Not sure if this is the right forum to ask…. How do I properly frame a support column outside of my house? It has an external support beam that run about 15’ from the outside wall and supported by only one 6X4, unfortunately untreated. I had to open up the bottom of my outside column (at least that’s how I call it) because whoever designed the sprinkler system decided to place sprinkler valves right next to that column, hence the moisture termites, dry rot etc. . It’s pretty much a 24” X 24” structure, with only one 6X4 going thru it ( not even in the middle) and the rest of the ¼ plywood sheeting just hung on the 2X4s placed around the perimeter. The bottom of the column has, or should I say had, a wooden box built around it out of 2X12 again untreated pieces of lumber. Two out of 4 of those pieces are rotted out and two of the bottom 2X4 pieces, don’t know what they are called, are rotted out too. I was going to move sprinkler valves away from the column, replace all rotted wood with treated lumber and pure a little concrete wall on the outside of the wood just to protect it from the moisture. The 6X4 is that worries me the most. I am not sure if it was made by the code to begin with, but there is not much I can do now short of completely rebuilding the thing…. I was thinking of reinforcing that 6X4 for lateral movement in case of the earthquake, but don’t know how to go about it. Please post your suggestions. Thanks,

I need to replace about 4 to 6 feet of sill plate. I have a crawl space with a dirt floor. The damage is in the sill plate that is running parallel to the floor joists, so I'm not sure where to best place the jack and support. Any suggestions and comments? Thanks a lot! jim