Re-stumping and Reblocking Houses and the Costs Involved

What is the Cost of Restumping a House in Australia?

The cost to restump a house in Australia varies depending on how many stumps you need, stump material, space, soil, foundations and stump holes and more.

As you can understand the environment surrounding House Stumps in Brisbane is very different from the environment for House stumps in Sydney or House stumps in Melbourne which are also again different from Hobart or Perth. We have detailed how these factors affect the cost below.

But first a bit more information about restumping

Restumping or Stumping Cost Range

The usual price range for re-stumping in Australia 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.

What is Restumping?

Restumping, restores and enhances the foundational structure of a residential property. In this process, some or all of the existing stumps supporting your home are replaced with new ones.

Restumping becomes necessary when the original stumps start to show signs of damage or deterioration, such as cracks, sinking, or instability.

By opting for restumping or reblocking, you can safeguard your property from potential structural issues and maintain its structural integrity for years to come.

What is the process of Restumping

The restumping process involves a series of steps. The initial phase consists of conducting a thorough assessment of the stumps and floor level, carefully inspecting for any signs of deterioration, damage, or unevenness. Simultaneously, an evaluation of the soil composition and stump depth is carried out.

Once the assessment is complete, the next stage involves the jacking and removal of the existing stumps. This step requires specialised equipment and techniques to safely lift and detach the old stumps from their positions. In some cases, additional excavation work may be necessary.

Following the removal of the old stumps, the process proceeds with the placement of the new stumps. These stumps are carefully positioned and adjusted to achieve optimal load-bearing capacity and stability.

When LevelMasters adjustable steel stumps are used it saves labour costs as they are much faster to install and adjust in the future.

Restumping 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.

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. Restumping 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. Contact us to find an experienced professional who will do it right the first time.

‘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.

How do I tell if I need 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 such as Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne may 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. Contact us to find an experienced professional or see our shop to buy house stumps.