House Restumping in Sunshine Coast

What house restumping and raising in Sunshine Coast actually involves

Restumping replaces the stumps a timber-framed house sits on. The house is lifted just enough to take the load off — a few centimetres, not a full raise — the old stumps come out, new ones go in on new footings, and the house is set back down and levelled. A whole-house restump on a typical three-bedroom Queensland home averages A$8,500 to A$20,000, with the national range A$8,000 to A$25,000. The spread is mostly access, stump count, and what the old footings turn out to be sitting on.

What restumping actually involves

Stump choice is where a Sunshine Coast job stops being generic. Galvanised steel looks like the obvious upgrade — but the corrosion guidance behind AS 4312, the Australian standard for atmospheric corrosivity zones, holds that chloride from ocean surf is the main driver of metal corrosion here, and that its influence does not normally reach more than about a kilometre inland, with an explicit exception for flat terrain. This is a surf coast with a flat coastal plain: both conditions at once. Close to the beach at Marcoola, Mudjimba or Wurtulla that argues for concrete, or for galvanising specified thickly enough to earn its keep. Inland at Palmwoods it stops being the deciding factor.

How water behaves where you are matters just as much. The Bureau of Meteorology describes flooding on the flat coastal plain of the Maroochy and Mooloolah catchments as longer in duration than in the hinterland headwaters — and duration, not depth, is what destroys timber. A stump that spends three days wet every few years rots from the base up. In the hinterland the same rain produces a fast peak, and the failure mode is ground moving or washing out from around an otherwise sound footing.

House Restumping in Sunshine Coast — common questions

How do I know if my house needs restumping?

Doors that stick, visible slope across a floor, gaps opening between skirting and floorboards, and bounce underfoot. Under the house, look for stumps that are split, leaning, or soft at ground level. One or two failed stumps may only need re-levelling rather than a full restump.

Concrete or steel stumps on the Sunshine Coast?

Near the surf, salt decides it rather than price, for the reason above — concrete is the common answer close to the beach. Inland, galvanised or adjustable steel is more usual, and adjustable steel can be re-levelled later without another lift.

Do I need council approval to restump?

A QBCC-licensed contractor is required once the work passes A$3,300. If your property sits in a designated flood hazard area, Sunshine Coast Council requires a flood information search before building work, returning the defined flood level, freeboard and finished floor level for your site.