What is the Cost of Restumping a House?
The cost to restump varies depending on how many stumps you need, the stump material, space, soil, foundations and stump holes and more.
We have detailed how these factors affect the cost below. But first a bit more information about restumping
What is Restumping?
Restumping which is also known as reblocking is the process of replacing your house stumps with new ones. You may not need to replace all the stumps. At levelMaster we replace your damaged or deteriorating stumps with adjustable steel stumps.
What is the process of Restumping
Assessment of the stumps and floor level, assessment of soil and stump depth, jacking and removing stumps, digging if needed. Then the new stumps are placed and the house is leveled.
Do it once and do it right!
When you are looking around for a re-stumping quote, be wary of people quoting very cheap prices. Re-stumping a house is a large undertaking that can have expensive consequences for cutting corners. As Robert from LevelMaster will tell you, there are some inexperienced ‘backyard’ operations in the industry, and their negligent work can lead to tragic results.
‘We recently did The Brisbane Home Show, and we heard 30-40 horror stories without even soliciting them. It’s a fact that there are lot of houses re-stumped and then found they need to redo them within another three to five years. There are people in the industry that try to cut corners and cut costs instead of doing it once and doing it properly,’ Robert stated.
Re-stumping cost range
The usual price range for re-stumping is $500-$700 per stump. Occasionally prices may be closer to $400 if there are no unique or unusual circumstances. Remember, the professionals may charge a bit more, but they’ll save you money in the long run! Our products will also minimise the costs of re-stumping with the brilliant adjustable system we have created.
To give you a price perspective a complete metre high stump from LevelMaster starts at $80 and there is no extra charge for assembly.
Re-stumping cost factors
The number of stumps that need replacing
As mentioned above the price will depend on the number of stumps that need to be replaced.
The height of your property
If your house is very low then it will be difficult for workers to access underneath. They may also need to excavate or dig in order to restump. So lower houses are quite often very costly to restump. There are people who lift the floor boards so they can access the stumps from within the house which reduces the need for digging trenches.
If your house is quite high off the ground, they may be able to bring in a mini-digger, making the restumping job easier which saving labour costs but increase the cost of materials.
Soil conditions
The condition of the soil under your house will affect the amount of work involved in a re-stumping job. The proper way is to have your soil tested and an engineer specify the depth of the foundation footings. This will avoid errors and additional costs in the future. Soil tests are performed by professional Geo Tech consultants.
Can it all be done at once?
Ideally, the re-stumping job would be done sequentially in one go. However, if it needs to be done in sections—requiring workers to come and go several times—this will increase costs.
Existing foundations
If the existing foundations can be reused, this will save time and money. Refer to the soil tests to check that the existing foundations are suitable.
Existing stump holes
If the existing stumps holes can be reused, this will also save time and money. However, if deeper holes need to be dug, this will increase costs.
How do I tell if I need Reblocking (Restumping)?
If you can see your stumps you can check for rotting or deterioration. Some other signs include;
- Sloping floor – do marbles roll across the floor.
- Floors that are uneven or sagging
- Crakes on walls inside or out
- Bouncy or spongy floors
- Windows and doors that stick and are difficult to open and close
Do I need a Permit to Restump my House?
Different locations will have different rules around needing a permit to restump a house. You can see some more information for QLD, NSW, VIC, WA.
You can see all our compliance certificates for all of Australia here
LevelMaster products: the best in the business
You can always trust that LevelMaster adjustable house stump products will work properly, while most other products on the market are known to either bind or seize up due to substandard design and materials. In fact, the cost of our superior adjustable house stumps is very similar to that of competitors’ fixed stumps—sometimes ours are even cheaper.