re-piling a house

[pipple21]

Afternoon!

How much-ish (very approximate here, very expensive, moderate, quite doo-able) and how major is re-piling a house and what is entailed?

Will the cost of re-piling add value to the property?

How long does it last untill it would need to be done again?

Is this something that should be avoided?

What kind of time frame should one allow?

Any one else had this done or can offer comments?

[Edinburgh]

Looked at this recently - figures from $5k to $12k plus GST. Depends on construction and how much repiling is needed.

Major implication is damage to the house, which is usually superficial but will need to be repaired eg: plaster, paint

I actually think repiling can be a good thing in a purchase if the house needs doing up anyway. Most people think it is horrendously difficult and fraught with danger - this depresses the asking price and keeps other potential buyers away.

[Gatekeeper]

A quote to re-level and re-pile an old villa of mine was $46,000 two years ago. The ground was soft silt and they needed to go down a number of metres. The Hutt Valley is renowned for this, I've heard of piles being driven up to 6 metres to find solid. I've also had six extra piles put in on one place and it cost about $1000 a while back.
If the house is level, I wouldn't bother.

[sooty]

Repile

Repile before any renovations, or you could be doing them again after bringing the house back to as built height

[artemis]

$6000 odd to repile most of an old villa 2 years ago. Agree with repiling before renovating. If intending to flick soon I would not bother.

[sooty]

Repile

Hi, Have more time to answer now. Average time for repile is one week. Cost I do not know as I have not done it for years. The cost and time goes out the door if the house is that close to the ground you have to dig trenchs for access or if you can standup under the house. Average job you can scoot around on hands and knees. Repile will see out the life of the house. Normally work out from the fireplace concrete foundation which should be original build height.The old wooden piles rot in the ground and the house sinks down over time. I have seen up to 300mm droop. There is two ways to repile, one as above from underneath, the other is to use housemovers to jack the house up to walk around underneath then lower the house back down, you move out for a week. Maybe the time to move house on the section to fit a minor dwelling in as well.

[Mikey W]

Hi,
I thought it might be tidier than starting a new thread, as I have a question regarding piling.
I put an offer on a house that went conditional - needed builders report, LIM report etc.

Anyway, the builder has said that the house has some piling issues - I am still awaiting the report to get more info. Oh, and bora too.

Pending what the report says, is this the sort of thing that is best to walk away from? Especially, if you are new?

[pipple21]

If you get a quote for the repairs, you can either ask for the amount to be deducted from the purchase price, or ask the vendor to make good on the repairs.
Depends on what clauses you have on your contract, depends on how you can beat down that price or get the repairs done by the vendor.
You may want to be wary of the vendor using the cheapest way out though.

[Mikey W]

Thanks Jarrod.

So it's not necessarily a 'don't touch it with a 10 foot barge pole' situation?

We have an out clause in the form of a business partner's approval - although we would need to move fast to use that.

[pipple21]

I never went ahead with the property I was after that needed re-piling, but for different reasons.
You have 'subject to builders report' on the contract? If so, then get the builders report, if it is dis-favourable, either walk away or re-negotiate.

[Mikey W]

Thanks for everyone's advice on this. I have ended up walking away from the property. The report was pretty grim, especially considering my inexperience.