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

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, $39. No subscription.