Restump

[Andyng]

My weatherboard house sits on timber stumps that would probably be about 50 years old. Recently there appears several new cracks on the walls and the old cracks seem to be a little bit bigger.
All the timber around the outer edge had rotted as they exposed to weather and damp. Internal stumps are sound but they probably has settled as they ended up carrying the weight for the outer stumps. The sole plates underneath the stumps seem to have rotted as well.
I have got a couple of reblockers to come to have a look and giving quotes. Both have advised that the house needs restump with concrete stumps. One has said that all existing timber stumps need to be replaced with new concrete stumps. The other said that only the outer rotten stumps need to be replaced with new concrete stumps, but existing internal stumps do not need to be taken out, and new concrete stumps need to be put in between them for more support.
The first quote is much dearer than the second quote. Thus I'm just wondering whether the restumping way of the second reblocker is appropriate, and whether it would provide the same support for the house as what suggested by the first reblocker.

I believe that someone would know about this matter. Your advice will be thankfully appreciated.

Andyng.

[Ashore]

Andyng How long are you going to live there

A cheeper fix with some timber stumps means that sooner or later they to will have to be replaced.
How much clearence do you have under the house and what is the ground like as sometimes solid brick walls under the outside with good footings is better if on sandy soil as this helps with reducing cracks in long dry spells or big wet ones
If good clearence then internal stumps are easier to replace later as required

But if they do it properly then they will jack your house up so why not replace them all at once then your levels will be good for good.




Ham and eggs. A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.

[Programmer]

The other said that only the outer rotten stumps need to be replaced with new concrete stumps, but existing internal stumps do not need to be taken out, and new concrete stumps need to be put in between them for more support.

Hi Andyng, when you say new concrete stumps need to be placed in between old internal wood stumps for more support, does this mean they are placing the same number of new concrete stumps, or just adding some in strategic positions with the old stumps? If they're simply placing ALL of the new stumps next to ALL of the old stumps then I don't get it. Well, I do. It's MUCH less digging (hence the lower price). But it seems a bit silly to me. If, on the other hand, they are going to replace the outer stumps and only do a few internal stumps for added support then it's obvious why it's cheaper.

From what you've said I would replace the lot. I'd then have a really good look at why exactly it's getting so wet and do something about it. In this regard I can speak from experience as I did my place recently and am in the process of installing some drainage away from the house. Whether concrete or wood, if you have a drainage problem you'll still get problems. Concrete far less so, but constant damp conditions can also cause other problems too. As a general rule of thumb, if more than about 20% of stumps have gone, replace the lot. Again, from experience, you cannot always rely on the old quick dig and poke around the stump trick. Many of my pads were non-existent, and many stumps were rotted well below the surface (say 45-60cm down).

Some tips from experience:
a) As Ashore stated, replace the lot.
b) Make sure they have enough jacks to lift your house in one go. Generally less cracks, but it does depend on many factors.
c) Make sure they fit damp proof and ant caps. Ant caps are NOT required if you are not in a termite prone council/area, and they might not have quoted you. If it's not on the quote, spend an extra $2 a cap (what $200 max for a little peace of mind).
d) You might also like to get them to quote for you side boards (I assume you have them) at the same time. Are they shot too? If they are, allowing them to remove them so they can work easier (and afterwards replace with new) might earn you a few browny points (less $?, maybe, who knows...). Oh, and they should apply treated pine cleats too.
e) If you have a veranda, porch etc ensure they level it as well. They sometimes 'miss' levelling such things.
f) Don't assume your floors will be perfectly level afterwards. A variation of say 5-10mm is OK. Outside that, it's getting a bit dodgy.

Cheers

[Andyng]

Hi Ashore and Programmer, thanks a lot for your comments.
We would probably live here for a very long time. The clearance under the house is somewhere between 400mm and 500mm. The second reblocker said that he would place all new concrete stumps next to the old timber stumps. But as you have said, I would rather replace the whole lot.
In regards to some possible drainage problem , how would I go about to find out whether or not it exists? I did get under the house and digged a hole about 250mm deep next to a stump but the soil looks normal to me, eg. neither wet or damp.

Once again many thanks to your advice and tips.

Regards,
Andyng.