When a stump has to come out, not just down
Stump grinding is the right answer for most gardens. You want the stump gone so you can lay turf or replant, and the remaining roots can rot away slowly. Stump removal is for the jobs where that is not good enough:
- A slab, footing or pool is going in. Roots left in the ground decay and leave voids, which a builder does not want under concrete.
- A driveway or paving is being laid. The base needs to be compacted, and a rotting root plate makes that difficult.
- A retaining wall or fence line is being rebuilt along the line of an old tree.
- The stump keeps resprouting. Some species, including desert ash, elms and poplars, will shoot again from roots left in the soil.
- Several stumps need clearing at once on a block being prepared for a new house or a unit development.
How stump removal is done
Locate services first
Before any digging, underground services are located. Gas, water, sewer, stormwater, power and data lines often run close to old trees, and in established Melbourne suburbs the plans do not always match what is in the ground. Lodging an enquiry with Before You Dig Australia is the starting point, and private lines on your own property may need a locator.
Dig around the root plate
A mini or larger excavator digs around the stump, cutting through the main lateral roots with the bucket or a chainsaw. On heavy basalt clay in the inner north and west this can be slow, sticky work in winter. On the sandy soils around Cranbourne and Frankston roots tend to spread wider and shallower, so the dig covers more ground.
Lever and lift
Once the main roots are cut, the stump is levered out and lifted clear. Large eucalypt and cypress stumps can be very heavy with soil attached, so they are shaken or washed off where possible and broken down before being loaded out.
Fill and finish
The hole is backfilled with site soil or clean fill, and compacted in layers if something is to be built on it. If your builder wants the hole left open for inspection, make sure the quote says so.
Machine access in Melbourne suburbs
Access is the single biggest variable. A Victorian terrace in an inner suburb may have only a narrow side passage or a rear laneway. A sloping block in the foothills may need the machine tracked across lawn and garden beds. Newer estates in the outer south east often have narrow side setbacks between houses. Where an excavator cannot reach, deep grinding or hand digging are the alternatives.
Costs
Stump removal is quoted per job, because one large stump with good access can cost less than a smaller one behind the house with no machine access. The Melbourne tree removal cost guide includes planning bands for stump removal and grinding. If the tree is still standing, ask for tree removal and stump removal on the same quote.