As part of our mission to elevate the performance of builders and the longevity of post-frame and pole barn buildings, here are our answers to some common questions and best practices for our full line of permanent-foundation products. All technical literature is available in convenient PDF form per product category below.
Place a laser level on top of the auger head as the post holes are dug. For greater accuracy, backfill the bottom of the holes with tamped stone before setting posts.
Most current-generation treated wood available is designed to minimize corrosion. However, if you have a high-moisture application or are concerned about corrosion, place a barrier between the treated wood and the steel bracket. Use stainless-steel fasteners.
Position the splash board against the precast concrete column, predrill a 3/16-inch diameter hole through the splash board and 2 inches into the concrete, then drive a split-drive anchor to attach. Stainless-steel drive anchors are required for highly corrosive wood treatments.
Perma-Column® precast columns are slightly wider in the dimension that resists lateral loads and are generally designed to have a base depth equal to or less than a standard wood column. This decreases embedment requirements. If the embedment depth exceeds the 5-foot length of a standard Perma-Column®, a column extender (stilt) is connected to the base of the Perma-Column® to lift the columns to the desired height. Concrete is then poured around this extender, creating a combination footing and uplift anchor.
It is recommended that the same type and size of footing used for a wood support column be used as a footing for a Perma-Column® precast column to meet load-bearing requirements.
Our brackets are engineered to work with epoxy, expansion, and screw-type wedge anchors.
Our SW60 and SW80 brackets are universal, designed to pair together to fit any size column (e.g. glue laminated and planed) while providing the same shear and uplift values as our other models.
The wet-set Sturdi-Wall® Plus offers maximum shear, uplift, and moment capacities.
Most current-generation treated wood is designed to minimize corrosion. However, if you have a high-moisture application or are concerned about corrosion, place a barrier between the treated wood and the steel bracket. Use stainless-steel fasteners.
Yes, the precast deck posts are certified by ICC-ES, the International Code Council Evaluation Service to meet IRC (International Residential Code®) and IBC (International Building Code®) requirements.
It is recommended that the same type and size footing used for a solid wood post be used as footing for a Perma-Column® precast deck post to ensure that the proper load-bearing requirements are achieved.
Yes, four lengths are available: 30 inches, 40 inches, 48 inches and 60 inches for 4x4 and 6x6 solid wood posts to accommodate different regions with various frost levels or embedment depth requirements.
Not necessarily, in most cases you will be attaching a treated wood post to the precast concrete post bracket. You can trim the top of the wood post to desired height. If setting columns to level is required, you can place a laser level on top of the auger head to ensure that all holes are created to a uniform depth. Use a footing pad before setting posts for greater accuracy.
Precast deck posts provide the quickest and least expensive concrete foundation for deck construction. When compared to pour-in-place piers, the Perma-Column® system is very competitive on materials with much less labor required. There are no forms to use, no messy concrete to mix or pour, no connection bracket to set in concrete. Just dig the hole, place a footing pad, set precast concrete post, add backfill ... DONE!
Perma-Column® precast columns eliminate the wait for concrete trucks and the wait for concrete to set up before moving to the next post. This allows multiple posts to be repaired in succession.
This method works well if only a few posts need to be repaired. Sturdi-Wall® Plus repair is more flexible than Perma-Column®, allowing you to form the concrete up to account for any situation.