Structural Engineer Reports
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Galvanised steel helical screw pile lying on gravel beside the brick footing of a house

Underpinning & restumping trades

Engineering partner for underpinning and restumping contractors

Underpinning jobs usually need an engineer at every stage: confirming the cause, designing the work, documenting it for the permit, inspecting critical stages and signing it off. We do the engineering and never the building, with a fixed quote within 1–2 business hours.

  • Fixed quotes in 1–2 business hours
  • Permit documents
  • Stage inspections & certification

Fixed price before we start

Send us a job

Reply within 1–2 business hours. No obligation.

Fixed quote for your job. Prefer to talk? 07 2150 0579

Signed by structural engineersEngineers Australia · RPEQ
Fixed quote in 1–2 business hoursMon–Fri: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Fixed quote for every jobPrice fixed before we start
IndependentWe never sell or carry out repairs

Engineering partner

Do underpinning and restumping contractors need an engineer?

The short answer

For underpinning, usually yes: it's structural work that usually needs a building permit or approval with an engineer's design, and the engineer inspects critical stages and certifies the result. Restumping jobs can need engineering too, depending on the job. Your building surveyor or certifier sets the requirements each time.

That makes an engineer part of nearly every underpinning job you price. The question is whether the engineering holds the job up or keeps it moving. We aim for the second: fixed quotes within 1–2 business hours, clear documents for the permit, and stage inspections at the points set in the design.

We're engineering only. We never quote for or carry out building work, and we don't recommend contractors, so we never compete with you for a job.

Underpinning
Diagnosis, design, permit documents, stage inspections, certification
Restumping
Inspection and engineering where the job needs it
Fixed quote
Within 1–2 business hours, Mon–Fri: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Areas
Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Geelong and more
Credentials
Engineers Australia · RPEQ
We never
Quote, build or recommend contractors for repairs
Excavated pit beside a house with a concrete pad cast under the existing footingSTAGE · INSPECTED

Key takeaways

  • Fixed engineering quotes within 1–2 business hours, so your own quote isn't held up.
  • Designs for the method the ground and the cause call for.
  • Permit documents for your building surveyor or certifier.
  • We never compete with you for the building work.

What we provide

What engineering do we provide for contractors?

Everything between "the house is moving" and "the work is signed off", except the building: one engineering firm from the first inspection to certification.

Inspection and diagnosis

We inspect and confirm the cause, with a soil investigation or plumbing test where needed, before anything is designed.

Underpinning design

Mass concrete, piers, screw piles, or resin where it suits, with extent and founding depth set out.

Restumping engineering

Inspection and engineering for raised timber-floored houses, where the job needs it.

Permit documentation

Drawings and documents for the building permit or approval.

Stage inspections

At the critical stages set in the design, while the work can still be seen.

Certification

Sign-off on completion that the work was built to the design.

Who does what on a job?

TaskYour businessUs (engineering only)
Quote and contract with the ownerYesNo, we never quote building work
Find the causeSite access and what you've seenInspection, diagnosis and test advice
DesignPrice and build to the designThe design and details
Permit or approvalCoordinate with the owner, as agreedDocuments for the permit
Build the workYesNo, we never build
Stage inspectionsCall them at the points in the designInspect against the design
CompletionHand over to the ownerCertify the work

Who applies for the permit varies by job and state; your building surveyor or certifier can confirm.

How to send jobs

How do you send us a job?

Send the address, photos and what you've found. You'll have a fixed engineering quote within 1–2 business hours, then engineering through to certification.

  1. Step 1

    Send the job

    Address, photos, your scope or quote, any reports or soil tests, and your program.

  2. Within 1–2 business hours

    Fixed engineering quote

    For the engineering the job needs, and nothing it doesn't.

  3. On site

    Inspect and diagnose

    We confirm the cause, and say if a soil or plumbing test should come first.

  4. Design

    Design and permit documents

    For the method the ground and the cause call for.

  5. During the work

    Stage inspections

    At the points set in the design. Send your program and we'll confirm arrangements in the quote.

  6. On completion

    Certification

    Sign-off for you and the owner.

What to send with a job

  • The property address
  • Photos of the cracks, footings or stumps
  • Your scope or quote, if you've prepared one
  • Any engineer's reports, soil tests or plumbing tests
  • Your program, and the building surveyor or certifier if known
  • Any deadline we should know about
Send us a job Call 07 2150 0579

Attach photos and documents on the quote form. See how underpinning design and certification works step by step.

Independence

What if the investigation shows underpinning isn't needed?

We'll say so, with the reasons.

Our engineering judgement isn't for sale: if the investigation shows underpinning isn't needed, we'll say so, which protects your reputation too.

A job built on a confirmed cause and an engineer's design is easier to stand behind if an owner later has questions. And when the real cause is a leak, a downpipe or a tree, finding it before the job is priced is better for everyone.

If you install a particular system, such as screw piles or resin, tell us. Where it suits the ground and the cause, we'll design with it. Where it doesn't, we'll explain why before you price the job. Read underpinning methods compared or do you need an engineer for underpinning?

