In short
Published guides put underpinning at about $5,000–$15,000 for common jobs. Mirage Building, a northern Tasmanian builder, gives that range for 2026, and national guides say large jobs reach $25,000–$50,000. These are other businesses' figures, not ours. We don't sell underpinning: we check whether it's needed, review quotes from $390 + GST, and design and certify the work.
Key takeaways
- Mirage Building's 2026 Tasmanian guide: $5,000–$15,000. hipages (national): $10,000–$15,000 for a typical house.
- National guides put large jobs at $25,000–$50,000, and extensive piling for severe movement at $40,000–$80,000 or more.
- In Hobart, the depth to firm ground, reactive clay, slope and access move the price more than the method's name.
- Underpinning is notifiable work in Tasmania: budget for the engineer's design, any soil test and the building surveyor.
- An independent second opinion on a quote starts from $390 + GST, from documents and photos.
Underpinning can be the biggest repair bill a Hobart homeowner faces, and two quotes for the same house can sit thousands of dollars apart. This guide gathers the published price ranges, explains what moves the price on Hobart's ground, and adds up the engineering and approval costs that sit around the contractor's quote. We are engineers with no underpinning to sell, so every figure below is someone else's published range, not our price.
Underpinning cost in Hobart: quick facts
- Tasmanian guide
- $5,000–$15,000 (Mirage Building, 2026)
- Typical house, national
- $10,000–$15,000 (hipages)
- Large jobs, national
- $25,000–$50,000 (QuickQuote)
- Approval
- Notifiable work: a building surveyor's Certificate of Likely Compliance
- Our second opinion
- From $390 + GST, from documents and photos
- Our crack report
- From $590 + GST, on site
How much does underpinning cost in Hobart?
Published guides put most residential underpinning between about $4,000 and $15,000, with large jobs far higher; the only Tasmanian figure we found is Mirage Building's $5,000–$15,000 for 2026. Mirage is a builder based in northern Tasmania, and its own table by material runs from $6,000–$10,000 for timber to $15,000–$25,000 for steel, so even one source gives a wide spread.
Published underpinning cost ranges
- Mirage Building · Tasmania, 2026$5k–$15k
- Remedial Building Help · common jobs$4k–$15k
- hipages · typical house$10k–$15k
- QuickQuote · small job$5k–$12k
- QuickQuote · standard section$12k–$25k
- QuickQuote · large job$25k–$50k
- Our quote second opinionfrom $390 + GST
| Source | Published figure | Scope | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mirage Building (northern Tasmania) | $5,000–$15,000 | Overall budget, Tasmania, 2026 | 3 Nov 2026 |
| hipages | $10,000–$15,000; concrete can exceed $15,000 | Typical house, national | 8 Oct 2026 |
| Remedial Building Help | $4,000–$15,000; full spread about $3,000–$25,000 | Common residential jobs, national | 8 Oct 2026 |
| QuickQuote | $5,000–$12,000 small; $12,000–$25,000 standard section; $25,000–$50,000 large | National | 8 Oct 2026 |
| Remedial Building Help | $40,000–$80,000 or more | Extensive piling for severe movement | 8 Oct 2026 |
Other businesses' published figures, not our prices. We don't sell or carry out underpinning.
What drives the cost of underpinning in Hobart?
How much of the house needs support, how deep the firm ground is and whether the cause has been fixed decide most of the price; the method's name matters less. Hobart adds a few local factors.
| Cost driver | Why it matters in Hobart |
|---|---|
| Extent | One corner, one wall or the whole perimeter. More length means more pins, piers or beams. |
| Depth to firm ground | The ground changes over short distances: dolerite on the higher hills, sandstone under the valley floor and CBD, mudstone in the foothills, and pockets of clay and basalt. Deeper firm ground means more digging or longer piles. |
| Reactive clay | Mineral Resources Tasmania documents expansive clays under houses in Lindisfarne, Lenah Valley and Taroona. Clay sites may need deeper footings and drainage work alongside. |
| Slope and access | Steep blocks, narrow side paths and stairs mean hand digging, small rigs and more labour. |
| The cause | A leak, a downpipe or a tree left unfixed can keep moving the house after it's underpinned. Fixing the cause can cost less than the repair. |
| A close neighbour | Work that could affect the neighbour's footing needs protection work, overseen by a building surveyor, and often a dilapidation report. |
| Landslip band | A landslip hazard report and more checks. Rosetta, in Glenorchy, and Taroona are documented landslide areas. |
| Heritage listing | Works to a place on the Tasmanian Heritage Register need Heritage Council approval, with drawings of the existing condition. See heritage and older homes. |
| Contract of $20,000 or more | The training levy and Building Administration Fee apply, and the Residential Building Work Contracts and Dispute Resolution Act 2016 covers the contract. |
Does the underpinning method change the cost?
