Structural Work in Lake Balboa
Lake Balboa anchor bolts fitted with square steel plate washers, plus retrofit plates, cripple-wall plywood and sill repair, reviewed and inspected by LADBS.
Square steel plate washers are the small part we specify on every new anchor bolt under a Lake Balboa house. A round washer the size of a coin can pull through the sill when shaking lifts and shoves the frame. A plate about 3 inches on a side spreads that force over far more wood, so the sill stays caught on the bolt. A galvanized finish guards the plate against rust wherever soil moisture reaches the crawlspace.
Bolts, plates and the sill they grip
A bolt works only through the wood it passes. We check that the sill around each bolt is sound, that the nut is snug and that the plate washer sits flat, placed toward the side of the sill the plans call for. Where the sill sits too close to the floor framing for a drill, steel retrofit plates fasten to the side of the sill and anchor into the face of the foundation. Any soft or split length of sill is removed, and new treated wood is fitted in its place before the hardware goes on.
Plywood, nailing and review
Bolts stop sliding, and plywood on the cripple walls stops them from leaning over. Panel edges land on studs or blocking, and nails are driven at the intervals shown on the plans, without being driven so deep that the heads break the face of the panel. Holes bored near the top and bottom of each closed stud bay keep air moving behind the sheathing. LADBS reviews the plans for a Lake Balboa address and inspects the bolts, plates and nailing before any of it is covered.
About our structural work serviceEverything we do in Lake Balboa
Structural Work in Lake Balboa: questions
A raised floor on cripple walls needs both, because bolting and bracing answer different movements. A house whose joists bear on a sill laid straight on the foundation has nothing to brace, so anchors with plate washers carry the job. The crawlspace visit shows which of the two describes the house.
Where the house fits the code's limits, a plain retrofit can be built from its prescriptive sheets, which we draw up. A beam, a soft-story frame or foundation repair is designed and stamped by a licensed engineer we hire. Either set goes to LADBS for plan check before work starts.
Clearance between the sill and the floor joists. Where a drill fits, new bolts with plate washers can go down through the top of the sill. Where it does not, side-mounted retrofit plates do the job. Then the sill is probed for soft wood and the cripple walls and posts are checked.
Structural Work in other cities
More we build in Lake Balboa
Book an inspection in Lake Balboa
Describe the house and what it needs. We look at the structure first and send the quote in writing.