San Francisco can be a great place to live. However, we do live in an area that is prone to earthquakes and this means that we need to do what we can to be prepared for a potential disaster. If you are a homeowner in the Bay Area, then you are going to want to consider whether your house is equipped to withstand the force of one of these events. If your home is not, then you may need to consider a seismic retrofit to protect the structure and its occupants in the event of a quake.
The potential need for a seismic retrofit is something that will be on the mind of many California homeowners. Living in this area it is an understandable concern that your home may not be well equipped to withstand the type of force that acts upon the structure in an earthquake. The problem for many homeowners is that they just don’t know whether their home is in need of this type of improvement.
One of the things that you are going to want to consider is the age of the structure. If your home was built before the 1980s, then there is a good chance that your home may be in need of a seismic retrofit. For homes built in the 90s or later, the risk is less severe because more codes were put into practice to address earthquake resistance during this time, but it does not necessarily mean that you are in the clear.
Generally, an earthquake can cause a structure to fail in two ways. The first is when the structure is displaced from the foundation and the second is when walls that are below main floors give out under the force. Both of these possibilities can be prevented through seismic retrofitting, but the exact scope of the repair work needed will depend on the condition of the structure itself.
In some cases, the vulnerabilities of the home can be easily accessed by the homeowner, but there are many situations where the problem may not be readily apparent. If you have any doubts about your home’s ability to withstand an earthquake, then it is recommended that you have the structure inspected by engineer or an earthquake specialist. A specialist will be able to perform a thorough investigation of the structure to determine whether any steps need to be taken.
Telling whether your home needs a seismic retrofit can be a complicated process and the average homeowner may not be aware of all of the points that need to be checked. Contact Montclair Construction for all of your seismic retrofitting needs in the San Francisco area. We can perform a full inspection of the structure to determine whether your home needs retrofitting and we can perform the work to improve the structure’s earthquake resistance.
