h1tvd

Hi
Just wondering if anyone has recently raised or excavated under a Queenslander.
We are in the early stages of planning and hoping for some advice on what to look out for - pitfalls / potential contingencies to budget for etc etc
Going to go owner builder route and try to take on some of the work ourselves to keep costs down - crazy I know!
Any advice would be great. Thanks

Just noticed my title states "excavate under Brisbane" OBVIOUSLY I don't have enough funds to excavate under the whole of Brisbane, just under my dilapidated shed in Brisbane!

Kim67

We've had ours looked at by a builder mate (we have a sloped block) and he thinks it would be more cost efficient and less time out of the house to excavate rather than lift.

h1tvd

We are also on a slope - it probably wouldn't need too much excavation for us to have legal height so this might also work out cheaper for us and we can do some of that work ourselves. We can already walk around under the back 3/4 of the underneath of the house.
Do you know if the council permissions are different if you raise or excavate?
Cheers

Kim67

Not sure, we're in the early stages of planning. Our house is post war and the plan was always to remove and rebuild. But we have an asbestos roof that's in need of being replaced and we don't have the money to rebuild right now so we're just starting to explore the possibility of renovating and replacing the roof. My husband wants to excavate and build in underneath (we have a non legal height garage and study/family room downstairs now), but I'm thinking we should leave downstairs and build a deck out from the lounge, rip open the centre of the house where the old kitchen and bathroom are and make bigger more modern areas and then step up another level out the back and add on there.

h1tvd

Sounds like you guys are at the same stage as us - just considering all the possibilities. We have a deck upstairs from the dining room. We are also considering closing in the deck to make new rooms and building a new deck on the back - unfortunately we feel our stumps have seen better days and we will probably need to replace them soon SO we should probably just lift and build under but its just so bloody expensive!!

fish.01

Just a heads up that the quality of soil can make a BIG difference to restumping costs.

h1tvd

Why does this make a big difference?

fish.01

Determines how deep they have to go to find solid ground...I don't think they will quote until you have got your soil tested.

h1tvd

Thnx - I'll add soil test to my to do list. This is fast becoming one long to do list.