Useful Guidelines For Property Owners Dealing With Soft-Story Retrofits
Posted on: 13 May 2022
There are some buildings that are more vulnerable to earthquakes than others, which makes them a great candidate for soft-story retrofitting. This is where various areas and structures are reinforced so that earthquakes aren't able to cause as much damage. If your own building needs a soft-story retrofit, go through these guidelines.
Hire a Licensed Engineer to Put Together a Special Program
There is a lot of variety with soft-story retrofitting, depending on the current layout of a property. So that the right areas are treated with the right structural products, you need to hire a licensed engineer who can put together a special program for this soft-story retrofit.
It will be unique to your building. After the engineer reviews your building's plans and layout in person, they'll customize this soft-story retrofit plan accordingly. This way, you know the right adjustments were made in regards to earthquake activity.
Thoroughly Assess Soft-Story Retrofit Products
You'll spend time and money dealing with a soft-story retrofit for your property and because of this fact, you want to maximize it as best you can. One way of doing this is finding quality soft-story retrofit products, which is possible if you thoroughly assess them before making a selection.
For instance, if you're looking for frames to span across the ceiling and walls in an area that's vulnerable to earthquake activity, you want to verify that the frames are made from premium materials and designed to resist damage caused by seismic activity.
Work With a Specialized Inspector For Quality Assurance Purposes
Once you figure out how to complete a soft-story retrofit and get the appropriate products incorporated throughout your building, it's time to make sure the retrofit was done according to code. You can find out by working with a specialty inspector that handles soft-story retrofits in particular.
They'll look at the soft-story retrofit plans and products used throughout your building to see if they are okay from a quality assurance standpoint. If they are, then you'll receive a passing grade and that may be needed should you ever have to sell or make future adjustments to this building.
Any time a building receives a mandate for a soft-story retrofit, it's important to carry out this process as quickly as possible for earthquake-related purposes. If your building falls under this mandate, take your time working with skilled engineers and looking at various soft-story retrofit products. These actions will keep your building protected from earthquakes ultimately.
For more information on how to do a soft-story retrofit. contact a local contractor.
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