The Importance of Earthquake Retrofitting
If you live in California, earthquake retrofitting isn’t just a good idea … it’s a must, especially when it comes to protecting your family and the value of your home.
Southern California is an extremely seismically active area, which means it’s not a matter of if a large earthquake will strike, it’s when.
Plus, most insurance policies do not cover earthquake damage, or they will charge you extra costs for insuring properties that have not been properly retrofitted.
So, if you live in a home that was built 25 years ago or older, it’s essential to have your property inspected by a foundation specialist to properly bolt and reinforce the foundation.
How Does it Work?
Earthquake retrofitting is the process of adding additional hardware to a home’s foundation. Typically, this is done in the form of “anchor bolts” which add extra support to the foundation and protect it from shifting or sliding during seismic activity.
When it comes down to determining what type of earthquake retrofits are needed, a foundation specialist like Julian Construction, will assess the property on the following variables:
- Where the structure is located (i.e. is it on a hillside, a valley, near water, or near drainage).
- The condition of the foundation and structure (i.e. is the foundation suffering any structural damage).
- Any past damage that has been incurred from earthquakes or settlement.
- Any previous work that was poorly done or needing to be modified.
- Poor or outdated construction methods.
Once the proper assessment has been made, our foundation repair team will begin the work. We’ll handle all the permitting, paperwork, and other necessary items to begin retrofitting the property, and we’ll leave the residence better than we found it. It’s a straightforward process that usually allows all residents to remain in the home while the work is being done.
If you think your home may be in need of earthquake retrofitting, don’t hesitate to schedule your FREE inspection with us.
As we saw with the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, thousands of unbolted homes were damaged or completely destroyed, with many sliding right off of their foundation.
At Julian Construction, we have extensive experience serving our Los Angeles community and nearby regions. In fact, we’ve inspected over 30,000 structures in the area!
The company was formed in 1994 and our focus has always been on building and maintaining 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 (323) 733-3377 to schedule your free inspection or complete the inspection request form on our website.
