Restumping in Newcastle

What restumping in Newcastle actually involves

A raised timber floor sits on piers, and CSIRO says a pier whose ground has been eroded or saturated can lose contact with the bearer above it and may tilt or fall. That is the failure restumping answers. What CSIRO does not say is that piers fail for no reason: the ground moved, and the question for any quote is what moved it.

What to ask before piers are swapped

Fresh piers still stand on the old ground. Ask what took the earlier ones out, whether that has been put right, and how the new ones will be founded. Where a leak or a stormwater failure is the cause, CSIRO says the remedy is to repair it, and replacing piers without doing that changes the parts and not the cause.

The state's exempt-development code lists "restumping or repairing structure foundations without increasing the height of the structure" as an example of minor external work, but says its list is examples only, and the entry does not apply on a heritage item or in a heritage conservation area. In a Newcastle Mine Subsidence District the regulator separately says approval is needed to build or subdivide, and its exempt list of April 2023 names no foundation work. Whether a particular restumping is exempt, or needs approval from the regulator, the council or both, is for them or a certifier to say.

Restumping in Newcastle — common questions

Do I need a licence to restump?

NSW has no licence of that name. Piering work above A$5,000 sits under underpinning or piering, so ask which category the job is done under.

Does restumping need council approval?

The state code lists restumping without raising the height among examples of exempt minor work, subject to conditions, and its list is examples only. Whether one job qualifies is for the council, the regulator or a certifier.

How much does restumping cost?

We show no restumping price. No Newcastle business we read publishes one, and the figures published elsewhere in Australia contradict each other.