You got the plans approved for your seismic retrofit. You have your permits in your hand and you are ready for soft-story retrofit Los Angeles. The process is about to begin.
Understand This About Your Soft Story Retrofit Los Angeles
You must first understand that this process is disruptive to tenants. Soft-story retrofitting Los Angeles is not a quiet process and it could take a while. That is why it is important that you let your project gets completed as quickly as possible. Plus, you should have a soft-story retrofit Los Angeles construction schedule. This schedule should be worked out before you even start your project. This will allow the tenants to make plans ahead of time in case they may need to leave.
Never Start a Soft Story Retrofit Before You Do This
You never want to start construction before the research has been done. You should always take the time to note your best approach to the project. This approach should take your tenants into consideration, as well as your team. Keep in mind that not all projects are alike and they all have different solutions. Every building will have unique qualities that make it a challenge. While many people don’t like surprises, a seismic retrofit can cause them. Making sure you have a plan can help you save money and time.
Examples Of Problems a Soft Story Retrofit Can Solve
You may only need to add stability laterally to your structure. This will help strengthen the walls and will allow some of a load of your building back onto the foundation. This is one of the easier fixes for soft-story retrofitting Los Angeles. However, you cannot determine this without the help of a professional.
Another thing could be if you are dealing with an open area. This could have walls next to it. You can retrofit by making it sturdier and then they would need an anchor for the foundation. However, in this case, shear walls would need to be added for stability. These walls are a great idea for strengthening, however, they cannot interfere with the function of the original structure.
You may have a soft-story building that has wide openings and there are not walls that are attached to the opening. This is a large problem where steal frames are used.
Keep in mind that before walls or steel are added the foundation must be poured under the frame or near the installed wall. You must use proper concrete and rebar.
Avoid Sacrificing Quality During a Retrofit
We aim to make your process as painless and cheap as possible without sacrificing quality and safety. Each solution will differ, however, our plans will help your building no matter what the case. Aiming to help you and better serve you is our goal.
Start Your Soft Story Retrofit As Soon As Possible
You should start your soft story retrofit project as soon as possible. There are several reasons to start as soon as you are notified.
The first reason is to save money. Keep in mind that as you wait, the price of materials could rise. Not to mention, buildings that are not retrofitted before an earthquake could suffer serious damage. This means a lot of insurance premiums.
You will lessen your liability. We know that another earthquake is coming and it will be a big one. When you fix up your property, you are making yourself less responsible for damages and injury. The building is less likely to collapse if it has been retrofitted. If a building collapses, you may be liable for relocating tenants, their assets, rental income could be lost, and so much more. However, you may also be sued for your building. Lawsuits are common after earthquakes where buildings were not kept up to code.
The last reason is the best, you will attract more tenants. Plus, these tenants that you are attracting are willing to pay higher rent rates because they are living in a safer building than the one down the street. People look for updated and seismic retrofitted buildings when they move into the area. If your building is updated, you will have a better chance of eliminating empty apartments.
While these are all great reasons to start as soon as possible, the best reason is ethics. When you retrofit, you are guaranteeing the safety of those who are in your buildings. You are guarding them against a potential earthquake.