Panorama City lies in the San Fernando Valley outside the city of Los Angeles. The 400 acre city was one of the first planned communities in the Valley. It was designed by Henry Kaiser and Fritz Burns, a ship builder and a developer. They designed, and built, the city shortly after World War ll. The city attracts folks in the younger age range due to the affordable housing. Panorama City is currently undergoing a massive overhaul to attract new commercial investors and residents to the area. Part of this huge construction project is retrofitting existing buildings to meet the new earthquake policies. Panorama City Soft-Story Retrofit Contractors are available to ensure that all home owners and landlords will be prepared for the next earthquake to hit the area.
Like most cities in the area, Panorama City was hard hit by the Northgate Earthquake of 1994. It is also included in the Los Angeles city’s mandatory retrofit policies that apply to soft-story buildings and any structure built before 1990.
What is a Soft Story Building?
The new retrofit program applies to any building that is classified as a “soft-story”. What this means, is any building with three or more stores that is built over a ground floor with windows, doors and large open spaces, like commercial space. If these structures were built before 1994, they are not up to the newest safety codes. Many of the buildings in Panorama City fall into this classification and are considered to be at risk when another major earthquake rolls through the Valley. Panorama City Soft-Story Retrofit Contractors are ready to help you bring your building up to code.
To find out if your building is in need of a seismic renovation, you can contact one of the Soft Story Retrofit Contractors in Panorama City. They will send a professional seismic engineer out to your property to conduct an assessment and determine what work, if any, needs to be done. Many lives were lost in the 1994 quake so getting the work done now can save more lives in the future.
What is involved in the process?
A lot of work goes into the retrofitting process, so don’t wait until the last minute to get started. Choose a professional Retrofitting Contractor in Panorama City to complete an inspection of your building as soon as possible. Once that is done they will create a detailed work plan for you that includes all of the repairs needed, an estimated cost, and a time frame to complete the project. The next step is to acquire all of the necessary permits from the city so the work can begin.
Getting your building retrofitted may be simple, like adding more steel beams to the ground floor, or more difficult if the sheer wall needs to be extended. The Panorama City Soft-Story Retrofit Contractor you hire should have all the necessary training and skills to complete every phase of the project. RetroFitting 360 serves the greater Los Angeles area and they can provide you with a knowledgeable contractor who will complete the job effectively, professionally and affordably.
