Hi all. I’m replacing the original wood beam in our basement with a steel one. Everything has been spec’ed with a structural engineer. Plans call for 3″ standard pipe or HSS 3x3x1/4 tube for all column supports holding up the beam. 

I’ve been looking at the adjustable steel columns  (like Tiger Brand or Ellis), which provide a 4-6” adjustable screw. To be clear, I’m not looking at telescoping or lally columns…but single column steel, intended for permanent installation. 

A few questions:
• I’m wondering if these are suitable substitutes for the 3” pipe the plan calls for?

• And have you ever seen these types of columns welded to a steel beam above?

• Finally, my original plan was to bolt and weld the pipe columns to the beam above before pouring the concrete pad below. That way, everything is in place for anchor bolts and I can just fill up the footer pit with concrete all the way to the bottom plate. Is this foolish? And if not, is it possible to do with these adjustable style columns?

Thanks all!