Reblocking & restumping in Gisborne,
done once, done properly.
Whole-of-house concrete stump replacement for weatherboard and timber-frame homes in Gisborne and the surrounding Macedon Ranges. Computer-levelled, fully permitted, and backed by a 15-year written guarantee on every job we sign off.
Replacing every stump
that holds your house up.
Reblocking, restumping and underpinning all describe the same family of work: replacing the supports under your house. Gisborne runs from older weatherboard cottages around the town centre to newer estates, and the earlier timber-stumped homes are the ones now needing work. On a typical one, those supports are timber stumps installed when the home was first built. After 60, 80, sometimes 100 years in the ground, they rot, lean and let the floor drop.
We replace them all. Every stump, every load point, every bearer connection. New concrete stumps with steel caps, computer-levelled to engineering spec, and signed off with all the building permits. The house ends up sitting straighter than it has in decades, and it stays that way.
The ground under Gisborne. Gisborne sits higher and colder than the Melbourne suburbs, with a longer wet season and ground that stays damp well into spring. Timber stumps in soil that never fully dries out have a short working life. Every house is different, which is why the inspection happens on site and not over the phone.
Getting to the job in Gisborne. Gisborne blocks are larger than the metro suburbs and access is rarely the problem. Getting the crew and gear up from the inner west is the part we plan around, and we bring everything needed for the whole job in one trip.
Township weatherboards,
Ranges weather.
Gisborne is really two kinds of housing. Around the old township there are weatherboard cottages and later timber homes sitting on stumps, many of them the original ones. Out in the newer estates most houses are built slab-on-ground, which cannot be reblocked at all. A slab that has cracked or dropped is an underpinning job, and we will tell you which one you have before anything is quoted.
The ground here is volcanic, the same basalt-derived clay that runs under the western plains closer to Melbourne, but Gisborne sits higher and colder. Winters are longer and wetter, frosts are common, and the clay stays wet well into spring before drying hard over summer. That long swing is what loosens timber stumps and rots them at the ground line.
Gisborne is about 45 minutes up the Calder from our inner-west base. We have had enquiries from Bullengarook and Mount Macedon, either side of town. The crew, the machinery and the stumps come up together, so a Gisborne job runs on the same schedule as one down the road from us.
Slab or stumps?
Estate homes are mostly slab-on-ground and need underpinning, not a reblock. We check first.
Long wet winters
Clay that stays damp into spring and dries hard in summer is the cycle that finishes timber stumps.
One trip up
Crew, machinery and stumps travel together from the inner west, so nothing waits on local hire.
How you know your stumps have had it.
If two or three of these are happening in your house, it is almost always the stumps. We will tell you straight after the inspection. No upsell.
A marble rolls across the lounge, or one room feels like it dips. That is the bearers losing their seat.
Frames go out of square as the floor moves. Doors stop closing. Windows stick when they never used to.
Stair-step cracks above doorways, hairlines along the cornice line, gaps opening up in skirting.
If you can push a screwdriver into a stump or it crumbles when you knock it, the timber has gone.
Stand at the front fence. If the eave line sags or the verandah droops at one end, the supports have moved.
If the house has never been reblocked and it was built before the 1970s, it is on borrowed time.
Five clear steps. Two weeks on most houses.
Every job runs the same way. You know what is happening, when, and what we will need from you. No mystery, no creep.
Free on-site inspection
We come out, get under the house, and assess every stump. Honest, on the spot, no obligation.
Fixed-price written quote
A clear scope, a fixed price, and a timeframe. No surprises mid-job. No verbal agreements.
Permits and engineering
We pull all building permits, organise engineering sign-off, and handle council where needed.
Reblock the house
Hydraulic jacks, every stump replaced, computer-levelled across the whole footprint. You can stay in the house.
Sign-off and 15-year guarantee
Final inspection, paperwork, written 15-year guarantee in your hand. We are still here in 15 years.
We do not use timber. Ever.
Timber stumps are how you got here. Concrete stumps with steel caps will outlast the house. There is no good reason to put back what failed.
Real jobs, real homes.
Photographed under the house and from the street. This is the work, with nothing tidied up for the camera.
The questions we get every week.
Do you service Gisborne?
Yes. We cover the Macedon Ranges and Gisborne is well inside our service area. Maribyrnong & Hobsons Bay Reblocking is family-owned with 35 years behind it, and we bring the crew, the gear and the permits up with us. Free on-site inspection, fixed written quote, and the same 15-year guarantee as every job.
Do I need a permit to reblock in Gisborne?
Yes. Reblocking is structural work, so it needs a building permit before we start. In Victoria that permit is issued by a registered building surveyor rather than over the counter at Macedon Ranges Shire Council, and we arrange it as part of the job - it is in the quoted price, not billed on top.
Can we stay in the house during the reblock?
Yes, on most jobs. We do the work in stages so the house stays livable. You will hear us, and there are short windows where the floor moves a few millimetres at a time, but you do not need to move out.
How long does a full reblock take?
Most single-storey weatherboards take one to two weeks on site, plus a few weeks lead time for permits before we start. Larger homes and tight access add days, not months.
Will reblocking fix my cracks and sticking doors?
In most cases, yes. Once the house comes back to level the doors free up and most hairline cracks close. Larger plaster cracks may need a quick patch afterwards. We will tell you what to expect on inspection.
Do I need a permit for reblocking?
Yes. A reblock is structural work and requires a building permit. We organise it. You do not need to call council or chase a private surveyor.
What does reblocking actually cost?
It depends on the number of stumps, the height under the house, and the access. We quote a fixed price after the inspection, in writing. No hourly rates, no scope creep mid-job.
Is the 15-year guarantee in writing?
Yes, every job. You get the document with the final paperwork. We have been here for 35 years and we will be here in 15.
Reblocking across the inner-west and the Ranges.
We are inner-west locals who know the housing stock street by street, and we take the same crew and the same guarantee up into the Macedon Ranges. Find your suburb for reblocking and restumping right where you are.
Other work we do under the house.
Underpinning
Strengthening footings on brick, slab and double-storey homes that are subsiding.
Learn more →Levelling, Lifting & Raising
Computer-levelled lifting and raising for floors that have dropped, sloped or settled unevenly.
Learn more →Timber to Concrete Conversion
Replace tired weatherboard-era timber stumps with modern concrete stumps for life.
Learn more →
Think your house needs reblocking?
Let us tell you for free.
We will come out, crawl under the house, and give you the truth. If you do not need it, we will tell you. If you do, you will know exactly what is involved and what it costs before you decide anything.