Hiring right in battle against rot

Question: Hi, I enjoy reading your articles in the Free Press on Saturdays. Perhaps you can direct me to a reputable business that can possibly do a repair for me. The wooden pillar on our front porch is starting to rot and I would like to get it repaired or replaced.

Thanks,

— Dennis Tomlinson

Answer: Replacing a damaged wooden component in a home may be a fairly straightforward repair, but hiring the correct contractor or tradesperson for the specific job may require additional research. Ensuring that you hire an experienced individual should guarantee you pay a fair price for a proper job that won’t cause you additional headaches in the future.

Because there are very limited regulations for the residential construction industry, your simple question may be more complicated than it first seems.

There is little to stop any person from presenting themselves as a knowledgeable contractor when it comes to home renovations or repairs.

So how do you know that you are hiring the proper individual to replace your rotted out column, to avoid structural issues with the roof it is supporting?

The simplest answer would be to hire a Red Seal carpenter, who has a decade or more of experience with residential construction and renovation.

You should be able to find a list of names online, but often these individuals may work for general contractors, have limited residential experience, or not want to be bothered with such a small job.

If you can find a true carpenter who is willing to fix the damaged column, ensure they provide you with a firm quote for the cost, time frame for completion, and exactly what the work includes: If the new post needs painting or other finishing, is that included or is that your responsibility afterwards? When is payment due, is a deposit required, and will there be options for you to choose between different columns?

If all these questions are answered to your satisfaction, and the fee is reasonable, then you are ready to go.

If you can’t find an experienced Red Seal carpenter willing to replace the damaged pillar, then calling two or three general contractors for quotations may be the next step.

There are numerous websites, associations, referral agencies and other resources to provide names and references for contractors. Some of these may be reliable and others may be less so, and further options are normally what I suggest.

Ask for contractor referrals from friends, neighbours, relatives and others who have had recent renovation work completed and are satisfied with the job. A homeowner who is happy with a renovation or repair two to three years after completion is typically the sign of a good contractor.

Checking up on various websites that rate contractors or online chat rooms that discuss good and bad experiences may also help. Just beware that many such websites are simply marketing tools for the contractors themselves, who pay to have their names included regardless of quality of work.

To give you a little more technical knowledge about what is involved in the replacement of the column supporting the corner of the roof by your front door, I will give you a couple of scenarios for the logistics of the actual repair.

Depending on the actual design of the roof, this vertical column may need to be quite strong to provide structural support for the roof, or may be mostly cosmetic in nature.

Pulling apart a portion of the column base where it has rotted may help you determine which of these possibilities is most likely.

If the pillar is hollow, without any visible solid wood or metal post inside, then it may not be very strong and mostly decorative. In that case, replacing the column with any other similar product should suffice.

If you find a solid wooden post, typically four by four or larger, or a metal post inside the hollow decorative column, then it is likely structural in nature.

In that situation, it may be possible to remove the outer decorative column and leave the supporting post in place. If the inner post is also moisture-damaged, normally at the bottom, or if it sits on a wooden base that is rotten, it must also be replaced. That will require jacking up the roof slightly, temporarily supporting the roof and replacing the damaged base, as well as the wooden or steel post as needed.

After that is completed, there are several options for the cosmetic portion of the repair.

If you look closely at your existing column, it may actually be made up of two half-round sections that are fastened together. That was done to allow installation of a supporting post inside and not relying on the less stable fluted pillar for support.

You may be able to duplicate this older column by installing a similar new one, depending on your aesthetic desire. Finding an exact match may be difficult, as many such items are now made out of high-density foam or composites to prevent moisture damage.

These may not look identical to your existing pillar, but they should also be available in half-round versions. The base of the new column should also be available in rot-resistant material, which is typically the portion that is the first to get damaged from moisture.

Checking with your local building centre should provide you with options, or ask the contractor you hire.

If the post inside the column is being replaced, ensuring it is pressure-treated wood will also prevent the need for replacement for several decades.

Finding a proper carpenter or contractor to replace the rotten column may require a mixture of research and common sense on your part. Ensuring the person hired has direct experience in this type of repair, and a good reputation and references, should prevent you from having future issues.

Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the past president of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors — Manitoba (cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be emailed to the address below. Ari can be reached at 204-291-5358 or check out his website at trainedeye.ca.

trainedeye@iname.com