What Are Effective Ways to Repair a Rotted Pole Barn Column?

How Can You Restore Your Post-Frame Structure?

Post-frame buildings are incredible structures that can withstand heavy loads, severe winds, and the tests of time. As such, post-frame construction in Illinois and across the Midwest has grown in recent years, with more individuals and businesses utilizing post-frame buildings as homes, workshops, offices, storage, and more. However, what can be done when wood rot impacts your columns? Are there effective ways to repair a rotted pole barn column? With Anthem Built’s help, there are effective ways to repair a rotted pole barn column! Call today to learn more.

Attach a New Column to the Existing One

If a column has been compromised by wood rot, a simple solution is attaching another column, made from laminated or treated wood, to the rotting one. This repair method will ideally transfer the structural load from the rotting column to the new laminated post. If the existing column is sitting on a concrete floor, the new column can be bolted directly onto it. However, if the existing column is in the ground, contractors can dig down to reach the column’s initial pad or footing and run the new column alongside the post.

Use a Repair Socket

A repair socket or bracket can be used when a column sits on a concrete floor or foundation and the compromised portion of the wood is close to its base. Repair sockets are simple in function, enabling the secure connection of a wood column to a concrete base. Best of all, Anthem Built offers exceptional repair sockets perfect for strengthening and reinforcing your columns’ bases. Covering the rotted portion of a column with an Anthem Built Repair Socket transfers the structural load to the socket/bracket rather than continuing to place pressure on the wood.

Replace the Column

It might seem like the opposite of repair. Still, column replacement is a viable repair solution for post-frame columns, and one of the few options when attaching laminated wood or a repair socket won’t work. Through careful excavation, a contractor can cut out and remove the rotting column and replace it with either a new laminated column or a column with a pre-cast foundation. Both options help ensure greater longevity of your structure’s frame, avoiding further repairs in the future.

Use a Repair Sleeve & Column Cover

Thanks to the post-frame experts at Anthem Built, there’s now simple and effective ways to repair a rotted pole barn column. Anthem Built’s innovative Repair Sleeves and Column Covers are unique and one of the only “true” ways to repair a column with wood rot. By affixing a sleeve and cover to a rotting wood column, the base of the column is entirely enclosed by galvanized steel. As a result, the structural support of the column is transferred from the wood to the steel. Furthermore, by enclosing the base of the wood column, it’s cut off from soil and moisture, thus preventing continued deterioration.