Who to hire for a floor that feels bouncy

Short answer

A builder or a carpenter who does subfloor work — and if the house is on stumps, a restumping contractor. The causes are a failed stump, a rotted or split bearer or joist, joists spanning too far after a renovation, or persistent subfloor moisture rotting timber. All four are visible from underneath.

Plan itThere is time to get more than one quote, which is where the money is.

When it is someone else

Calling the wrong trade costs an attendance fee to be told so. These are the cases where this problem belongs to someone other than a Builder.

  • a pest inspector

    there is any chance of termites. Soft, springy timber in a subfloor is one of the classic presentations, and a builder replacing the timber without a termite inspection has fixed the symptom.

  • a plumber

    the subfloor is damp. Leaking drains and water services under houses rot bearers.

What to do before anyone arrives

  1. Map where it flexes and where it does not. That tells whoever looks which span to examine.
  2. If there is subfloor access and it is safe, look and photograph: stumps out of plumb or sinking, bearers split, joists rotted at the ends where they sit on the bearer, or fungal growth.
  3. Check for damp, standing water, blocked vents and anything stored under the house against the timbers.
  4. Look for termite workings — mud tubing on stumps or piers is unmistakable once you know what it looks like.

What to ask when you book

  • Is this a stump, a bearer, a joist, or a span problem?
  • Has a termite inspection been done, and should one be?
  • Does the repair address why the timber failed, or only replace it?
  • Will the floor covering above have to come up?

What changes the price

No dollar figures here: this directory holds no price data and an invented range is worse than none. What follows is what makes one of these jobs cost more than the same job next door, which is the part you can actually use when comparing quotes.

  • Subfloor access. A crawl space you can work in versus a 400mm clearance changes everything.
  • How much timber is being replaced.
  • Whether stumps or piers are involved.
  • Whether flooring above has to be lifted and relaid.

What you can do yourself

Is this licensed work?

Structural building work, licensed above a threshold in every state.

There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state the work is happening in.

Licensing thresholds and certificate requirements differ by state and change with amending regulation, so this page describes the mechanism rather than quoting a figure. The regulator’s own page is the current answer.

Common questions

Who should I hire for a floor that feels bouncy
A builder or a carpenter who does subfloor work — and if the house is on stumps, a restumping contractor. The causes are a failed stump, a rotted or split bearer or joist, joists spanning too far after a renovation, or persistent subfloor moisture rotting timber. All four are visible from underneath.
Is a bouncy floor dangerous?
It is usually a serviceability problem rather than an imminent collapse, but it is also the presentation of termite damage and of rot, both of which get worse. The distinction between annoying and dangerous is made by looking underneath, which is cheap.

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Who to hire for

General information about who does what, not advice about your specific job. Licensing, consumer law and council rules differ by state and change; the regulator for your state is the current source. More guides to hiring a tradesperson.