# Forum Home Renovation Sub Flooring  Help me remove a concrete stump and insert steel one

## kombiman

Howdy.  I live in a high set queenslander with the usual concreted in under with laundry, car park etc. 
There is one remaining concrete stump.  I should have had it removed when the steel beams went up 10 years ago however didn't for reasons that are no longer relevant (Side job by a crew who didn't want to touch this one with utilities on it). 
Places I have rung wont get out the truck for one stump....  not even a guestimate. 
I want to replace it with a steel stump to hide in a wall I will buil to seperate off the laundry so I can level the floor and tile etc to give my wife a clean laundry.  Happy wife happy life. 
Now I am very handy and build my all own stuff however am looking for tips from those who have done this before. 
I will hire some acrow prows to hold the bearers.  Remove stump, measure and get from Brisbane posts and beams. 
My preference is to try and cut or grind it off and sit the new post on the old stump.  This one is in about 1200 if the others were anything to go by so it is not going to go anywhere.  As this is a bloody big stump I do not want to get the root of it out, it will be ih hard shale, as we found out when digging. 
What would you do?  Would you jack hammer it?  grind it?  Use a (hired) concrete cutter?  Cut it into pieces or leave it whole?   
cheers 
kombiman

----------


## Bloss

It looks to be in OK condition except unsightly at the top and bottom. If that is so why remove and replace it at all? 
Why wouldn't you just tidy up the top and bottom (cut the bottom square to the edge of the post and flush with the floor or just from up around it so it has a formed pier base and use some timber to block out and neaten up the top. The wall can still be build abutting the post in each direction and only a small amount of post would be exposed - either all on one side or half & half or whatever. 
With that joint over the top you sure need the support (I can't see an steel beams holding that part up). If you do remove it then what you suggest is fine - props held tightly as close in as you can do while leaving work space then remove. It will probably need to be cut through with a diamond cement cutting saw - it will have steel reo rods embedded. At a pinch it would probably break it apart with a sledge hammer and cut the exposed steel with a grinder, but that is riskier approach in that situation IMO. 
Critical things as you seem to know is to ensure that the beams are propped and securely supported and that the props are not able to move while you work. If you jack the props up a few mm so that load is off that post you will probably find that a single cut at the base will allow you to bend it over. 
I reckon I'd be leaving it in place though - a steel post will need to be 75x75 or 100x100 anyway and a lot of work to get the same result. I'd be doing the aesthetic work and no more.

----------


## kombiman

Cheers mate,  
I want to finish it well, the rest of the build in (granny flatette with ensuite) is shmicko so I want to continue the standard.  This means that I need to change this stump.  Believe me Im not keen on it as a job but wont be happy with the alternative. 
The beam place will make a stepped stump to hold both bearers.

----------


## kombiman

A huge day, all done now, stump to dump, steel one ordered!

----------

