blot to attach the cap to the bracket legs l as will be discussed below as shown in fig2 suitable fasteners such as nails j are positioned through holes 34 to securely attach the cap 20 to the post lower end e while two holes 34 are shown any number and placement of holes 34 can be used without departing from the scope of the present invention each leg l has a bolt receiving opening 64 defined therethrough through which bolts a fit to securely attach the end cap 20 to the bracket b it is noted that except for the hole 64 the bracket b is similar to those known in the art and any bracket having upstanding legs can be used with the end cap 20 as best shown in fig1 and 2 the end cap flanges serve as spacers between the post lower end e and the footing upper surface u thus the lower terminal edges 44 of the flanges 36 rest flushly on the footing upper surface u while the cap base portion upper surface 66 flushly contacts the lower surface 68 of the post lower end e the bracket holes 64 are defined through the bracket legs so that the slots 40 are aligned therewith when the cap 20 is in the fig2 gap defining position the bolts a fit through the aligned holes 64 and slots 40 to securely attach the end cap 20 to the bracket b and thereby further attach the post p to the bracket b a gap g is thus defined between the post lower end e and the footing.