Earthquake Retrofitting Los Angeles Properties & House Bolting

The Leading Earthquake Retrofitting Experts

Los Angeles and Southern California are amongst the most seismically active regions in the world, with a substantial risk of a catastrophic earthquake along with frequent smaller tremors. Thus, it's important that your plan as a property owner includes earthquake retrofitting Los Angeles residential or commercial properties before the worst occurs.

The Importance of Earthquake Retrofitting

The safety of your family and the value of your home must always be considered when you live in a seismically active region such as Southern California. Similarly, the safety of your business and employees and the value of your building is not to be taken lightly either.

Earthquake retrofitting Los Angeles structures is not only smart, in many cases, it’s legally mandated to comply with current earthquake codes, and for good reason. The inherent unpredictability of earthquakes makes it critical to retrofit or upgrade now rather than later. Many insurance policies do not cover earthquakes without a considerable extra cost and ensuring a structure that has not been properly earthquake retrofitted can be incredibly pricey.

Receive a grant of up to $3000 to earthquake retrofit your home!

Who wouldn’t want to receive up to $3,000 toward an earthquake retrofit for your home? The Earthquake Brace & Bolt (EBB) program provides homeowners up to $3,000 to lessen the potential of earthquake damage to their homes.

Your home is most likely to fit Chapter A3 specifications when meeting the following conditions:

• Has a raised foundation
• Constructed on a level or low slope
• built before 1980 of wood-framed construction 
• constructed with a 4-foot (or less) cripple wall under the first floor OR
• constructed with a cripple wall between 4 feet and 7 feet (requires an engineered solution)

Click here for the complete list of zip codes in Southern California covered by the EBB program.

Houses that may qualify for EBB:

• Are located in a ZIP Code listed on the EBB website;
• Meet CEBC Chapter A3 specifications;
• Are built before 1980 and sit on a level ground or a low-slope;
• Are a detached residential building composed of one to four dwelling units with a continuous raised perimeter foundation;
• Must not have a completed Chapter A3 brace and bolt retrofit previous to being accepted into the EBB program; 
• Have not previously received any incentive payment from EBB, the California Earthquake Authority Brace + Bolt program, or any other earthquake retrofit incentive grant program;

EBB limits funding residential retrofit expenses in the crawl space to:

• Brace: strengthen the cripple walls in the crawl space with plywood will help keep the house from sliding off of the foundation during an earthquake. Strengthening cripple walls enables them to function as shear members, significantly strengthening the structure from collapse.
• Bolt: add anchor bolts and sill plates in the crawl space to strengthen the connection between the wood framing of the house and the concrete foundation to help keep the house from toppling.
• Strap and Brace the Water Heater: correctly strap and brace the water heater to reduce the chance of water and fire damage, and protect the water supply.

As an approved LA County earthquake retrofitting contractor for California's Earthquake Brace and Bolt program Alpha Structural can help you determine if you qualify for the EBB program as well as help you to properly fill out your application.

We have a reputation for top quality work, with over 25 years of experience and thousands of retrofits to our name.

The Top Choice in Earthquake Retrofitting

Alpha Structural can handle all of your earthquake retrofitting & house bolting needs. Seismic retrofitting Los Angeles structures also help to protect them against small tremors, shifts in the earth and vibrations that can cause foundation wall clashing. We specialize in home earthquake retrofitting, house bolting, foundation bolting, and residential seismic retrofit.

If your home was built prior to 1945, it was almost certainly built without being properly bolted down to the foundation using what are called “anchor bolts”. It’s very likely that your house doesn’t live up to modern Los Angeles seismic retrofitting codes and can be much more liable to damage during a quake. Earthquake retrofitting adds hardware to the existing structure making it more resistant to sliding off the foundation during seismic activity.

Earthquake Retrofitting, however, is different for every home. It’s based on a variety of factors such as when, where and how the home was built, as well as how the foundation is performing. At Alpha Structural, we evaluate your property and engineer the optimum solution, which might include bolting and installing framing anchors, AT A MINIMUM.

How is Seismic Retrofitting or Earthquake Retrofitting Done?

Your first step is getting a thorough and accurate assessment of your house/building and it’s current foundation. To be effective, earthquake retrofitting must be done on a stable, well-maintained foundation. There are as many variables to the foundation’s integrity as there are homes but some of the key variables are:

• The structure’s physical location, i.e. hillside, valley floor, near a lake, river or drainage basin.
• The current condition of the foundation and structure.
• Past, un-repaired damage from earthquakes or other ground shifting events. (An example would be uneven settling after a heavy rain-induced ground shift.)
• Poorly done earthquake retrofitting in the past.
• Poor original construction… and many more.

Once a complete assessment has been done, the next step in seismic retrofitting is establishing a comprehensive plan to make any repairs for pre-existing foundation and structural issues. Earthquake retrofitting on a damaged foundation may not be of much help in even a small tremor. This is why we will recommend retrofitting your foundation and making any other needed repairs. If you don’t need additional foundation work, great! If you do, we can help you complete that work. Our ultimate goal is that you are safe in your home. 

Earthquake Retrofitting Cost

We can give you an inspection and an estimate and you may be surprised at the cost. Earthquake retrofitting costs a lot less than major construction needed after a structural failure from a ground shifting event.

While our prices are competitive, especially in regards to the quality of service and product we provide, we recommend you check for government programs available to see if you qualify for assistance from the state, such as the Earthquake Brace + Bolt program.

Alpha Structural will figure out exactly what the best retrofitting option is for you and your home or building.

We are one of the most qualified companies for earthquake retrofitting in Los Angeles. If you have a home or building that needs to be brought up to current earthquake codes, i.e. the new Los Angeles soft-story retrofitting laws, call us today at (323) 258-5482 to schedule an appointment!