Common Foundation Problems in California
The climate of your location plays a big part in the type of foundation your home will have. California is primarily known for its Mediterranean climate, which means that it has dry, hot summers and cooler and rainy winters. Because of these changing conditions, a …
Oakland Considering Requiring Landlords to Retrofit Vulnerable Apartment Buildings
Oakland is ready to get serious about earthquake safety. The city is considering passing new legislation that would require hundreds of vulnerable apartment structures to be retrofitted by owners. Like Los Angeles, the mandate would require the seismic retrofit of soft-story residential buildings that are …
7.0 Earthquake Rocks the State of Alaska
Friday morning, a massive earthquake – 7.0 in magnitude – hit Alaska. The earthquake, which was felt throughout the state, was centered just 5 miles outside of Alaska’s largest city, Anchorage. “It was anarchy,” Brandon Slaton, a resident of Kenai, Alaska, told the Associated Press. …
Sloping Floors and Foundation Issues
There are several issues that can cause sloping floors in your home. Sloping floors are typically a sign of foundation issues. Foundation issues are common in older homes that have been constructed with weak foundations or properties that have been built on poorly compacted soil. …
Foundation Underpinning – What Is It?
Foundation underpinning is a type of foundation repair that is used to deepen the foundation that a property currently sits on. This is done when the soil is sub-standard and the structure has been experiencing foundation degradation and needs to be strengthened in order to …
Why You Shouldn’t Ignore Single-Family Home Retrofits
Retrofitting single-family homes is one of the most affordable seismic improvements you can make – with most retrofits costing less than $7,000. After the 2014 earthquake that struck Napa, California, it was alarming to see how many homes were severely damaged and destroyed. Homes that had …
San Francisco Moving To Retrofit Vulnerable High-Rise Towers
On Thursday, San Francisco released an updated list of its vulnerable high-rise buildings, listing more than 150 of its tallest structures that may need earthquake retrofitting. As high-rise structures in the area have already begun showing signs of degradation, the updated list is the latest …
Identifying Different Types of Foundations
When it comes to foundation repair, there are different types of foundations that your home may have been constructed with. The type of home foundation you have generally comes down to the geographic location and the year that the property was built. The most common …
What Causes Foundations to Fail
For many, foundation repair may not be something you’re very familiar with. But, if you live in California and you own a home, you need to be aware of what causes foundations to fail and how you can remedy these issues. Every home foundation needs …