Restumping your own house: the owner-builder rules

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Some Gympie-region owners are handy and want to manage a restump themselves, or do part of it. Queensland allows that within limits, set mostly by the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC). This page summarises those limits. It's general information, so check the QBCC pages linked below before you start.

The $11,000 line

• Work valued at $11,000 or less that you personally do on your own property doesn't need a QBCC licence (QBCC – when you need a licence (opens in a new tab)).
• Above $11,000, you need an owner-builder permit to do or supervise the work, and the permit has to be approved before any work starts on site (QBCC – about owner-building (opens in a new tab)).

The value isn't what you expect to spend. The QBCC says to add up materials and labour at trade prices, including GST, even if friends are helping for free or you've sourced second-hand materials. The published cost estimates on our House restumping page put a full restump above $11,000, so most full restumps will need a permit if you run them yourself.

Most people need to complete an owner-builder course before applying.

Approvals come first, permit or not

Gympie Regional Council treats underpinning and repairing a house as building work that needs a building approval, with mandatory inspections (Gympie Regional Council – Building (opens in a new tab)). The QBCC also says owner-builders must have work approved before starting, even before earthworks, and that a certifier can't grant approval until your owner-builder permit is issued (QBCC – owner-builder responsibilities (opens in a new tab)).

So the order is: permit (if over $11,000), then building approval, then work.

What owner-builders can't do themselves

Per the QBCC, unless you hold the relevant occupational licence you can't personally do:

• Plumbing and drainage. Lifting or re-levelling a house often means disconnecting and reconnecting sewer, stormwater and water lines. That part needs a licensed plumber.
• Chemical termite management. See Termites and house stumps.
• Removal of more than 10 m² of asbestos.

You also have to hire appropriately licensed contractors for any work you don't do personally, and display an owner-builder sign visible from the street.

Older homes and asbestos

The QBCC says that if your property contains asbestos or was built before 1990, owner-builders must complete an Asbestos General Awareness course. If your house is that age, assume asbestos may be present until it's tested. WorkSafe Queensland notes that asbestos cement sheeting (fibro) was used in many Queensland buildings before 1990 for cladding, roofs and fences (WorkSafe Queensland (opens in a new tab)). Removing more than 10 m² of non-friable asbestos needs a certificate or a licensed removalist (Queensland Government asbestos site (opens in a new tab)).

The trade-offs

• No home warranty cover. Owner-builders can't access the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme, which covers some defects and subsidence when you contract a licensed builder.
• It's noted on your title. The QBCC notifies Titles Queensland. The notification stays for 7 years.
• Selling. If you sell within 6 years of completion, you must tell buyers in writing.
• One permit every 6 years, unless an exemption is granted.
• Working without a permit can mean fines, prosecution, and council enforcement orders to remove unapproved work.

A middle path

Some owners do the preparation themselves (clearing under the house, organising access) and contract a QBCC-licensed restumper for the structural work. If a licensed restumper contracts with you for the structural work, they're responsible for that work. The QBCC says builders take out Queensland Home Warranty Scheme cover when they do more than $3,300 of work on your home (QBCC – before you buy (opens in a new tab)). Ask the contractor to explain what's covered.

See House restumping and Re-levelling for what the job involves.