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Porch ColumnsAdd class and style to your home
Front porch columns...Where do I begin? (I believe that's a song title by Andy Williams in the movie "Love Story". See our connection to that movie below.) Whether you are looking for something to
just hold your porch roof up or want to match your architectural style with just the right Ionic, Corinthian,
Tuscan, or Doric column, you've come to the right place.
Photo courtesy of Rowland Williams of Newburyport MA of Newburyport MA
If you are looking for do-it-yourself products for your porch, you way want to give Architectural Depot a try.
They carry a wide selection of porch columns, cuploas, door knockers, decorative doorbell ringers, firepits, arbors, glass block and decorative windows.
Front porch posts not only help define the style of your home but also make your porch more inviting. Architectural Columns normally consist of a capital, a shaft, and a base that supports a roof or beam. They can be structural or decorative. 
Capitals: Capitals are the ornate features at the top of the column shaft and provide a transition from the shaft to the supported
structure.
You can find capitals in a variety of architectural styles such as Tuscan, Greek Angular Ionic,
Greek Erectheum, Empire, Roman Corinthian, Roman Doric, Roman Ionic, Scamozzi, Temple of Winds,
and Modern Composite to name a few.
Shafts: You can choose columns in plain or fluted and tapered or non-tapered design.
The ancient Greeks discovered that a gradual tapering of the column on the upper two-thirds offsets the effect,
from eye level, that the shaft grows larger as it ascends. Gotta hand it to those ancient Greeks!
Bases: Bases usually come in two styles; the Attic, crafted in the ancient style of Attica,
and the Tuscan base, a design which originated in 16th century Italy.
We've listed a great resource at the bottom of the page compliments of Front Porch Ideas and More.com that will help you design you own architectural columns. It allows you to select a variety of capitals, shafts, and bases to create your own unique look. OTHER COLUMNS Don't limit yourself to just the classic porch columns. Whether you are replacing columns on or porch or selecting ones for a new porch, style and the column material itself are important considerations. In fact, porch column styles range from the very simple to artistically beautiful. As long as they satisfy your load bearing requirements, almost any style will do.
Important Column Load Bearing Information:
The columns support not only the roof but if you live in cold climates, it also has to support loads of snow. Different
column materials have different load bearing capacities. For example, a 6 inch fiberglass diameter column can support
8,000 pounds, whereas a 12 inch diameter column can support up to 18,000 pounds. We highly recommend you contact a licensed
contractor to determine your specific column capacity requirements.
As you can see from the porch column gallery below, you have many options for porch columns styles, designs, and materials. While some are based on the traditional architectural column, many are not. Select a design that compliments the style and look of your home Take a look at our porch pictures to get some great ideas for columns. Pictures of front porch columns
 Last photo courtesy of The Porch Company
Porch posts can add immense appeal to any porch; choosing the right style is important.  Photo courtesy of Rowland Williams of Newburyport MA
Column Architectural Style Guide
Doric: The best example of Doric columns are those on the Parthenon. The Doric column is placed directly on the floor - no base. It has a fluted type of shaft. Ionic: The Ionic column's shaft is more narrow and graceful. Its capital usually has a pair of "volutes" - they resemble the horns of a ram. A good example of the Ionic style is columns with twenty-four flutes. Corinthian: The Corinthian column is very decorative. It has flutes - almost always. The capitals of these columns have one or two rows of leaves. The base is somewhat refined. Southern homes often will have Corinthian columns.Tuscan columns: These columns are simplistic in design, a more contemporary look. 
Romanesque: These columns are square with mammoth bases.
You'll see these a lot on Mission or Craftsman homes where the columns will have wider bases than tops.
Porch columns can also be made from some unique and unusual materials as well- like coral!  Photo courtesy of Mark Housman
About the film "Love Story" we mentioned above.
Love Story came out in the early 70's. As newlyweds, we lived in a two-room apartment (the bed pulled out of a closet into the kitchen)!
As you might remember, Ali McGraw and Ryan O'Neal were the stars of that film. Not long after the film was made Ali McGraw and Steve McQueen married in a small park in Cheyenne, Wyoming. That park was only a few blocks from our tiny apartment. That's our story. Return from Porch Columns to Front Porch Ideas Home 
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Build a Porch Topics...
Choosing a contractor Build a screen porch-1 Build a screen porch-2 Screen porch kits Build a three season porch Pictures of building a porch Porch roof construction Porch ceilings Porch columns Porch railings & kneewalls Porch flooring Porch decking materials Porch skirting Vinyl Lattice Panels Porch foundations Porch screening Wooden Screen Door Instant Screen Door Screen panels for porches Rise and run (slope) Porch lighting Outdoor porch lights Outdoor ceiling fans Porch electrical systems Electrical modifications Electrical code requirements Building permits 
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