If you are a property owner in Southern California, you’ve probably heard about the need for seismic retrofitting to homes and businesses. And you may be wondering if you need a seismic retrofit in Los Angeles for your own property.

How can you tell?

First off, you need to understand the problem it solves. When an earthquake happens, a property that has not been properly reinforced can slide off its concrete foundation, or the walls can collapse.

Seismic retrofitting reinforces and strengthens existing buildings so they can better withstand an earthquake. Avoiding a catastrophic collapse, leading to injury, death and property loss, is at the heart of this service.

An earthquake retrofit of a house will feature straps and brackets that bolster the connections between the house and the foundation (to prevent sliding off the foundation), and improvements to the connections between walls, the foundation and the roof (to prevent collapse).

Is a Seismic Retrofit Right for You?

To determine if you need a seismic retrofit in Los Angeles, you’ll first need to find out when the home was built. Keep in mind, if the property was constructed before 1980, it will probably need to be reinforced and strengthened with a seismic retrofit. That’s because those homes weren’t constructed according to earthquake-related building codes that we have today, meaning they are at a higher risk for collapse and failure. Even if your home was built in the 1990s, additional reinforcement could still be required. A professional will be able to tell.

Sometimes older homes built before 1980 may already have undergone some type of retrofitting. Have someone take a look underneath to see if you can find evidence of brackets and strapping where the structure meets the foundation.

Still not sure? Give CXC Contracting a call. Our team will come out to your property for an inspection and recommend next steps for improving the safety of your home.

Schedule your free inspection now at 805-300-8899.