Monterey County residents, we can help you protect your family and your investments from earthquakes with a seismic retrofit by the experienced remodeling contractors at Cypress Design & Build. Unexpected and terrifying, earthquakes can leave your home unsafe, uninhabitable, and deteriorated in value.
We’ll help you decide which earthquake-proof home upgrades will best fortify your home against disaster.
- Foundation Bolting
- Cripple Wall Bracing
- Reinforce Masonry Walls
- Chimney Reinforcement
- Strengthen Above-Garage Rooms
Should I Earthquake Retrofit My Home?
Generally, the objective of earthquake-proof home upgrades is to keep a house from shaking off its foundation and from otherwise collapsing. Most of these upgrades happen in the crawlspaces of your home, strengthening and improving structural integrity.
Is Your Home Ready For A Quake?
Sizable earthquakes hit the San Francisco Bay Area in 1989, 2014, and 2019. According to the US Department of the Interior USGS, scientists predict that a 6.7 or greater magnitude quake will occur there within the next 30 years. If you want to be ready, ask our construction company for earthquake-resistant upgrade recommendations.
Brace Cripple Walls
Shorter, wood-framed cripple walls sit against exterior walls and connect the main floor to the house’s foundation. Adding extra bracing to cripple walls helps the foundation and main floor to stay together during shaking motion. Steel brackets anchor cripple walls to the foundation, going a long way to withstand quaking motion.
Inspect & Bolt Your Foundations
Not all homes utilize bolts to hold the upper structure to its foundation. It turns out that rocking a house off its foundation is more than just an expression; this is one way earthquakes wreak extensive havoc.
Even if you have a bolted-down house, you will want to inspect the condition of the steel and perhaps replace bolts or washers, or add more and space them closer.
Reinforce Brick Chimneys
Not just a topping-on-a-sundae afterthought, brick chimneys make up much of the damage sustained in California earthquakes. With strong seismic vibrations, bricks can shake loose and fall through the roof with considerable force.
Your general contractor can add a diagonal brace or concrete reinforcement to make your chimney more earthquake-proof.
Reinforce Masonry Walls
Collapsing walls add another risk when earthquakes occur. Ask your contractor to check for substantial connections between your roof and floor joists and strong anchors for walls. Continuous ties situated across the roof lower the chance of leaving weak areas.
Fortify Built-On Rooms
Pay extra attention to upper rooms, like apartment-type spaces above your garage. Their doorways often lack the typical structural planning of ground-floor doors and end up with less shear strength.
Steel reinforcements help the doorway and room hold up under shaking motion.
Schedule Earthquake-Proof Upgrades
Retrofitting means working with as much of the existing structure as possible and strengthening instead of a complete rebuild. Contact us at Cypress Design & Build in Monterey County for expert guidance and reliable earthquake-resistant upgrades for your California home.
