Bracing for a quake

No one can say that Phyllis Michel’s North Hollywood home isn’t built to last.

During the 1971 Sylmar earthquake, cans of food in her pantry split at the seams from the force of the shaking, creating a real mess, Michel said. “We really felt the Northridge quake here, too.”

But through both temblors, the 900-square-foot wood-frame home, built in 1945 as wartime housing for Lockheed employees, suffered only hairline cracks in the ceilings. “Well, there were a few cracks on the sidewalk,” she conceded.

Michel and her husband purchased the two-bedroom, one-bath house 45 years ago. Having the home bolted to its foundation, she said, had been on the “to-do” list for years.

Then, about a year ago, she spotted an article that mentioned the California Department of Insurance’s Earthquake Retrofit Grant Program. Established in 1996, the program was designed for low- to moderate-income homeowners. It pays for earthquake retrofitting, including bolting the home to the foundation, installing bracing for shear walls, securing the water heater and installing automatic gas shut-off valves.

Having her home earthquake-retrofitted has provided peace of mind, Michel said. The $2,985 cost was covered by the grant.

Who qualifies as having a low to moderate income varies by county. In Los Angeles County, a household with one or two people with a gross household income of $48,000 or less would be eligible, according to spokesperson Norman Williams.

Although not every homeowner is a candidate for grant money, bolting a home to its foundation makes good sense no matter what one’s income, said Tom Pink, chief executive of EarthquakeAdvisor.com, a San Jose-based Web site that provides earthquake-preparedness information and live earthquake maps as well as links to earthquake-retrofitting contractors throughout California.

During an earthquake, a house tends to shift off its foundation. The house can literally come apart at the seams, section by section. Attaching a house to the foundation and tying it together structurally reduces the likelihood of earthquake damage.

Bolting and shear wall bracing are two ways to strengthen a home.

* Earthquake bolting. Bolted connections where the sill plate meets the foundation help keep the house in one spot. Securely connected wall, floor and roof framing also helps create a single solid structure.

Anchor bolts are the most common way to attach a house to its foundation. But a thorough inspection of the foundation should precede bolting. If the concrete is weak or deteriorating, and drilling holes for bolts is likely to cause cracks or crumbling, the foundation should be replaced.

There are two methods for bolting sills to concrete foundations. Vertical bolting can be accomplished only if there is enough workspace between the top of the sill plate and the bottom of the wall top plate. Horizontal bolting is useful when space between foundation and floor is minimal.

* Shear wall bracing. A shear wall is a system that ties the floor, roof, walls and foundation together to give a building greater strength. The top of a shear wall is fastened to the second floor or roof framing, and the bottom is fastened to the sill plate. The sill plate is then fastened to the foundation at intervals as required by local building codes.

Cripple walls, the short stud walls between the floor and foundation of some houses, were among common points of failure in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Turning a cripple wall into a shear wall through retrofitting reduces the risk of collapse during an earthquake.

Building codes require such seismic-design elements in new construction. Homes built after 1965, when the standards started changing, should be covered under such codes; homeowners can consult their city’s building codes for specifics.

Earthquake bolting and bracing for shear walls costs between $2,000 and $4,000, according to Nancy Board, president of Tremor Ready Inc., an Encino-based earthquake-retrofitting company.

Potential insurance discounts can increase the appeal of retrofitting. Insurance companies must disclose any available discounts for earthquake-hazard reduction, such as retrofitting, in writing, according to the California Department of Insurance.

Insurance carriers affiliated with the California Earthquake Authority, created by the California Legislature in 1996 to provide earthquake insurance to residential property owners, offer a discount for earthquake retrofitting, whereas those not affiliated generally do not, according to Judy Bridge, an account manager-underwriter for independent insurance agency Hoffman Brown Co. in Sherman Oaks.

Michel, for example, who is insured through State Farm and carries the additional earthquake authority coverage, will receive a 5% discount on her earthquake insurance premium because of the retrofitting.

Homeowners must have or be purchasing a residential property policy from a member insurer to be offered an earthquake authority policy.

After the January 1994 Northridge earthquake, “there was an explosion” in the retrofitting business, said Chad Horton, construction manager for Cochrane Construction Inc. in Los Angeles. The response from homeowners was so overwhelming, he said, that the construction materials industry was caught a bit off guard.

“We didn’t have a lot of the standard retrofitting hardware we have today,” Horton explained, noting that at the time, many pieces used for retrofitting had to be custom cut.

A decade later, “people have gotten very complacent,” Horton said. “We still get calls for retrofitting, but it’s usually when someone is buying or selling a house,” he explained, adding that calls from longtime homeowners -- at least the ones with no immediate plans to sell -- have dropped off.

“Home inspectors point out things like earthquake retrofitting, and it’s a strong selling point,” he said, noting that Realtors often suggest that buyers make earthquake retrofitting a condition when making an offer.

“On our disclosure form, we ask the seller if the home is bolted,” said Bud Margolin, Realtor and office manager with Century 21 Exclusive in Woodland Hills. “Building standards started changing in 1965, and by 1970 they were even better,” he said. “I’d say about 99% of the homes built here after 1970 have been bolted.”

The homes built in previous decades are the ones for which a lack of retrofitting becomes a concern, he added.

Margolin agrees with Horton that, as the 10-year anniversary of the Northridge quake approaches, many Southern Californians seem nonchalant about preparing their homes for the inevitable next earthquake.

In working with his clients, he said, “I’ve seen fewer and fewer people voicing concern.”

But for Phyllis Michel it’s a load off her mind now that she’s crossed “earthquake retrofitting” off her to-do list. “It makes me feel good to know that I’ve helped alleviate what could happen.”

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Information for retrofit projects

Information for retrofit projects

To request an application for a grant, contact the California Department of Insurance, Earthquake Grants and Loans Department, (800) 927-HELP. The CDI’s Web site, www.insurance.ca.gov, is being updated.

For earthquake insurance information, call the California Earthquake Authority at (877) 797-4300 or visit www.earthquakeauthority.com. Click on “Policy Information.”

For earthquake preparedness information, earthquake maps and help locating an earthquake-

retrofitting contractor, visit www.earthquakeadvisor.com.

For earthquake retrofitting information, contact APA -- the Engineered Wood Assn. (formerly the American Plywood Assn.) at (253) 565-6600 or visit www.apawood.org.

For retrofitting contractors, contact the National Assn. of the Remodeling Industry, (800) 611-6274 or visit www.nari.org.

-- Kathy Sena

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Other steps to securing the house

Along with earthquake bolting and bracing for shear walls, homeowners can take additional steps to help minimize earthquake damage. Further retrofitting recommendations from the California Department of Insurance:

* Reinforce or brace the fireplace chimney. The object is to distribute the load from the chimney itself to the roof, according to Nancy Board, president of Tremor Ready Inc., an Encino-based earthquake retrofitting company. This can be done by strapping bars installed on the roof to the chimney. Reinforcing can cost from $1,300 to $4,000, depending on the size of the chimney.

* Secure the water heater to the dwelling frame. Expect to pay about $95 for a single-family home, according to John Cipres, owner of Andrea’s Fault Installation Co. in Northridge.

* Install automatic gas shut-off valves. This costs about $250 for a single-family home, according to Cipres. The price includes a required city permit.

* Secure other potential hazards. A building’s contents often represent more of a hazard than the building itself, according to APA-the Engineered Wood Assn. Plumbing, mechanical and electrical systems should be secured to prevent flooding, fire and electrical shock.

Furnaces, washers, dryers and refrigerators should be bolted or strapped in place. If these appliances move during a quake, their size and weight can cause damage or injury.

-- Kathy Sena