Why House Bolting is Important

by Shawn Kyles

 

House bolting, also known as earthquake retrofitting or seismic retrofitting, is the process of attaching a house to its concrete foundation using foundation plates and anchor bolts. The concept of how retrofitting works is simple. The basic idea is to keep the house from falling or moving off its foundation during an earthquake.

To keep a house from moving off its foundation in an earthquake, house bolting or seismic retrofitting strengthens three different areas of the house. These areas are all located in the crawl space, which is the space between the ground under the house and the floor you walk on. If any one of these three areas is not adequately retrofitted, the house will be susceptible to damage in an earthquake.

These three areas are:

1. The bracing and reinforcement of the cripple walls with structural-grade plywood. (A cripple wall is a short wall built upon the foundation of a house that produces a high crawlspace. Not all houses have a cripple wall. If you go up a set of stairs to enter your home, you probably have one. Un-reinforced cripple walls are the weakest part of a house because they quickly collapse in an earthquake.)

2. The bolting of the braced cripple walls to the foundation.

3. The attachment of the floor of the house to the braced cripple walls.

By doing these three actions, your susceptibility to earthquake damage is greatly lessened. It’s highly unlikely that your cripple wall will collapse bringing your house down with it, requiring expensive repairs.

California is "earthquake country." We had a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in northern Mexico in April, with lesser aftershocks hitting as far north as Los Angeles in the time since then. We also know that the next “big one” could happen at any time, and probably when we least expect it, leaving widespread destruction in its wake.

We who live in Los Angeles or other parts of California need to be aware that the up-and-down and side-to-side motion of an earthquake can shake an unbolted house off its foundation. If this happens to you, it could mean very expensive repairs to your home, as the house would have to be moved back onto the foundation and secured against future damage.

The best thing to do is get a foundation inspection, which will include looking at the house bolting and seeing if it is adequate and if any other reinforcements are needed in your home. The inspection is usually free and the cost of any house bolting and reinforcements will usually be a lot less than moving your house back onto its foundation if an earthquake causes it to slide off.

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Julian Construction Helps Mobile Home Owners Qualify for FHA Financing

Company’s Mobile Home Foundation Service Helps HUD Compliance

 

LOS ANGELES – Julian Construction, a Los Angeles based construction company that specializes in foundation repair and construction, today announced that its Mobile Home Foundation Service helps existing and new manufactured home owners qualify for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) financing. The service, which includes installation of concrete footers, slabs and skirts, ensures mobile home foundations meet FHA mortgage program criteria.

“Without FHA financing, it can be difficult for mobile home owners to get low interest home loans,” says Julian De La Torre, founder of Julian Construction. “Our foundations help manufactured home owners qualify for the FHA mortgage program. Plus our service makes a mobile home more safe in the event of a major earthquake.”

FHA mortgage program eligibility criteria is based on Housing and Urban Development (HUD) mobile home foundation and installation standards.

Julian Construction is a Southern California leader in building retrofitting and foundation repair. Founder and retrofit expert Julian De La Torre, along with his partner Shawn Kyles, an expert in foundation repair and house bolting, have retrofitted more than 6,600 homes, apartments and commercial properties since the early 1990s.

The company, which is dedicated to building preservation and security, offers a wide variety of services designed to address individual structural needs. Julian Construction’s “no middlemen” (no salesmen, no subcontractors) business model, insures high quality work at affordable prices. They can be contacted by phone at 323 733-3377, by fax at 323 733-4477 or via their website, www.julianconstruction.com.

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* Julian Construction Launches Homeowner Earthquake-Ready Campaign

Company Says Education Key to Preventing Injuries and Damage

 

LOS ANGELES – Julian Construction, a Los Angeles based construction company that specializes in foundation repair and construction, today announced the launch of an educational campaign to help homeowners prevent earthquake injury and damage. The new initiative will include a series of articles on the company’s blog that focus on how to increase a home’s resistance to earthquakes, along with foundation inspections at no charge.

“The recent 5.7 earthquake in Southern California was followed by more than a dozen smaller quakes. It’s a good example of the type of on-going seismic activity we get in this region,” says Julian De La Torre, founder of Julian Construction. “Homeowners need to know how to keep themselves and their family safe during an earthquake by reducing the risk of structural failure.”

The company’s free foundation inspection checks foundation integrity, including poor construction, improperly done repairs, settling, shifting, bowing, cracks and other damage that can cause a house to slip off of its foundation during a quake. The inspection will also check for proper earthquake retrofitting, also known as house bolting, having been done.

Julian Construction is a Southern California leader in building retrofitting and foundation repair. Founder and retrofit expert Julian De La Torre, along with his partner Shawn Kyles, an expert in foundation repair and house bolting, have retrofitted more than 6,600 homes, apartments and commercial properties since the early 1990s.

The company, which is dedicated to building preservation and security, offers a wide variety of services designed to address individual structural needs. Julian Construction’s “no middlemen” (no salesmen, no subcontractors) business model, insures high quality work at affordable prices. They can be contacted by phone at 323 733-3377, by fax at 323 733-4477 or via their website, www.julianconstruction.com.

Posted via email from Julian Construction's Posterous

Earthquakes on the Rise--Is Los Angeles Next?

by Brittany Kyles

On May 18, 2010, the seismically active California-Mexico border area was rattled by a sizeable earthquake shaking the San Diego region, reaching 4.5 in magnitude. The quake was an aftershock of the major 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit the northern Mexico region April 4, Easter Sunday, and the new quake was felt throughout the San Diego area, even reaching as far north as parts of Los Angeles.

The quake was centered approximately 18 miles southwest of El Centro, the Imperial County seat in California’s southeastern corner. It occurred only miles below the earth’s surface, reaching 8.1 miles in depth. No damage was immediately reported.

Within the last year, several major earthquakes have led to death, damage and destruction across the world, including in Haiti, Chile, Indonesia, Spain and Puerto Rico. With the recent quakes in San Diego it seems more than likely that Los Angeles could be due for another big one.

Therefore, now more than ever is the time to prepare, for the more than obvious natural disaster that could be headed our way. We want to avoid the drastic consequences that these violent earthquakes create within our lives, with loved ones, and with our homes and communities.

The Northridge earthquake in 1994 took a serious toll on the community and the individuals affected. Buildings collapsed, apartment buildings were split in two, and lives were lost.

Most older homes in California and elsewhere throughout the United States do not have the reinforcement needed to protect against a large earthquake, and as a result these disasters can destroy a life, a home or a business.

Therefore, having your home reinforced, by a process known as earthquake retrofitting or house bolting, will prove very beneficial. This process secures your house to the foundation, so that during an earthquake, with its sideways forces and motions, the home does not move off of its foundation. It will essentially protect your home and family from the inevitable earthquake that may be due for Los Angeles.

An earthquake retrofit is the process of firmly attaching a house to its concrete foundation using foundation plates and anchor bolts. Because California is "earthquake country," the up-and-down and side-to-side motion of an earthquake can shake an unbolted house off its foundation, making for a very costly repair job.

It is important to find a company in your area that specializes in home foundation repair and construction, and have them do a foundation inspection on your home. They will determine if there is currently any damage or weaknesses in your foundation, and advise you on any needed earthquake retrofitting or other reinforcement or repairs that are needed to protect you from a potential major quake. The foundation inspection would include looking at the house bolting and seeing if it is adequate and if any other reinforcements are needed in your home. The inspection is usually free and the cost of any house bolting and reinforcements will usually be a lot less than moving your house back onto its foundation if an earthquake causes it to slide off.

It is much better to prepare now and have the peace of mind that are as ready as possible, rather than kick yourself later.

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