Adjustable posts for my porch

Why do they need to be adjustable?

Since the porch is already in place, I have to load the posts. If I just cut posts to fit between the porch sill and the footing, it will be a loose fit. The adustable feature would allow me to put a compression load in the post.

Why not just use more lally columns?

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I think it is a good idea.

Use wood posts, with a steel cap on the bottom and a short steel bolt extending down.

This makes it adjustable so you can load the columns as much as needed now and in the future, and protects the wood from moisture related rot. I saw these all over Germany, and thought they looked strange at first, then realized how practical they are. They look funny because you see a 6x6 post then a couple inches of 1 inch steel bolt on the bottom, but they're plenty strong.

Raise the existing porch roof, insert the fixed column of your choice, lower the roof.

It's done all the time. Just be careful.

On 4/30/2012 1:14 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote: ...

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We have a winnah...

That's surely what I would do, and have done in the past. There are new hollow plastic columns that go around the actual load-bearing columns, so you could cover the jack post/lalley columns with the plastic covers and no one would be the wiser.

will a jack post work? you can wrap/cover with wood