What's Involved in Relevelling a House?

LJW127 on 07/02/2022 - 19:37
Last edited 07/02/2022 - 19:50 by 1 other user

Wondering if anyone might have some experience/knowledge on what’s involved in relevelling a house that’s dropped approximately 120mm towards the front?

It’s on concrete stumps so we were under the impression that we did not need to restump but have been told recently that it should not be packed up that high and that it is a band aid solution. The most recent company has suggested restumping the lower section which is going to be significantly more expensive. Have reached out to quite a few businesses but finding it very difficult to get a straight answer. I realise that it’s impossible to predict if the house may drop again due to various factors (e.g. soil type, moisture etc) but looking for the most reliable option as we are planning some pretty major renovations.

Thought someone here might be able to offer some insight. Thanks a lot!

• 

  SBOB on 07/02/2022 - 19:42

  +3

  as we are planning some pretty major renovations.

  Then I would be doing it right first time.

  • 

    LJW127 on 07/02/2022 - 19:53

    +1

    Yes I agree but how do we know that this more expensive option is doing it ‘right’? Could be a completely over the top money grab

    • 

      Stewardo on 07/02/2022 - 20:27

      If the builder doing the renovation is the same one that is telling you to replace the piers, it would be very difficult for them to warranty the internal work knowing that the house will sink and crack warp distort all of the interior, if the piers are just packed.

      • 

        LJW127 on 07/02/2022 - 21:19

        Good point, we decided to engage restumpers/relevellers initially as I assumed they were the experts in that area. Now that I have 4 different quotes with 4 different approaches, I am starting to doubt that decision haha

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  tio on 07/02/2022 - 19:57

  +2

  If I were you, I'd seek input from a structural/civil engineering firm, rather than just asking for an idea from builders.

  • 

    Kangal on 07/02/2022 - 20:08

    +1

    Or a pastor, they're always saying don't build your house on sand.

    • 

      Stewardo on 07/02/2022 - 20:22

      +1

      And so castles made of sand,
      Fall in the sea, eventually

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  Stewardo on 07/02/2022 - 20:00

  +4

  Often the old piers have little to no foundation underneath them, so if you pack them, it will just sink again. If your going to renovate you need to replace the piers first, the concrete ones can develop cancer where they corrode and the breakup.
  I’d be getting them replaced with brick piers with a concrete foundation.
  I’ve had this done before it worked out at $220 per pier.
  I’d also make sure all roof downpipes and storm water is connected to the storm water system on the road, as sitting water will cause houses to sink with time.

  • 

    LJW127 on 07/02/2022 - 20:52

    I guess we could check under a few to see if there is any foundation. If not, sounds like we would need to restump the entire house, not just the front section that’s dropped away?

    • 

      Stewardo on 07/02/2022 - 22:24

      If they are sinking I would say they don’t have enough foundation. I would suggest if the builder is saying they need to be replaced, they probably do.
      You can always get a second opinion from a bricklayer who specialises in replacing house piers.

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  bradl822 on 07/02/2022 - 21:45

  +1

  I would suggest restumping anything that has moved, you may not need to do the lot. The few restumpings I have seen have all done some serious although cosmetic damage. Tiles falling off the walls, broken waterproof membranes etc etc. This may not be critical now as you're planning renovations but it would devastate you after the Reno's if the house dropped again.

  120mm is a fairly significant variance

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  Benoffie on 07/02/2022 - 22:40

  Need an engineer. Our place had the foundation snap its back and piers sink. Engineer discovered 40 years of weed matting, bark and scouria had dried the ground, contracting it, causing the movement.
  Took bobcatting the yard, piping water deep into the ground for two years and then a new strip foundation and rebuilt piers to fix. Not cheap in Adelaide's clay soil.
  But it saved the house and we've had another 20 years relatively worry free.
  No cheap contractor would have come up with that solution.

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  Traveller107 on 08/02/2022 - 00:12

  +1

  What city are you in?
  What's the size of house? How many stumps?
  Re-revelling is cheap and totally worth it. Should be around 1-1.5k for a 100sqm cottage but could vary depending on number of stumps. If the drop is over a certain amount then they are required to restump and can't pack.

  Get a few quotes for restumping if you go the restumping way. Most bigger restumping places subcontract to a few smaller restumping guys anyways. For eg, we got 5 quotes for restumping ranging from 25k to 47k for a small cottage. Visited sites that 2 of these bigger mobs were restumping around that time to find the exact same crew had been outsourced to do the works. So I got those outsourced boys to come and quote the job directly for us. They were fully licensed and insured and polite and did the job for around 14k from memory.

  Shop around. Check licenses. Ask about warranty. A good business will help you find and fix any soil problems prior to them starting the job.

  • 

    Euphemistic on 08/02/2022 - 18:06

    Ask about how they manage minimising internal damage.