Restumping is the only process that ensures that your building and the floor are on a level. So always make sure to hire the most reputed and experienced company that has the experience in providing exceptional restumping services. It is a difficult job and must be handled carefully only by a professional team. Once the restumping process gets completed, they also make sure to get the internal cracks, and the structure of the home gets fixed. The cost of this house restumping process generally depends on the size of the house and the room space available under the floor.
So if you find any of the above-mentioned changes in your home, then don’t waste a minute and go for the house restumping process, which, if done properly, will add value to your house and let you live with peace of mind.
A huge percentage of homes in Australia are based on wooden stumps as their foundation because of the ever-changing climatic conditions in the country. They make sure to hold the house strongly, but there is a very bad drawback which may lead to chaos in the house and in one’s life. The drawback is that these wooden stumps may sag as the years may pass on. This is when the restumping plays a very important role as it forms the strongest foundation for every home. Many of us don’t know when to go for restumping? So here is a small guide that will help you in deciding on whether to go for the restumping process for your house. The most common changes that may appear in your house when the wooden stumps are sagged include:
- Crooked or jammed doors or window frames
- Significant plaster cracks
- Uneven floors
- If stumps rot evenly, the floors will still remain flat, but they will slope away from permanent brick structures like fireplaces.
When you find any of the above-mentioned changes in your home, then you have to check the condition of your wooden stumps. To check these, go under your home, clean the dirt and check the site of the wood. The wood may be rotten or maybe moved because of the gravity. It is advisable to hire some professional companies who have the top experience in dealing with the restumping and reblocking problems. These companies generally do this checking as a part of their quoting process.
Generally, Australian homes are generally found based on wooden stumps, but nowadays, the most house uses concrete stumps as these are stronger and provide a rigid foundation when compared to wooden stumps. The reason behind this is the life span of the wooden stumps. The age of the wooden stumps is expected to last for 20 to 80 years only depending on the various factors like the type of timber used, soil conditions and other common factors like drainage and pests.
Importance Of Restumping Your House
Australian homes that are built on timber stumps will have to eventually be restumped. Timber stumps, which are usually found in older homes, lead to serious problems over time. Wooden stumps can easily fall prey to termites, or they can rot with continued exposure to moisture.
Restumping is so much like a facelift; it is a major makeover, except that restumping is not merely meant to enhance or repair the appearance of the house. Once the house starts showing its age with creaking floors or cracks on walls or on the floor, it is time for restoration work through restumping. Here are some reasons for restumping your house.
Fixing Floor Damage
When there are damaged stumps in the house, the floors can become uneven. This can destroy the overall appearance of your home. You may have a beautifully designed and decorated home, but if the floor is not level, all the decorations go to waste.
You may also see some cracks on the floor when some portions are not fully supported; this is because some of the stumps have already deteriorated. There may also be squeaking sounds when one walks on the floor.
Damaged floors are not only visually unappealing; they can also be dangerous. With damaged stumps, you can never be sure about the stability of the floor. People could trip or fall onto the cracks if the problem gets worse.
Fixing Doors and Windows
Uneven flooring due to damaged stumps can also lead to misaligned windows and doors. Doors and windows may not close or open easily because of the misalignment. When this starts to happen, it is a sure signal to you that your house needs restumping.
You must realize that fixing the doors and windows will not fix the problem. If left unattended, the problem could get bigger, and the repairs could become enormous.
Flood-Prone Areas
If your house is lying in a flood-prone area, restumping is a good opportunity to get your house raised. Black & White House Raising & Restumping offers clients restumping services using advanced hydraulic jacks to lift the house.
As the house is lifted, the stumps are replaced with sturdier materials. Black & White installs new stumps, which may be formed as a base to elevate the structure, leaving an extra floor space below the house. This is very helpful for houses that frequently face problems whenever a big storm hits the area.
Benefits Of Raising And Restumping
As the poem goes, “Australia is a land of drought and flooding rains”, and lately, more than ever, it’s the flooding rains that are prevailing in our nightly weather forecasts. Cast your eyes over the people on the streets in news stories, and you will see a colourful sea of umbrellas in their hands as they hurry to get out of the rain. Everywhere you hear the expression, ‘when will this rain stop?’ tumbling from the lips of the populace. When you think about it, we really have had more than our fair share, tanks and dams are full and overflowing, and it seems more flooding is not far away.
House raising in flood-prone areas is being carried out on such a regular basis that it is becoming more the norm than an occasional event. So many people are mourning not only the loss of loved ones but also the loss of precious memorabilia that cannot be replaced. Treasured photos cannot be restored even if they can be found, so the only images we have are held in our minds to fade as we age. Happily, much of this will be prevented from occurring in the future with houses being raised above flood levels at heights that were not permitted by councils in pre-flood times.
Restumping Damaged House Stumps
Restumping is something else that has been happening more than before due to termite infestations and stumps that have moved due to water inundation, not only in flood areas but under high homes on slopes where water has rushed underneath during teeming downpours. This is more common in older homes that have been standing on the same stumps for centuries but can happen in others.
Restumping resets the new stumps into an upright position and keeps the floorboards even inside the home. Many people in termite prone areas are opting to restump with concrete stumps to raise the odds in their favour against infestation. This is definitely a worthwhile exercise for the peace of mind it offers, and the stumps will last a lifetime.
