Interior columns, load bearing or not

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

Hi everyone,

I have two interior columns that were installed during construction and i cant tell if they are decorative or structural. I know more information is needed for anyone to give me a definitive reply but I’m hoping these photos will help. I removed the fiberglass corinthian capital that was in two pieces glued and nailed in place and the pic shows what i found. The column is empty and does appear to be secured the the beam above or to the floor. My guess is the installer ruined any type of load bearing abilities by cutting the top piece in half and gluing it to the lower piece. If this were load bearing wouldnt the column be making contact with the beam and not the drywall? My hope is to be able to remove the columns prior to installation of new LVP.

Featured Answer

3onthetree

4 years ago

99.999% chance they are decorative. Realize that they would have to be on site during 1st floor rough framing, or replace very-well fastened shoring (equivalent to permanently fastening) prior to even building the 2nd floor. Notice that they have been installed after the drywall was installed and finished (cornerbead, mudding).

Besides, to properly determine what the beam or header above this opening is bearing on, you would have to remove the drywall at the corner where it meets the wall and some of the wall to see the in-wall post.

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Comments (11)

Lorraine Leroux
4 years ago
A picture further back to show the full area will get your more responses.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
4 years ago
Waht do you mean they were installed during construction? Is this a new build then ask whoever built the house and if a renovation same thing as the person who put them there There is no way to know from a picture . From what I see this is not a newbuild so get a structural engineer to tell you i they are there or a reason
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PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
4 years ago
Look in the crawlspace or basement please. If the column is structural, the load path transfers to a footing. I doubt it does. No engineer required.
ms050967
Original Author
4 years ago
I went in the basement and here is a pic of the area below the column. I have put a red X where the column is located above.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
4 years ago
The column may be bearing on the beam. Undo the duct tape and let's see what's inside please.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
4 years ago
I think you need to find out for sre about this it looks like a bad situaltion done by a DIYer maybe . I see a telepost and my bet is that beam was supossed to support something above it , what tha is i s not for us to see.
ms050967
Original Author
4 years ago
@Patricia Colwell Consulting - thank you. We had the house built 20 years ago. I told the builder I wanted those columns but I don’t recall at what stage of the build when they were installed. Builder is no longer in business for me to ask.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC - I opened up the top of the column piece that is split and there is nothing inside I’ve reached out to a few engineers, just waiting for them to get back to me to see if one of them can come to my home.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
4 years ago
If there was nothing inside the columns, they are decorative.
ms050967
Original Author
4 years ago
thank you all for your input. i do believe i found my answer....i was able to dig up pics off an external hdd that i had taken during the building stages. i found one showing the beam being supported into the wall.
palimpsest
4 years ago
This is not specific to this case but it may help someone who reads the thread (?) I have seen situations where these were slid down over a steel or wood post during construction and they just kind of wobbled there loose until the finish carpentry was done and then the cap and base were fixed into place. They still sounded hollow because they really weren't attached to the post itself. They were like a decorative cover over something structural, or sometimes one covered something structural and the matching column didn't. But neither "felt" structural, they just felt hollow.