Assessing the Existing Condition

You should gather some important information about your house before you start earthquake upgrading.

Obtain original construction drawings or measure the dimensions of the existing building and structural members wherever possible. Also note whether there is access to a crawl space with sufficient room for the necessary work to be performed. This information will be handy when you talk to engineers, architects, and contractors.

When checking over your house, it is always advisable to look for rot or termite damage, especially when wood members are in close proximity to soil. The integrity of the structural members should be checked during any retrofit, and any decay in wood members should be considered in the design for increased earthquake safety. New and existing members should be protected from future deterioration with preservative treatments and decay-resisting construction methods. You will also want to note damage due to foundation settling and poor water drainage near the foundation.

Specific structural hazards, retrofit solutions, and costs are discussed in Section III. When there is doubt about a building's strength, it is advisable to contact an architect or engineer who is familiar with earthquake safety measures to review existing construction drawings and to evaluate the house.

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