The part of the house you can't see at an open

Plenty of Melbourne buyers fall for a period weatherboard or a solid brick veneer without ever thinking about what's under the floor. At a half-hour open inspection, you're looking at kitchens, light and floor plans. But for a house on stumps, the subfloor can be one of the biggest maintenance items you take on. Knowing what to check, and what a building inspection can and can't tell you, puts you in a much better position before you commit.

Quick checks you can do at the open

You don't need to crawl under the house to pick up early warning signs. Walk through with an eye on:

Floors. Do any rooms or hallways feel like they slope? Does the floor bounce or creak heavily in one area?
Doors. Open and close every internal door. Do they stick, scrape, drift or refuse to latch?
Cracks. Look for diagonal cracks from the corners of doors and windows, and cracks along cornices. Fresh paint over patched cracks is worth noting.
Skirting boards. Check for gaps between the skirting and the floor, especially near outside walls.
Windows. Do sashes and sliding windows run freely?
Outside. Look at the base of the house. Are there subfloor vents, and are they clear? Do downpipes connect to stormwater, or do they spill onto the ground?

One sign on its own may not mean much. Several together are a good reason to look more closely.

What a building inspection does

A pre-purchase building inspection is a visual assessment of the property's condition by a qualified inspector. For a house on stumps, a typical inspection will usually:

Look into the subfloor where access is reasonably safe
Note visible problems with stumps, bearers and joists, such as rot, leaning, sinking or old packing
Check for signs of dampness and ventilation problems under the floor
Record visible signs of movement inside, such as cracking and sloping floors
Flag drainage issues around the house
Note signs of termite activity or damage, although a separate timber pest inspection is often recommended

This is valuable information, and for most buyers it's the single most important check before purchase.

What a building inspection doesn't tell you

It's important to understand the limits. A standard pre-purchase inspection is visual and non-invasive. That means:

Inaccessible areas aren't inspected. If the subfloor is too low, blocked or unsafe to enter, the inspector may only look from the access point. Large parts of the subfloor can go unseen.
Stumps aren't tested. A stump can look fine on the surface and be soft below ground level. Inspectors don't usually dig around stumps or probe them below the soil.
Footings aren't assessed. The concrete or soil under each stump is out of sight.
Levels often aren't measured. Many inspections note that a floor appears out of level without recording by how much.
No repair scope. A building inspection will usually tell you that restumping may be needed, not how extensive the work would be.

Read the report carefully, including the sections listing areas that couldn't be accessed. A report that says the subfloor couldn't be fully inspected is telling you something.

When to get a restumping assessment as well

If the building report mentions any of the following, it can be worth getting a restumper to have a look before you sign:

Timber stumps that are rotting, leaning or sunken
Extensive packing between stumps and bearers
Floors noticeably out of level
Restricted or no subfloor access
Past movement or repairs to the foundations

A restumping assessment focuses specifically on the stumps and subfloor. It can usually tell you whether a full or partial restump is likely, whether bearers and joists may need replacing, and what the job might involve, so you have a clearer picture of what you're taking on.

Other things to check

Section 32 (Vendor's Statement). Check for any building permits issued in recent years. A recent restumping job should have a permit and a final inspection on record. Ask for these if the vendor says the house has been restumped.
Heritage overlays. If you plan to raise the house or change its external appearance, a heritage overlay may affect what you can do.
Renovation plans. If you're planning to renovate, factor restumping in early. It should be done before new plaster, flooring and kitchens.
Drainage and trees. Poor stormwater drainage and large trees close to the house can affect stump performance in the future.

Using what you learn

Information about the stumps can help you decide whether a property suits your budget and plans. It can also inform your negotiations, or give you confidence that the house is in better shape than you feared. Either way, it's much better to know before you sign than after you've picked up the keys.

Get a second look before you buy

Melbourne Restumping Co can carry out a subfloor assessment on a house you're considering buying. We'll explain what we find in plain terms, so you can make your decision with a clear view of what's under the floor.

Buying a House on Stumps in Melbourne: What to Check Before You Sign