Posts that look like they carry the house
A bare 6 by 6 or a steel lally column holding up a deck does its job. It also looks like an afterthought. Wrap it in stone and the deck or porch looks planted in the ground. On a lot of lake and mountain houses the columns are the first thing you see from the driveway, so they set the tone for the whole front.
The structure doesn't change. The post or column still carries the load. The stone goes on a shell built around it.
How a stone column gets built
Most stone columns start as a framed box around the post. The box gets sheathed, then wrapped in a water barrier, then metal lath and a scratch coat, and the veneer goes on that. Some start as a block pier instead, which gives the stone a solid masonry face to bond to, like the granite going up against block in the photo here.
The bottom has to sit on something that won't heave with the frost. A stone column that moves every winter cracks its joints and starts shedding stone.
The top needs a cap. A stone or granite cap with a slope or a drip edge keeps water from sitting on the last course and working down inside the column.
Columns are mostly corners
A square column has four outside corners running its whole height, and that's where natural veneer shows whether it was done with care. Corner pieces are cut in an L so each stone wraps the edge and looks full depth from both sides. They go on first, with long and short sides alternated up the column so the corners tie together like a real stone pier.
Round fieldstone, like the column at the top of this page, gives a softer, old New England look. Squared granite and ledgestone give a tighter, more modern face with straighter joints.
Where stone columns show up
Half columns are common too. The stone runs up to about railing height and the wood post continues above it. It uses less stone and still looks heavy and solid at the base, where your eye goes first.
- Porch posts across the front of the house
- Deck supports, especially tall ones on the downhill side
- Entry piers at the end of a driveway or a front walk
- Garage and carport posts
- Stone bases under timber frame posts
Getting the size right
A column that's too skinny after the stone goes on looks like a wrapped post. Too fat and it crowds the stairs or eats into the deck. The box size gets worked out against the height of the post, the width of the steps and how much the stone adds to each side. A couple of inches changes the look more than you'd think.
If you have a picture of a column you like, send it along with a photo of yours. That's the quickest way to get on the same page.
