Sloping, bouncy or sagging timber floors are usually a sign the stumps underneath have rotted, sunk or been eaten by termites. We replace failed stumps, repair the subfloor frame and bring your floors back to level.
Many older Sydney homes, particularly weatherboard and fibro cottages and some brick homes with timber floors, sit on stumps or piers. Over decades, timber stumps rot at ground level, termites move in, and brick or concrete piers settle or crack. As stumps fail, the floor frame above drops unevenly.
Restumping (often called reblocking) means supporting the floor, removing the failed stumps, installing new concrete or steel stumps on proper footings, and packing the bearers back to level. While the subfloor is open we also replace rotten or termite-damaged bearers and joists.
| Partial restumping | Full restumping | |
|---|---|---|
| When it suits | A few failed stumps in one area, the rest sound | Most stumps old, rotten or settling |
| What's replaced | Only the failed stumps | Every stump under the house |
| Upfront cost | Lower | Higher |
| Long-term | Remaining old stumps may fail later | Whole floor on new, durable stumps |
| Levelling | Local correction | Whole floor relevelled |
We inspect every stump and give you an honest recommendation. If only a handful have failed, partial restumping makes sense.
Every stump, bearer and joist checked; levels taken.
Partial or full restump, with timber repairs itemised.
Floor frame jacked and temporarily supported.
Failed stumps removed; new stumps on footings installed.
Floor packed to level gradually; doors and cracks fixed.
Timber stumps fail mostly from rot and termites, both of which thrive in damp, poorly ventilated subfloors. Brick piers fail from footing settlement and moisture. If the subfloor stays damp, the new frame timbers will suffer too.
We check subfloor drainage and ventilation as part of every restump and recommend subfloor ventilation or drainage improvements where needed. If termites are active, a licensed pest manager should treat them first; we then repair the termite damage.
If your home is full brick on strip footings, or the cracks are in the external brickwork, the problem may be the main footings rather than stumps. That calls for an engineer's assessment and possibly underpinning. We'll tell you which it is.
Book a subfloor inspection. We'll check every stump, the bearers and joists, and tell you exactly what needs doing.
We'll call to arrange a time.