Encino, Los Angeles County
Seismic retrofits from below the floor in Encino
Will an Encino seismic retrofit mean opening walls upstairs? Aspenwell Construction explains what is done from the crawlspace and what an engineer adds.
Will bolting the house mean opening walls in the rooms we live in? For an Encino house on a raised floor that fits a prescriptive retrofit, the answer is usually no. The bolts, plate washers and plywood all go in from the crawlspace, reached through the existing hatch or a foundation vent opening, and the floors and walls upstairs stay closed. An engineered design can change that, and we say so at the first visit.
When the work reaches above the floor
Some designs do climb into the house. When an engineer adds a shear wall inside a garage or a hold-down at the end of a living room wall, the drywall over that spot comes off so the plywood, nailing and steel can be installed and inspected. We mark each of those openings on the plan before work begins, keep every cut to the size the hardware needs, and list the patch, tape and paint as their own items in the scope. Furniture near a marked wall is moved, the floor is covered, and the rest of the room stays untouched.
Encino permits and the valley around it
Encino is a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles, so LADBS issues the permit and sends the inspector, as it does for Lake Balboa, Sherman Oaks, Tarzana, Reseda, Van Nuys and Valley Glen. Inspection happens while the work is exposed: bolts and washers in the sill, plywood nailing on the cripple walls, and any hold-down before drywall returns over it. Because new plywood closes off the open studs around the crawlspace, we cut the vent holes the plans call for so air keeps moving under the floor, and we check that the foundation vents themselves are clear of soil and debris.
What we build in Encino
Structural work comes first on this list, and every service starts with a look at the framing and foundation.
Cities close by
Plan structural work in Encino
Send the form and we will arrange a visit, then put the scope in writing.