Why You Should Earthquake Retrofit Your House Today
Considering an earthquake retrofit? In California, there are roughly 1.2 million homes that are not seismically safe. In fact, if a large earthquake were to occur today, most of these homes would be unlivable from foundation damage after the shaking.
Most homes that need some sort of earthquake retrofit were built before 1980, and those that were constructed before 1940 are especially vulnerable to seismic damage and destruction.
Luckily, there’s an easy fix — getting these properties retrofitted for an earthquake typically requires additional hardware to be installed to the foundation such as seismic braces and bolts.
For seismic safety, the walls and wood beams under the home – in the crawl space – should be fastened tightly to the ground and properly spaced apart. If this area has become damaged or weakened overtime, these load-bearing beams will buckle from the intense shaking of an earthquake and fall to the ground – causing the floor of the home to collapse to its foundation.
Most homes do not need a total foundation replacement, but just some extra bolting and anchoring to the foundation which can be done by applying additional plywood to the crawlspace. A typical earthquake retrofit runs between $3,000 to $3,900.
While many homeowners continue to put off seismic retrofits, it’s important to remember that this is a very small price to pay for ensuring the safety of those who live in your home and the value of your property during and after a large earthquake.
Repairing a home with a total foundation collapse is much more expensive than an earthquake retrofit, costing into the hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair.
Most home retrofits can be completed in less than a week, and performed by a foundation specialist.
Before choosing a foundation repair company, do your research. Make sure the company has all of the necessary licenses and insurances before starting the work.
See how many properties they have worked on in your area, and how familiar they are with your region’s real estate.
At Julian Construction, not only do we have the following licenses and insurances, we’ll conduct a free home foundation inspection for you, complete with a quote for repair.
We have extensive experience serving our Los Angeles community and nearby regions. In fact, Julian Construction has inspected over 30,000 structures in the area!
Julian Construction was formed in 1994 and our focus has always been on building foundations, doing foundation repair and replacement, earthquake retrofitting, and house leveling.
When you work with Julian Construction, you get the principles of the company and the workers of Julian Construction under your home.
And in order to keep foundation repair affordable for our customers, we offer a price guarantee — because we know our quote for repair will represent your very best value.
Give us a call at call (323) 733-3377 to schedule your free inspection or complete the inspection request form.
