Do these poles offer any support or only decorative

[John Chen]

Hi All,

I was wondering if anyone would be able to offer me any advice? I want to remove these poles from the front of the house/windows.
I guess I should have asked this before I started, but I removed two poles (pictured,) as I progressed, I was wondering if these actually offer support? So I stopped.

The two I removed (in the middle) were only nailed at the top into the header with four nails and the bottom was not fastened, they just sat on the planter.

Can anyone tell me if these poles offer support? Can I remove them safely?

The house is in Los Angeles, CA, and built in 1965.

I would really appreciate any advice or recommendation anyone can offer.
Thanks, John

 

[Yorkieguy]

It does look to me as though they do offer some support, in that without them, the long beam, (which supports the rafters, which in turn support the tiled roof of the canopy), is otherwise only supported at the R.H. corner by what looks like a nailed mitred joint, as shown in your second picture. But that said, if the posts were load-bearing and so crucial, why were they not made of steel, set in concrete foundations, properly secured at the top?

On balance, I think it's best to err on the side of caution, and either leave them in place, or get the advice of a structural engineer.

Just my thoughts.

David.