Seismic retrofit of buildings, homes in Los Angeles, California - by Mary Cummins real estate appraiser

Mary Cummins, real estate, appraiser, Los Angeles, California

Cities such as Los Angeles and Santa Monica are examining the effects earthquakes can have on cement buildings. Previously they examined brick apartment and commercial buildings and found they can collapse in earthquakes killing the inhabitants. The cities forced the owners to seismic retrofit brick apartment and commercial buildings.

While it's not currently mandatory to seismic retrofit your home, most homes that need retrofitting probably already have it. If you buy your home with a loan, the lender will not give you the loan unless you have seismic retrofit. It's been this way since the 1994 Northridge earthquake at least. Any home that has sold since 1994 with a loan probably already has seismic retrofit. The same goes for commercial, retail and industrial buildings. No bank will give a loan unless it has been retrofitted. Banks lost a lot of money because of the 1994 quake. They don't want to do that again. This is just for California. 

Just because your building survived the 1971 Sylmar, 1989 Loma Prieta and 1994 Northridge quakes doesn't mean it can withstand future quakes. All of these quakes were different types in different areas. You also have to figure in liquefaction zones and other subsurface materials. Some buildings are built over rock, some over sand and some over shale. 

Retrofitting will not save your building. It is mainly to prevent it from collapsing and killing people in or directly outside of the building. Your building could still be a total loss and need to be torn down after a quake. 

If you take a look at the local earthquake maps, you can tell where a quake is likely to happen. When the flats meet the mountains is most likely a quake zone. That is how the mountains were formed. For example Sunset Blvd runs along a fault line. Sunset winds around the base of the mountain.

 

I personally have only used Weinstein Construction for seismic retrofit work.  They will inspect and give you an estimate for free. They take care of all permits. They retrofitted my 1928 Spanish home in 2000. I had to retrofit it in escrow in order to get a loan. It had a crawl space with cripple walls. A team of about eight guys leveled the piers, bolted the walls, foundation in about six hours for $3,500.

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary Cummins-Cobb, Mary, Cummins, Cobb, real estate, appraiser, appraisal, instructor, teacher, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Brentwood, Bel Air, California, licensed, permitted, single family, condo, pud, hud, fannie mae, freddie mac, uspap, certified, residential, certified resident, apartment building, multi-family, commercial, industrial, expert witness, civil, criminal, orea, dre, insurance, bonded, experienced, bilingual, spanish, english, form, 1004, 2055, land, raw, acreage, vacant, insurance, cost, income approach, market analysis, comparative, theory, appraisal theory, cost approach, sales, matched pairs, plot, plat, map, diagram, photo, photographs, photography, rear, front, street, subject, comparable, sold, listed, active, pending, expired, cancelled, listing, mls, multiple listing service, claw, themls,

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

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