Julian Construction Offers Soft-Story Retrofitting in Los Angeles

Los Angeles Makes Soft Story Retrofitting Mandatory for Wood-Frame Structures

LOS ANGELES, CA: Julian Construction, Inc., (http://www.julianconstruction.com/), a foundation construction and foundation repair company in the Los Angeles area, is now offering soft-story building retrofitting, which is now mandatory for wood-frame soft story buildings within the city of Los Angeles.

A soft-story building is a multi-story structure where the ground floor has unsupported floors above it, due to a wide front window or other wide section of the second floor with no supporting beam under it. The most common type of soft-story building is an apartment building built with the second story over an open parking area. Other types include retail businesses with large windows, as well as multi-level commercial structures with floors that have large spaces, windows and doors. Soft-story buildings are much more likely to collapse during an earthquake, and so are especially dangerous in areas of high seismic activity like Los Angeles.

The City of Los Angeles recently passed an Ordinance requiring the retrofit of all wood-frame Soft-Story buildings

If you own a soft-story building- especially an older wood-frame building, contact a local construction company to schedule an inspection consultation. The structural stability of your building and the safety of its occupants and users is extremely important, especially in areas of high seismic activity like Los Angeles.

Julian De La Torre, founder and owner of Julian Construction, stated: “No two soft-story retrofitting projects are the same and so there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Ideally, we consider several factors to determine the best way to approach the project to get the building to meet the structural standards of retrofitted soft-story buildings, while also having a minimal impact on the function and use of the building. We see these kinds of soft story buildings every day. Fortunately much more is known about the risks involved with this type of design now, so buildings today are built much more securely. But with older buildings, it is important to know the risks involved with soft story structural issues.”

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.com/blog/

JulianConstruction.com: Bolting Mudsills to a Cement Foundation

By Julian De La Torre

Do you know if your house is bolted to the foundation? Bolting is a type of seismic retrofitting that secures a home’s mudsill to its concrete foundation. Mudsill is the horizontal wood that sits on top of the foundation. It is the bottom of an exterior wall that connects the frame of the house to the footing.

Mudsills that aren’t connected to the foundation (or poorly connected) will start to move during a quake, along with the walls they are attached to. This motion can cause gas lines to break and electrical wires to pull out. Floors can also be damaged. If the shaking is severe, the entire building may end up collapsing.

When the mudsill is properly bolted to the concrete, it prevents the home from slipping and sliding during seismic activity.

Bolting a home to its foundation became a Uniform Building Code requirement in 1949. However, it took almost 10 years for local government to implement the code. Consequently, most homes built before 1960 have not been bolted to their foundations. Without bolting, an earthquake can shake the home off of its foundation.

You can check to see if your home’s mudsill has been bolted by going into your crawl space or basement and looking for thick bolts across the top of the sill. You should see bolts every 4 to 6 feet. There should also be steel anchor plates connecting the edge of the sill to the foundation’s side.

If you find any rusted bolts, they will need to be replaced. Rusted bolts are more common in moisture-prone areas.

Also look for recessed bolts. When the foundation is poured and bolts aren’t sticking up high enough, the mudsill around the bolt needs to be chiseled to get the nut on. This can make it difficult to tighten the nuts and virtually impossible for any anchor plates to be installed. Recessed bolts should be replaced.

An important point regarding bolting is the depth of penetration into the concrete. There are minimum and standard depth requirements depending on the type of anchor bolts being used.
Replacing bolts can be difficult because of the tight space. A foundation repair expert will know which bolts need to be replaced in addition to having all of the tools that will be needed to get the job done right.

Bolting is only one part of the retrofitting process. Even homes that are bolted can suffer severe damage from a quake if the cripple walls haven’t been braced properly. The cripple wall is the short wall between the first floor and the foundation. Cripple walls need reinforcement with sturdy materials like plywood. Stucco and wood siding does not provide enough support for the walls.

The best way to find out if your home is properly bolted, is to contact a foundation contractor, a specialist in this area, and ask for a free inspection. Getting help from a foundation repair (Los Angeles) expert will save you time, money and potential damage from the next big quake.


Julian De La Torre, expert in Los Angeles foundation inspection, repair & house bolting (Los Angeles) and founder of Julian Construction (http://www.julianconstruction.com) in Los Angeles, has inspected over 15,000 structures, working with engineering firms & local departments of building & safety. The company has done more home foundation repair (Los Angeles) than any other company in the area over the last five years (http://julianconstruction.com/about/ ). Julian Construction owns its own company and is a "no middlemen" model--no salesmen or subcontractors--you get the principals of the company & its workers under your home. See their video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I8j7dXzpj4

Recognizing Signs of Roof Damage

Los Angeles Contractor Shares Warning Signs of Roof Damage and What You Can Do About It.

Julian Construction (http://www.julianconstruction.com) a foundation repair and construction company in Los Angeles, has compiled a checklist that you can use to tell if you have any roof damage issues. If you notice any of the items mentioned, you should contact a roofing contractor to schedule an inspection.

Cold weather brings with it an increase in risk factors for roof damage including; rain, falling leaves, and freezing temperatures. The maintenance and regular inspection of your roof will help protect against roof leaks and their effects, such as dry rot and mold.
Keep an eye out for these warning signs:

• Missing, loose, or warped roof tiles or shingles which leave the underlying roof materials exposed and prone to damage
• Leaks around chimneys, skylights, or air vents, which can be an indication of damaged or improperly installed flashing.
• Clogged gutters which can cause water damage from overflow
• Roof leaks are especially serious and should be immediately addressed to prevent dry rot and mold.

If you notice any of the above signs of roof damage, call a qualified construction company near you to perform roof inspections and whatever type of roof repair you may need. Don’t worry if the weather has already gotten overcast and rainy, roofs can be repaired or replaced at any time, even in wet weather.

Julian De La Torre of Julian Construction, stated: “Having your roof regularly inspected by a professional contractor is an important part of the home maintenance process. When roof problems are detected early, not only will the repairs usually be less costly, it can help prevent other types of damage to your home. Roof repairs can be done very easily at any time of the year when overseen by a competent construction company.”

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, http://www.julianconstruction.com. You can see tips and advice about home foundations on their blog, at http://julianconstruction.com/blog/