Oak Pillars

[Lupus]

Hello

We're having a porch built with a canopy that will be held up by 3 oak pillars. The builder has included within his price for metal brackets to lift the pillars off the ground. Something like the below.

If we were to instead have the oak pillar sitting on a brick pillar, say 3 course of brick high. What do you think is a fair 'upgrade' cost? It will used more material, I'm guessing something like 4 bricks per course, so 12 per pillar and 3 pillars, so probably 36 - perhaps 48 if we went to it being 4 courses high. Also some mortar.

How many additional hours of labour do you think this would take for them? We've had a price, but it seems awfully high.

Also, with a view of stopping the oak from rotting, I assume the post should probably sit on something like the above rather than in a 'boot' which I'm sure would gather water eventually! If we decided to just stay with the bracket, would hiding it with gravel (we want a gravel driveway) allow for enough drainage that the oak would be okay?

Thanks

 

[blup]

Shouldn’t much more if bricks are already being used. Otherwise a few hundred

 

[Lupus]

Thanks.

It would either be the brackets screwed into a concrete base, or the bricks being built on to the concrete base.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

If going for a brick pier I would have stuck a little coping on top, with your metal bracket poking up through a hole in the centre, always looks better with a coping IMO.

 

[^woody^]

Oak posts will out last you and probably your house. The end grain should be treated with a copper, borate or oil based preservative, and if need be a physical DPC.

None of those stupid metal brackets on a oak post that is meant to look traditional. Use a builder that knows what he's doing, not getting his ideas from a B&Q brochure

 

[Lupus]

Thanks, I was looking at using https://www.wickes.co.uk/Osmo-UV-Protection-Satin-Oil-Extra---Clear---750ml/p/296995 which was recommended by the wood yard that supplied it.

I'm not against the brackets if they were hidden, say by the natural level of the gravel on the driveway or through a coping stone like fmw suggested, but on display they'd ruin the effect entirely.

Assuming the foundation is there already up to floor level - as it would need to be for the metal brackets, building three, 3 course brick pillars and fit a coping stone of some direction would take what 2-3 hours? Or is that a bit optimistic?