# Forum Home Renovation Demolition  Hollow column removal

## Saltypete

Sorry for the preamble.....I have two columns that support my living area roof. They are 90 mm SHS with flanges that attach to lvls for the major beam. The columns have hollow cement surrounds and fancy bits top and bottom.
i want to remove one of the columns, and both cement otters. I have had an engineer specify a beam and fixing to support the increased span. i have included a couple of pics.
So, is thre a way of removing these columns that is easy and not too messy? Ideally I could end up with some surrounds I can use somewhere else, or give for reuse.
Alternative seem to be lots of angle grinding and hammering and a big pile of cement to dump.... :Rolleyes: 
heres the pics...

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## Tools

For the one where you also want to remove the SHS I would demolish enough of the column at the top and bottom to cut the steel then lay the whole lot over. I would just use a sledgey (after protecting existing surfaces of course). The other option would be to hire an electric demo saw and split he columns in half from top to bottom. 
Tools

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## Marc

Try tapping it first with a 1k or 2k mallet, you may be lucky and it may break easy. I would try to do this whilst someone else holds a sledgehammer against it on the other side.  
The obvious way would be a diamond wheel on a grinder but that will cover your whole house in dust unless you get a fancy Feins set up with dust extractor.

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## Saltypete

Just a follow up on this...., I "gently" explored with my crowbar and found the columns were pretty solid plastery concrete, and they responded to carefully working them apart.
got a bit scared with the one next to the window, but put some ladders as a buffer and worked it until I was able to push one side of it across, away from the window. 
Here's what it looked like.....

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## phild01

can anyone else see the pic, this is the second time today pics haven't shown for me!?

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## Renopa

Can't see it here either Phil!

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## Saltypete

Sorry folks, wrangled the pic up....

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## Marc

Oh ... I get it now, that is the steel inside the column ... interesting. What are you going to do next?

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## Saltypete

Next move is to remove that near column. We are sistering the beam that sits above it. The windowed area in the background will be framed off to a separate room. Also turning our current garage into a WIR and ensuite, and building a new carport, verandah and sliding doors at the back. Oh, and a new kitchen.....
A man has to do something with his spare time  :Smilie:

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