While it might seem intimidating, restumping your house doesn’t need to be a nightmare. Keep your cool and understand what you need to know to find a good contractor, and you can get the job done with a minimum of stress.
Are there cracks in your plaster walls? Is your floor uneven? Do your doors and windows stick? Does your glassware clink merrily on the shelf every time someone walks past? Your house may need some stump love, so it’s time to call in the experts.
Unless your property is built on a concrete slab, most houses need restumping at some stage. Older houses are built on timber stumps, which can last anywhere from 15 to 80 years, depending on a variety of factors.
If you’re planning major renovations, be sure your existing stumps are up to it – if there’s any doubt, include restumping as part of the job. You’ll save both money and headaches in the future.
What exactly is restumping?
Restumping (sometimes called reblocking) consists of jacking up the house, removing the existing wooden stumps and replacing them. During the restumping work, floor levels need to be reset, and it’s possible that the movement will cause warped doorframes, cracked plaster, damaged tiles and so on. These days, the replacement stumps are usually concrete, and should last longer than wooden stumps.
A house can be partially restumped if only certain areas need it. But if half of your stumps are visibly decaying, there’s a very good chance that the others are probably on the way out, even if they seem OK. It’s usually advisable to replace all the stumps at once. A restumping expert or building inspector will be able to advise you on the best course of action.
What’s it going to cost?
That’s a piece-of-string question. The going rate changes based on many factors, including where you live, the size of your house (how many stumps are there?) and the size of the sub-floor space (how difficult will it be for workers to access underneath?). Soil condition and the state of bearers and joists will also affect the final bill. It’s a competitive business, so get a number of quotes, and then see whether your preferred restumper is able to match the lowest quote.
Find the right restumper
Personal recommendation is best – if you can find someone who has had a property restumped and had a good experience, take their advice.
Make sure any restumper you choose has the appropriate experience (and insurance). If you’re not sure where to start, contact a registered Master Builders Australia member in your area
Ask the restumper about recent jobs they’ve done (and maybe an older one, to ensure the levelling hasn’t changed). Find out if any of their past clients would be willing to provide a testimonial. If the restumper doesn’t want to tell you, that may be a cause for concern.
Make sure to search for restumpers online to find any reviews or feedback, and make sure they’ve been in business for a number of years under the same name.
Ask the right questions
Before you sign a contract, be sure you’re clear about the scope of work agreed. Ask the contractor:
- Are all stumps going to be replaced?
- Will the floor level be at the existing height, or higher?
- Are replacement of rotten/damaged bearers and joists included in the quote?
- What internal damage is likely?
- If they are pulling up floorboards, will they reinstate them? What about the carpet?
- Is levelling of floors guaranteed?
- Will doors and windows be restored to good opening condition?
- Will old stumps and other waste be removed?
You’ll also need a council permit. While this sounds like a hassle, it does mean the work will be independently inspected. Be sure to find out if your restumper will obtain the relevant permits, or if you need to do it yourself.
And you’re away! You generally shouldn’t have to move out of your home while the work is being done, and in seven to 10 days you’ll be freshly stumped.
Now you’ve got the low down contact Alecto Finance if you need to discuss financing options for the big job.
Frequently Asked Questions
Set up the bearer spacings at a minimum of 1800mm centres with stump holes no more than 1500mm apart. The outside run of stumps will need to align with the outside edge of the deck.
A 150m2 timber house approximately needs 80 stumps, whereas a brick veneer property of the same size may require around 60 stumps. A building surveyor or restumping contractor will initially assess the subfloor area to determine the condition of the existing stumps.
The cost of restumping can vary depending on the size of the house, whether the whole house needs restumping and the accessibility to the stumps themselves but as a guide the cost will typically range from $10,000 to $30,000.
If subsidence is caused by an escape of water, the customer's claim for loss or damage is usually considered under the escape of water peril clause of their insurance policy at first.
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5 Factors You Should Consider When Restumping
Do you live in a flood-prone area? Are you looking for ways to keep your house sturdy? You should consider restumping. Restumping is the process of removing old timbers from under your home and replacing them with stronger stumps for a sturdy foundation. This piece will give you tips on factors which will affect the restumping cost of your house.
1. Condition of the soil
The type of soil massively affects the stumps, foundation and the entire restumping process. Therefore, it would be prudent to examine the soil first. The soil has to contain enough moisture and be non-reactive. When the soil has much water, it will tend to sink. The common types of soil in Australia are clay and sand. Clay is reactive but can be stabilised using various methods. Sand has fewer problems, and most homeowners prefer using it.
2. Size and height of the property
The height of the property is a crucial factor since it tells the builders the amount of space that they will be working on. A low house will make accessing its underneath difficult since the workers will have to dig or excavate for restumping. The property size is also helpful in identifying the number of stumps you require for the task.
3. Existing foundations, stumps and stump holes
Take note of the foundation and stumps to ascertain the damage extent on your house stumps. This will help you identify the exact number of stumps you require. Besides the foundation and stumps, you also have to examine the holes of the present stumps. This will help determine whether the holes could still be reused or if you have to excavate new ones to fit the new stumps.
