Restumping & reblocking in Melbourne

Nothing — they are two names for the same job. "Reblocking" is the older Victorian term, from when stumps were called blocks; "restumping" is the more common term today. Both mean replacing the stumps supporting a suspended timber floor and re-levelling the house on the new ones. If a quote uses one word and another uses the other, that is not a difference in scope.

Timber stumps typically last 50 to 80 years, though red gum set in well-drained ground can go past a century and untreated hardwood in a damp subfloor can be gone in 40. Early concrete stumps last longer but are not permanent — they fail by settling into shallow footings, or by cracking as the internal reinforcement corrodes and expands. Modern concrete stumps in engineered footings are good for the life of the house.

Yes, and it is often the right call. If the rear half was restumped in the 1990s on concrete in proper footings and has not moved, there is no reason to touch it. Partial restumps commonly cost $7,000 to $12,000. The caution is that re-levelling one section changes its relationship to the rest of the house, so the join needs to be thought through rather than just lifting whatever sags most.

Yes. Restumping is building work under the Building Act 1993 and requires a building permit issued by a registered building surveyor, with the work carried out by a registered building practitioner. Inspections happen at set stages. In heritage-overlay areas — much of the inner west and inner north — a planning permit may also be needed if external floor levels or the front elevation change. Confirm in writing who is lodging the permit before work starts.

Concrete, in almost every case. Modern concrete stumps set in engineered footings do not rot, are not attractive to termites, and are effectively permanent. Treated timber is cheaper up front and still used occasionally where access is genuinely impossible for concrete, but you are choosing to repeat the job in a few decades. Galvanised steel adjustable stumps are a third option, useful where future re-levelling is expected on reactive soil.

Some cracking is normal and should be expected — you are moving the house back to level, and plaster that has settled into a distorted shape for decades will not appreciate it. A good contractor lifts in small increments over several days to minimise it. Ask specifically whether plaster patching is inside or outside the quoted price; it is the most common source of after-the-fact disagreement on restumping jobs.