Precast concrete piers are very common here in Pennsylvania, especially for decks. It would be very convenient if the Pier Footing module recognized the option to have a square base under a round or square pier.
Sure, the Spread Footing module can be used, but that has minimum steel requirements, checks flexure and other items that just confuse the matter and raise questions. The simplicity of the Pier Footing module is what is needed for residential calculation checks.
Besides, I keep running into this silly error when using the Spread Footing module for small footings like this. I then have to make the footing thicker than it may be to eliminate the error:
