Seismic retrofitting is a structural strengthening process that begins at the foundation and relates to earthquake preparation and disaster mitigation. Town Park Construction is a retrofit contractor who specializes in foundations and structural strengthening. Town Park provides quality retrofits and foundation replacement or repairs to the entire Los Angeles area from Malibu to Hancock Park, including Paicific Palisades, Hollywood Hills, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and Brentwood.

Sliding failure - Sliding failure occurs when a house is not securely bolted to the foundation. Thus an earthquake can cause the entire building to literally slide off its foundation (while often remaining otherwise intact). Sliding failures are usually prevented by ordinary foundation bolts and framing anchors. Many houses predating World War II, with deficient anchor bolts or none at all, are a worry. Ground motion can send such houses sliding off their foundations. That's a pretty good argument for adding some more anchor bolts. Is your house bolted? Maybe and maybe not. Many houses built before 1938 have either deficient or nonexistent foundation bolts. It is best to have the adequacy of existing foundation bolts checked by an expert; if needed, additional bolts should be added. Under the influence of earthquake forces, your foundation begins oscillating before your roof even starts to move. The result is that the top and bottom edges of your house's walls shear, or move horizontally past each other. Shear failures produce characteristic diagonal or X-shaped cracks in plaster, stucco and concrete. The heavier the building, the greater the shear forces produced -- and the greater the potential damage.
Sliding Failure
Cripple Wall Failure
Cripple Wall Failure - This occurs in older wood-frame houses on taller crawl space walls. Taller crawl-space walls are also known as cripple walls; they are built with vertical 2X4 studs. They can be found between the foundation and the floor joists. Even in some of the recent minor quakes, such homes have been destroyed when these walls collapsed. Un-reinforced cripple walls are a weak link for getting the earthquake loads from the lower floor to the foundation. Plywood reinforcement on the inside face of the cripple-wall studs can save a house from destruction in a future quake. It's a cheap fix, and neglecting it is a bit foolhardy.
Emergency Automatic Gas Shut Off Valves
Emergency Automatic Gas Shut Off Valves - The finest American made vertical Earthquake Gas Shut-off Valve available on the planet. With all that you have depending on our valve, we knew nothing but the very best would do. First we engineered the valve to be simple to operate, to be fail-safe, and virtually indestructible. You can have peace-of-mind, knowing that year after year, decade after decade, in any weather, the Little Fire Fighter will stand ready to protect your home and family by automatically shutting off the natural gas when an earthquake occurs.
3 Kinds of Foundation Repairs and Home Bolting Solutions
Foundation Repair and Bolting - While shear walls can strengthen a house, they are only one of several steps that can be taken to lessen the likelihood of earthquake damage. Good seismic design starts with the foundation. Three kinds of foundations are covered: post and pier, poured concrete walls, and slab-on-grade.
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