House restumping

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Restumping means replacing the stumps (the posts and footings) that hold up a highset or lowset house. The house is jacked up in sections, the old stumps come out, new footings and stumps go in, and the house is set back down, ideally level. Stumps can fail over time. Timber can rot or be damaged by termites, concrete can crack, steel can rust, and any stump can settle unevenly.

Full or partial?

• Partial restump: only the failed stumps are replaced. This suits localised problems, such as one side of the house or a wet corner.
• Full restump: every stump is replaced. This is common when the original timber stumps are near the end of their life everywhere.

A stump inspection and level survey will show which you need. See Stump inspections.

Stump materials

Stumps are generally concrete, steel or timber. Each must meet its own Australian Standard: AS 3600 for reinforced concrete, AS 4100 for steel, and AS 1684 for timber (termite-resistant species with sapwood removed below ground). One Queensland council's restumping information sheet also notes that footing depth depends on soil type and house height (North Burnett Regional Council information sheet (opens in a new tab)). That sheet is from another council, so treat it as a guide and let your contractor and certifier confirm what applies to your Gympie house.

Approvals in the Gympie region

Gympie Regional Council says all building work on a house needs a building approval, and lists repairing and underpinning as building work. Mandatory inspections apply to approved permits (Gympie Regional Council – Building (opens in a new tab)). Your contractor will usually arrange a private certifier. Confirm that in writing.

If your house is a Local Heritage Place or sits in a heritage or character overlay, extra planning rules may apply. See Gympie town and heritage areas.

What it might cost

Published 2026 estimates from a Queensland quote-comparison site: $200 – $450 per stump, $3,500 – $9,000 for a partial restump of 10–20 stumps, and $12,000 – $28,000 for a full restump of a single-storey Queenslander (The Quote Yard (opens in a new tab)). These are not quotes from any contractor we work with.

Cost factors: number and height of stumps, stump material, footing depth for your soil, access under the house, condition of bearers and joists once exposed, re-levelling, approvals and engineering, and reconnecting services.

Questions to ask before you hire

1. What's your QBCC licence number?
2. Partial or full restump, and what did you see that tells you that?
3. What material and footing size, and will it be engineered?
4. What happens if rotten bearers or joists are found? How is that priced?
5. Who gets the building approval and books the inspections?
6. What warranty applies to the work?