Earthquake Retrofitting Cost Los Angeles

If your house was built before 1980 and has never been retrofitted, there is a chance that your older house is susceptible to damage due to earthquake shaking.

Back Before 1980, there were no home protection rules from earthquakes. At that time, many wooden structured homes in Los Angeles haven’t been adequately attached to their foundations. And, when an earthquake occurred suddenly, the whole thing moved unpredictably and fell down the foundation.

The good news is that seismic retrofitting can protect your homes from serious damage in the event of an earthquake. But, there is also a cost of seismic retrofit, depending on several factors, including the size of your house, its energy efficiency, and how old it is.

Soft-Story Retrofit Construction Cost in Los Angeles

It has been said that the people living in Southern California and the Greater Los Angeles area must think about earthquake risks. The main reason for this is the southern portion of San Andreas.

San Andreas is California’s longest rift and gets the most attention due to the powerful earthquakes—as big as magnitude 8.0.

And in order to protect your home, considering earthquake retrofit is one of the effective options. You might be wondering – what is seismic retrofit and how does it benefit the people of Los Angeles?

Well, seismic retrofit or earthquake retrofit, or soft story retrofitting means preventing the displacement of a house from the structure’s concrete foundation. It focuses on the modification of existing structures to enhance their capability to resist earthquakes. It makes a structure safer and doesn’t let it damage during an earthquake. Seismic retrofitting is considered one of the cost-effective improvements in family-home.

Maintaining your house with seismic retrofitting in Los Angeles is an excellent way to lessen the cost of earthquake damage. It saves tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars in repair costs. Investing in seismic retrofit protects you and your family from an earthquake by strengthening the entire house structure where you live.

Does Seismic Retrofitting Really Work?

The Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center has predicted that the owners considering retrofitted houses can save between $75,000 and $150,000 in repair costs. This research proved that seismic retrofit is a worthwhile choice to protect your houses.

So, investing a smaller amount of money will give your house earthquake resistance, which is further beneficial than facing a much larger repair bill after the earthquake.

Read More:- Seismic Earthquake Retrofit Solutions in Los Angeles

Soft-Story Retrofit Cost in Los Angeles

The expected cost of earthquake retrofit in Los Angeles can vary between $3,000 and $7,500.

As we discussed above, retrofit is necessary for a home to prevent earthquakes. For example, if you live in an area with regular earthquake activity, it’s time to add earthquake coverage to your homeowner’s policy.

There is even a grant program available to eligible Los Angeles area residents to help with the costs of a seismic retrofit in Los Angeles. The California Earthquake Authority (CEA) provides earthquake insurance. It’ll reduce the cost of earthquake coverage by 5% if you have your home retrofitted. But before retrofitting the house, you must follow the California earthquake retrofit requirements for reaching reliable results.

And, if your home was built before 1980, you might go for seismic retrofit to obtain the insurance. Without a seismic retrofit, your property and family both are in danger.

Let’s discuss in detail the cost of seismic retrofit!

Seismic Retrofit Cost Per Square Foot

Generally, the earthquake retrofit cost depends on the square footage of your home. It can vary from $500 to upward of $10,000, but the average cost is $3,000 to $7,500.

In terms of square footage, you expect to pay between $2 to $3 per square foot, without labor. With labor, costs revolve around $3 to $7 per square foot. However, when it comes to safety, cost doesn’t matter. After all, only professional work from a renowned organization like Lux Construction Group assures you a guarantee in the event of an earthquake.

Seismic Retrofit Cost by Type of Home

Well, soft story retrofit costs also depend on the type of home. There are some specific types of homes that might increase seismic retrofit costs. Why – because it requires more labor, strategic methods for support, or a combination of methods to protect the structure properly.

Below, we’re going to discuss some types of homes requiring special retrofitting along with average costs.

• Regular Home

A regular home of around 2,000 to 2,500 square feet costs between $3,000 and $7,000. Generally, the retrofit cost to a regular home depends on the home’s size and foundation type. In this, earthquake retrofit includes providing support for cripple walls, reinforcing walls, and bolting the home into the foundation.

• Hillside Home

A home built on a hillside makes the home unsafe in the event of an earthquake, and hence, costs differently. Its earthquake retrofit costs vary between $5,000 and $10,000. Retrofitting a hillside home involves adding foundation plates and anchors to provide the needed support.

• Mobile Home

To retrofit mobile homes, you need to install an earthquake-resistant bracing system to provide greater support. The cost varies depending on the type of system.

• Primary support column: $3,000–$9,000
• Tie-down straps: $2,000–$5,000
• New slab foundation: $5,000–$25,000

Additionally, you can expect to pay between $2,000 and $8,000 to retrofit a 1,000 square-foot mobile home for an earthquake. The cost also depends on the earthquake-resistant bracing system.

• Soft Story

A soft story is a structure with multiple stories that have a large opening that would normally have a wall or structural support. Retrofitting involves supporting the area around the garage door or open port, so walls surrounding it can support more weight. The average cost of retrofitting a soft-story home is $10,000 and $80,000. For larger, multi-unit buildings, the property owner can expect to spend $80,000 to $350,000 for earthquake retrofitting.

Soft Story Retrofit Cost By Foundation Type

The cost of seismic retrofit for your home also depends on the foundation. There are different types of supporting structures that are used, depending on your foundation. Some foundations require more support in comparison to others, while others require more labor for the retrofitting process. All these are evaluated while estimating the overall cost.

Here we’ll mention the average cost for earthquake retrofitting by foundation type.

• Retrofit Brick Foundation

Does your home have a brick foundation? Don’t worry! We have a solution for that also. Here, the retrofitting costs $2,000 – $10,000, depending on the bricks’ condition and the concrete that makes up the foundation. However, with time, the concrete starts weakening. That’s why your professionals need to check its condition before proceeding.

