Homeowner Guides
Does My House Need an Earthquake Retrofit?
Most houses in Los Angeles don't need a seismic retrofit — and the ones that do share a few clear traits: built before 1980, raised foundation, brick chimney, or a room over a wide garage opening. Run through the checks below in five minutes. If you land on "probably yes," the free evaluation confirms it with eyes on the structure. If you land on "probably no," you just saved yourself a retrofit you didn't need.
Is your house likely to need a retrofit?
Your house is a likely retrofit candidate if all three are true:
- Built before 1980 — bolting and bracing weren't consistently required before then.
- Raised foundation — you have a crawlspace under the floor rather than a concrete slab. (Vents along the base of exterior walls are the giveaway.)
- No retrofit on record — no bolt heads on the sill plate, no plywood on the cripple walls, no retrofit paperwork in your records.
When does a house NOT need a retrofit?
Just as important. Your house very likely does not need bolting or bracing if any of these is true:
- It sits on a concrete slab — there's no crawlspace to reinforce and nothing to bolt.
- It was built after 1980 to modern code and hasn't been structurally altered.
- It was already retrofitted — check your records and look for the bolts themselves.
What are the quick visual checks anyone can do?
Five minutes, no tools:
- Look along the top of the foundation in the crawlspace: bolt heads with washers every 4–6 feet means bolted; bare wood on concrete means not.
- Look at the short walls in the crawlspace: structural plywood means braced; bare studs mean not.
- Look at the chimney: unreinforced brick with cracked mortar is a hazard regardless of everything else.
- Look at the water heater: it should be strapped to the wall in two places.
- A room over a wide garage opening is the classic single-family weak point.
The work behind it
Seismic Evaluation
A structural look at your house with written findings. If you don't need a retrofit, this is where we say so.
Foundation Bolting
Anchor the house frame to the foundation. The single most common retrofit for pre-1980 homes.
Cripple Wall Bracing
Reinforce the short crawlspace wall with plywood shear panels so the house can't rack sideways.
Start With the Free Evaluation
Bring your questions and your skepticism. You’ll leave with written findings and a straight answer — not a sales pitch.
Questions, Answered Plainly
My house is from 1962 but I don't know my foundation type. How do I tell?
Look at the base of your exterior walls. Vents or a crawlspace access hatch mean a raised foundation. Floors at ground level with no vents usually mean slab. Still unsure? That's literally the first thing we check at the free evaluation.
Can I do the retrofit myself?
For a simple house with good access, a capable owner-builder can — the standard plan exists for exactly that. Be honest about the crawlspace hours involved and the quality bar the work has to meet. If you start and want it finished professionally, that's a normal call for us, not an awkward one.
Is a newer house automatically safe?
Modern code makes collapse very unlikely, which is the thing that matters. No house is damage-proof — but retrofitting a post-1980 slab home has little to add, and we'd rather tell you that than sell you something.
What if the evaluation finds nothing wrong?
Then you get written findings saying so, and you keep them with your house records — useful at sale time. About the only thing most modern homes still want is a water-heater strap and maybe a gas shutoff valve, both cheap.
Get a Straight Answer About Your House
A free 30–45 minute evaluation, written findings, and a firm quote — or an honest “you don't need it.” No pressure either way.
Free estimates. Cash, senior, and military discounts.