Unfortunately there is no way to have a standard pricing for retrofit work on a soft story building. There are many factors that affect the cost of your project. With our experienced engineers, we will help you save on your retrofit project. Call us today for a free evaluation of your building.
Generally when the shear walls at the ground floor are less than 80% then the shear walls of the upper floor that makes the building a soft story building. Each building side is calculated separately to determine if the retrofit is needed where and how to do the retrofit. The objective of this program is to reduce the risk of injury or loss of life that could be the result of an earthquake.
LADBS (Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety) has determined that your building meets all the criteria of a soft story building. If you received a notice from the city, you need to hire an engineer to determine what retrofit work is needed (if any).
In 2015, The City of Los Angeles recently passed Ordinance 183893, which requires the retrofit of pre-1978 wood-frame soft-story buildings and non-ductile concrete buildings. The goal of the mandatory retrofit programs, under the ordinance, is to reduce these structural deficiencies and improve the performance of these buildings during earthquakes.
The main purpose of the mandatory retrofit program is to reduce the risk of injury and the loss of life which may result from the effects of earthquakes on wood frame soft-story buildings. The program is a blueprint for property owners to strengthen the structure of their buildings to withstand the effects of an earthquake.
Yes, you can. Owners may increase the rent to recover a portion of the cost of the retrofit. The amount you can recover may vary by the city your building is located.