Three common underpinning methods, side by side

Mass concrete underpinning, screw piles and resin injection compared Three simplified sections of a wall on a strip footing. In the first, a concrete block is cast under the footing down to firmer ground. In the second, a steel screw pile beside the footing reaches firmer ground and is connected to the footing with a bracket. In the third, resin is injected through small tubes into the soil under the footing. firmer ground firmer ground firmer ground 1 · Mass concrete 2 · Screw pile 3 · Resin injection
  • 1 · Mass concrete: concrete is cast in short sections under the footing, down to firmer ground.
  • 2 · Screw piles or piers: steel piles are driven or screwed to a firmer layer and tied to the footing with brackets or a new beam.
  • 3 · Resin injection: expanding resin is injected into the soil under the footing to fill voids, densify it and sometimes lift the footing.
Figure 1Simplified sections, not to scale. The right method depends on the soil, the cause of movement and the building, so the diagnosis has to come first. We design and certify; we don't sell any method.Illustrative diagram. Prepared by Structural Engineer Reports.

Restumping

Engineering for restumping and reblocking jobs

Restumping, or reblocking, replaces the stumps of a raised timber-floored house. Whether a job needs an engineer depends on the job and on what your building surveyor or certifier asks for. Where it does, we provide the inspection, engineering and permit documents, plus stage inspections and certification as the job requires.

Some houses have more than one footing type, such as a timber-floored original with a slab extension. Send photos and we'll tell you what engineering each part needs. Our guide to underpinning vs restumping explains the difference for owners.

Owner not sure the work is needed?

A foundation and crack report from $450 + GST gives them an independent answer before you quote, and it's the first step if a design follows.

Subfloor of a raised timber house showing rows of stumps under the floor framing
Figure 2The subfloor of a raised timber house. Restumping replaces stumps like these; the engineering a job needs depends on the house and what the building surveyor or certifier asks for.

Where we work

Where do we work?

We take jobs in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Geelong, plus the Gold Coast, Newcastle, Perth and the Central Coast. Send the job address and we'll confirm it in your fixed quote. Our published homeowner fees are on the pricing page.

Queensland jobs

Professional engineering services in Queensland must be carried out or supervised by a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ) under the Professional Engineers Act 2002 (Qld). Our credentials: Engineers Australia · RPEQ.

Working with us

Do

  • Send photos and any reports with the job
  • Tell us your program and deadlines
  • Call stage inspections at the points in the design

Don't

  • Pour or backfill before a stage inspection
  • Fix the method before the cause is confirmed
  • Start before the permit or approval is in place
Send us a job

Related services

Other reports we prepare

Cracks · Subsidence · Movement

Foundation & crack reports

Cracks measured and rated, the cause of the movement found, and your options set out before anyone quotes a repair.

Learn more Homeowners · Builders · Contractors

Underpinning design & certification

If underpinning is needed, we design it, prepare the permit documents, inspect the critical stages and certify the work.

Learn more Active or historic movement

Crack monitoring

Repeat readings that show whether a crack is stable, seasonal or still widening, before anyone designs a repair.

Learn more

Questions

Engineering for contractors FAQs

Still unsure? Call 07 2150 0579 and an engineer will talk it through.

Do underpinning contractors need an engineer?
Usually, yes. Underpinning is structural work that usually needs a building permit or approval with an engineer's design, plus stage inspections and certification. Your building surveyor or certifier confirms the requirements for each job.
Does restumping need an engineer?
Sometimes. It depends on the job and on what the building surveyor or certifier asks for. Send photos and the scope, and we'll tell you what engineering the job needs before you price it.
How quickly can you quote the engineering for a job?
Within 1–2 business hours, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm, as a fixed fee. Dates for the inspection, design and documents are confirmed in the quote.
Will you design with our screw piles or resin system?
Where it suits the soil and the cause of movement, yes. Where it doesn't, we'll explain why before you price the job, because our engineering judgement isn't for sale.
What if the investigation shows underpinning isn't needed?
We'll say so, with the reasons. That protects the owner, and it protects your reputation too.
Do you do stage inspections?
Yes. The design sets the critical stages to inspect, such as excavations before concrete is placed. Send your program and we'll confirm the arrangements in the quote.
Do you quote building work or recommend contractors?
No. We never quote for or carry out building work, and we don't recommend contractors, so we never compete with you for a job.
Which areas do you cover?
Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Geelong, plus the Gold Coast, Newcastle, Perth and the Central Coast. Send the job address and we'll confirm it in the quote.
Do you work on Queensland jobs?
Yes. In Queensland, professional engineering services must be carried out or supervised by an RPEQ under the Professional Engineers Act 2002 (Qld), and our credentials are Engineers Australia and RPEQ.

Before anyone quotes a repair

Find the cause before anyone quotes a repair.

Tell us what you're seeing and where. You'll have a fixed quote within 1–2 business hours, and an independent engineer's report you can act on with confidence.

Get a fixed quote Call 07 2150 0579

Inspections from $450 + GST · No obligation

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