Seismic retrofitting is the only form of reinforcement to ensure that your home and the loved ones living there are safe during a major earthquake.
Seismic retrofitting is a procedure that modifies the foundation of your exis
Seismic Retrofitting Your Home:
For residential properties, seismic retrofitting modifies your existing home construction, making the house adhere to current building codes and safety measures. This is done by anchoring the still plate of the base to keep your home from falling through its foundation during a quake.
One of the advantages of seismic retrofitting is that the process is relatively quick–most home retrofits can be done within a week.
During the earthquake, homes that were built with older or unstructured foundations typically experience different types of base failure.
The most common failures of the foundation are: slipping, when the property falls off its foundation, racking, when the weakened wall of the property buckles, or flipping, when the property rises off its foundation.
ting property, making your home more resistant to soil collapse and ground shaking, both of which that occur during an earthquake.
Identifying Home Foundation Problems: There are many indicators that may suggest that your home may have a structural problem. As a homeowner, it’s incredibly important to keep a close eye on all cracks in your home, especially horizontal cracks. Measure any cracks you see inside and outside the house, and also check your basement crawl space if your property has one.
Apart from cracks, other signs of damage or degradation to the foundation are sloping floors, doors and windows that are hard to open or that lock, a patio that pulls away from the external frame, wallpaper that breaks from the walls, or gaps in kitchen cabinets.
This can all be indicators that the soil below your home is expanding (which moves the foundation) or shrinking (which shifts the foundation), thereby impacting the structural integrity of your house.
When it comes to the reconstruction of the base, the founding contractor will recommend the installation of specialized materials to reinforce and protect the house. If done correctly, and when issues with the base are diagnosed early on, these repairs should create permanent solutions.
Foundation improvements can include a variety of solutions, from the installation of proper support columns under the house to the removal of damaged joists, girders and posts.
Determining whether your home needs seismic refurbishment or foundation repair depends on how early foundation issues have been detected and diagnosed. Foundation issues–when found quickly–can result in less costly and time-consuming fixes.
Many structural problems emerge from homes that were constructed before modern replacements became available, sub-par construction, or on land with poorly compacted soil.
At Weinstein Building, we’re going to help you find the best solution to your foundation issues. First, we will perform a (free) comprehensive home inspection, followed by a thorough consultation, and at the conclusion of our chat, we will provide you with a quote for repairs.
Weinstein Engineering is a specialist in Los Angeles Foundation Testing, Foundation Contractors, Earthquake Renovation, Building Renovation and Foundation Repair. Julian’s company, Julian Construction, has inspected more than 30,000 structures, working with engineering firms and local construction and safety departments. Over the last five years, the company has done more ground repair and earthquake retrofitting in Los Angeles than any other business in the country.
