Brick and Stone Fence Columns in Indianapolis
A masonry column turns a fence line into an entrance. Within 50 miles of Indianapolis 46256, we build brick and stone columns and gate pillars into fence lines and driveway entries that anchor a gate and frame a property. Columns and masonry are available for homes and businesses. Free estimates mean we look at the footing and the gate plan before anyone commits to a material or a height.
Where Columns Go
Driveway entries. A column pair at a driveway opening frames the entrance and anchors the gate. It is the place a visitor reads first, and a masonry column sets a property apart from a plain gate post.
Fence corners. A column at a corner stiffens a long fence run and breaks the line into sections. It carries the tension of the fence the way a corner post does, but with the mass to hold it without bracing.
Intervals along an ornamental or aluminum fence. A column every so often along an ornamental or aluminum fence gives the fence rhythm and a place for a light or a gate. The fence panels run between the columns, which carry the posts.
Brick, Stone or Veneer
Solid brick. A column built of solid brick all the way through. It carries the most load and lasts the longest, but it takes the most material and the most labor.
Natural stone. Stone laid up as a solid column or over a block core. It has the look of a dry-laid wall and the mass of masonry, and it suits a property that already has stone on the house or the landscape.
Stone or brick veneer. A veneer of stone or brick over a block core gives the look of masonry at a lower weight and a lower cost. The core carries the load; the veneer carries the look. It is the common choice where a solid column is more than the budget or the footing needs.
Footings
A masonry column is heavy and rigid, so frost matters more than it does for a fence post. The Indiana Residential Code (Table R301.2(1)) sets the frost depth for footings at 30 inches in Marion, Hamilton, Hancock, Boone, Hendricks, Johnson, Madison, Shelby and Morgan counties. That table is written for building footings, and it tells you why post and column depth matters here.
Much of central Indiana sits on clay-rich glacial till with a seasonally high water table in winter and spring. Wet clay holds water, freezes, and heaves upward, and a rigid masonry column moves with it where a flexible fence post bends. A footing below the frost depth keeps a column from cracking and leaning as the ground moves. We do not state how this company builds its footings; the point is that the depth and the soil set whether a column stays plumb.
Columns and Gates
A column that carries a gate or an operator has to be planned for it. The hinge load of a heavy gate leaf is not the same as the wind load of a fence panel, and the column has to carry it without cracking. Conduit for power has to run to the column before the masonry goes up, not after, and a gate operator needs that power at the column.
Lighting is the same: a light on a column is planned in the footing and the conduit stage, not drilled in later. A column that carries a gate or an operator is a column that has to be thought through before the first brick is laid. See the custom gates and gate automation pages for the gate and operator details. To talk through a project, call (317) 775-2452 or send the form at the top of this page. You can also reach us through the contact page. See the related custom gates and commercial ornamental fence pages for more.
Column Questions
Where do columns go in a fence line?
At driveway entries, at fence corners, and at intervals along an ornamental or aluminum fence. A column anchors a gate, marks an entrance, and breaks a long fence run into sections.
Brick, stone, or veneer?
Solid brick, natural stone, and stone or brick veneer over a block core are the options. Veneer gives the look of masonry at a lower weight; solid masonry carries more load and lasts longer.
Why does frost matter for a masonry column?
A masonry column is heavy and rigid, so frost heave moves it where a flexible fence post bends. The Indiana Residential Code sets the frost depth for footings at 30 inches in the central Indiana counties, and the clay-rich glacial till holds water that heaves in the wet months.
Can a column carry a gate operator?
Yes, if it is planned for it. A column that carries a gate or an operator needs conduit for power, a core that takes the hinge load, and lighting if wanted. See the custom gates and gate automation pages.
Where We Work
We build and repair fences for homes and businesses within about 50 miles of Indianapolis 46256.