Height of Metal Post Above Grade.

4/5/2022 at 9:50:50 PM

Hi Larry,

That is a great question.

2'-3' is fairly typical.

There are a couple of factors that will ultimately answer that question.

First, check with the municipality the cottage will be built in. They will typically have zoning by-laws that will dictate things like how far from property lines, water frontage, gross floor area, and heights.

When you say "metal post", if you are referring to a push pier or helical pile foundation, they are automatically engineered and will come with a stamped engineer's certificate. Because of that, they can be engineered to handle almost any parameters you choose. As they extend to solid bearing below grade they need far less lateral bracing when compared to concrete piers with wooden posts or concrete block above grade.

They are also the best way to support a structure as they are essentially guaranteed to be sitting on soil or rock with the correct bearing capacity as they continue to push or twist deeper and deeper until the force required install them reaches an established level that dictates that they have hit "solid" bearing.

It is quite fine to build with the cottage on wooden posts or concrete columns, however an engineer should be consulted in the design phase to ensure the structure can resist racking and are sized properly for the intended load.

I was actually out there this past summer. Beautiful area.

Best of luck with your project.

Jason Irving

Cedarfalls Building Consultants Limited.