or earlier require restumping since the foundation materials are decayed enough to take the load. On the other hand, underpinning is done for recent buildings that are witnessing misaligned floors due to soil conditions and require repair work.
- Reblocking is done for the structure, which has a foundation of stumps, whereas underpinning is done for the structure having a brick or concrete veneer.
Lastly, the foundation of any building is most important to ensure a strong base on which the whole structure is situated. So, when it comes to revamping the foundation to sell the property, house restumping and reblocking in Melbourne are the processes well-executed by the experts. Your deal will look more profitable to the buyers when they assess the possible house maintenance needs. Consulting with professionals can give you a clear view of which method is the most beneficial.
Frequently Asked Questions
Severe subsidence can be a very serious problem. Subsidence can lead to severe structural problems which can make a house uninhabitable. Severe subsidence can be dangerous and eventually lead to structural instability and collapse. Subsidence can make a house unmortgageable and so, perhaps, unsaleable.
Cost to level a house the average cost to level a house is $3,500 to $6,500 for piering and underpinning a single corner or $10,000 to $20,000 for extensive damage. The amateurs who. Of course, if you're repairing a very large house that has a pier and beam foundation, the price would go even higher.
Concrete stumps are one of the most common. materials used when building a house. Our concrete stumps are reinforced with internal steel rods and cast in a single mould that is injection-filled to the desired height. They require no finishes as they are a sturdy, reliable and long-lasting product just as they are.
In the past, the stumps that contractors used in the area were made from 300mm diameter ironbark or rot-resistant timber of a similar style. These days, these choose CCA (Copper Chrome Arsenate) treated pine, or concrete stumps.
is that column is (architecture) a solid upright structure designed usually to support a larger structure above it, such as a roof or horizontal beam, but sometimes for decoration while stump is the remains of something that has been cut off; especially the remains of a tree, the remains of a limb.
Factors that Affect the Restumping Costs
The overall cost of the project can depend on many factors like:
- The property's height- If the house lies very low, it can be more challenging for contractors to access the stumps. It might require digging or excavating to restump. This may increase the cost. If the house is high above the ground, then it will require less effort and labour to restump. However, the materials may cost more due to the high height.
- Soil condition- The soil condition on which your house sits can impact the extent of work to be done when restumping. The best way to determine the soil condition is to have it tested by an expert. An engineer should also assess how deep the stumps should be depending on the soil condition. This will assist in avoiding errors and extra costs in future.
- Can the work be done all at once? Generally, a restumping project should be carried out sequentially till completion and not in phases. If you want it done in phases, then the workers will be coming more times, and this will only increase labour costs.
- The existing foundation- If the foundation is in a reusable state, then it will save you money and time.
- Stump holes- In case the stump holes are reusable, then this will save you money and time. However, if the workers will have to dig deeper holes, then the cost will be increased.
Restumping Costs
For a brick veneer house, the price can be anything up to $10000
For a weatherboard house, the prices may vary – starting from $13000
The price may vary depending on several factors, such as the total number of the stumps that require replacement, their height, whether you'll be using steel or concrete stumps, and whether rotted joists and bearers require replacement.
The average price for the restumping process is around $500 to $700 per stump. However, the price can be as low as $400 if there are no unusual or unique issues.
However, always be aware of contractors who offer unrealistically low prices. Such contractors may not have the required experience and tools to carry out the work.
They may also use substandard products. This will only lead to extra costs if the work has to be done afresh. Although a professional contractor may charge you more, they will eventually be more affordable and save you more money.
Professionals will use quality products, and they have all the necessary expertise, tools and equipment required to do the work successfully. They will always have products in stock and ready to restump your house at any time.
