Get Your Home Retrofitted For Protection From The Earthquake

RetrofittedForProtection

FromTheEarthquake

Earthquakes can cause devastating damage to houses from tremors, and severe damage can be seen after the earthquake, especially if the building has not been retrofitted Cripple wall bracing in Granada Hills In addition to requiring it, cripple-wall houses built before 1980 may need plywood bracing to further protect against earthquake damage Cripple walls are braced by nailing plywood sheathing to the inside of the barriers surrounding the crawlspace. A licensed contractor can complete a retrofit for houses with cripple walls shorter than four feet, or a skilled homeowner can do it, following a standard plan set.

Retrofitting is modifying a structure by adding new components to strengthen the building Following the 1994 Northridge earthquake, the severity of structural issues in residential buildings and neighborhoods varied considerably from house to house, depending on the steps each homeowner had taken to fortify their home.

A weak wall can shift during an earthquake if it is not braced adequately. To brace a cripple wall, add horizontal or diagonal blocking between the vertical studs at the top and bottom of the cripple wall. Plywood can also be anchored to the interior face of the cripple wall and to the sill plate below the foundation to increase its strength.

House bolting is a method of retrofitting in which a home is securely fastened to the foundation. It reduces the potential for earthquake damage by increasing the home's resistance to ground motion. Any house built before 1950 that has not been retrofitted will not be attached to its foundation; it is simply resting on the home's concrete base. In an earthquake, structures like these can easily collapse off their foundations. Many homes that fell off their foundations or were damaged during the Northridge earthquake were not bolted to the foundation.

Another way a home's structural integrity can be improved is by the crumbling wall bracing. A cripple wall is a wall between the first floor and the foundation of a building. The walls create the crawl space that is often found underneath a home. Cripple walls are usually only covered by exterior wood siding or stucco and are considered the weakest part of a building. Bracing the walls with plywood will increase their strength and help prevent the house from swaying during an earthquake.