Porch Column Replacement in St. Louis, MO
Rotted at the bottom, leaning, or just ugly? We hold the porch roof up, swap in new pressure-treated posts on standoff bases, wrap them in aluminum that never needs paint, and pull the permit.
We shore the roof firstWe pull your permit6x6 treated posts on standoff basesAluminum wraps — no paintingLicensed & insured
Request an estimate
Tell us about your porch columns. Rotted, leaning, or just ready for a new look?
- The roof is shored before any column comes out.
- New 6x6 pressure-treated posts on standoff bases, so the wood never sits in water.
- Aluminum wraps with cap & base trim — they never need paint.
Rather talk? Call 314-440-8873.
★★★★★ 5.0 on Google · 66 reviews
“Jose and the team were professional and hard-working, on-time and cleaned up everyday. They are highly skilled with excellent attention to detail. Ryan was easy to work with and very responsive. Highly recommend!”Jeannette S. · New composite deck
“Working with Nick Maniaci was great. He was easy to communicate with (which is definitely not always the case with contractors), and his guys did good work.”Nathan W. · Pool gate and carpentry repairRead all 66 reviews on Google →
Request your porch column estimate
Takes about a minute. Photos help.
★★★★★ 5.0 on Google · 66 reviews
“Jose and the team were professional and hard-working, on-time and cleaned up everyday. They are highly skilled with excellent attention to detail. Ryan was easy to work with and very responsive. Highly recommend!”Jeannette S. · New composite deck
“Working with Nick Maniaci was great. He was easy to communicate with (which is definitely not always the case with contractors), and his guys did good work.”Nathan W. · Pool gate and carpentry repairRead all 66 reviews on Google →
Porch columns
Your options & what to expect
Most people call because a column is going soft at the bottom. Start with the first card: it tells you whether yours can be wrapped or has to be replaced.
Wrap or replace?
It depends on the post inside. We check every column before we price it.
- Wrap it — if the post is solid top to bottom and plumb, we cover it with an aluminum wrap and cap & base trim. Fastest and least expensive. It changes the finish, not the structure.
- Replace it — if the bottom is soft, split, or the column leans, a wrap just hides the rot. The post comes out and a new one goes in.
- Not sure which you have? Push a screwdriver into the bottom few inches. If it sinks in, plan on replacement. Send photos with your request and we’ll tell you on the first call.
How we replace a porch column
One column at a time. The roof is held up the whole time.
- Shore the roof — temporary supports go in on both sides and take the load off the column before we touch it.
- Pull the old column — and check the header above and the concrete below. If either has a problem, we show you before we go further.
- Set a new 6x6 pressure-treated post — on a standoff post base that holds the wood off the concrete, with a rated post cap at the top. Both are galvanized connectors, fastened the way the manufacturer specifies.
- Wrap and trim — an 8-inch aluminum column wrap, white or black, with cap and base trim. No painting, ever.
- Inspection and cleanup — we meet the inspector, haul off the old columns, and clean up.
Permits for porch columns
Columns hold up the roof, so replacing one is structural work. In most of the St. Louis area that means a building permit. We pull it for you.
- St. Louis County (unincorporated and the cities the County inspects for) — a permit is required to replace porch columns, beams or headers, or to repair damage like rot or termites. Wrapping existing columns in pre-finished metal is a finish, and does not need one.
- City of St. Louis — porches and structural beams or supports need a building permit. In a historic district, the Cultural Resources Office reviews the design too, so the new columns have to fit the house.
- Other cities — many St. Louis-area cities run their own building departments, and the rules vary. We check your address and handle it.
What the permit usually needs: a drawing of the porch showing column size, the post base and post cap connectors, the beam or header the columns carry, and what each column sits on. Then an inspection. We draw it, submit it, and meet the inspector.
Column styles
The post inside does the work. The wrap is the look.
- Square aluminum wrap, white — what we install most. Clean, crisp, and it never needs paint.
- Square aluminum wrap, black — same wrap, for modern farmhouse and darker trim.
- Craftsman tapered column on a base — the bungalow look, often on a stone or brick base.
- Round tapered column — fiberglass or PVC, for colonial and traditional houses.
- Wood post — cedar, stained, for a rustic look.
Square aluminum wraps are our standard. The other styles are priced per job — tell us what you have in mind.
What’s under the column
A new column needs something solid to stand on.
- Solid porch slab — the new post base anchors to it and we’re done.
- Cracked or sinking slab — if the concrete under a column has settled, the column will lean again. We fix that before the new column goes up.
- New footing — when a column needs its own footing, it goes below the frost line and is sized for the roof load it carries.
- New porch or steps — we pour those too. See concrete projects.
