Earthquakes and Your Home
We believe part of our job is to be well informed of changes in how homes are built and, perhaps more importantly, how older homes can be improved for performance.
Therefore, Rofkar Built, in addition to our remodeling and renovation services, are now offering Seismic Retrofitting for your home.
Where We Stand Now
Recent seismic events throughout the world have awakened all of us to the reality of earthquakes.
In fact, in Geologist Don Easterbrook’s 2010 book “A walk through geologic time from Mt. Baker to Bellingham Bay”, it becomes clear that Bellingham lies between three different fault lines and about 1,800 earthquakes have been recorded in our region since 1969.
Fortunately, there have been considerable advances in the field of Building Sciences in the last 20 years that have greatly improved our understanding of earthquakes and residential structures.
The Loma Prieta (San Francisco) quake in 1989 and the Northridge Earthquake (Los Angeles area) of 1994 showed that a properly retrofitted home will perform much better in moderate seismic activity than one that has not been retrofitted.
For many of us, family safety is our primary concern. But the home is also one of your biggest investments and something worth protecting. In Bellingham and Whatcom County, homes built prior to 1980 should be checked for proper foundation attachment and the existence of cripple (or pony) walls.
By using information from the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Structual Engineers Association of Southern California (SEAOSC), the Seattle Project Impact planset, and Simpson Strong-ties, we can offer you a well-informed assessment of your home’s ability to withstand certain earthquake impacts.
Stock photos from Free-Stock-Photos.com