house foundation subsidence... what to do?

Discussion in 'Renovation & Home Improvement' started by Leonie, 29th Dec, 2016.

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  1. Leonie

    Leonie Well-Known Member

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    Hi all,

    It's an old 3 bedroom house in north melbourne, some crackings on the two walls, a tradesman said they are caused by house foundation subsidence... who should I contact to get it fixed? How much is could be?

    Thanks in advance.
     
    Leonie, 29th Dec, 2016
    #1
  2. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    You need to call an underpinner. There are two types. One digs out beneath the foundation and fills with concrete. The other is an injection system. It is much less invasive but doesn't suit every job.

    The quotes we had for our son's house were in the range of $12k to $27k with many variables in those quotes so they are not directly comparable with each other.

    In fact, the injectable quoted about $12k on the phone, and when we met him, he increased that to about $27k. I think he saw "bank of mum and dad" and the job just got more expensive. :rolleyes:

    In the end I found out I used to work with a chap who runs a big underpinning company. He came and looked at it, told us we didn't need to underpin the whole wall, could "spot" underpin one corner and another section, but firstly to deal with the water issues that had caused the problem. He said if the water issue was fixed, we may not need any underpinning at all.

    Hubby did the drainage and the whole thing settled down and no underpinning was required. Our son just had to patch and cover the cracks with render.

    Be aware we were told that whilst the cracks had likely happened years ago, redirecting the water that had been freely flowing behind the wall and under the slab for 55 years could create movement of a different kind as the house "settled" into its new dry surroundings.

    So, the drainage was done and the house left for over a year to see what happened before covering the old cracks.
     
    wylie, 29th Dec, 2016
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  3. Joynz

    Joynz Well-Known Member

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    If it is on stumps and needs restumping, then approximately $50 per stump from a restumping co. to replace the stumps and and level the floors.

    A 100 m2 house could have up to 100 stumps.

    This sort of thing isn't usually urgent (cracking in old houses is very common) so take your time and get a few quotes.

    You could also just have the walls patched and monitor the cracks.
     
    Joynz, 29th Dec, 2016
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  4. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    Just saw Joynz' post. The house I was talking about was brick veneer, two levels on a slab.

    If it is a house on stumps, you can ignore my answer as Joynz has covered that well.
     
    wylie, 29th Dec, 2016
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  5. Joynz

    Joynz Well-Known Member

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    Hi Leonie

    The other thing that may affect cost is access.

    If the house is on stumps too low for the restumpers to get underneath the house, then they will need to lift the floorboards and this will add cost.

    One other thing - is the crack internal or external?
     
    Joynz, 29th Dec, 2016
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  6. norwoodman

    norwoodman Well-Known Member

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    Are the two walls with cracks internal walls or external walls?
     
    norwoodman, 29th Dec, 2016
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  7. Leonie

    Leonie Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for all your comments.... really appreciated ; -)

    wylie, would you please give me the contact details of your ex-work chap who runs a big underpinning company? ;- )
     
    Leonie, 29th Dec, 2016
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  8. vbplease

    vbplease Well-Known Member

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    I think you mean $500/stump not $50? ;)

    and stumps are usually spaced at the old 8 foot centres for bearers. So that would be about 25 stumps for a 100sqm house.

    I agree with Wylie that the cause of settlement should first be identified in the first instance. I'd contact an experienced structural engineer. You may avoid underpinning by improving drainage (too much moisture) or remove a tree (loss of moisture). You don't want to pay for underpinning and not fix the cause of the problem.. requiring more work.
     
    vbplease, 29th Dec, 2016
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  9. Leonie

    Leonie Well-Known Member

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    Thanks Joynz,

    Do you have any good contacts to get quotes?
     
    Leonie, 29th Dec, 2016
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  10. Joynz

    Joynz Well-Known Member

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    No, I meant what I wrote. $50 a stump ( ex. GST and permit).

    This is Melbourne not Brisbane - so not high set. This price was for standard concrete stumps for a 100m2 ( approx. house).

    I support the idea of getting expert advice though.
     
    Last edited: 29th Dec, 2016
    Joynz, 29th Dec, 2016
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  11. Leonie

    Leonie Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for your advice ;- )

    What does a structural engineer do? Will he find the reason, and give me advice for how to fix it, then I can find the right person to do the work, right?
     
    Leonie, 29th Dec, 2016
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  12. Leonie

    Leonie Well-Known Member

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    Hi norwoodman,

    The cracks are on internal walls... external walls seem ok ;- )
     
    Leonie, 29th Dec, 2016
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  13. vbplease

    vbplease Well-Known Member

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    Can you recommend a stumper? If they really do it for $50/stump in Melb, it will be cheaper for me to fly someone up from Melb to do my house :p
     
    vbplease, 29th Dec, 2016
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  14. vbplease

    vbplease Well-Known Member

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    That's correct.. They will give the cause. They're not cheap though. You could see if one will just attend, do a site investigation and give you hand written advice on site (no formal report). So you just pay travel time and time on site (2 x hours, approx. $440).
     
    vbplease, 29th Dec, 2016
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  15. Joynz

    Joynz Well-Known Member

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    Hi VB

    I don't think you can compare the types of stumps in QLD.

    I'll look through my records and get the details for the OP.
     
    Joynz, 29th Dec, 2016
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  16. Leonie

    Leonie Well-Known Member

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    oops...forgot to say it's a very common issue around the area.....almost every house in the area has the problem. :oops:

    Do I still need a structural engineer first, or just get the underpinner directly?
     
    Leonie, 29th Dec, 2016
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  17. Joynz

    Joynz Well-Known Member

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    The stumps on my house in Melbourne are a lot closer than that.
     
    Joynz, 29th Dec, 2016
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  18. Joynz

    Joynz Well-Known Member

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    How do you know it needs underpinning rather than restumping?
     
    Joynz, 29th Dec, 2016
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  19. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    If the house is in Melbourne you would be better getting a local company. Also, this chap's company does big jobs and he looked at ours as a favour. I'm not sure he does domestic.
     
    wylie, 29th Dec, 2016
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  20. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    What sort of construction is the house. If it is on stumps, I'd be getting quotes from a stumper and not an underpinner.
     
    wylie, 29th Dec, 2016
    #20
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