How repair portico columns?

Question

Hi,We have a portico covering the front porch of our house, with twocolumns, and the base of one of them is beginning to deteriorate.  I waswondering how this can be repaired?I have the impression that there's a post inside, and that when theportico was originally built, they slid something like a hollow columnto surround the actual support post. Is there any way to replace the exterior column without having todisassemble/remove the top part of the portico itself?  Also, what kindof company would we look for to do something like this?Thanks,Jim

m Ransley · Accepted Answer

A photo would help but first you need to see if the column is cosmeticby drilling ot cutting . If cosmetic a column could be cut in 2 andrefit together , get bids and ideas It is to dark out tonight for me tosee from here.

William Brown · Answer

If the column itself is deteriorated, you will probably have to replace it.  We did it using structural columns from this place: architectural products and look for columns.  They have all sorts, including interior and exterior.  The actual replacement was fairly easy.  We cut the column to the proper length; jacked up the roof about an inch; knocked out the old column and slid the new one into place. The only trick was getting a column strong enough to support the roof. Since I didn't know the weight, I just estimated very heavy.ohaya wrote:

ohaya · Answer

William,Thanks for the information.Can you tell me how did you jack up the roof?Thanks,JimWilliam Brown wrote:

William Brown · Answer

I had some 2x4s laying around, so I nailed a couple together to make three 4x4s.  Two I cut so they would be long enough to hold up the roof when it was jacked up.  The other I cut so it fit between a bottle jack I had in the garage and the roof.  With the bottle jack and the shorter 4x4 I raised the roof (!) and slid in the support 4x4s, then removed the old column, put in the new, lifted the roof with the jack, removed the support 4x4s, and lowered the roof onto the new column.  To be strictly accurate, I didn't jack up the roof; I jacked up a support beam that was under the roof.  Incidentally, I got the polycast columns, and they look really good; they are even tapered to give the illusion that they are straight, so be certain to cut the right end if you have to shorten them.ohaya wrote:

How repair portico columns?

Join the Discussion

Didn't find your answer?