All Topics / Value Adding / Raising a single storey Qld’r

Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
  • Profile photo of alisontwinamealisontwiname
    Participant
    @alisontwiname
    Join Date: 2006
    Post Count: 3

    Hi all,
    Has anyone recently lifted an old house to legal height and can give me any feedback. I’ve left message after message to get a builder to ring, but to no avail. The house in question is a Qld’r with approx 40 posts. Trying to work out $$ and anything major I should now about before doing it.

    Ta
    Alison

    Profile photo of WylieWylie
    Member
    @wylie
    Join Date: 2004
    Post Count: 346

    Don’t know where you are, but don’t ring a builder. Look in the phone book for a restumper.

    One thing to be careful of is that ALL costs are discussed. We priced a lift job in Brisbane and found two stumpers quoted around $10K to $15K (from memory) to lift a house (this is 8 years ago). It was only when we got a third quote that this fellow told us the $10K (from memory) didn’t include plumbing, slab, electrics etc etc. We had to double the estimate.

    We never did raise that house, but have used that third stumper for many jobs since and recommended him for many others.

    The other thing I would be careful of is insurance. As far as I know the fellow we used is the only stumper whose insurance covered OUR HOUSE as well as his workers. Each time we asked the stumpers about insurance, and each time they said yes, they have insurance. Make sure that they have insurance for their workforce, their equipment and YOUR HOUSE. Otherwise, you may be left with a pile of rubble and a quiet “sorry”.

    Things may have changed since we looked into it, but thought I’d put my experience on paper, in case it helps anyone else.

    Wylie.

    Profile photo of AmandaBSAmandaBS
    Participant
    @amandabs
    Join Date: 2005
    Post Count: 549

    Just had a friend raise an old house. It looks amazing nothing like the original, very modern but all up cost $320k. Perhaps it would have been cheaper to knock it over and start again, but where would the fun be in that ?

    Amanda
    “It is better to be inconspicuously wealthy, than to be ostentatiously poor…”

    Profile photo of alisontwinamealisontwiname
    Participant
    @alisontwiname
    Join Date: 2006
    Post Count: 3

    Thanks Wylie,
    We’re in Townsville and the $$ figure people have been talking about to lift is $30,000. Have noted all your suggestions. Thanks for the tips.
    Alison

    Originally posted by Wylie:

    Don’t know where you are, but don’t ring a builder. Look in the phone book for a restumper.

    One thing to be careful of is that ALL costs are discussed. We priced a lift job in Brisbane and found two stumpers quoted around $10K to $15K (from memory) to lift a house (this is 8 years ago). It was only when we got a third quote that this fellow told us the $10K (from memory) didn’t include plumbing, slab, electrics etc etc. We had to double the estimate.

    We never did raise that house, but have used that third stumper for many jobs since and recommended him for many others.

    The other thing I would be careful of is insurance. As far as I know the fellow we used is the only stumper whose insurance covered OUR HOUSE as well as his workers. Each time we asked the stumpers about insurance, and each time they said yes, they have insurance. Make sure that they have insurance for their workforce, their equipment and YOUR HOUSE. Otherwise, you may be left with a pile of rubble and a quiet “sorry”.

    Things may have changed since we looked into it, but thought I’d put my experience on paper, in case it helps anyone else.

    Wylie.

    Profile photo of focusdevelopmentsfocusdevelopments
    Member
    @focusdevelopments
    Join Date: 2006
    Post Count: 13

    if the house is pre-war you had better what modifications you are allowed to make to it. Some councils can be very restrictive on old houses.

    Cheers Jeff
    http://www.property.focusdevelopments.com.au

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