Imagine if your home collapsed in an earthquake.

Now imagine if you later realized it was totally preventable, because it was only a mid-sized earthquake. Perhaps even your neighbors’ homes were spared, but yours went down.

Unpleasant, right?

Obviously, prevention is important. And you can prevent small to medium earthquakes from destroying your home with house bolting.

House bolting is one of the most reliable earthquake retrofitting measures any homeowner can take to minimize damage to your house in an earthquake. Here in Southern California, many homes already have this measure in place. But many do not.

Your house is one of your most important assets. It holds most of your most prized possessions and any damage to it might have serious consequences.

Does your house have bolts? If not, they are absolutely worth the investment.

Read on — we’ll go over what they are and why they matter.

California and Earthquakes

California is famous for earthquakes. We’re situated on a well known quake bed because of the periodic seismic movement across the state. Since the 1850’s we’ve been recording the repeated occurrence of high magnitude quakes. We see areas recording highs of 6 and above on the Richter scale all too frequently.

Effects from earthquakes include splitting roads, power outages, fires, and structural damage to homes.

Reinforcing the structural integrity of your house can help it resist any kind of pressure or movement. If you live in California, the very least you can do with your house is bolt it.

If your home is already fitted with earthquake bolts, CXC Contracting can provide an inspection to ensure that it is done correctly.

So…What Is House Bolting?

House bolting is the process of securely fastening your house to its foundation with strong metal bolts to ensure minimal or no damage in the event of an earthquake.

Foundation bolting includes the adding of bolts to create a stronger connection between your house and its foundation to prevent the house from sliding off. The bolts are placed at a set distance from each other. Two types of bolts are used for this: expansion bolts and epoxy bolts.

Cripple wall bracing is a way of reinforcing the walls of your house to prevent it from crashing and compromising the structure of the house. It creates a shear wall that leaves the walls stable even if the other slides off below it.

Hold-down brackets are used together with the cripple wall bracing. Cripple wall bracing creates a shear wall, and the hold-down brackets assist in anchoring the shear walls using deep epoxy bolts, making your house more resistant to stress after being lifted in the event of an earthquake.

However, if the shear walls of your building are in good condition and done well, there might be no need for adding the hold-down brackets. This helps save money. However, you really should seek a professional to certify this, because you don’t want to cheap out on something your home needs — it can make all the difference in an earthquake.

Why Do I Need House Bolting?

House bolting is crucial in ensuring that the integrity of your home is maintained in case of an earthquake. It’s an efficient and affordable way to safeguard your property against damage.

As a homeowner, you need to protect your investment — not to mention the safety of your family.

Most homeowners take comfort in insurance, but insurance won’t stop the house from collapsing. It certainly cannot replace lives lost in the event of an earthquake. It’s a form of financial protection, but it is not physical protection. House bolting should go together with insurance to ensure double protection. It is a win-win situation!

The difference in damage to a retrofitted house and one that is not is massive. Don’t take risks.

You live in California. You know we have a high risk that more and more earthquakes will occur, and at greater magnitudes.

Your house can be retrofitted regardless of when it was built. There are different fittings for old and newer houses. Don’t worry if your house is relatively old, it can be retrofitted. And if your home is new, don’t assume that it’s well protected! Get an inspection and find out for sure.

CXC Contracting brings expertise and experience to every earthquake retrofitting job. No house is too small or too big. Do not wait for a disaster. Be safe. Be ready!