Wellington House Repiling
About Us
Locally owned house foundation specialists. Wellington's repilers, not generalists.
Who we are
Wellington House Repiling, run by the person doing the work.
Wellington House Repiling is locally owned and operated by Stephen Pihama, a Licensed Building Practitioner with specialist qualifications and hands-on experience in house foundations.
Stephen was trained in house foundations by some of the best in the business. He's not a general builder who occasionally does repiling, he's a qualified, dedicated foundation specialist who has made this work his entire career.
When you book an inspection with Wellington House Repiling, Stephen is the one who comes out. He crawls under your house, assesses every pile, gives you an honest assessment, and carries out the work himself. No subcontractors for the core job. No handoffs.
That level of personal accountability is rare in the building industry, and it's the reason our reviews consistently mention trust, reliability, and quality.
Book an assessment
Stephen Pihama
Licensed Building Practitioner
Specialist in residential house foundations Β· NZS3604
Wellington context
Why foundation expertise matters more in Wellington.
Wellington isn't a forgiving environment for house foundations. The combination of clay-heavy soils, high rainfall, steep hillside sections, and one of New Zealand's most seismically active fault systems creates foundation challenges you simply don't find in most other cities.
Most of Wellington's character homes, the villas, bungalows, and older weatherboard houses that define the city's suburbs, were built decades before modern foundation standards existed. Many are sitting on untreated timber piles that have been slowly deteriorating for years.
Knowing Wellington's soils, depths, slope conditions, and seismic requirements isn't something you pick up in a manual. It comes from years of working specifically in this region, which is what Stephen brings to every job.
Active seismic zone
Wellington Fault has 10β15% probability of major rupture in next 50 years (GNS Science)
Clay-heavy soils
Wellington's expansive clay shrinks, swells, and moves with moisture, hard on pile foundations
Steep hillside sections
Many Wellington homes sit on slopes requiring specialised access and anchor pile solutions
Old housing stock
Much of Wellington's residential housing predates modern foundation codes and uses untreated timber piles
High rainfall
Wet conditions accelerate timber pile rot and subfloor moisture damage
Credentials & standards
How we work, and what that means for you
Every job is carried out to a documented, licensed standard. That protects you, for insurance, council records, and property sales.
Licensed Building Practitioner
Licence holder: Stephen Pihama
NZS3604 Compliant
All work meets New Zealand Building Code
Liability Insurance
Fully insured workmanship
No-Obligation Assessments
No charge, no obligation assessments
Wellington Region Specialists
Local knowledge of Wellington soils & terrain
Residential Foundation Specialists
Focused exclusively on house foundations
How we operate
What sets us apart
These aren't marketing points. They're things our clients mention in reviews, unprompted.
Owner on every job
Stephen doesn't manage from an office. He's under your house doing the work. That's not common in the trades, and it matters for quality.
Honesty first
We tell you what actually needs doing. If a partial repile is all that's needed, that's what we'll recommend, not a full job you don't need.
Foundations only
We don't do kitchens, bathrooms, or general building. Our entire focus is house foundations, which means depth of knowledge you won't find in a generalist.
Tidy, respectful work
We're working in and around your family's home. We treat it accordingly, clean sites, careful access, and no damage to your property.
Our services
All residential foundation work, one specialist.
From a single rotten pile to a full earthquake-strength repile, we handle all residential foundation work across Wellington, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, Porirua, and the Kapiti Coast.
Reviews
What Wellington homeowners say
Kaycee Haze
"Professional and informative"
We had our house repiled by Stephen and his team whom were from the beginning very professional and informative throughout the entire process. We were very impressed by the tidiness of our property and the respect they had, this is our family home. Highly recommend!
Anna Castelle
"Highly recommend"
Stephen was very professional, hard working and super helpful. He made the whole process feel smooth, so reliable, quick to reply, and always there when he said he would be. We have nothing but good things to say.
Fatima Dean
"Absolutely amazing job"
Absolutely amazing job from Stephen and the team. Punctual and very professional! I can't thank you enough for our level floors and strong foundations. I highly recommend Wellington House Repiling.
Ronise Paul
"Did a great job"
Stephen and his team did a great job. Was prompt, professional and left the site tidy. Has made me feel secure in my property and I know what he has done will last for years. Can highly recommend!
Ready to get your foundations sorted?
No-obligation assessments across Wellington, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, Porirua, and the Kapiti Coast. Stephen will come out, assess your foundations honestly, and give you a no-obligation quote.