Structural work and seismic retrofits
Bolting, bracing, beams and foundation repair. We find where the load path is weak and plan the fix with an engineer when the work needs one.
Bolting and bracing a raised foundation
On a house with a crawlspace, the frame rests on a wood sill plate over the concrete, often with short cripple walls in between. We set anchor bolts or retrofit plates through the sill into the foundation and sheathe the cripple walls with plywood in a nailing pattern the plans specify. Together they keep the house on its foundation when the ground moves sideways.
Beams, posts and footings for open plans
Taking out a bearing wall means the load it carried has to go somewhere else. An engineer sizes a beam to span the opening, the posts that hold each end and the footings those posts stand on. We build that support first, then remove the wall, so the floor or roof above never loses its bearing.
Soft-story frames and foundation repair
Buildings with parking or wide openings at ground level can need steel moment frames or new plywood shear walls. Foundations with widening cracks, settlement or rot at the sill may need new sections of footing, sistered framing or a replaced sill. Each fix is drawn, permitted and inspected.
Structural Work: questions
A standard bolt and brace job on a qualifying house can follow prescriptive plans from the building code. Soft-story work, beams and foundation replacement need an engineer, and we bring one in.
It depends on the length of the foundation and how much room there is in the crawlspace. We give you a working schedule in the written quote after the inspection.
Bolting and cripple-wall bracing happen in the crawlspace, so the rooms above are not opened. Beam work and shear walls do affect finished walls, and the quote says which ones.
Find the weak link before it finds you
Ask for a structural inspection. We look at the foundation and framing and send the findings and the scope in writing.