Restumping Cost in Melbourne: What Drives the Price

Why there is no honest price over the phone

A restumping quote is mostly labour and materials per stump, plus the work needed to make the house safe to lift and the paperwork to make it legal. Almost every one of those inputs depends on things nobody can see from the street: how many stumps there are, how high the floor sits, what the ground is like and what state the timber is in. A phone figure either has a large buffer built in or leaves out items that turn into variations later. An inspection removes the guesswork for both sides.

The size of the house and the number of stumps

Stump count is the starting point. Stumps are usually spaced along each bearer, so a bigger floor area means more of them, but layout matters as much as size. A long, narrow house, a house with several additions, or a home with a verandah and a separate laundry block can carry far more stumps than its floor area suggests. Older homes were not always stumped to modern spacing, so new stumps may need to be added, not just swapped.

Full restump, partial restump or re-level

• Full restump – every stump replaced. The highest outlay, but it resets the whole subfloor at once.
• Partial restump – only failed stumps are replaced. Cheaper, but only sensible if the remaining stumps are genuinely sound.
• Re-level – sound stumps are packed or adjusted. The least expensive option where it is appropriate.

Part of the inspection is telling you honestly which of these your house actually needs.

Subfloor height and access

How the crew gets under the house has a direct effect on time. A low subfloor with little crawl space means digging out access, working on hands and knees and passing spoil out by bucket, all of which slows the job. A very high subfloor on a sloping block means tall stumps, longer footings and bracing. Narrow side paths, steep driveways, decks, garden beds and paving that must be lifted all add handling time too.

The ground on your block

Soil decides the footing. On reactive clay, footings usually need to go deeper and be larger so the new stumps are not pushed around as the clay swells and shrinks. Sandy ground digs easily but may need wider footings, and a high water table can mean pumping out holes before concrete goes in. Rock, old concrete, tree roots and buried services all slow digging. Footing size is set to the site, not a standard hole for every job.

Bearers, joists and other surprises

New stumps under rotten timber do not fix anything. If bearers or joists are decayed, termite-damaged or undersized, they may need to be replaced or reinforced, and this is one of the biggest swing factors in final cost. A careful inspection finds most of it in advance, but some damage only shows once the house is lifted, which is why quotes should explain how any extra timber work is priced.

Concrete or steel stumps

• Reinforced concrete is the common choice. It suits most Melbourne sites and is typically the more economical option per stump.
• Galvanised steel stumps cost more each, but adjustable heads make future fine-tuning possible, which can be worth it on reactive clay or tall subfloors. Coastal sites may call for a heavier coating.

Permit and inspections

Restumping generally needs a building permit in Victoria. The building surveyor's fees, the required footing and final inspections, and any engineering or soil advice the surveyor asks for are part of the cost of doing the job properly. A quote should state whether these are included.

Making the house liveable afterwards

Once the floor is re-levelled, some doors may need easing, plumbing and drainage under the house may need adjusting, and new hairline cracks in plaster can appear. Ask how each quote handles these so you can compare like with like.

Getting a quote you can rely on

The most useful quote lists the scope (full, partial or re-level), the stump type, the number of stumps, what is allowed for bearer and joist work, whether permit costs are included, and how variations are handled. That is what we aim to give you after a free on-site inspection.