rotten posts supporting porch

Just started painting mother in laws 1930's house and discovered the wooden posts supporting the porch over the front door have completely rotted at the base where they are set into holes in the brick 3 foot high side walls.

I'm wondering what to do next (having quickly propped it with lumps of timber).

Demolish and bulid new porch would be the buliders answer? I know she does not want that.

The posts disappear into the structure of the tiled porch, so I can't see how to easily remove and replace the whole supporting beam. Would cutting away the base six inches and filling with joined wood be a reasonable approach?

Reply to
Mike.. . . .
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I had that in first house. Acrow props to hold up porch and I cut away the rotten wood and built 18" high brick pillars to support the good bits of the uprights.

Reply to
charles

Get a steel post made - by a local Arcitectural Steelworker . Gate maker. I had a similar problem. Steel is box section plastic coated - flange on bottom rather than sunk into brickwork.

Reply to
DerbyBorn

Agreed about props although you might be able to get away with DIY timber props. Could cut in replacement timber as you suggest. Scarf or stepped joint clamped with coach bolts, glued as well if you are posh. Might be easier to replace much more than six inches. Pressure treated timber will last longer, or you could soak the ends in creosote or the preservative of your choice.

Reply to
newshound

interesting idea!

Reply to
Mike.. . . .

borrowed an Acrow.

current best plan seems to be replace the whole posts with 4x4 hardwood? Using a fence post repair sleeve to fix at top, unless I can get the whole top of post out. I like the bulid bricks up at base approach but i'm now finding 18"+ rotten so extra 18" of brick would look odd (especially with my bricklaying). Somebody said dont join at middle height as will be a weakness , makes sense - less leverage on join at top (or bottom).

Reply to
Mike.. . . .

or even plastic window post with steel jack thingy inside?

Reply to
Mike.. . . .

Not strictly true. If (say) the bottom is out of line with the hole and you force it to fit, the maximum bending moment is at the joint at the top. But in practice you should be assembling it so that there is no bending, with the post in simple compression. As I said before, you want the joint to be where it is easiest to assemble which could be at the top or the middle, depending on the geometry. Fencepost repair sleeve would be OK if a bit bulky. If you make a stepped joint especially in 4 inch (say 6-8 inches long) with two or three 10 or 12 mm coach bolts and suitable washers that should be plenty strong enough. You can counterbore the "nut" end so that there is nothing showing proud of the surface, and even plug it with wood if it needs to look smart. If it is going to be painted, waterproof filler will be fine as you shouldn't need to touch it again.

Reply to
newshound

Thought about suggesting that, but not so much proper "d-i-y" that way! But yes, that should be a good long term solution.

Reply to
newshound

a former colleague had a similar problem, without time to deal with it, so he put a bottle jack under the post (with the rotten bit cut off) to keep it in place. When he eventually got round to dealing with problem, he found the jack had rusted solid, so he put shuttering round it and poured some concrete in.

Reply to
charles

:-) the house next door has a acrow "pillar" thats been there since he nearly finished the extension some years ago

Reply to
Mike.. . . .

i wasa just going to ask what they are called! So far failed to google something suitable for a top join - unless its a bottom join upside down!

Reply to
Mike.. . . .

all the ones i find on sale UK would be fine for a fencepost, but not a slide on and then screw as I would need. I see Simpsons do a 4x4 joiner that could be slid in between the cut and new post, but again not available in UK?

Reply to
Mike.. . . .

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