How much does it cost to restump a house in Australia?

A full restump of a typical Australian home runs roughly $15,000-$35,000, rising to $40,000-$50,000+ for large homes, heritage construction, poor under-floor access, or an upgrade to galvanised steel stumps. A partial restump — replacing a handful of failed stumps rather than the whole house — is usually $2,000-$10,000. The big cost drivers are the number of stumps, how easy the subfloor is to get into, and whether the floor needs significant re-levelling.

What is the difference between restumping and reblocking?

Nothing — they are the same job under different regional names. "Restumping" is the common term in Victoria and most of Australia; "reblocking" is used more in some areas and historically referred to replacing concrete "blocks." Both mean replacing the stumps (footings) that support a house with a suspended timber floor. You may also see "underpinning," but that is a different repair — underpinning strengthens existing concrete-slab footings, whereas restumping replaces the stumps under a timber-floored house.

How do I know if my house needs restumping?

The classic signs are sloping or bouncy floors, doors and windows that stick or won't close square, gaps opening between walls and cornices, and internal cracking that gets worse over time. Under the house, failed stumps look rotted, cracked, leaning, sinking, or packed up with timber offcuts and bricks (a tell-tale sign someone has already band-aided movement). Your building inspector will note these as "stumps deteriorated," "subfloor movement," "floors out of level," or "packing evident to stumps."

Do I need a permit to restump a house?

Usually yes. In most states restumping is regulated building work that requires a building permit and, in many cases, a registered building practitioner plus engineering sign-off — because it temporarily lifts and re-supports the entire house. In Victoria, for example, a building permit is generally required. A reputable restumping contractor handles the permit and inspections as part of the job; if a quote is suspiciously cheap and makes no mention of permits, that is a red flag.

Can I live in the house during restumping?

Often yes, but with disruption. The house is jacked up in stages, so you may get cracked plaster, doors that need re-hanging, and temporary loss of access. Most full restumps take 1-3 weeks depending on size and access. Budget separately for cosmetic make-good — re-levelling an old house almost always opens up some plaster and cornice cracks that need patching and repainting afterwards.

Restumping & Reblocking Cost in Australia (2026): What It Really Costs

You're reading the building inspection report and you hit a line like this:

“Subfloor stumps deteriorated in several locations. Floors noted to be out of level. Evidence of movement. Restumping recommended — further assessment advised.”

For a lot of older Australian homes — weatherboard cottages, Queenslanders, period terraces — this is one of the most common big-ticket findings there is. And like most things in a building report, the cost swings wildly depending on the detail: it's the difference between a $3,000 partial fix and a $40,000 full reblock. Here's how to tell which one you're looking at.

What restumping actually is

Many older Australian houses don't sit on a concrete slab. They have a suspended timber floor held up by a grid of stumps(also called footings or piers) driven into the ground beneath the house. Over decades, those stumps fail — and when they do, the floor above them sinks, tilts, or bounces.

Restumping (called reblocking in some areas — same job) is the process of jacking the house up, removing the old stumps, and replacing them with new ones, then re-levelling the floor. It's major structural work, but it's routine and well understood — thousands of homes are restumped in Australia every year.

Note this is different from underpinning, which strengthens the footings under a concrete-slab or brick home. Restumping is specifically for houses on stumps.

Why stumps fail

Timber rot. Original stumps were often red gum or other hardwood timber. After 50-100 years in damp ground they rot, especially where subfloor drainage and ventilation are poor.
Termite damage. Timber stumps are a prime target. If your report also flags termite activity, the stumps are often where it started.
Reactive soil movement. Clay soils swell and shrink with moisture, heaving and dropping stumps over the seasons.
Concrete stump deterioration. Even mid-20th- century concrete stumps can crack, spall, or sink if they were undersized or poorly footed.

The signs in your report (and your walk-through)

Standard AS4349.1 building inspections flag stump problems through a mix of subfloor and above-floor clues:

“Floors out of level” / sloping or bouncy floors— the classic symptom. A marble that rolls across the room is the folk test.
“Stumps deteriorated / rotted / cracked” — noted from the subfloor inspection.
“Packing evident to stumps” — timber offcuts or bricks wedged on top of stumps to re-level the floor. A sign someone has band-aided movement rather than fixed it.
Doors and windows that stickor won't close square.
Gaps between walls and cornices/skirtings, and internal cracking — sometimes confused with structural cracking, but driven by the floor moving underneath.

What restumping actually costs in 2026

Cost is driven far more by the number of stumps, under-floor access, and how much re-levelling is needed than by anything else. Real 2026 Australian ranges by scenario:

Partial restump (a few failed stumps): $2,000-$10,000. Replacing 5-15 stumps where movement is localised.
Full restump — small/medium home, good access: $15,000-$25,000.
Full restump — larger home or restricted access: $25,000-$40,000.
Full restump — large/heritage, poor access, or steel-stump upgrade: $40,000-$50,000+.
Permit + engineering:$500-$2,000 (usually included in a proper contractor's quote).
Cosmetic make-good after re-levelling: $1,000-$5,000 in plaster/cornice patching and repainting.

These are typical ranges to guide you, not quotes — always get 2-3 written quotes from licensed, insured restumping contractors for your specific property.

Concrete vs galvanised steel stumps

You'll be offered a choice of replacement stump material, and it affects both cost and longevity:

Concrete stumps— the standard, cheapest option. Long-lasting if correctly footed. The default for most full restumps.
Galvanised steel stumps— typically 20-40% more, but adjustable (they can be re-levelled later without major work) and highly durable. Worth considering on reactive clay sites where future movement is likely.

The bit buyers forget: it's regulated work

Restumping temporarily lifts and re-supports your entire house, so in most states it's regulated building work — requiring a building permit, a registered practitioner, and often engineering sign-off. A reputable contractor builds the permit and inspections into the quote. If a price looks too good and there's no mention of permits or insurance, that's your warning sign — cut-price restumping that skips the paperwork can cause problems at resale and with insurers.

Is it a dealbreaker?

Usually no. Restumping is routine, fixable, and predictable once it's been quoted. The danger isn't the stumps — it's buying without knowing the number. A report that says “restumping recommended” with no cost leaves you guessing whether it's a $4,000 partial or a $40,000 full reblock.

The move: get it costed, then decide whether to proceed, renegotiate, or walk.

How to use it to negotiate

Restumping is one of the stronger negotiation levers in a building report, because the scope is quotable and the cost is defensible. The framework:

Partial restump: $3,000-$10,000 ask, quote-based.
Full restump:$15,000-$40,000 ask, backed by a licensed restumper's written quote.
Anchor the number to the report and the quote — not a round guess. See our negotiation framework for the full structure.

Where Report Decoded fits

Report Decoded reads your AS4349.1 building & pest PDF and pulls out every stump-related finding — “stumps deteriorated,” “floors out of level,” “packing evident,” “subfloor movement” — then assigns it a likely severity and an indicative 2026 cost range, so you walk into the negotiation knowing whether you're looking at a partial fix or a full reblock.

Upload your report to Report Decodedand every defect — stumps included — comes back in plain English, costed, with ready-to-send negotiation wording. One report, $59. No subscription.

Restumping and reblocking cost in Australia: what it really costs (2026)