Traditional restumping is an invasive process to replace deteriorated sinking stumps in older homes. It can restore stability, but comes with significant disruption and cost. Common methods, like Jack and Pack fixes, offer temporary solutions, but don’t address the root cause. Buildfix’s non-invasive alternative — GeoPoly™ resin injection — directly addresses foundational issues, strengthening the ground beneath your home and releveling floors, all while avoiding structural damage or mess. It’s faster, cleaner, and more cost-effective—an absolute no-brainer when it comes to fixing house foundations.
What Are Floor Stumps
In many Australian homes, particularly older weatherboard and brick veneer homes, the foundation relies on stumps—columns or piers made of timber, bricks, or concrete that support the floors and, in some cases, external load-bearing walls. These stumps are critical for rooting your home to the ground and providing structural integrity. A weakening of your home’s stumps can cause the whole building to sink, putting enormous pressure on floors and walls.
Why Stumps Fail
Over time, stumps can sink and move due to range of environmental factors, like reactive clay movement and flooding. When stumps sink and move, they compromise the stability of your property, leading to:
- Uneven floors
- Cracks in walls
- Misaligned doors and windows
- In severe cases, structural collapse
What Is House Restumping?
House restumping, also known as reblocking or repiering, involves replacing compromised stumps to restore the home’s stability. The process typically includes:
- Assessment: Inspecting the condition of existing stumps to determine the level of deterioration.
- Raising the House: Using hydraulic jacks to lift the structure while foundation supports are worked on.
- Removing Old Stumps: Extracting deteriorated stumps by removing sections of floorboards as needed.
- Installing New Stumps: Pouring new footings and installing replacement stumps.
- Lowering and Realignment: Carefully lowering the house onto the new stumps for proper alignment.
Restumping can be an effective method if it’s done well and in full compliance with modern building standards. However, it will always be a costly and invasive procedure that disrupts daily life, carrying the risk of incidental damage to the home’s structure and aesthetics.
The “Jack and Pack” Method
In Australia, another traditional approach to address stump issues is the Jack and Pack method. This involves:
- Lifting Sections of the Floor: Using jacks to raise sagging areas.
- Inserting Packing Material: Placing materials like cement, timber, or steel plates to relevel the floors.
While less invasive than restumping or reblocking, the Jack and Pack method is a temporary fix. It does not address underlying foundation problems, which means the same issues likely resurface later down the track, requiring repeated adjustments.
Innovative Low-Cost, Non-Invasive Alternatives to Restumping
Foundation repair has come a long way, with the development of non-invasive solutions now available that will effectively stabilise your home without the drawbacks of traditional methods.
GeoPoly™ Resin Injection
At Buildfix, we utilise GeoPoly™, our advanced resin injection technology designed to stabilise and raise foundations.
Benefits of GeoPoly™ Resin Injection:
- Keep Existing: Your existing stumps stay in place. Minimising consequential damage and potential structural risks that come with restumping.
- Minimal Disruption: Requires only small injection points, preserving the home’s aesthetics. Can be injected either above or below floor level.
- Rapid Results: The resin expands and hardens quickly, allowing for immediate stabilisation and floor releveling. Most jobs are completed in just one day.
- Permanent: Addresses the underlying issues of foundation movement, removing the need for future repairs.
- Cost-Effective: Resin injection is a fraction of the cost compared to restumping, saving homeowners thousands of dollars.
By penetrating the foundation beneath the ground, GeoPoly™ targets the root of the problem and relevels floors—giving a similar outcome as restumping without any of the hassle.
Choosing the Right Solution for Foundation Issues
When facing foundation issues, it’s essential to consider the most effective and least disruptive repair methods. Non-invasive solutions like GeoPoly™ offer significant advantages over traditional techniques, ensuring your home’s stability while minimising inconvenience.
If you’re experiencing signs of foundation problems, such as uneven floors or cracks in walls, contact Buildfix for a comprehensive assessment. Our team of experts is dedicated to providing innovative, affordable solutions tailored to your home’s unique challenges.
FAQs:
What is restumping and when is it needed?
Restumping, also known as reblocking, is the process of replacing deteriorated timber, brick, or concrete house stumps. It’s needed when floors become uneven, cracks appear in walls, or the structure shows signs of movement.
How does the Jack and Pack method compare to restumping?
The Jack and Pack method is quicker and less invasive, but is often a temporary solution. It lifts and levels the house using packing materials without addressing soil or moisture issues that cause movement.
What are the downsides of traditional restumping?
Restumping is labour-intensive, disruptive to daily life, and carries the risk of incidental damage to your home’s finishes, flooring, and internal structures. And that’s not even considering if the job isn’t carried out correctly. If restumping isn’t performed to a high standard, you’ll likely see more structural issues come to the surface.
How does GeoPoly™ resin injection work?
GeoPoly™ involves injecting expanding resin into the soil beneath your home. It hardens rapidly to stabilise the ground, relevel floors, and strengthen foundations — all with minimal disruption.
Are resin injection services as reliable as restumping?
Yes. For many homes, resin injection is not only reliable but superior. It treats the root cause — unstable soil — and avoids invasive construction. Buildfix is so confident in this that we back all of our resin injections with long-term performance guarantees.
