Base of porch column gaps/cracks

Submitted by m_n_d_12 t3_zyjoag in DIY

We are in a 100 year old home in New England, recently I've noticed some decent sized cracks/gaps at the base of both exterior white wooden columns at the front of our house. For reference, I found a pic from May of this year (flowers in bloom) compared to a pic today

https://imgur.com/a/HOdDbEY

If you zoom closely on the May pic you can see some of the cracks/gaps there just much smaller. Do you guys think this is within the realm of temp related shrinking and expanding of the wood at the sites of prior cracks or should I be concerned about an active structural issue? I don't see any additional cracks or structural issues in the rest of the adjacent structures or anywhere else in the house...

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Guygan t1_j2685v4 wrote

Those columns are almost certainly not structural.

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m_n_d_12 OP t1_j26cfnd wrote

Replying to Guygan (#1,161,996)

Gotcha, I understand this column only sits under the front entry overhang so if it fails I know the house isn’t going to fall down. My concern is more whether this growing gap could indicate the porch is sinking/sagging relative to the house? Seems like that would be a lot of movement in a short time so I’m hoping/thinking it’s more related to seasonal wood shrinkage?

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PeteyMcBuds t1_j26ei26 wrote

Replying to Guygan (#1,161,996)

Agreed. That downspout will cause issues with the foundation as well. It is probably a combination of water directly affecting the column and also the porch, as the May pic the joints on the steps seem tighter. Make sure water is not entering on the top of the column somehow and keep snow and ice away from the base of it. Exterior caulk is your friend now.

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m_n_d_12 OP t1_j26iq5q wrote

Replying to PeteyMcBuds (#1,163,286)

Did you mean “agreed” re porch sagging or wood shrinking? In person the steps look totally normal so I’m not sure the joints have actually widened. Also that spout is just for the small porch overhang. I don’t see obvious soil erosion and hard to imagine this suddenly occurred on a 100 year old place…

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