Costs
What foundation repair costs in Melbourne
Most people buy this once in their life, which makes it an easy trade to be overcharged in. Here are real ranges, what actually drives them, and how to tell a fair quote from a bad one. Every figure is indicative — a fixed price follows an on-site inspection.
The short answer
| Work | Typical range | Priced by |
|---|---|---|
| Full restump, 3-bed weatherboard | $11,000 – $22,000 | per stump × count |
| Partial restump | $7,000 – $12,000 | per stump × count |
| Underpinning | $15,000 – $40,000 | per pier × count |
| Resin injection | $5,000 – $15,000 | per injection point / volume |
| Crack repair + articulation joints | $3,000 – $8,000 | per metre / per joint |
| Drainage correction | $500 – $4,000 | per job |
| Engineer's report + floor level survey | $600 – $1,500 | per job |
| CCTV drain inspection | $400 – $900 | per job |
Restumping — how the number is built
Restumping is priced per stump, then multiplied by how many the house has. Two variables move the rate:
- Access. $250–$500 per stump where a mini excavator can get down the side of the house. $600–$900 where every hole is hand-dug and spoil is barrowed out through the hallway.
- Stump count. A standard three-bedroom weatherboard runs 40–60 stumps. Bigger footprints, verandahs and rear extensions add to it.
- Depth and footing size. Reactive clay or a nearby tree means deeper footings, adding roughly 15–25%.
Worked example — single-fronted cottage, no side access:
48 stumps × $400 hand-dug rate = $19,200, plus permit and surveyor inspections (~$900) and plaster patching (~$1,200) if included. That lands near the top of the range, and it is whyYarraville and Seddon quotes sit above Coburg ones for otherwise identical houses.
Underpinning — how the number is built
Underpinning is priced per pier. The count depends on how much of the perimeter has actually moved, not on the size of the house — which is why a floor level survey has to come first.
- Pier depth. The single biggest driver. Piers must reach competent ground below the reactive zone — or below engineered fill in corridor estates.
- Pier count. Typically 8–15 for one affected elevation. A full perimeter underpin is a much larger job.
- Access. Piers under a rear corner with no gate access cost more than piers along an open frontage.
Worked example — corridor estate home on deep fill:
11 piers × $2,800 (extra depth through fill) = $30,800, plus engineer's design and report (~$1,200). That is a realistic Tarneit orCairnlea number, and materially more than the same pier count in Hoppers Crossing, where footings are shallower and fill is not usually the issue.
What should be in the price — and what usually isn't
This is where quotes diverge, and where disputes start. Ask about every line below.
Normally included
- Labour, materials, new stumps or piers and footings
- Jacking, levelling and securing the structure
- Spoil removal from site
Frequently excluded — always ask
- Building permit and surveyor inspection fees ($700–$1,500)
- Engineering design where an engineered solution is required
- Plaster patching and repainting — the most common source of after-the-fact arguments. Re-levelling a house cracks plaster; decide in writing who fixes it
- Reinstating paths, paving, decking or garden beds disturbed during excavation
- Tiling, cornice and skirting repairs after movement
- Drain repairs if a leak is found during the works
How to compare two quotes properly
- Compare inclusions before totals. A $16,000 quote excluding permits, spoil and patching may be dearer than an $18,500 quote including all three.
- Ask for the count. How many stumps or piers, and where. A quote without a number is an estimate wearing a suit.
- Ask to see the floor level readings. Any legitimate price is based on measured levels. If nobody measured, nobody knows the scope.
- Check the method matches the problem. Resin injection quoted against genuine progressive structural movement is under-scoped; a full underpin quoted against stable seasonal movement is over-scoped.
- Confirm who lodges the permit and that the builder is a registered building practitioner.
Your protections in Victoria
Worth knowing before you sign, because they are the fastest way to spot an operator who cuts corners:
- Deposit limits. Domestic building contract rules cap deposits — commonly 10% under $20,000 and 5% at or above. A demand for 30% up front is a red flag.
- Domestic building insurance is required for domestic building work above a set contract value (currently in the region of $16,000). Ask for the certificate.
- Building permit. Restumping and underpinning are building work. A contractor who says no permit is needed is telling you something that should end the conversation.
- Six-year structural defect cover may apply if the home is newer — relevant across the growth corridor.
Thresholds and rules change. Confirm current figures with the Victorian Building Authority or Consumer Affairs Victoria — this is general information, not legal advice.
Red flags
- A price given without anyone going under the house or taking floor levels
- Pressure to sign today, or a discount that expires
- A large cash deposit, or cash-only pricing
- No written scope, or a scope that is one line long
- "No permit needed" on a full restump or underpin
- Piers quoted immediately on a slab home with no drainage or plumbing check
Cost questions, answered properly
How much does restumping cost per stump in Melbourne?
Between roughly $250 and $500 per stump where a machine can reach the site, and $600 to $900 per stump where every hole has to be hand-dug and the spoil carried out through the house. A standard three-bedroom weatherboard has somewhere between 40 and 60 stumps, which is how you get from a per-stump rate to the $11,000–$22,000 total range. Be careful comparing per-stump rates between quotes: a cheap rate on a job that has been under-counted is more expensive than a fair rate on an accurate count.
How much does underpinning cost per pier?
Commonly $1,500 to $3,500 per pier, and most jobs need eight to fifteen piers along the affected section — so $15,000 to $40,000 all up. Depth is the main driver: piers in the growth-corridor estates often have to pass through several metres of engineered fill to reach competent natural ground, which puts Melton, Tarneit and Cairnlea at the upper end. Shallow-footed older homes in Hoppers Crossing or Werribee frequently need fewer, shorter piers.
Why are two quotes for the same job thousands apart?
Usually one of three reasons, and only one of them is legitimate. First, scope: one quote includes permits, engineering, spoil removal and plaster patching while the other excludes them — compare inclusions line by line before comparing totals. Second, count: one contractor has actually inspected the subfloor and counted stumps while the other has estimated from the outside. Third, method: resin injection and traditional underpinning solve different severities and are not interchangeable. If the difference cannot be explained by those three, ask each contractor to show you the floor level readings their price is based on.
Do I have to pay a deposit up front?
A deposit is normal, but in Victoria it is capped by law. Under the domestic building contract rules, the maximum deposit is commonly 10% where the contract price is under $20,000 and 5% where it is $20,000 or more. Any contractor asking for 30% or 50% up front on a $25,000 underpinning job is outside those limits, and that is a serious warning sign. Check the current thresholds on the Victorian Building Authority or Consumer Affairs Victoria website before signing anything.
Is foundation repair covered by insurance?
Gradual earth movement is excluded from most Australian home insurance policies, so decades of seasonal clay movement generally is not covered. Damage from a sudden, identifiable event — most often a burst or leaking pipe washing out support beneath a slab — may well be. That is why a CCTV drain inspection is worth doing before repairs on a slab home: if a leak is the cause, the insurance position changes entirely. Separately, if the home is under six years old, structural defects may fall under Victoria's domestic building insurance.
Is it cheaper to do half the house now and half later?
Almost never. Mobilising a crew, machine and engineer twice costs more than doing the whole footprint once, and re-levelling one section changes its relationship to the untouched section, which frequently creates new cracking at the junction. Partial work makes sense when a genuinely independent section has failed — a front verandah, or an original cottage where a newer extension on concrete stumps has not moved. It rarely makes sense purely to spread the cost.
Related: Restumping & reblocking ·Underpinning & foundation repair ·Cost bands by suburb