Residential Retrofitting
Affordable Earthquake Retrofitting
- Homes built before 1970 do not have earthquake stabilizers
- Retrofitting your home is fraction the cost caused from earthquake damage
- Regular deterioration and water damage take away from a home’s stability
When is the BIG ONE going to happen?
This happens because the siding used on older homes, whether wood or stucco, is relatively weak and provides little support or bracing to the cripple wall. Structural grade plywood properly nailed on the cripple wall in the form of a shear wall is almost 20 times stronger than typical siding material…that is a 200% (two hundred percent) increase in strength.
Unfortunately, NO ONE has the exact answer to this question. When this inevitable disaster happens to occur, will you and your family be safe in your house as it stands now?
Your home can sustain significant damage with extra support and precautionary measures by earthquake retrofitting. Weinstein Construction earthquake retrofit to endure powerful forces of an earthquake.
Cripple Wall Reinforcement
Earthquake retrofitting also takes a very close look at cripple walls. These walls are structures that connect the foundation to the floor base.
Commonly seen in crawlspaces, cripple walls are one of the greatest liabilities when an earthquake strikes.
Without proper reinforcement through a seismic retrofit, the cripple walls are particularly susceptible to the sideways movement that a home experiences in an earthquake.
The movement can cause one or more of the cripple walls to collapse, which causes the entire house to shift and fall.
The Uniform Code of Building Conservation and the Los Angeles Building Code, specify the type of plywood to be used in building shear walls (5 Ply plywood), the types of nails to be used and spacing of the nails, methods of attaching shear panels to the mudsill, and methods of attaching them to the floor of the house (8d common Nails).
Maintain and Replace
An important part of earthquake retrofitting is dealing with a structure’s old construction that may be worn out and rusted.
Over time, moisture becomes trapped between the mudsill and foundation. The rust degrades the metal, which causes it to move and not stay in place when the earth starts to move.
This gives unwanted water an entrance into the structure, which can causes a whole set of additional problems. In addition to having bolts installed, other various aspects of the structure should also be inspected occasionally and replaced when necessary.