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Should we repair a patio support column with moisture in bottom half?

Hello experts,

We recently purchased a house which has a undercover patio. There is a brick veneer supporting column that has been rendered. We're noticing that there is a moisture at the lower half that accumulates. Its not much but enough to change the colour of the render.

Is this something to worry about or is this something absolutely normal? Who do we call to have this inspected?

Thank you

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Comments

Akanksha

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, @batrambo. We're delighted to have you join us and look forward to seeing and assisting you with your home improvement projects.

Thank you for your question. Is it possible for you to take and post a photo of the column in question, including the area with the moisture? This will help our resident Bunnings D.I.Y. experts and knowledgeable community members get a better idea of what you're dealing with, enabling them to provide better suggestions suited to your needs. Don't hesitate to let us know if you need help uploading images on the site.

Let me also tag experienced renovators @Nailbag and @Tyro for their thoughts in the meantime.

Akanksha

EricL

Hello @batrambo

Thanks for sharing your question about your patio support column. Generally speaking, if water is entering the support column it's best to have it investigated by a registered builder. It could be shallow surface ingress, or it could be deep penetration into the structure of the post.

One step you can take is to try and track down the source of water entering the column. Is it coming from the patio or another point somewhere else? Are there a lot of cracks on the column or is the surface still nice and flat?

Photos of your column will help our members assess its condition. We can then make recommendations on how to proceed.

If you need a hand posting the photos, please let us know.

Eric

Nailbag

Hi @batrambo I agree with @EricL some photos from each effected side and a wider shot of the area to get our bearings of what's going on.

batrambo

Apologies for not sending images earlier, I was away.

Here are some images. Did forgot to mention that there is a pool in the backyard but the pool has been checked for leaks and there are none.

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/35271#Comment_35271

Hi @batrambo,

That's likely worth getting checked out by a builder. I suspect it's just surface moisture being wicked up through the render from the paving, which isn't of particular concern; it just doesn't look great. The rendering on the column doesn't appear to be all that fantastic, and the plastic trim in the external concerns hasn't been covered correctly. There's also deterioration of the render on the lower surface.

If this is a structural post, I recommend assessing it. It might just be a case of needing an additional top coat of render, waterproofing and painting.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

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