Restumping in Melbourne's South East

Post-war homes built to last, on stumps that did not

After the Second World War, suburbs like Bentleigh, Moorabbin, Highett, Cheltenham, Oakleigh and Clayton filled quickly with modest weatherboard homes, and later with cream brick veneers. Many have been renovated inside, but plenty still stand on their original stumps. The timber stumps of that period are now well beyond the life anyone expected of them, and early concrete stumps are prone to cracking as the reinforcing inside rusts.

Common features we find under south-east homes include:

• Original timber stumps decayed at or just below ground level.
• Early concrete stumps that are cracked, spalling or leaning.
• Mixed stumps from earlier part-repairs, sometimes packed with timber offcuts or bricks.
• Rear extensions and sleep-outs on separate, often shallower, footings.

Sand near the bay

Cheltenham, Mentone, Highett and the bay side of Moorabbin sit in what is often called the sandbelt. Sandy ground behaves very differently from clay:

• It does not swell and shrink much, so stumps are not pushed around by the seasons the way they are on clay.
• It drains quickly, which helps timber, but downpipes that discharge near the house can wash sand away from shallow footings.
• Water tables can be high in low-lying pockets, so footing holes may fill with water and need pumping before concrete goes in.
• Loose sand can collapse into holes as they are dug, which needs careful work.

On sand, problems are more often about footings being undermined or originally too small than about the ground heaving.

Clay further inland

Head east towards Oakleigh, Clayton and parts of Bentleigh East and the soils become heavier clay. Clay holds moisture in winter and shrinks in summer, and that cycle slowly works stumps up and down. Houses on clay tend to show more seasonal cracking and sticking doors, and the footing design usually needs to be deeper and larger to get below the most active zone of the soil. Some streets sit on a mix of sand and clay, so it is not unusual for two houses a few blocks apart to need different footing approaches.

Re-level, partial or full restump

A lot of south-east homes have been partly restumped before. If a previous job replaced only the stumps that had obviously failed, the remaining originals may now be the problem. On the other hand, a house on stable sand with only a few failed stumps may need only targeted replacement and a re-level. We check every accessible stump and take floor levels so the recommendation is based on your house rather than a rule of thumb.

Concrete or steel?

Reinforced concrete stumps are the standard for most south-east homes. Adjustable galvanised steel stumps are worth considering on reactive clay, or where the floor is likely to need fine-tuning in future. Closer to the water, we consider exposure when choosing finishes on any steel components.

Things to sort out alongside the restump

• Drainage. Redirecting downpipes and stormwater away from the footings helps the new work last, especially on sand.
• Subfloor ventilation. Blocked vents from past renovations are common and keep subfloors damp.
• Bearer and joist condition. We check the timber the stumps carry, not just the stumps themselves.

Dealing with these at the same time as the restump is usually simpler and cheaper than coming back later, because the crew is already under the house and the subfloor is open.

Suburbs we cover in the south east

Moorabbin, Bentleigh and Bentleigh East, Highett, Cheltenham, Mentone, Parkdale, Oakleigh, Oakleigh South and East, Clayton and Clayton South, and nearby streets. If you are in between and unsure, ask when you book the inspection.