Benefits of House Raising
The benefits of house raising are floodproofing, giving the best possible chances of no loss of life or assets, cooler temperatures inside the home, better breeze catching being higher, and it is also said that walking up and downstairs is not an only good exercise but great for a healthy heart. By restumping, you benefit from safe and even floorboards in the home and less risk of being infested by termites when using concrete stumps. Another benefit of raising a home is being able to build a granny flat underneath later.
Frequently Asked Questions
This involves a sub-floor of horizontal bearers (beams) that support joists (a smaller, closer spaced beam on which the flooring material rests). The bearers sit on stumps which are adjusted in length to all be level with each other.
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.
The real advantage of strip footings/stumps is that your floor will feel a little softer to walk on compared to a slab, and you also have the benefit of being able to access the subfloor of your home. The negative side is the significant extra cost difference for strip footings/stumps.
The stump holes are dug into the ground with a post hole digger. Stump footings transfer the building loads to the foundation and are used to support timber framed houses.
The first signs that a home could have rotten or sinking stumps usually appear in unexpected areas such as the doors and windows not operating correctly or cracking to the wall and ceiling linings. Cracks in the wall-There may be cracks you see on the wall can be indicative of “sinking” stumps in one area of your home.
How To Know If Your Home Needs A Restumping?
An experienced restumping service provider will be responsible for offering standard workmanship using state-of-the-art restumping equipment to maximize the value of your residence. Various signs will indicate that your house needs to get the restumping done. Some of them are – uneven and sloping floors, cracks in walls, ceilings, and floors, doors of the house not shutting properly, and others. If you see such signs in your residence, then you should know that it’s time to get your house restumped. If you don’t know how much will it cost to get your house restumped, then you need to consider several factors, and here are a few of them:
- Space underneath your house: The height of the property from the ground is the deciding factor for the amount of work required to be done. The lower your residence is to the ground, the tougher it would be for the builders to access the stumps underneath it. In some cases, the employees might be required to dig or lift the floorboards so that they could restump the residence, which can add to the house restumping costs involved because the labour cost will be increased.
- Soil conditions: The kind of soil you have underneath your residence will be one of the crucial elements that will determine your house restumping costs. Suppose your residence has poor soil conditions, then more work will be needed to get the job done perfectly. Before starting the restumping work, you will be required to get a professional to check the soil conditions as well as to decide how deep the foundations can go.
- Existing foundations: If the existing foundations of your residence are in good shape, then they can be utilized again, and that too, with much more comfort. Reusing the existing foundations if they are in good shape will save your time and money on the overall to be spent on the house restumping costs.
- Existing stump holes: Likewise, if the existing stump holes are in good shape, it will save you valuable time and money, plus less digging work will be required. On the other hand, if you have to dig deeper, it will naturally boost your house restumping costs for the work to be done.
- Changing materials: Most of the individuals who want to get their residence restumped decide to change the materials of their stumps. For instance, they want to replace their timber stumps or concrete stumps with steel stumps, specifically when raising a house. This is probably the best option because the steel stumps are durable, strong, and suitable for the structural framework that doesn’t occupy too much space. However, this method isn’t always suitable because sometimes, if you are doing only a partial restump, utilizing the same materials as the existing stumps is the right thing to do.
How Often Should You Restump A House
A home that is built on timber stump will require restumping and reblocking over time. Most old homes have their foundation made of timber stumps which lead to serious problems over time. Timber stumps are prey to termites, and they rot when they are continuously exposed to moisture. Restumping is a major makeover, and it is not limited to repairing or enhancing the appearance of the house. Restumping and reblocking are ideal restoration work when your house starts showing cracks on the floor or the walls. Here are some of the reasons why you need to consider restumping and reblocking your house.
Fixing windows and doors
Damage stumps often result in uneven floors, and this can lead to misaligned doors and windows. In the case of misalignment, you will notice that your doors and windows may not open or close easily. Misalignment of windows and doors is a sure signal that your house needs restumping. It is advisable not just to fix the windows and doors when you notice a misalignment. If you don’t consider restumping, the problem could get bigger and the repairs more enormous.
Repairing floor damage
When there are damaged stumps, the floors of your house can become uneven. In such a case, the overall appearance of the house can get destroyed. If you have a beautifully decorated and designed home and the floors become uneven, all the decorations in your house go to waste. Cracks can be seen on the floor if some portions are not fully supported, an indication that the stumps have deteriorated. Also, if the stumps have already deteriorated, you might notice squeaking sounds when you walk on the floor. According to
Prevents the house from floods
Restumping is an ideal opportunity to get the house raised if it is lying in a flood-prone area. If that is the case, you need to hire professionals who can offer restumping services using technologically advanced tools to lift the house. During the lifting process, the stumps are replaced with strong and sturdier materials. Reputable professionals can install new stumps, which can be a base to elevate the house and, in the process, leave an extra flow space below. This can be very helpful if your house frequently faces problems whenever a storm hits the area.
Installing better stumps
These days, restumping is done by using concrete stumps or galvanized steel. Galvanized steel and concrete stumps are not susceptible to the weakness that wood stumps have. Concrete stumps don’t warp over time, cannot be damaged by termites, and do not rot. Steel stumps are adjustable on-site and thus are ideal when it comes to installation as they can save you a great deal of effort and time. Therefore, it is important that you have the process to the highest standard and professionally. Having restumping professionally done is vital to the structural integrity of your house.