• Retrofit Slab Foundation

Retrofitting a house with a slab foundation usually costs between $1,000 – $3,000, depending on the area. If you recently built your home, following the code standards, there are chances that your living space is properly bolted and anchored to the slab. However, in case, if it doesn’t, hiring a professional retrofitter from a well-established agency, like Lux Construction Group is the reliable choice. They will drill holes in the slab and affix straps through anchor bolts to complete the retrofit.

• Retrofit Post and Pier Foundation

The cost to retrofit a post and pier foundation ranges between $3,000 to $10,000. This type of foundation is usually available in older homes and consists of spaced piers with posts affixed to them. To retrofit this type of foundation, you need to have the posts affixed to the pairs using T-straps anchoring material.

• Retrofit Basement Foundation

The average cost of a basement foundation ranges between $3,000 and $5,000. Homes with basements require retrofitting for greater stability in the event of an earthquake. It’s only possible through plywood, bolts, and metal wood connectors. Framing such materials together, it’ll ensure that your house is properly connected to the basement and withstand earthquake activities.

• Retrofit Thin/Old Concrete Foundation

This is a costly type of retrofit, which costs around $5,000 and $9,000. Retrofitting will be similar to the process of retrofitting a slab. But plates will likely be added to accommodate the thin concrete before bolting.

• Retrofit Footing and Stem Wall Foundation

The costs of footing and stem wall foundation are $3,000 to $8,000. To retrofit a stem-wall home, foundation plates need to be installed beneath the floor and bolt this floor to the plates to create greater durability.

• Retrofit Permanent Wood Foundation

Homes with permanent wood foundations can’t withstand the force of an earthquake. The approximate retrofit costs of it would be $5,000 to $10,000. It involves the replacement of portions of the foundation. Otherwise, retrofitting will involve installing piers and bearing plates into the ground before affixing them to the home.

Earthquake Retrofitting Cost By Technique

The technique used by construction companies also affects the overall cost. There are different earthquake retrofitting techniques used for creating secure support for your home, depending on the style of your home.

Below we’ll see the most common retrofit techniques and the average cost for that portion of the project for homes between 2,000 and 2,500 square feet.

• Foundation Bolting

Foundation bolting typically costs between $500 to $3,000 including labor. It involves bolting your home to its foundation to prevent it from sliding off during an earthquake.

• Cripple Wall Bolting

Cripple wall bolting is the process of anchoring cripple walls to the floor above to prevent these walls from shifting as the house shakes. This technique is popular for homes with brick foundations and crawl spaces. The average cost of cripple wall bolting is $1,000 to $3,000.

• Anchoring a Mudsill

Anchoring a mudsill is similar to bolting a cripple wall. This process costs $1,000 to $3,000. Through this technique, professionals will bolt the mudsill. The bolts go through the mudsill and into the cripple wall.

• Cripple Shear Wall Bracing

This is another method that involves bracing the cripple wall with plywood, steel grates, and 2-by-4 blocking to prevent it during an earthquake. You expect to spend around $1,000 to $2,500 for this retrofitting technique.

• Shear Wall Reinforcing

The cost of shear wall reinforcement is $2,500 and $6,000 during the retrofitting process. Sometimes in top-heavy structures, the shear walls themselves need extra reinforcement. This can be done on both the vertical and horizontal surfaces of the upper story.

Soft Story Retrofit Cost Breakdown

Seismic retrofitting requires professional expertise. However, without the help of experts, you can fall into a huge risk. Improper retrofitting could lead to sliding off the foundation, or collapse. If you’re trained in earthquake retrofitting, you could save about 70% of the cost of a retrofit in labor. Total labor costs for most retrofits run between $3,000 and $10,000, which includes the initial assessment and plan development for the retrofit.

• Materials

Materials make up about 30% of the total cost of a retrofit. But these costs can vary based on the type of earthquake retrofit your home needs.

• Labor

Labor costs also matter when it comes to seismic retrofit. This process requires highly trained skills to do it properly. Performing an earthquake retrofit without professional help could put your family off. That’s why hiring a local structural engineer for earthquake retrofitting from Lux Construction Group will help in protecting your family and house. You need to spend about $100 to $300 for the initial assessment.

Read More:- Types Of Soft Story Seismic Retrofitting Techniques California

How to Get a Seismic Retrofit in LA?

Don’t worry, it’s easy! Once you identify your house type, its vulnerabilities, and the type of retrofit that you require, it becomes easy to create a plan for it. It all starts with hiring a professional contractor to schedule a timeline for completion.

Numerous topmost organizations, like Lux Construction Group, are offering seismic retrofit construction services in Los Angeles. Other than this, our contractors are highly trained and take care of Architecture Urgent Care, Medical Clinic Remodeling, Dental Office Construction, Soft Story, and many others.

Need any kind of assistance? Feel free to ask us!

How Long Does It Take to Retrofit a House?

On average, the entire project can last from The average time from 30 to 60 days, depending on the complexity of the retrofit. It includes receiving a homeowner’s permit and plans, construction, and earthquake retrofit grant.

Larger homes where there is a need to open and reclose finished walls for access will take a longer time. This will take more than two weeks.

Hire a Seismic Retrofit Construction Contractor in Los Angeles

There are always bids in choosing well-qualified and experienced contractors. Even the California State License Board (CSLB) also recommends obtaining more than one bid. You must also follow California Retrofit Requirements.

You need to hire a general contractor, who received training and is experienced in how to do a brace and bolt benefit. Make sure you’re hiring a licensed structural engineer. We, at Lux Construction Group, guarantee you provide licensed and certified contractors. Contact us today to know more!

In the following write-up, we’re going to discuss in detail the seismic retrofit cost. Let’s have a look!

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