Need Help w/ Transition Between Stone and Wood

[Jason Strauss]

This isn’t a fine woodworking question, but more of a trim issue.

My wife and I served as the GC on our custom build house - finished about a year and a half ago. I did 95% of the trip work myself and found that I really loved it. In fact, I now wish I would have known some of the things (techniques, styles, etc) that I know now. I’ve really gotten into woodworking since then. Over the last year, I’ve been slowly completing some the “not necessary to move in” items (final paint colors, porch rails and steps, some built-ins and custom furniture). Which brings me to my question…

I’m going to start on some tapered columns this weekend for the front and back porches.

I’ve constructed a jig/sled for the TS as per some useful info I found on Gary Katz’s website: http://www.garymkatz.com/TrimTechniques/tapered_columns.html (http://www.garymkatz.com/TrimTechniques/tapered_columns.html)
I’ll be using ¾” MDO plywood with plenty of waterproof adhesive, biscuits, and stainless steal screws. Obviously, they will be finished with some exterior grade paint. However, I’m not sure how to make the transition between the finished columns and stone piers. I’ve heard/read somewhere that it might be good to use treated lumber to serve as the base of the column, but I’ve also heard/read that the finished wood should not rest on or otherwise touch the treated. I have no clue why this might be.

As you can see from the pictures, we have quite the overhang on our front porch. Therefore, the columns don’t get too much direct moisture.


So, what’s the best way to make the transition between the stone caps of the piers and the columns? Any and all help would be very much appreciated!


The deer trotted into the yard while I was taking the pix for this post. Thought there'd be a few who would enjoy!

[Stephen Musial]

I'm a firm believer in never having untreated wood touch stone or concrete. Just use well dried treated so you won't have to worry about it twisting or warping as it dries.

Around here, it's standard practice for any sill plate to be treated (even with a membrane).

[Brian Effinger]

Good looking house. I really like the craftsman bungalow. For something small like the trim at the base, I'd use some PVC board (like Azek). This stuff won't rot at all, and takes paint well. You might be able to make some out of Hardieboard as well.
A couple of questions though (just because I'm an architect and am curious). Are those the final stairs, or will you be building wider ones? And why is the house out of the ground so far?

Brian

[Jason Strauss]

Brian,

Thanks for the compliment and the suggestion. As for the stairs, I put those up in a hurry. It was November with snow on the ground and we were due for our final inspection before closing. Originally, I had a temporary handrail and I told the inspector that I intended to widen the steps a bit to reduce the gap between the stone piers and stringers - this was my honest intention. I decided to leave them in place and put up some halfway decent looking posts, rails and spindles to achieve the look we wanted without breaking the bank. I do intend to rebuild them with a little more effort and attention to detail...just have lots of other things to do.

When designing the house, we wanted to have substantial head room in both the basement (10 feet) and garage (11 or 12 feet). It bothers me that finished basements often feel like dungeons even when finished to the bottom of the floor joists. To achieve this, we poured a standard 8' foundation and then built a 2' knee wall around the top. The 1st floor joists sit on top of the knee wall.

We put so much time into the design that I would gladly build this house again with only some minor changes.