Here is an example if you want a sidebar on the left side. The sidebar is set at 200px. You do not need 4 columns to create a 1/4 sidebar and a 3/4 content area. Just use 2 columns, and set the width for the sidebar to 25% and the content to 75%.
In my example the sidebar is a fixed 200px, with a 10px space between the sidebar and main column. This is just a basic example but should get you started.
