Before starting your soft-story retrofit construction project, there are a few things you should know. By following this helpful advice, your project will run smoothly with very little disruption to your business or your tenants.

If you have had repairs done to your building previously, you know that any type of construction work can be unnerving for you and your occupants. For everyone’s sake it is best to get the job completed as quickly as possible. After your building was inspected by your chosen seismic engineer, you should have received a detailed work plan. In this plan the timeline for the project should be laid out clearly. This timeline helps your tenants to plan ahead so their daily lives will not be interrupted during construction.

RetroFitting 360 takes your business and building occupants into account when we plan any retrofitting project. Only after researching the work that needs to be done, and the type of business you run do we begin the repairs that are necessary. Our professional contractors understand that every building project is unique and poses some complications. No one likes to be surprised when it comes to this type of project so we take the time to study each situation and do our best to be prepared for anything in order to complete the work efficiently while still being cost effective.

Many retrofit projects are easy to accomplish by just adding additional stability, like strengthening the walls, roof, and the foundation. Our contractors can accomplish this easily, but without a thorough inspection of your building, we won’t know what it needs. It may be that your structure needs more extensive repairs and we can handle those as well.

For example:

• If your building is classified as a soft-story with a large open space, that will need a more complex retrofit to make it sturdy. We may need to replace any drywall or stucco with plywood then anchor them to the foundation for additional support. In the cases of shear walls, we may need to extend existing ones for more stability, or add them if they are not already there.
• Sometimes, soft-story buildings have a wide opening, like parking garages, that don’t have any walls attached to this opening. These types of retrofits are more difficult to accomplish. We may need to add a steel frame reinforcement which would be necessary in order to meet the new Los Angeles building codes.

Apartment owners that have received an Order to Comply by the city of Los Angeles have just seven years to complete the work. When you hire RetroFitting 360 for your soft-story retrofit construction project our contractors will work with you to create a detailed plan to meet your needs. While each retrofit may be different, we keep the costs of the latest construction techniques in mind so we can pass any savings on to you.

With time running out it is very important that you start the retrofit for your building now. And we have three good reasons for you to do so.

1. Save Money

With the deadlines set by the city quickly approaching, more owners will be hiring professional retrofit companies to get their work done. This will drive up the costs of both materials and labor. Also, insurance premiums and interest rates are lower for retrofitted buildings, so you can save money on these costs too.

2.  Lessen Your Liability

Los Angeles residents know it is not a matter of if another major earthquake will hit but only a question of when. With this in mind, it makes more sense to protect your business and your tenants. If your building collapses during the next quake not only will you lose rental income but if any of the occupants should lose their lives, you could be sued by their families. Retrofitting your building will prevent this type of liability.

3. Attract More Tenants

More people are likely to rent from you when they know the building is retrofitted for an earthquake. You can also charge higher rents to new tenants, which will help you to recover the initial costs. As the apartment owner it is your job to assure the safety of the tenants in your building.

For more information on soft-story retrofit construction contact the professionals at Retrofitting 360 today.