Somewhere along the line, someone
had tried to "improve" this
perfectly good central Virginia
Federal brick house by adding on
a portico with huge (20x20-inch)
box columns. I was called in to
replace the original wood
columns, which had been built
around 6-inch steel posts. The
columns were poorly flashed at
the top, and set right on the
masonry at their bases, with no
ventilation provided. By the time
I saw them, the wood was cupped,
twisted, and rotting — really in
terrible shape.
I first suggested to the owner
that we downsize the new columns
to 12x12 inches for better scale.
And we added some details to
ensure that the new columns
would last for a long time.
For the bases