Timber Stumps

[Sugam]

We are looking at buying a house beachside which has timber stumps and one of them is completly loose. Is that a worry... I dont see much of a rot in the stumps though... How long would it last and dos timber stumps need to be replaced at some stage to concrete stumps.
Thanks in advance

[oohsam]

Im not an expert but reading these forums and details on stumps, timber stumps 'dont' need to be replaced by concrete ones, however, when restumping a house, people go for concrete becuase its a long term fix, unlike timber, which will most likely outlive the person in the house, however, if you do a job, u just do it properly and concrete is the way to go.
I guess you'd have to get the stumps checked bya proffesinal to determine if you need to restump the house and when u should do this..
Cheers.

[bugsy]

if you are near the sea, i would not go for concrete stumps
because salts crumbles them alot faster .

If you think salt could be a problem then go for redgum

[OBBob]

Stumps being loose is not a good sign but it gerenally can be rectified by having them replaced. Be careful to have them chekced properly because the rot generally occurs below the surface so they will look great above ground but may be nonexistent below the surface.

You can often tell by knocking them, if they sound hollow they are probably on the way out. But again it isn't easy without experience, so best get an expert.

[bingoshelley]

i was checking this the other day on another site and they said if stumps or ant caps are loose then look forward to restumping in 12 months if interior doors are sticking or there are gaps on the side of windows then you will have stump problems.even though concrete stumps are longer lasting as a rule given your proximity to the ocean the salt will cause the steel reinforcement in the middle of the stumps to rust making them expand thus causing concrete cancer.stay clear of concrete if you are planning on living there for a long time then the sooner you get them fixed the better as they can cause plaster and other problems if left