Reblocking & Restumping Across Melbourne's Northern Suburbs
From the terraces and cottages of Brunswick out to the newer estates past Epping, Melbourne's north holds more stump-supported houses than any other part of the city. Northern Reblocking restumps, re-levels and underpins homes across six councils: Merri-bek, Darebin, Banyule, Whittlesea, Moonee Valley and Hume.
The biggest restumping market in Melbourne
Ask anyone in the trade where the work is and they will point north. The reason is simple arithmetic. Between about 1900 and 1970 the north was built out with timber-floored houses on stumps, street after street, and very few of them were ever designed to last forever on the timber they were first stood on.
Two waves of building did most of it:
- Edwardian and inter-war. Weatherboard cottages, villas and Californian bungalows spread along the tram and train lines through Brunswick, Coburg, Northcote, Thornbury, Preston, Ascot Vale and Essendon. Red gum and box stumps were the norm.
- Post-war. From the late 1940s, Reservoir, Fawkner, Glenroy, Pascoe Vale, Hadfield, West Heidelberg, Broadmeadows and Lalor filled with weatherboards, brick veneers and Housing Commission homes. Building was fast and materials were short.
Both groups are now well past the age when their original stumps are expected to fail.
Ground conditions north of the Yarra
The north splits roughly in two. West of the Darebin Creek, through Coburg, Pascoe Vale, Reservoir, Thomastown and up to Craigieburn, the land is part of the volcanic plains. Basalt sits underneath, sometimes only a metre or so down, and above it is dense, highly reactive clay. It takes on water and expands through winter, then dries and contracts over summer, shifting stumps more than most Melbourne soils do.
East of the creek, through Ivanhoe, Heidelberg, Rosanna, Macleod, Watsonia and Greensborough, the country climbs toward the Yarra and Plenty river valleys. Soils are more mixed — silty clays, older sediments and weathered rock — and many blocks are sloping or have been cut and filled. Long stumps on the downhill side are common, and drainage across the block matters a great deal.
Moonee Valley sits on the same basalt plain as the west, and the outer Hume suburbs of Broadmeadows, Gladstone Park, Westmeadows and Craigieburn are on similar clay.
Services across the north
- House reblocking and restumping, full or partial, in concrete or adjustable galvanised steel.
- Underpinning for brick and brick-veneer houses where strip footings have dropped.
- Floor re-levelling and re-packing where the stumps are healthy but the floor has drifted.
- Stump replacement for individual stumps or small groups.
- Subfloor inspections for owners and buyers.
Councils and permits
Restumping needs a building permit, which we lodge through a private building surveyor rather than directly through council. Council still matters in two ways. First, heritage overlays: Merri-bek and Darebin in particular have large heritage precincts covering parts of Brunswick, Coburg, Northcote and Thornbury, and Banyule has overlays in Ivanhoe and Heidelberg. Restumping is usually allowed without a planning permit, but works visible from the footpath can trigger one. Second, asset protection: some councils require a permit or bond if trucks or bins will sit on the nature strip or footpath.
We check both before work starts.
Areas we cover
Our area runs from Brunswick and Essendon in the south to Craigieburn, Mernda and Doreen in the north, and east to Greensborough. The area pages give more detail on housing and ground in each group of suburbs:
- Brunswick and Coburg, including Brunswick East, Brunswick West and Coburg North.
- Pascoe Vale, Glenroy and Fawkner, with Oak Park, Hadfield and Pascoe Vale South.
- Northcote, Thornbury and Fairfield, plus Alphington.
- Preston and Reservoir, with Kingsbury and the Darebin side of Bundoora.
- Ivanhoe, Heidelberg and Greensborough, plus Rosanna, Macleod and Watsonia.
- Epping, Thomastown, Lalor and Mill Park, with South Morang, Mernda and Doreen.
- Essendon and Moonee Ponds, plus Strathmore and Ascot Vale.
- Broadmeadows and Craigieburn, with Gladstone Park and Westmeadows.
What to expect from us
We start every job under the floor. You get a free subfloor inspection, floor level readings and an explanation of what we found. The quote sets out the stump type, the number of stumps, footings, permit costs and any extras like bearer repairs. Nothing beyond that scope is done without your say-so.
On site, the crew works in sections so the house is always supported. Most families stay home during the job. At the end, the surveyor signs off, the floor is set to level and you get the permit paperwork.
Book a free inspection
Wherever you are in the north, the first step is the same: we get underneath and look. Call or send a request and we will arrange a time.
Asked locally
Which northern suburbs do you cover?
Our patch takes in Merri-bek, Darebin, Banyule and Whittlesea, plus southern Hume and the Essendon corner of Moonee Valley. That runs from Brunswick and Essendon up to Craigieburn and Doreen, and across to Greensborough.
Why do so many houses in the north need restumping?
A large share of the north was built on timber stumps between 1900 and 1970, and a lot of that housing is on basalt clay that shifts with the seasons. The original stumps in many of these houses have now reached the end of their life.
Do you handle permits?
Yes. We arrange the building permit through a private building surveyor, organise engineering where it is needed and check whether a heritage overlay or council asset permit applies.
Find Out What's Holding Your Floor Up
Free subfloor inspection · Permits organised · Brunswick, Preston, Reservoir, Ivanhoe & Epping