Reblocking vs Restumping: What’s the Difference?

Reblocking and restumping are the same thing. They are two names for one job: replacing the stumps that hold up the floor of your home and relevelling the structure. If a builder, conveyancer or building report mentions either word, they mean identical work — and you can get quotes for either, interchangeably.

Reblocking = restumping. Same job, same result, just a different word depending on who’s saying it.

So why are there two words?

It comes down to history and local habit. Many of Melbourne’s homes were originally levelled on timber or concrete blocks set into the ground. The job of renewing those supports naturally became known as reblocking, and the term stuck — especially with older Melburnians and in the inner suburbs.

Over time, the standard support became the engineered concrete stump, and the trade began describing the work as restumping. Today that’s the more common term among builders, building surveyors and on written quotes. The word changed; the job didn’t.

What the job actually involves

Whichever name you use, the work follows the same sequence:

• Inspection. A look under the house to assess every stump for rot, cracking, lean and settlement, and to measure how far the floors have moved out of level.
• Permit and engineering. Reblocking/restumping is regulated building work in Victoria, so it needs a building permit and, where required, engineering computations.
• Jacking and replacement. The house is jacked gradually and evenly, the old stumps are removed, and new ones — usually steel-reinforced concrete — are set onto fresh footings at a consistent, level datum.
• Final sign-off. A registered building surveyor inspects the completed work and issues a certificate of final inspection.

You can see this laid out in full on our house restumping page, and the same process applies to reblocking.

Partial vs full — that’s the distinction that matters

If you want a meaningful difference to focus on, it isn’t reblocking vs restumping — it’s partial vs full. A partial job replaces only the stumps that have failed (often along one wall or under one room), while a full job renews every stump and relevels the whole house. Which one you need depends on how widespread the failure is, and an inspection is the only way to know for sure. Either way, our restumping cost guide breaks down what to expect.

How to spot whether you need it

Reblocking and restumping become necessary when stumps rot, crack or sink — common in Melbourne’s older weatherboards and period homes sitting on reactive clay. The tell-tale signs are sloping or bouncy floors, sticking doors and windows, cracking plaster and gaps opening at the skirting. Our guide to the signs you need restumping covers all ten in detail.