Stump replacement in Shepparton.
The stumps under your home are the part doing the work, and on the Goulburn Valley’s reactive clay the wrong stump on the wrong footing just moves with the seasons. We supply and install engineered concrete and galvanised-steel stumps, sized and founded to AS 2870 for your soil class, so the house finally stops shifting.
Concrete vs galvanised steel.
Stump replacement is the heart of every restumping job, and the first decision is the material. Around Shepparton two options dominate, and the right one depends on your soil, your budget and how much the house is likely to keep moving.
- Concrete stumps: reinforced 75mm or 100mm square stumps set on a poured concrete pad footing. They are the Goulburn Valley default: durable, cost-effective, and proven across Mooroopna, Kialla and Tatura for decades. For most homes on stable to moderately reactive ground, concrete is the sensible choice.
- Galvanised steel adjustable stumps: hot-dip galvanised steel stumps with a threaded adjuster that lets the floor be re-levelled precisely, both at install and later. They cost more, but on the worst Class H clay sites near the Goulburn and Broken rivers, where the ground keeps cycling, the ability to wind the floor back to level without re-excavating is worth the premium.
It is the footing that matters most.
A common mistake is focusing on the stump and ignoring the footing under it. On Shepparton’s reactive clay, a stump founded too shallow rides the seasonal swell and shrink of the soil no matter how good the stump itself is. The engineer’s design under AS 2870 sets the footing diameter and the depth needed to reach below the active zone for your soil class, often a wider pad than people expect. Get the footing right and the stump stays put; get it wrong and you are back to a moving floor in a few seasons.
A worked example.
A home in Tatura on heavily reactive clay had been restumped once before with stumps founded too shallow, and the floor was moving again within five years. We replaced 46 stumps with galvanised steel adjustable stumps on engineered pad footings taken well below the active zone, so the floor can be trimmed to level in future without major work. The job, including engineering and permit, came to about $17,500, and this time it is founded to stay.
Why not new timber stumps.
New timber stumps set in the same damp Goulburn Valley clay simply rot again in time, which is why modern stump replacement uses concrete or galvanised steel. Read more about the warning signs on our signs you need restumping page, and the figures on the cost guide.
Common questions about stump replacement.
Concrete or galvanised steel stumps, which is better for Shepparton?
Both perform well on the Goulburn Valley’s reactive clay when engineered to the right depth and footing. Concrete stumps are the regional default: durable, low-cost and proven over decades. Galvanised steel adjustable stumps cost more but let the floor be re-levelled precisely later, which is valuable on Class H clay sites near the rivers that keep moving. Many homes get a sensible mix.
How long do new stumps last?
A properly installed concrete stump on an engineered footing should comfortably outlast the home. Galvanised steel stumps are protected against corrosion and last decades. Either way, the new stumps will far outlive the red gum or hardwood timber stumps they replace, which had typically given 40 to 70 years.
Why not just replace timber stumps with new timber?
Because new timber stumps in the same damp Goulburn Valley clay will eventually rot the same way the old ones did. Modern restumping uses concrete or galvanised steel precisely so the problem does not recur in another generation. On reactive clay with the moisture levels common around Shepparton, treated timber stumps are a false economy.
What size and spacing do the new stumps need?
Stump size, footing diameter, depth and spacing all come from the engineer’s design for your site’s soil class under AS 2870. On Shepparton’s reactive clay that usually means a wider concrete pad footing taken below the active zone, with stumps spaced to suit the bearer spans, often around 1.2 to 1.8 metres. These figures are computed for your home and form part of the building permit.
Stump replacement across the Goulburn Valley.
Get the stumps and footing right.
We inspect free, count the stumps, and recommend the concrete or steel mix and footing your soil class actually needs.