When you buy a house, you probably spend a lot of time thinking about the parts of the structure that you can see. You may walk around and examine the walls and the ceiling to look for signs of wear or any apparent cracking. You could ask questions about the state of the roof, but how much time do you spend worrying about the floor? You might think that there isn't much that can go wrong with a floor, but you would be mistaken. If you have a stump-supported floor in your home, it is always worth considering whether you might need house restumping.

What is a stump-supported floor?

If you haven't looked at floors much in the past, you might be surprised to know that there are many flooring techniques, and each has its peculiarities and potential problems. A stump-supported floor consists of horizontal beams, known as bearers, that hold up the joists that support the floor. The bearers are supported by stumps buried in the ground. A particular advantage of this flooring system is that the stumps are cut to size to ensure that they are all the same length. This creates a system that is perfect for floors built on uneven ground. However, over time the stumps can rot away, forcing you to consider house restumping.

How does house restumping work?

Stumps can last for many years, but eventually, they must be replaced. Sometimes, there is movement or settling in the soil, and the stumps move out of position. When the stumps move, they can leave gaps requiring restumping much earlier than you would expect. House restumping involves replacing some or all of the stumps under the floor and should only be undertaken by someone with training and experience. If something goes wrong during restumping, the results could be dangerous for you, and perhaps, a catastrophic collapse of your home.

Does your home need restumping?

Each home will display signs of deterioration differently, but there are several things you could look for that might indicate a need for house restumping. If your windows and doors don't open and close as easily as they should, that could be a sign that settling has taken place, frequent cracking appearing in interior walls could also be a sign that there is a problem. Perhaps the most common indication that house restumping might be needed is a floor that has become uneven or bowed. If you see any of these signs, contact a house restumping company.