I want to add some porch posts to my current porch. These would be purely for decorative purposes as the roof of my porch is self-supporting. I would like to have about a 3 ft base that is covered with stone veneer and then put a 6 foot 8x8 wood post to the top. Couple of questions. First, I know I have to build a wood frame for the stone. Should I make that frame to sit on the floor joists of my porch or can I sit that on top of my composite floor I already have? Second, do I need the beam that runs across the ceiling of the porch since the posts are only for decorative purposes? Finally, do I need the posts to go all the way to the bottom of the porch or can I just tie those in to the top of the stone base? Thanks.