The city of Los Angeles has faced a major earthquake in the past. The effects of the earthquake were heartrending. The government of Los Angeles started the retrofit program in order to save the city from any future earthquake. The buildings that are soft-story buildings must be either repaired or demolished. More than 13,000 buildings are listed that need attention. It is a great initiative taken by the government to protect the lives of the citizens as well as to save the building structures. The owner of a soft-story building is given a specific time to do retrofitting.
What actually is a soft-story building?
Simply, a building that has more than three stories and a ground floor with a large open area is a soft-story building. Actually, science explains the weak structures of these buildings. The more the height is, the higher is the center of gravity. A higher center of gravity causes instability. These buildings also don’t have any sort of support. Thus, theses structures are more vulnerable to earthquakes. There are many categories of soft story buildings. According to this program, a letter is sent to the property owners to get their buildings repaired.
Can you retrofit your building yourself?
Even if you are a civil engineer, you can’t retrofit your building. You will need to hire a bunch of people for this purpose. Hiring a professional company is a better option as it can save your time and money. There are many complex tasks involved in retrofitting. Even small companies face difficulties in getting the design passed by the licensing department. It is impossible for a single person to do all the tasks efficiently. Retrofitting360 has been in the field since 2016. Their professionals have helped a lot of soft-story owners. They may cost you a bit more than most of the retrofit contractors, but their services are also unmatchable. You can click to find more about their services.