What restumping really costs in Victoria (2026)
Restumping quotes confuse people because two identical-looking houses can come back thousands of dollars apart. This guide breaks down real 2026 Victorian pricing so you can read a quote like someone in the trade.
The short answer
A full restump of a standard 3-bedroom Victorian weatherboard (40–60 stumps) typically lands between $12,000 and $22,000 including permit and engineering. Smaller 2-bedroom cottages (28–35 stumps) run $9,000–$15,000. Partial restumps of one failed section start around $3,000.
Per-stump pricing
- Concrete stumps: $80–$150 installed — the regional Victorian standard.
- Galvanised steel stumps: $180–$300 installed (adjustable jack-head types $220–$380) — pricier, but steel earns it in reactive clay.
- Hardwood timber: $60–$120 installed — cheapest up front, but you're buying the same failure mode you're fixing.
A real itemised example
A 1920s weatherboard on 52 stumps, published as a worked example in a national cost guide, itemised like this: concrete stumps installed $7,280; permit and engineering certification $1,450; excavation and spoil removal $1,800; jacking and levelling labour $3,200; brick reinstatement $1,400; plaster patching $950 — $16,080 total. Quotes for that same job ranged from $11,900 to $21,400, which tells you how much quotes vary and why an itemised fixed quote matters.
The five factors that move your price
- Soil. Reactive clay (Wimmera, Latrobe Valley, much of the North East) adds $2,500–$5,000 — deeper holes, more concrete, more care.
- Subfloor access. Under 450mm of clearance means hand digging. Tight access adds $2,000–$4,000.
- Sloping blocks: add $1,500–$3,000.
- Permit and engineering: $1,200–$2,000, mandatory in Victoria. Beware quotes that quietly leave it out.
- Reinstatement: plaster patching and brickwork after levelling, typically $1,000–$2,000.
Red flags in cheap quotes
If a quote is thousands under the rest, look for: no permit/engineering line, no stump count, "levelling" that's actually packing shims on old stumps, or timber stumps priced as if they were concrete. The cheapest quote that skips the permit becomes the most expensive quote when you sell the house and can't produce certification.