Earthquake Retrofitting Los Angeles
In search for a qualified and experienced company that are experts of earthquake retrofitting in Los Angeles or Santa Monica? If you are ready to start earthquake retrofitting your home, our team here at The Sterling Watson Collective is here to help you.
Make Sure Your Home Is Ready
There are about 30 earthquakes daily in the Los Angeles area, and most have a magnitude below 2.0, so you typically don't feel them. But with such a high earthquake frequency, you want to ensure that your property can withstand earthquake damage.
The southern section of the San Andreas fault runs just 25 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles, making it a high-risk area for seismic activity. Earthquake retrofitting is the process of reinforcing your existing home or business to resist this type of shaking and damage.
Older homes are especially vulnerable, but you should want to strengthen any structure before a devastating earthquake hits and leaves you without a roof over your head. The chance of a 6.7 magnitude earthquake hitting California is over 99%, so you should prepare now.
Earthquake Retrofitting
Los Angeles
The Importance of Earthquake Retrofitting
Homes built before 1980 are especially at risk because no building codes in place demanded a certain level of structural integrity. However, even homes built more recently can pass minimum code regulations but still experience severe damage after an earthquake.
Earthquake retrofitting strengthens your existing structures. The process better secures your home to the foundation, so shaking won't cause the beams and framework to shift. You already have a home you love, so take the necessary steps to protect the structure's integrity—and safeguard your financial investment.
The process of retrofitting doesn't just protect your home from damage—it protects your family. If done properly, earthquake retrofitting in Los Angeles can actually increase your home value. When your house can withstand substantial earthquake damage, your loved ones stay safe inside.
If you're proactive and hire The Sterling Watson Collective for a seismic upgrade, you're paying a fraction of the price to keep your home and family safe. Failing to take action means you could lose your house to an earthquake, paying more for a new structure and lodging during the construction stages.
It's more affordable to retrofit your home than pay for endless repairs on a damaged structure. Depending on the earthquake's magnitude, you might even have to completely rebuild your home, which costs a lot of money and takes a long time. When you proactively retrofit your home, you ensure that you will have a place to stay after a natural disaster.
The Process of Earthquake Retrofitting
To retrofit your home, you'll first need an assessment. Get in touch with our team of experienced structural engineers so we can come to your property and determine your necessary seismic upgrades. We can map your house to see its relation to known faults and assess the potential damage you'd encounter from an earthquake.
The assessment tells us what to do to keep you and your family safe inside during a natural disaster. We also ensure the house stays habitable after a high-magnitude earthquake. Your safety and well-being are of utmost importance, and we want to protect you from harm, structural damage, and the stress they can cause.
The best-case scenario is that earthquake retrofitting prevents damage to your house. However, the process will greatly decrease potential repairs. The Sterling Watson Collective gauges your structure to ensure seismic upgrades reduce the cost of any repairs that might happen after the strongest earthquakes.
The retrofitting process includes bracing, bolting, and reinforcing.
Wall Bracing
If your walls aren't reinforced, they can shift during an earthquake. Your walls rest on the house's foundation and support the floors. The interior walls also support the exterior and ceiling. When these walls shift, your entire house is at risk of being compromised.
Bracing these walls strengthens your home's overall structure, increasing stability and preventing shaking during an earthquake.
Foundation Bolting
An earthquake retrofit bolts your house to its foundation. Without this approach, your home can move around on the foundation during the earthquake. The bolting process involves drilling holes through a sill foundation plate and installing anchor bolts to keep everything in place.
In case you don't have space to drill into the foundation, we can attach steel plates to keep everything in place.
Reinforcing Chimneys and Masonry
If your home has a chimney, that one fixture can cause more damage than anything else.
Our team can reinforce your chimney in several ways, including:
Installing a diagonal steel brace across the chimney
Layering plywood on the roof surrounding the chimney
Replacing the upper part of the chimney with metal
The same falling brick principle applies to masonry walls. The goal is to strengthen these walls with more anchors, extra layers between the floor joists, or ties across the roof.
Unique Housing Options
Many houses in the Los Angeles area have an extra room over the garage. These spaces don't have the same structure and insulation as the rest of the building. We can install steel reinforcements or plywood sheathing to the walls to ensure they're structurally sound.
If you bought a house built into a hill, we can install diagonal braces to help withstand earthquakes. Similarly, houses built on wooden or concrete posts need reinforcement so they don't fall from the height or collapse.
