Is Your Home Safe in an Earthquake?

Julian Construction, Inc., (http://www.julianconstruction.com), a foundation repair and construction company in Los Angeles, is releasing information to the public on a few types of homes that are especially at risk during an earthquake.

What: Wood Frame Multi-Family Buildings

Risk: Soft-Story Problems. A soft-story residential building is one that has wide open spaces on the ground floor for windows or garage doors, retail or parking space, and housing on upper floors, and built before recent stricter building codes. The risk is that the lower floor can collapse.

What to do: If you live in this type of building and you own it, contact a foundation contractor or structural engineer to handle the retrofitting and ensure it’s safe. If you rent, ask your landlord what has been done in the way of earthquake retrofitting to bring the building up to current codes.

What: Older Single-Family Homes

Risk: Cripple Wall Problems. Older (often pre-WWII) houses are often not properly bolted to their foundations and/or don’t have properly braced cripple walls. (The walls around the crawl space below the structure). In an earthquake the wood frame could come off of its foundation, the cripple walls can lean or collapse, the foundation itself can crack, or the chimney could break at the roof line.

What to do: Earthquake retrofitting can be done by a qualified foundation contractor. This would typically include a combination of anchor bolting and reinforcing the cripple walls to prevent collapse.

What: Mobile Homes

Risk: Mobile homes installed prior to 1995 that are not properly secured to their foundations can shift off their supports during an earthquake.

What to do: There are three common earthquake retrofitting methods that can ensure that mobile homes are properly secured to their foundations (in order of effectiveness and cost):

1. You can have a conventional foundation installed (similar to what’s used for a wood frame home);
2. For new homes or existing homes being relocated, owners are required to install an engineered tiedown system using standard plan approvals; or
3. For existing homes, owners can install a certified earthquake resistant bracing system.


Julian De La Torre, founder and owner of Julian Construction, stated: “You shouldn’t have to worry about whether your home will be safe in the event of an earthquake. You should rest easy, knowing your home rests on a structurally sound foundation. We can inspect your home to find out what steps are needed to get it there. We offer free foundation inspections for homeowners, and for those with a higher cripple wall, we can review plans or obtain the engineering necessary for your project.”

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

What are the Most Common Types of Earthquake Damage?

Julian Construction, Inc., (http://www.julianconstruction.com), a foundation repair and construction company in Los Angeles, explains the most common types of damage caused by earthquakes to single-family homes.

Most earthquake damage is caused by shaking. The intensity of the shaking depends on three main factors:

1. The magnitude of the earthquake—in general, the bigger the earthquake, the more intense the shaking and the bigger the area affected.

2. The distance from the earthquake—the closer to the origination point, the more intense the shaking.

3. The type of ground material beneath the structure—different soil types can accentuate or minimize movement during an earthquake.

The most common types of damage caused by earthquakes are:
• Cripple wall shearing and collapse. The walls around a crawl space under the home can shear (lean) or collapse if not correctly braced.
• Improperly bolted houses sliding off their foundations.
• Damaged electrical or gas lines. These can cause fires and even explosions if not handled immediately.
• Unsecured furniture and appliances falling and causing damage to the home or bodily injury.
• Chimneys can separate at the roof line, collapse, and fall over.
• Windows can crack or shatter. Windows with rounded corners are less likely to break, though not as common or readily available.
• Uprooted trees or broken branches falling on the house. Trees can cause a lot of damage if they fall on your home. Consider removing trees that are too close to the home or would be at risk of falling over.

Before the next big earthquake, you should put together an emergency kit that has enough water and supplies for 3 days. Then go through your home and check for risk factors for these types of damage. If you can- have your home’s foundation inspected and repair anything that needs to be fixed. If your home needs earthquake retrofitting, have it done as soon as possible so that you’re prepared.

"You shouldn’t have to worry about whether your home will be safe in the event of an earthquake. You should rest easy, knowing your home rests on a structurally sound foundation. We can inspect your home to find out what steps are needed to get it there. We offer free foundation inspections, and for those with a higher cripple wall, we can review plans or obtain the engineering necessary for your project," says Julian De La Torre, founder and owner of Julian Construction.

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

Repairing Foundation Cracks

By Julian De La Torre

Foundation cracks are serious business -- so much so, that they can severely weaken a building’s structural integrity.

One of the leading causes of foundation cracking is settlement. Settlement occurs naturally, but can also result from poor soil compaction and moisture issues.

There are three main types of foundation cracks: vertical, horizontal and diagonal.

Vertical cracking -- the most common type of cracking -- is typically found in poured walls. The cracks, which are usually wider at the bottom, can extend the entire length of the wall all the way to the floor.

Horizontal cracks will appear in concrete block construction. It's important to note where the break is located, because it typically indicates the cause of the cracking.

Diagonal cracks generally show up at the corner of a concrete wall due to settlement. Settlement is soil or foliage that forms too close to the structure.

Foundation crack repair should be done immediately -- either with epoxy injections, strapping or underpinning.

An epoxy injection is one of the most common ways to repair a foundation crack. Epoxy is a tough resin with significant strength and minimal shrinking. It is also extremely resistant to moisture and chemicals. After it is injected into the crack, staples are used to stabilize the repair.

Strapping is another way to repair a crack. The straps are made of Kevlar, and are typically used to repair horizontal cracks (which have been known cause walls to collapse). Horizontal cracking is often a sign of too much weight against the structure.

Another method of fixing foundation cracks is underpinning, which increases the depth or width of the foundation. Underpinning provides better support for the building’s weight by distributing its mass more evenly. It can also be used on homes that have been built on expansive soil.

If you have cracking issues, give us a call for a free foundation inspection. We can tell you what is causing the cracking and how to fix it.


Julian De La Torre, expert foundation contractors in Los Angeles, house leveling & foundation repair Los Angeles and founder of Julian Construction (http://www.julianconstruction.com), has inspected over 15,000 structures, working with engineering firms & local departments of building & safety. The company has done more home foundation inspection and foundation repair (Los Angeles) than any other company in the area over the last five years (http://julianconstruction.com/services/foundation-repair/). 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. Learn more about Julian Construction at http://quakeproofers.com/.

See their video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I8j7dXzpj4 and visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Julian-Construction-99434631315/?fref=ts