Thanks Bill (and to all others that reponded)!

I've had my eyes on these. Haven't found a place to rent them yet. But I doubt it'll be cost effective. Looks like I'd need at least 6 per column: 36. Let's say they rent as cheap as $6/set, that would be $200. From all the data I've gotten on and off the list so far, the cheapest way seems to be using the 16x16" concrete column blocks. Either pick up speed in doing it myself (which may well happen by the time I'm done with my third corner and ready to start the columns - I *will* learn how to do it) or hire some "illegals" to do it for me.

The only problem is that when I placed the rebar in the slab/foundation I was leaning towards poured columns and placed the rebar as close to corners as possible. Some of them won't quite fit in the column blocks so I'd have to cut the inside of some of the blocks sitting on the slab (of course I could mix and pour the first 8 inches of those columns). Ah, choices...

Remember, I intend to have a concrete truck and guy with a concrete pump come out to pump the corner blocks and the columns, and preferably also the lintels and lintel blocks all in one go.

Did anybody check Jarrett's numbers? Would I really have to brace the forms every 3 inches (near bottom) with 2x4's? Any way of reducing that to, say, every 2 to 3 feet by pouring the columns and corners in a round-robin fashion, so that the concrete would start to set and not exert such big pressure on the forms? How would one calculate and control this? My knowledge of concrete viscosity, plywood and 2x4" strength is woefully inadequate.

As you can see, I haven't completely given up on forms and still have a couple of weeks to decide. I was hoping to find someone with real world experience - how thick plywood, bracing distance, etc. Jarrett seems to come close, but his experience is not really with columns.

Finn

Bill Eslick wrote: