House stumps are mounted under the floor to even out the uneven ground or to raise the floor surface in areas having high risk of floods. These are placed like a grid to serve as a foundation component for your house. However, stumps settle down over time or may decay due to moisture and other factors. This is where house restumping is called upon. This is the process in which all stumps under your house floor are replaced, and your house gets a new lease of life to go for years. Let’s know more about this process.
Signs that Indicates that Your House Needs Restumping
Here are a few signs that if your house is showing, you can be sure that it needs house restumping:
- Cracks on the interior or exterior walls of the house
- Soft, bent, or uneven flooring
- Malfunctioning doors and windows
- Warped door frames
- Tile damage
However, different houses show different signs of deterioration, depending on the condition of the soil in which your house stumps are installed. Moisture level in the soil plays a major role in decaying of your stumps. If the soil is too moist, the stumps may rust or rot over time and lead to total or partial collapse of the building. Even if a few stumps seem to be fine, they may crumble over time and drop down to leave the floor unsupported. So, look for these signs and call an expert to decide if you really need house restumping or not.
Selecting the Stumps
Different materials are used for making house stumps. Let’s talk about a few common ones:
- Timber: If yours is an old house, it must have wooden or timber stumps that must have decayed due to moisture. Timber was a common material used for making stumps a few decades ago. It is also used in today’s age, because it is cheaper and does not trouble the owner for at least 20 years. But as compared to concrete stumps, it has a shorter life expectancy. If you are selecting timber stumps, make sure that they are rot resistant and do not take in moisture easily.
- Concrete: You will be at an added advantage if you choose concrete stumps during your house restumping process. These stumps last forever, except if your house is situated in a highly damp area. In high moisture conditions, the metal parts in these stumps rust and expand, and cause the structure to weaken.
- CCA: CCA, also known as copper chrome arsenate, is another material used for coating timber stumps to make them more durable and stronger. It is a combination of copper, chromium and arsenic often used to coat wood and preserve it. If your timber has a greenish tint to it, it must be coated with CCA. If you are selecting timber stumps for your house restumping, get them coated with CCA to keep them protected from mold, dry rot, fungi, pests, and termites.
Once you have decided upon the right kind of stumps, you need to exercise caution while selecting the contractor as well. Your house is based on stumps, and if restumping is not done right, it can cause great damage to your overall structure. Make sure that the contractor you are choosing has experience in house restumping projects, and that their existing clients are satisfied with their work. A low price quotation may sometimes mean cheaper quality or fewer number of stumps, both of which you don’t want to pay for. So, take quotations from a few contractors, compare them and make an informed choice.