Earthquake Retrofit Questions, Answered Plainly

Strengthening the weak points that let a house fail in strong shaking. For most homes that means bolting the wood frame to the concrete foundation and bracing the short crawlspace walls (cripple walls) with structural plywood. The goal is simple: the house stays on its foundation.

Likely yes if it was built before 1980, sits on a raised foundation (crawlspace under the floor), and has never been retrofitted. Likely no if it's on a concrete slab, built after 1980, or already retrofitted. Our free evaluation answers it definitively — and if the answer is no, we say no.

The short wood-framed wall between your foundation and your first floor — usually 1 to 4 feet tall, visible in the crawlspace. Unbraced cripple walls folding sideways is the classic way older houses fall off their foundations, and plywood bracing is the fix.

Most single-family brace-and-bolt projects take two to four days, and you don't move out. Bolt-only jobs can finish in one to two days.

A retrofit is preventive work, so it gets planned rather than rushed. What can't wait is damage: if an earthquake has just shaken your house and you see new foundation cracks, a house that has shifted on its foundation, or a leaning chimney, call or text 562-441-4652 and we'll tell you what is urgent and what can wait. If you smell gas, leave the house and call the gas company or 911 first.

If you're in Los Angeles County or Orange County, yes. We're based in Southeast LA and cover the cities along the region's major fault lines, from Long Beach and Huntington Beach up through Pasadena and Glendale. The service areas page lists every city, and you can call or text if yours isn't on it.

Foundation bolting alone: $3,000–$7,000. Brace-and-bolt: $5,000–$10,000. Chimney bracing: $1,500–$8,000. We publish full ranges on our cost guide because hiding numbers is how fear-selling starts. Your firm quote comes from a free evaluation.

Verified retrofits on qualifying older homes earn California Earthquake Authority premium discounts of up to 25%. We provide the documentation to submit.

Yes — cash, senior, and military discounts on every job, and free evaluations always. Mention them when you call or text.

Yes. We quote after seeing the actual structure, so the number holds. If something genuinely unforeseeable turns up mid-job, work stops and you approve any change first.

No. Home retrofits happen in the crawlspace with water and power on. Expect some daytime drilling and nailing noise — that's the extent of it.

Most single-family retrofits follow the standard retrofit plan and need no custom engineering. Garage steel frames and hillside homes need engineered plans, which we coordinate as part of the job.

30–45 minutes on site: foundation, bolts, cripple walls, chimney, water heater strapping, gas shutoff. You get written findings with photos and a firm quote if work is warranted. If it isn't, we tell you that.

Yes, and that's the right order — bolts are only as strong as the concrete they anchor into. Mud sill repairs and sectional foundation work happen first, then the retrofit, usually as one continuous project.

We route it honestly. Mickey also owns One Hour Plumbing Service and Any And All Construction — plumbing repairs go to the plumbing team, remodel-scale work goes to the construction team, and nothing gets upsold onto your retrofit bid.