Preparing your Family & Home for an Earthquake

By Shawn Kyles

Severe earthquakes can not only result in injuries and fatalities, they also cause considerable property damage to roads, buildings and other structures.  Advance preparation is your best chance of avoiding the dangerous situations and consequences that can result from a quake.  If you are a homeowner, developing an earthquake plan will help ensure the safety of your family, and provide greater protection for your property.  Persons that reside in your home should know the best place to go when a quake hits, such as interior walls, corners and door frames.  They should also know which areas of the house to avoid, including walls with windows, or rooms with mirrors and heavy furniture.  Another vital component of an emergency plan is the purchasing and storing of emergency supplies, including water, food, first aid items, flashlights, battery operated or hand crank radio, extra batteries, tools, blankets, clothing, fire extinguishers, a camp stove and extra pet food.  Your emergency kit should also contain any valuable documents, important phone numbers, and extra money.  After your plan has been prepared, have family members drill various earthquake scenarios.

In addition to creating an emergency plan, you will also need to physically prepare your home for a quake.  Secure any furniture and appliances that can fall over with straps, such as bookcases, refrigerators and water heaters.  Move beds that are near windows, bookshelves or other items that can fall to a different place in the room, or eliminate any potential hazards.  Use earthquake putty to prevent vases, antiques, statutes and other objects sitting on shelves from moving.  Install latches on your cupboards and store objects that can break on low shelves. Also secure hazardous and flammable liquids, and bolt or eye screw paintings and other hanging objects to the wall.  Cover windows with film to prevent shattering, or install safety glass. Replace any weak or damaged plumbing, wiring and gas lines, and make sure each person in your house knows how to shut off the gas, water and electricity. 

During an earthquake, a house can move from side to side, as well as up and down.  To prevent structural damage, ask an experienced earthquake retrofitting company to inspect your house to determine the best way to prevent your home from slipping off of its foundation.  This may include bolting, adding shear walls and installing additional supports such as connectors, anchors, straps and braces.  When all of the parts of a house are secured together, they will be less likely to move.  A knowledgeable retrofitter may also recommend the repair of any existing foundation damage to further strengthen the structure.

The time you spend now on earthquake preparation can have a significant impact on your family’s safety during a quake, and reduce damage to your home and personal property.  It is added insurance that you will be ready when the big one hits.

Posted via email from Julian Construction's Posterous

Julian Construction Offers Stucco and Drywall Repair For Homes

Older Homes and Poor Installations Most Prone To Stucco And Drywall Damage

LOS ANGELES, CA: Julian Construction Inc. is a professional construction and repair company in southern California, mainly specializing in foundation construction and repair. Another area their workmen are adept in is stucco and drywall repair. The company offers stucco and drywall repair for older homes and those suffering from cracked or broken surfaces.

A number of sources for stucco or drywall damage are improper installation of the finished grade, attaching objects to or otherwise piercing the drywall or stucco walls, sprinkler systems, other types of water damage, and additions to a home after completed construction. Julian Construction can quickly fix any of the above problems as well as any other damage to a drywall or stucco wall. This is sometimes a necessary step in the handling of a foundation repair or retrofitting project, in which case the stucco or drywall would also be fixed as a part of the project.

Julian De La Torre, founder of the company, stated the following: “Handling stucco and drywall is something that comes up quite frequently in our line of work. Many homes have this difficulty, especially in a city like Los Angeles that uses a lot of stucco in its construction. And it can be repaired very easily. Call a professional construction and repair company always before attempting to fix the crack yourself.”

Julian Construction owns its own company and is built on a “no middlemen” model – no salesmen, no subcontractors. When you work with Julian Construction you get the principals of the company and workers of Julian Construction under your home. The result is the highest 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. You can see tips and advice about home foundations on their blog, at http://julianconstruction.typepad.com.

Posted via email from Julian Construction's Posterous

Public Speak About Their Success With Construction Company

Julian Construction's Clients Say It In Their Own Words About Their Experience

LOS ANGELES, CA: Julian Construction Inc. (http://www.julianconstruction.com) has been repairing, replacing, retrofitting and constructing home foundations since 2001, with specialists who have experience dating back to the Northridge Quake of 1994. A number of the people they've helped have offered their experience with the construction company. Here are a few of them in their own words:

A man from Lomita said: “Julian Construction is the only company you should call to retrofit your house. Not only did they do a great job, but they made us feel like we could trust them to make our house safer for the next earthquake. They did so at a very competitive price. The Julian team was here ON TIME (something like 10 guys showed up) and proceeded to complete the job as promised. They also did not want a single penny until the job was completely finished and the permit approved by a city inspector. The clincher was that they are fully insured with liability insurance and workers’ comp."

A woman from Long Beach stated: “Your company was a pleasure to work with. You were fast, your workers were on time, respectful and they cleaned up after they finished each day. I will refer you to my neighbors, friends and family. Great job!!"

And from a woman in Los Angeles: “This is how you run a business. I paid a fair price and got what was promised. A small army of workers showed up on time, were incredibly efficient, and cleaned up so you’d never know they were there. The foreman was patient with a nervous and exacting homeowner."

Julian De La Torre, founder of the company, stated: “We're always happy to see our customers happy. It's what we work for, to know we are helping them have a safer home. Living in the Los Angeles area, the threat of another earthquake is ever present. With our services, our goal is to make your home safer and less likely to sustain damage the next time the earth moves underneath it.”

Julian Construction owns its own company and is built on a “no middlemen” model – no salesmen, no subcontractors. When you work with Julian Construction you get the principals of the company and workers of Julian Construction under your home. The result is the highest 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. You can see tips and advice about home foundations on their blog, at http://julianconstruction.typepad.com.

Posted via email from Julian Construction's Posterous