What’s the Cost to Replace Wood Columns?

Is Post Replacement Your Only Option?

One day, while inspecting the columns and base of your post-frame structure, you discover an unfortunate site: wood rot! The bane of all post-frame construction, wood rot, can severely impact your building’s structural stability, making it unsafe to inhabit. Worse yet, wood rot can’t be stopped once it has begun. While there are ways to stop wood rot before it starts, it’s impossible to eliminate it if it starts to infect your columns. One of the only solutions to rotting wood columns is complete column replacement. However, even column replacement has its downsides, such as the time and expense required to implement.

The Cost of Column Replacement

Unfortunately, as necessary as column replacement can be, it’s not the most affordable repair for your pole barn. On the low end of column replacement, you might spend somewhere near $500 per column, based on prices provided by professional post-frame contractors. However, that price can increase by as much as $1000 or more, depending on the conditions surrounding your wood columns. Such conditions include:

• Accessibility of the Site – Hard-to-reach locations requiring special equipment can drive up the cost.
• Where Your Column is Placed – Depending on whether your column is embedded in soil, gravel, or concrete will affect the replacement price, as excavation might be required.
• Material Costs – The type of wood or alternative materials chosen for the replacement can significantly affect the price.
• Local Building Codes – Compliance with stricter local building regulations may necessitate additional steps or materials, impacting cost.

Is There an Alternative to Column Replacement?

Not too long ago, contractors would tell property owners if their columns became impacted by wood rot, the only solution was replacement. Thanks to Anthem Built and our innovative post-frame products, that’s no longer the case! We manufacture specialized components for securing and restoring your structure’s frame and posts, including our Repair Sleeves, Column Covers and Repair Sockets. Our products effectively strengthen rotting wood columns, don’t require post excavation, and are significantly more affordable than replacing columns.

• Repair Sleeves – Each Repair Sleeve reinforces and strengthens your wood columns in the area where deterioration is at its worst. Our Repair Sleeves also resolve building settlement issues due to wood rot, bringing your structure to its original height.
• Column Covers – Our Column Covers fit together with Repair Sleeves to completely encapsulate wood columns. The purpose is to add more strength to your columns, prevent further exposure to moisture, and enable secure and reliable attachment of additional components.
• Repair Sockets – For post-frame structures with concrete floors, you still won’t have to excavate to repair your column, thanks to our Repair Sockets. Each socket fits onto the base of your wood column, enclosing and strengthening it and properly anchoring it to your structure’s floor.