Rotten porch post

Question

I recently purchased a new home and the porch has a rotten post. I'm not entirely sure how to address it and would like some help because it seems like it's held up by hopes and dreams to begin with.

The post connected to the footing is partially hanging off and the post on the porch doesn't appear to be connected to the footing post at all. It looks like someone attempted a "repair" by jamming a block of wood between the two. The porch post appears to be mostly held up by the rim joist but I can't tell if it was notched at some point to get partial support from the footing post. It was clearly never fully on there. All of the posts on the porch appear to be this way (without the rot) and even the rotten one is solid with no wiggle whatsoever.

What is the best way to fix this? I was inclined to jack the post up and replace, or cut out the rot and replace that section, but I'm concerned about whether the post has enough support from below. Is just that bit sitting on the rim joist enough support? I'd like to repair the decking around it, so I thought it would make sense to address the post at the same time but perhaps it is not a major concern?

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Answer 1

Assuming the rot on the upper post is mostly on the surface, I don't see anything alarming here. If the post is getting squishy, or if you just want to improve appearance, here's how I'd go forward, in general:

1. Place a temporary post under the cross-beam that intersects the post. This can just rest on blocking spanning at least two deck joists. It probably won't carry much weight if you only remove one post. Cut it about half an inch long and wedge it in to slightly lift the beam, freeing the post. Protect all finished surfaces with blocks and towels as you see fit.

2. Remove the post. It's likely toenailed or screwed in at a few points.

3. Look over the supporting blocking. It doesn't look problematic to me--the lower post extension appears connected by a lap joint, which is fine. Just make sure there are no vertical gaps and that the wood is all solid.

4. Fit the new post. Before cutting it to length, eyeball or run a taut string line to see if the porch roof is sagged or humped at that location, and adjust length accordingly. Don't use levels as that's not really important. How it looks is important, at least barring any severe settling.

5. Remove the temporary post. You may want to use a jack so you can slowly lower the beam onto the new post and adjust position.

6. Fasten the post. Screw any intersecting lumber together, piloting where appropriate to avoid cracks.

Look things over as you start. It's possible that you should place posts under the front beams as well. I can't really see how everything ties together. I also don't know whether you have an engineered roof or a hand-framed one. That'll dramatically affect how much it would sag with that post removed.

The offset on the concrete pier also isn't much of a concern. It's a fairly common occurrence, as even carpenter-masons with the best intentions sometimes miss a bit. Working in the dirt is challenging. As long as half the post has bearing it's not going to collapse.