Subfloor & Stump Inspections in Melbourne's Northern Suburbs

What we check

Every inspection covers the same ground, so nothing is skipped:

• Stumps. Material, condition at the ground line, lean, cracking in concrete, rust in steel. Timber stumps are probed to see how far the rot has gone.
• Packers. Whether they are crushed, split, stacked too high or missing.
• Bearers and joists. Sag, rot, borer damage, splits and old cuts for plumbing.
• Floor levels. Readings taken across the main rooms and hallway to map high and low spots.
• Ventilation. Whether vents are clear, and whether the subfloor feels damp or smells musty.
• Drainage and moisture. Signs of pooling water, leaking pipes or downpipes discharging under the house.
• Ant caps and timber pests. We note obvious signs, but this is not a formal timber pest inspection.

Where we cannot get in — a very low crawl space, a sealed section under an extension — we say so, and explain what that means for the findings.

For homeowners

Most owners book an inspection because something has changed: a door that has started sticking, a crack that has grown, or a floor that suddenly feels uneven. The inspection tells you whether that is the stumps, the ground, the plumbing or something else.

If work is needed, you get a clear scope: full restump, partial restump, re-pack, underpinning, drainage fix or some combination. If nothing needs doing right now, we tell you that too, and which signs would mean it is time to call us back.

For buyers

Older houses in Brunswick, Coburg, Preston, Reservoir, Thornbury and Pascoe Vale often go to auction with little information about the subfloor. A standard building inspection may only glance under the floor from the access point. A dedicated subfloor inspection goes further.

What a buyer gets from it:

• Confidence about the stumps, and whether they are original timber or have been replaced.
• An idea of scope if restumping is likely, so you can factor it into your budget.
• Notes on anything unusual, such as an extension sitting on a different footing system or a heavy masonry fireplace that has dropped.

Inspections before auction need to be booked quickly and access arranged through the selling agent. We do our best to fit around campaign timing.

What we commonly find in the north

Patterns repeat across the area, and knowing them helps us inspect quickly:

• Original hardwood under the front, softwood at the back. Inter-war houses with a 1950s kitchen added often have the worst stumps under the newest part.
• Bricks or flat stones instead of footings. Older stumps were sometimes stood straight onto a brick or a slab of bluestone.
• Packers stacked four or five high. A sign that someone has chased a sinking floor more than once.
• Damp, airless corners. Usually behind a garden bed, a raised path or a concreted side passage that has blocked the vents.
• Plumbing cut through joists. Bathroom upgrades that notched joists to run new pipes.

Why it matters on northern suburbs houses

The north has a wide mix of housing and ground conditions within short distances. A 1920s bungalow in Thornbury on gentle slope near the Merri Creek, a 1950s weatherboard in Reservoir on flat basalt clay, and a 1960s brick veneer in Greensborough on a cut-and-fill block all age differently underneath. Generic assumptions about a suburb do not tell you much about a particular house.

Heritage overlays across parts of Brunswick, Northcote and Ivanhoe add another reason to know what you are buying. Restumping is normally fine under an overlay, but changes to floor height or external features may need a council check.

What you receive

Once we are back out from under the house, we go over the findings with you, on site if you are there or by phone. You receive a written summary covering:

• Condition of stumps and what proportion appear to have failed.
• Floor level readings and where the biggest drops are.
• Other subfloor issues worth addressing.
• Recommended work, if any, with a quote available on request.

The summary is a practical trade assessment, not an engineer's report. If what we see suggests structural issues beyond stumps and floors, we will tell you an engineer should look.

Booking

Inspections are available Monday to Friday, with Saturdays by appointment. Give us a call or send a request through the site with your address and a rough idea of what you have noticed.