Yes, but only compare methods after the diagnosis, because the right one depends on the soil, the cause and the building. Each is priced differently, so per-metre and per-pier figures don't line up.
Three common underpinning methods, side by side
- 1 · Mass concrete: concrete is cast in short sections under the footing, down to firmer ground.
- 2 · Screw piles or piers: steel piles are driven or screwed to a firmer layer and tied to the footing with brackets or a new beam.
- 3 · Resin injection: expanding resin is injected into the soil under the footing to fill voids, densify it and sometimes lift the footing.
- Mass concrete: Remedial Building Help gives $1,000–$3,000 per linear metre of wall, citing Mainmark's published figure.
- Piers: QuickQuote gives about $2,500–$5,000 per pier.
- Resin injection: Buildfix, a resin contractor, publishes $4,000–$16,000 per job.
Cheaper per unit isn't cheaper overall if the method doesn't suit the ground. A method that can't reach firm ground under a deep clay layer, for example, may need doing twice.
What do engineering and approvals add to the cost?
Underpinning a house is notifiable work in Tasmania, so the budget should cover an engineer's design, any soil test and a building surveyor, on top of the contractor's price. The Director's Determination notes that underpinning may need a site and soil test to AS 2870 and an engineer's design before work starts.
- Diagnosis: our crack and foundation report from $590 + GST
- Second opinion on a quote: from $390 + GST, no site visit
- Design, Form 35 and stage inspections: fixed quote per job, see underpinning design and certification
- Soil investigation: where the design needs one
- Building surveyor: assessment, Certificate of Likely Compliance and inspections
For comparison, a national cost guide from Melbourne Restumping lists engineer inspections at $200–$800 and engineering fees on underpinning jobs at $1,000–$6,000 (checked 8 October 2026).
How do you check an underpinning quote before you sign?
Ask what caused the movement, what design the quote is built on and exactly what it includes, then have an independent engineer compare the answers with the house.
- Has someone other than the contractor diagnosed the cause?
- Is the work to an engineer's design, with a Form 35 for the building surveyor?
- How many pins or piers, how deep, and under which walls?
- Who engages the building surveyor and pays for the Certificate of Likely Compliance?
- Are leak repairs, drainage, crack repairs and making good included?
- What happens to the price if firm ground is deeper than assumed?
- At $20,000 or more, the Residential Building Work Contracts and Dispute Resolution Act 2016 covers the contract, with statutory warranties: claims must be brought within 6 years of practical completion.
A second opinion before you commit
Send us the quote, any reports and photos of the cracks. Our underpinning second opinion starts from $390 + GST and tells you whether the scope fits the problem.
When to call a structural engineer
Call an engineer before you call a contractor, and again before you sign anything.
- Cracks are 5 mm or wider or still growing. Read cracks in walls: when to worry
- You have an underpinning quote and no independent diagnosis
- Two quotes differ by thousands for what looks like the same job
- Your building surveyor needs an engineer's design and a Form 35
- You're buying a house with signs of movement
Raised timber floor rather than a slab or brick walls? That's restumping, not underpinning: see restumping cost in Hobart.
Need an engineer?
Holding an underpinning quote?
Send the quote and photos. Our second opinion starts from $390 + GST, with a fixed quote within 1–2 business hours.
Sources
- Mirage Building and Construction, Underpinning Hobart cost guide 2026. Published 20 September 2026: $5,000–$15,000 overall; material table $6,000–$25,000. Checked 3 November 2026
- hipages, underpinning cost guide (national). A typical house $10,000–$15,000; concrete underpinning can exceed $15,000. Checked 8 October 2026
- Remedial Building Help, underpinning cost guide (national). Common residential jobs $4,000–$15,000, full spread about $3,000–$25,000; mass concrete $1,000–$3,000 per linear metre, citing Mainmark; extensive piling $40,000–$80,000+. Checked 8 October 2026
- QuickQuote, underpinning cost guide (national). Small jobs $5,000–$12,000; a standard affected section $12,000–$25,000; large jobs $25,000–$50,000; piers about $2,500–$5,000 each. Checked 8 October 2026
- Buildfix, resin injection pricing. $4,000–$16,000 for resin injection jobs. Buildfix is a resin contractor. Checked 8 October 2026
- Melbourne Restumping, cost guide. Engineer inspections $200–$800 and engineering fees $1,000–$6,000 on underpinning jobs. Checked 8 October 2026
- Director of Building Control, Director's Determination: Categories of Building and Demolition Work, version 1.4. Clause 3.0.4 (underpinning is notifiable work), protection work and the $20,000 levy and fee
- Residential Building Work Contracts and Dispute Resolution Act 2016 (Tas)
- Heritage Tasmania, Getting approval for works