Restumping & reblocking
New stumps, level floors, no drama
Most Brisbane timber stumps last 50 to 70 years. A lot of this city’s housing stock is now well past that.
What we replace them with
Galvanised steel
Our default for houses staying at their current height. Hot-dip galvanised posts on a poured concrete footing. Slim, strong, termite-proof, and adjustable if the house ever needs re-levelling.
Reinforced concrete
For taller columns and raised houses where the column is visible and bearing more load. Heavier and more permanent; the right answer under a raised house with a floor built in.
Part restump
Where only one section has failed — typically the damp, shaded side. We’ll do it, though if a third of the stumps are gone, doing the lot costs less per stump and gets you a properly level floor.
A typical full restump
A three-bedroom Queenslander has 35 to 50 stumps. Budget $12,000 to $18,000 for a full replacement including engineering, approval and re-levelling, and three to five days on site. You can usually stay in the house — the noise is significant but there’s no need to move out.
How a restump runs
Set up and take levels
Laser levels across the whole floor so we know exactly how much each section has dropped. Screw jacks positioned on the bearers.
Lift a few millimetres and remove old stumps
Just enough to take the load off. Old stumps out, new footing holes dug and inspected by the certifier before anything is poured.
New stumps and footings in
Posts set, plumbed and concreted. Ant caps fitted, and bearers checked for damage while we’ve got access — rotted sections replaced while it’s open.
Level the floor, gradually
This is the careful part. Bringing a floor back level over a day rather than an hour is what stops plaster cracking and cornices opening up.
Final inspection and certificate
Certifier signs off, we issue the Form 21 and engineering documents for your records, and the site is cleared of old stumps and spoil. Expect some minor cracking in old plaster regardless — a house that’s been sitting crooked for forty years has settled around that shape. We’ll tell you where it’s likely before we start, and we can put you onto a plasterer who does our patch-ups.