Restumping on the Gold Coast — questions and answers
Short answers on restumping and raising a house on the Gold Coast: how to check a contractor's licence, what a contract must say, what the home warranty covers and what the Building Act says about approvals. This site sets no prices.
Call (07) 3523 1792Cost
How much does restumping cost on the Gold Coast?
This site sets no price. The costs page sets out what the Queensland regulator and the City of Gold Coast publish that bears on cost, each with the date it was read.
Why do quotes for the same house differ?
Often because each assumes a different job. Ask every provider to say in writing what they will do, what they will not, and who lodges any approval. The regulator says a contract must be written, dated and signed by both parties, and agreed to before work begins.
Restumping and house raising on the Gold Coast
Raising or restumping a house on the Gold Coast, in the order the rules come up
Five checks, each with one figure from a regulator or the City of Gold Coast. None is a quote for your house, and none says a given job needs an approval.
Check the licence and the warranty
A$3,300
the value above which the regulator says home warranty cover is compulsory for residential construction work, materials, labour and GST included
A licence is also needed for building work valued over the same figure. Ask to see the licence card before you sign.
Source: Queensland Building and Construction Commission, What is home warranty insurance · read
Ask what the flood search says
300 millimetres
the minimum freeboard the City says residential habitable floor levels must add to the defined flood level
The City says its search covers riverine or regional flooding only and does not show the flood extent. Whether the rule applies to your job is for the City or a certifier.
Source: City of Gold Coast, Flood level search · read
Ask who certifies and lodges
five business days
the time the City says it takes to receive a copy of the approval and final inspection documents from a private certifier
The City says a final inspection is not automatic and must be requested.
Source: City of Gold Coast, Role of a private building certifier · read
Get the contract right before any deposit
five (5) business days
the cooling-off period in which the regulator says you generally have the right to withdraw from a contract
The regulator's maximum deposit is a share of the contract price that falls as the contract value rises, and a written contract is required.
Source: Queensland Building and Construction Commission, Cooling-off period · read
Know what happens at handover
12 months
the period in which the regulator says a contractor must repair defects noticed at handover or after the work is finished
The regulator says the owner must also notify the contractor of any such defect within the same period of noticing it.
Source: Queensland Building and Construction Commission, Practical completion inspection · read
Each figure names its source and the date it was read. None is a quote for your house or a promise about any approval.
Process
Where does my enquiry go?
To one independent provider covering your part of the Gold Coast, who contacts you to see the house and quote. It costs you nothing, and if no provider can take the job we tell you.
How do I check a contractor's licence?
The regulator says to ask to see the contractor's licence, the physical card or the digital licence on their phone, before you sign a contract or hand over money. A licence is needed for building work valued over A$3,300. Ask which licence class they hold and what it covers.
Timing
How quickly can someone get to me?
We cannot promise a time. It depends on the provider's bookings and on any approval the work needs.
Can I change my mind after signing?
Often, for a short time. The regulator says that under the QBCC Act you generally have the right to withdraw from the contract during a cooling-off period of five business days. Read its cooling-off page for how the period is counted and what it can cost you before you rely on it.
Permits and approvals
Does restumping or raising a house need approval?
The Building Act defines building work to include altering, underpinning and moving a building, and makes all building work assessable unless a regulation makes it accepted development. The two items in the Building Regulation 2021 that cover repairs and alterations both exclude work that changes a building's height, so a raise falls outside them on their words. Stumps are not named in either item, so the items do not say whether restumping is accepted development. Ask a building certifier or the City of Gold Coast about your job.
Source: Building Act 1975 (Qld) ss 5, 20, current as at 1 February 2026; Building Regulation 2021 (Qld) Schedule 1 ss 7 and 8, current as at 14 August 2026; QBCC, Building approvals and certification; read 25 September 2026.
Service area
Which suburbs do you cover?
Anywhere in the City of Gold Coast that we list, on the Queensland side of the border. One suburb, Southport, has a page, written around the State's Southport development scheme. The rest of the listed suburbs are covered on the same terms.
Do you do the restumping yourselves?
No. This site is run by a marketing company, which passes each enquiry to an independent local provider. The provider inspects the house, quotes and does any work; we hold no building licence and have no crews or plant.
Thanks — we have your enquiry. Someone will be in touch shortly. Prefer to talk now? Call (07) 3523 1792.
Last reviewed · Updated · First published