The cheapest new floor is the one already under your house
Raising or lifting a house means jacking it up off its stumps and setting it down on taller ones. The house stays where it is. What you gain is a whole level underneath: room for bedrooms, a rumpus, a home office, a granny flat or a double garage, without giving up the backyard.
Why Townsville owners raise
- More living space. Build in underneath instead of building out.
- Flood clearance. Lift floors above the flood level set for your street.
- Shade, parking and airflow. Open space under the house for cars, storage and the breeze.
- Easier inspection. A low house is hard to check for termites and drainage problems underneath.
Thinking of building in underneath?
Raise it high enough the first time. Habitable rooms need a clear ceiling height, usually 2.4 m, and the floor structure takes up space too. Share your plans for the space underneath at the inspection stage so the new height suits your build and the job only gets done once.
Lowering a highset
The same job in reverse. Owners lower a highset to get rid of a long flight of stairs, often to stay in a home they love as they get older, or to bring a house under a height limit.
How house raising and lifting works
House lifting is done by jacking the building up evenly on steel beams, a section at a time. New engineered footings and taller concrete or steel stumps go in, then the house is lowered onto them, levelled and tied down for your block's wind rating. Stairs, plumbing and downpipes are extended to suit the new height. Raising or lifting a house is building work, so it needs approval and a QBCC-licensed contractor.
What changes the price
How high the house goes, its size and weight, the number of stumps, soil and footing design, and how much the stairs, plumbing and drainage need extending.
Areas we cover
House raising and house lifting jobs run across Townsville and surrounding North Queensland. In older, low-lying or character streets around South Townsville, Railway Estate, Hermit Park, Oonoonba, Idalia, West End, Mysterton and North Ward, owners lift Queenslanders and workers' cottages for flood clearance, airflow and room to build in underneath.
Across established family suburbs like Aitkenvale, Mundingburra, Gulliver, Pimlico, Currajong, Rosslea and Hyde Park, as well as Kirwan, Cranbrook, Annandale, Heatley, Vincent and Thuringowa, timber highsets and lowsets are raised to add bedrooms, a garage or a rumpus without losing backyard space. Timber homes are also lifted and lowered along the northern beaches, out on Hervey Range Road acreage, south to Ayr and Home Hill in the Burdekin, and west to Charters Towers.
Planning to build in underneath? Get the height right from the start with a free raising quote.
Common questions
How high can my house go?
It depends on your council zone, any flood levels for your street and the height limits that apply. These are checked during the site inspection before your written quote is prepared.
Do I need approval to raise my house?
Yes. Raising is building work and needs building approval from a private certifier. Character and heritage areas may also need council planning approval.
Can I raise and restump at the same time?
Yes. Every raise gets new stumps, so the house ends up on new footings anyway.
Can I stay in the house during the raise?
Usually not while it's being lifted, since services are disconnected and the stairs come off. Most owners need to be out for the lift and set-down days, with exact timing confirmed in the job schedule.
Can every house be raised?
Timber houses on stumps raise best. Brick homes and houses on a concrete slab are much harder, and often not worth it.