Prepare home for next quake

Retrofitted homes have a better chance of surviving the big one

JIM CARLILE, THE OLYMPIAN

The term "seismic retrofit" evokes different emotions in everyone.

Some curse the fact that they didn't do it before the earthquake last month, and others thank their lucky stars they had their home retrofitted well in advance.

"To retrofit means to go back in and make the home more secure," said John Daniels, owner of Wellbilt Construction.

South Sound residents have been advised to brace water heaters and have emergency supplies handy in case of an earthquake. And most residents have been told to turn off their water, gas and electricity after a quake and where to report damage.

The next step in earthquake preparation is bolting your home to its foundation, something not commonly done around here.

Simply put, new homes are safer than old homes during an earthquake, according to Mike Szramek, principal engineer at MC Squared Inc. in Olympia.

"New homes were built under modern building codes," he said. "A house built in the '80s is generally safer than one built in the '50s, just like a house built today is safer than one built in the '80s."

Brian Washko, a building official with Olympia's Community Planning and Development Department, said as early as 1976, builders of commercial buildings began taking earthquakes into consideration.

"It started before the 1970s in residential buildings," he said. "The earlier you go before that, less was required for them." Each year since the first earthquake regulations became part of the building code, more have been added, he said.

"If you have a house that was built pre-1960, you need to look and see if the house is bolted to the foundation," Washko said. "An earthquake shakes, rattles and rolls your house. It could literally slide off its foundation onto the ground."

Last month's earthquake not only caught everyone off guard, it has taught area residents lessons about our homes that they otherwise may never have known.

"A lot of older homes here are just sitting on their foundation. Homes built in the '40s and '50s and before may not be bolted to the concrete -- like my house. It was just sitting there," said John Daniels, owner of Wellbilt Construction in Olympia.

Sophia Byrd of Olympia suffered minor damage in the recent earthquake, she said. Her west-side home has some foundation and chimney damage. Since then, she has been trying to get a contractor to do some repair work and to anchor her home to its foundation. Her home, built in 1938, is about 2,700 square feet.

"I just bought the house a few months ago, and I had been looking at what needed to be done in terms of earthquake-proofing," Byrd said.

Instead of getting a retrofit done, she bought furniture. While that's not something she regrets, she is now having trouble finding a contractor to do the works she needs.

"My home is not bolted to the foundation, and I'd like to get that done," she said. "Finding a reliable contractor and someone who can do the work is difficult. Most contractors are very busy right now. They come look at this and realize they have bigger fish to fry and they can make more money on other things."

Estimates on what she needs done have also been too high for her, Byrd said. They have ranged from $1,200 to $1,700.

Contractors may be tied up for the next few months -- maybe even until the summer, Szramek said.

"Hopefully, though, things will taper off in just a few weeks," he said.

Daniels said there are products available that make it easier for the homeowner to do the project, but you still have to be pretty handy.

"To do it, you still have to crawl around under the house and know how to use a concrete drill," Daniels said.

Jim Carlile writes for The Olympian. He can be reached at 357-0204.

On the web:

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