The Materials Used in Restumping

1If you didn’t understand how houses are painted, would you feel comfortable entrusting the service to someone you barely knew and who didn’t explain their work at all? If you didn’t know how taxes worked, would you be okay calling up the first CPA in the phone book or listed on the internet and saying, “hey, take my money.” If you’ve answered yes to either of these questions, then we may have a larger problem on our hands.

The team at Restumping Melbourne knows our stuff inside and out. We have the decades of experience to prove it. But why should that be enough for you to choose us? It shouldn’t. You should feel comfortable asking us, “what on earth we’re doing and how,” at any point in the process.

Part of this is the materials that we use. The fact alone that restumping and reblocking are phrases used interchangeably depending on where you live, is probably confusing enough. Here’s a breakdown of the different materials used in the restumping process, all over the country.

Victoria:

  • Victoria chooses rot-resistant timber stumps. Victorian Red Gum is one of the most commonly used. There is an advantage with Victorian Red Gum– it’s 10% cheaper than concrete. However it does have the disadvantage of limited life expectancy. Many don’t care about this because they will still last upwards of 20 years and many assume that they won’t be in their homes that long. It’s still something to keep in mind, regardless.
  • In our opinion, an equally as impactful disadvantage with Victorian Red Gum timber stumps is that they won’t be nearly as well-secured to the the bearers as concrete stumps will be. This ultimately means that the home won’t be leveled as accurately.

Concrete:

  • Concrete stumps are used throughout Australia. They’re on the market in several different types. Those that cause the best connection have a 10mm diameter threaded rod at the top of the stump, which is then secured with a footing from a poured concrete pad. This threaded rod is what allows the stump to be bolted securely to the floor frame. Once you do this properly, you prevent both upward movement and downward movement. Then the concrete pad provides protection against the settlement of long term footing.
  • These concrete stumps last indefinitely– the longest shelf life by far. The only exception here is the most damp conditions because even the best concrete stumps are amenable to rust. If a stump rusts, it may expand and cause weakness.

Queensland

  • Life Victoria, Queensland has specialized stumps that they tend to use frequently when they enforce the foundation of their homes and businesses. In the past, the stumps that contractors used in the area were made from 300mm diameter ironbark or rot-resistant timber of a similar style.
  • These days, these choose CCA (Copper Chrome Arsenate) treated pine, or concrete stumps. In a lot of areas where the ground is particularly soft, a concrete footing is poured first.
  • High wind stresses are also particularly prevalent, so anchor bolts are required in each corner, around the perimeter every four meters and also under bracing walls.

We want to equip you to ask the right questions. If there is content that we don’t cover, feel free to reach out to any of our team members. We’ll be happy to help. 

 

Before Getting Started

What the heck is restumping? And why do you need to do it? Let’s walk you through the basics so you can understand exactly how we can help you.

Restumping and reblocking are the same thing. They’re both the process of replacing the timber stumps that support a house, business or school if the timber stumps are no longer effective. When the timber stumps are no longer effective, they begin to rot, rendering the foundation of your home or business less safe than we’d like it to be. At Restumping Melbourne, there’s not a spectrum of levels of rot that we’re okay with. Any rot whatsoever is not okay with us. There are many signs that you can look for that will suggest that you need to restump. These include cracked interior walls, bowed or soft floors, any cracking on exterior brickwork and doors and windows that aren’t functioning the way they used to. We’re used to working with a variety of soil compositions and conditions. They each will encourage your home to show the deterioration in a different way. However, at the end of the day, the end result is the same- a collapsed home or business.

downloadIt’s a huge business here in Australia but we want to be the most transparent with our customers about the process and any red flags to look for. We’ve heard horror stories about unexpected damage to walls, squeaking floors, crooked floors, disappearing contractors…the lot. It’s unfortunate but you will never encounter any of these pitfalls with us.

First thing we do is we select the stumps. There are several different varieties. Victorian red gum is a commonly used timber stump since it’s very rot resistant. It has the advantage of being more cost efficient than concrete, but will not last quite as long as concrete. You’re also going to find less accurate re-leveling with timber than you would with concrete. Concrete stumps will last lifetimes except in particularly wet and damp conditions. In conditions like these, the metal reinforcement in the stump might rust. When they rust, they expand- causing an increased degree of weakness.

You can choose to only partially restump your home or business, but we don’t recommend it. You’re pitting the stumps against each other, as they’ll deteriorate at different speeds. It’s a big job to swap out only one or two stumps.

Next up- we need to have an honest discussion with you, our customers, about what to expect. Remember- our quotes are free and with no attached obligation. We just want to sit down, get to know you and identify what your needs are so that we deliver. The types of questions that we want to cover include-

  • Will we follow all building regulations and obtain a council building permit? (The answer to this is always, yes!)
  • What sort of stumps will be used?
  • How will they be spaced?
  • Will we level the floors after completing the restumping?
  • An agreed upon cost, start and expected completion

Once all of these factors are agreed upon, it’s time to get to work!