Seismic Retrofits Scientifically Designed to Protect Your Home and Family
Yes, the big one is coming. Seismologists are in full agreement that the Cascadia Subduction Zone is long overdue for a significant earthquake. Fortunately, since 1992, our family-owned company has been on a mission to make Portland area homes and families safer! In that time, we’ve led the way in designing and implementing seismic retrofits tailored to a building’s unique architecture and environment. Our seismic retrofit will keep your home securely on its foundation, so you can safely shelter-in-place during the long recovery period following a devastating quake. We believe that all Portland families should be protected, so we keep our costs competitive and affordable.
Call us for a free in-home consultation today.
Let’s Talk Dollars. And lots and lots of Sense.
Protecting your lives and your most valuable asset will help you sleep well at night. You can’t put a price on that. Our customers are usually surprised to find that retrofitting their home costs less than they had anticipated: Most of our retrofits cost between $3,500 and $6,000, though costs depend greatly on size, construction type, and any finishes. To be sure, it’s money well spent when you consider it may mean the difference between sheltering in your own home (sheltering-in-place) and taking refuge in a community center.
Is Your Home Safe in an Earthquake?
Unfortunately, probably not. That’s because prior to 1974, houses in Oregon were not even required to be anchored to their foundation! Anchoring is the most important thing you can do to prevent a collapse of your home. The second most important thing is anchoring correctly. Unfortunately again, most earthquake retrofits have not, and continue not to be done according to best practices. Thanks to continuing research and testing, we know what works. Engineering techniques and approaches have improved dramatically. A correctly performed seismic retrofit takes into account your home’s size, orientation, height, and surrounding geology. There’s no cookie-cutter solution!
As featured on This Old House and OPB
Purchase inspections
Are you looking at buying a home? Make an appointment to have us out to assess the foundation quality, and provide you with a quote for a retrofit.
Seismic Retrofitting
Seismic retrofitting is the process of transferring lateral loads generated in an earthquake from the house to the foundation.
Foundations
Does your home have a brick, block or crumbling foundation? Here at NW Seismic we have many solutions to your problem.
Gas Valves
Historically, post-earthquake fires have been responsible for a lot more home damage than from the earthquake itself.
