RetroFitting 360, Inc, is one of the leading LA apartment retrofit contractors specializing in soft-story buildings. Since the roll out of LA’s Soft-Story Retrofit Program, our professional contractors have been busy working on various properties throughout the city. This apartment complex at 8211 Owensmouth in Los Angeles is currently one such property. A soft-story building is any structure that has more than three floors built over a ground level that has multiple windows and large doors. Also large open spaces, like parking garages qualify. In order for these types of buildings to withstand the shaking of an earthquake they usually need a shear wall.

Without the required modifications completed by our Los Angeles retrofit company, this building could collapse during seismic activity

In order to begin the process of this earthquake retrofit, our LA apartment retrofit contractor had a great amount of planning to do. First we had to get the engineering and architectural plans approved by the department for compliance. After the plans were approved, the construction phase began. Because the tenants here were going to be affected by the process they needed to be notified in advance. Once everything was ready, trenches were dug so the wood beams could be replaced with steel ones. The steel beams add more strength to the structure in order to counteract the force of an earthquake.

During this soft-story retrofit we also converted the previously loose connections of the building with new connectors to ensure a more unified structure. This will keep the building intact during an earthquake which can easily cause a weak building to collapse. A seismic retrofit benefits your tenants by making the building safer for them, and benefits you by minimizing the damage that an earthquake can cause.

What we offer

Over 13,000 buildings around Los Angeles are on the city’s list of soft-story buildings that need to be retrofitted. Owners were issued letters to comply and given a deadline for when the work needs to be completed. Our LA apartment retrofit contractors can help you get started by providing a free consultation. One of our specialized contractors will assess your building to determine what modifications it will need. We will then provide you with a detailed plan of the work that needs to be done to bring your building up to the city’s ordinances.

RetroFitting 360, Inc. employees are licensed, insured and bonded general contractors and our management team consists of industry professionals with years of experience in the construction and earthquake engineering fields. We will work with you throughout the process to make your retrofit as painless as possible. Whether you received a notice to comply with the retrofit program, or you are just worried about your building’s foundation and have questions about the process, you can contact us to schedule a free evaluation of your property and find out more about our cost-effective solutions.