Why DIY House Restumping Should Be Avoided
ShareSome homeowners who have just bought an older house may later notice that the stumps beneath that house have degraded and need to be replaced. Such homeowners may wish to restump their house without the help of a professional. However, this approach has many risks that can turn out to be very costly. Read on and learn why you should be hesitant to attempt a DIY restumping project.
It Is Very Time Consuming
The process of restumping a house is a very delicate undertaking that should be done carefully. For instance, one has to lift sections of the house carefully in order to insert supports before the old stumps can be removed so that new ones can be installed. This process is so time-consuming that a DIY attempt may end up being rushed in order to complete the job sooner. Rushing the process can introduce risks, such as damaging the walls of the house as you raise it very quickly.
No Insurance Cover
It may be hard for you to convince your insurance company to cover any damage that occurs while you restump your house on your own. This is because the insurance company is likely to view the damage as something that would have been avoided by hiring professionals to do that work. You may even face higher repair costs later on in case any future accidents can be attributed (by the home insurance company) to an oversight during the house restumping project that you undertook on your own.
Obtaining Permits May Be Hard
Some jurisdictions may regard house restumping as a project for which a building permit must be obtained. It may be hard for you to obtain such a permit if you live in an area where a permit is needed before restumping begins. This is because the authorities may hold the view that you lack the skills that are necessary to restump the house without putting the safety of the occupants of that home at risk.
Unexpected Developments May Occur
You are likely to make the wrong decision when an unexpected development occurs during the house-restumping project. For instance, what would you do in case you encountered a hard rock as you dug holes for the footings of the stumps? Some homeowners may continue digging through the rock until they reach the desired depth. Others may stop digging at that point because they may believe that the rock is a stable base for the footings. Which option is the correct one? Only an experienced professional can decide how such situations can be handled based on the specific conditions at the site.
As you can see, very many risks exist when you decide to restump your home on your own. Avoid those risks by hiring a house-restumping professional so that each step of the process is handled in the best way possible.