Benefits of Earthquake Retrofitting
There are countless benefits of earthquake retrofitting, including:
Safety
Resource protection
Home guarantee
Safety is the most important reason to retrofit your home. You want a house that is sturdy and remains structurally sound, even during a massive earthquake. Your family will have a reliable building to keep them safe from damage.
Resource protection is another benefit of retrofitting. The most obvious resource is your home. Retrofitting reinforces the structure so it won't crumble during an earthquake. The sturdy roof and walls will protect your belongings, heirlooms, and memories. You won't have to spend money replacing damaged items or rebuilding your house because you previously protected it.
The home guarantee is a benefit because you know you'll have a safe place to stay during and after the earthquake. The last thing you want to deal with after experiencing a natural disaster is trying to find a place to stay. Other people may lose their homes and need places to stay, making it a fight to find lodging. But if you retrofit your home, you'll have a roof over your head.
Grant Programs for Retrofitting
You can apply for grant money for seismic upgrades. There are several databases that share funding resources, including:
When you receive grant money for retrofitting, you'll also have access to the list of approved contractors suited for the job. The grant money pays for a good portion of the retrofit, if not the entire cost.
Keep in mind that retrofitting your home also lowers your insurance premiums. You can't live in California without earthquake insurance, but that doesn't mean you need to overpay for that safety net. With a proper retrofit from The Sterling Watson Collective, you can save up to 20% off your earthquake insurance premiums.
In Need of an Earthquake Retrofitting in Los Angeles?
If you're a homeowner in the greater Los Angeles area, it's important to consider earthquake retrofitting as a precautionary measure to protect your home and your loved ones. You don't want to wait until your house experiences a natural disaster. Our team here at The Sterling Watson Collective offers a range of earthquake retrofitting services to meet the specific needs of your home, making sure that it is up to code and able to withstand substantial seismic activity. If you're looking for a reliable and experienced company to assist you with seismic upgrades,
The Sterling Watson Collective is here to help you prepare for the big one. After years of experience in the Los Angeles area, we know how to best reinforce all structures on your property to withstand earthquake damage. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and take the first step towards a safer and more secure home.
FAQs
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A common method for seismically upgrading older structures is foundation retrofitting. This means strengthening the foundation of the house to better resist earthquake stresses. This may involve the addition of concrete or steel to existing foundations, the strengthening or replacement of existing foundations, and the installation of piers or grade beams for further support.
Another common way for seismically retrofitting an older home is to add reinforcing components to the frame and structure of the house, such as shear walls, steel or plywood to existing walls, and strengthening or replacing joists and beams.
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Retrofitting may be tax deductible in certain instances. The specific regulations and criteria for tax deductions linked to retrofitting may differ depending on the kind of retrofitting performed and the location of the property.
Retrofitting to improve a home's energy efficiency, such as adding insulation or replacing windows, may be eligible for tax credits or deductions via federal or state programs.
Retrofitting done to improve a property's safety and structural integrity, such as seismic retrofitting, may also be eligible for tax incentives in certain circumstances. However, it is critical to consult with a tax professional or the Internal Revenue Service for more thorough information.
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The City of Los Angeles has enacted a required seismic retrofit ordinance that requires soft-story building owners to upgrade their structures. The regulation applies to wood-frame constructions with at least three floors and five or more residential units built before 1978 that have one or more of the following features:
A parking lot on the bottom floor.
Large openings on the first floor (such as storefront windows)
There are no structural walls on the bottom floor.
The building owner is responsible for verifying whether the structure conforms with the regulations and, if it does not, filing an application for a retrofit inspection within the time limit set by the city.
Browse Our Wide Range of Services
In addition to offering earthquake retrofitting in Los Angeles, our team of qualified and experienced contractors cover a wide range of engineering services. Our goal is to deliver a cost-effective and successful project that you can enjoy for generations. Our range of services include:
Arborist
Drafter
Electrician
Electrical Engineering
Expediter
Framing
Home Remodeling
Laborers
Landscaping
Landscape Contractor and Design
Mechanical Engineering
Plumbing
Surveyor
"I recently hired The Sterling Watson Collective to assist with earthquake retrofitting at my Los Angeles property, and I couldn't be happier with the results. The team was professional, competent, and efficient from the first consultation to the final inspection. They took the time to understand my unique requirements and delivered a bespoke solution to guarantee that my property was retrofitted to withstand earthquakes. The project was done on schedule and under budget, and the crew went above and beyond to guarantee my satisfaction.
Our team is ready to help you with earthquake retrofitting in Los Angeles.