4. Material choice
There are various restumping materials, but the common ones include timber and concrete. The price of each material depends on where you are located. Most homeowners like changing materials of the stumps during the restumping process. However, change of material may at times be inappropriate, especially if you are conducting a partial restump.
5. Required number of days
Home construction projects that require a longer time to complete may require you to break the bank. To stay clear of extra costs because of the work extensions, ensure you keep all the stuff on schedule. The usual minimum time for restumping is between 7 to 14 days.
Restumping is the ideal way to maintain or boost the stability of your house. However, it is a cumbersome task. Therefore, you may consider hiring a professional to do it for you. Otherwise, go ahead and make your house sturdy.
THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE RESTUMPING A HOUSE
One of the most important projects that you can do for your home is to have it restumped and it requires a great deal of forethought. However, not all company offers genuine restumping services and not all workers are knowledgeable. There are some companies who damaged the homes during the process and homeowners are forced to renovate after replacing the stumps. Here are the things that you can do so that you will not become a victim of an incompetent restumping contractor that can leave your property with damage.
Choosing Stumps
There are wide varieties of stumps available in the market and it is crucial you pick a restumper who will use the best ones. A concrete stump that has strung rod of 10mm thickness and entrapped with sturdy concrete traction pad is considered as one of the best. The entrapped rod allows placing of stump securely on the floor while restraining any movement either downwards or upwards. This offers a confident strengthening for a long time. Ensure that your house reblocker selects this, or very similar, kind of stump for your project.
Selecting your Restumper
When you are looking for a certified restumper to do the job, make sure that you settle for someone who has an excellent track record, knows his job and very reliable. It is also good to know if your restumper has adequate equipment and jacks to prevent damaging your home. Jacks are used to lift structures in multiple places.
Before hiring the service of a restumper, make sure that you discuss with him some important matters to ensure that there will be no disputes later on.
- Know the space between the stumps.
- If there is a need to extract floor boards, determine if it is their responsibility to reinstall them and how.
- Ask for the entire cost of the project and what will be the payment terms.
- Verify when they will start working and how long would it take to finish the project.
When choosing your restumper, you can compare the various quotes they provided. Take note however that a cheap price is not synonymous to a high quality job. Certainly, you can save money during restumping but you may need to spend more for reframing and plaster-work.
Things you Need to Know about the Process and Costs
Admit it or not, it takes lots of effort and spending money to build the dream home. Starting from inspecting the home, repairing the walls, floors, tiles, plumbing lines, and other related tasks, maintaining a house can be quite a thing.
Alternatively, suppose one gets to see as sinking floor or cracks appear on the walls at the time of house inspection. In that case, it is a sign or clear indication that the house will settle down on the ground and thus needs restumping.
Importance of Doing Restumping
In a simple definition of restumping, the existing stumps are replaced by the new ones as they have worn out. As the stumps are made from timber, they are prone to deteriorate over time. Water, soil, and other natural elements or termites eat the wood, and they become weak.
One may need to restump the entire house or keep some of the stumps in good condition and replace the others. It is one of the most essential and crucial processes to maintain a house. It should be done by expert professionals as the entire load of the house is balanced on the stumps.
The Process of Restumping
When it comes to doing restumping, you need to call in the best professional in your area. Apart from visual inspection, the experts often use levels to determine the inclination of the floors. They then check the soil beneath the home and then determine how deep the stumps will be so that the owner does not face any future problems.
After inspecting the situations and deciding on the length of the stumps, multiple jacks are brought to the spot and placed at strategic points. The house is slowly and uniformly lifted. The defective stumps are then removed, keeping the good ones untouched, and new stumps are inserted to replace the defective ones.
Sometimes, some soil has to be dug a bit extra than the existing depth so that the stumps remain firm. After restumping, the jacks are again slowly and uniformly lowered. The entire building rests on the stumps once again. Finally, the jacks get removed after the work is complete.
The Cost of Restumping
The overall cost of restumping varies on various factors. It depends on the total floor area, the length of the stumps, the additional depth of the stumps required at the time of actual work. It also depends upon the material of the stumps, the condition of the soil, and other related factors.
With timber in crisis and restriction in felling trees, many house owners these days use steel stumps in place of timber.
Therefore the cost changes accordingly. Again, if it is possible to use the existing foundation, the price becomes less. However, if new holes are to be dug and the foundation needs to be reinforced, restumping adds up to the overall cost.
While making an approximation, we can be prepared that the overall cost will be between AUS $ 10,000 to Aus $ 25,000 for restumping a house having a covered area of 150square meters.
Conclusion
If you, too, want to reinforce your house and extend its life greatly, restumping can be a great option for you. At first, the process may seem to be a costly maintenance matter. Still, it is much cheaper than demolishing the house and rebuilding it.
The best agencies with the experts in their panel can give your dream home a new lease of life with restumping. So, what are you waiting for? Get started with restumping your home today.
