- (800) 217-2458
- info@goldenretrofit.com
- Serving Los Angeles and surrounding cities
- (800) 217-2458
- info@goldenretrofit.com
- Serving Los Angeles and surrounding cities
OUR SERVICES
Earthquakes are a fact of life in Los Angeles. While many homes appear stable, older construction methods and outdated building codes can leave properties vulnerable during seismic activity. An earthquake retrofit helps strengthen the connection between your home and its foundation, reducing the risk of serious structural damage when the ground shakes.
Golden Retrofit provides residential earthquake retrofit services in Los Angeles, focused on safety, code compliance, and long-term structural stability. Our approach is practical and inspection-driven—designed to reinforce what your home actually needs, without unnecessary work.
An earthquake retrofit is a structural upgrade that improves how a home performs during seismic activity.
In Los Angeles, many houses were built before modern seismic requirements and may lack proper anchoring or reinforcement.
Seismic retrofitting helps reduce foundation movement and structural damage during earthquakes.
Earthquake retrofitting—also known as seismic retrofitting in California—involves reinforcing critical structural elements so seismic forces are transferred safely into the foundation instead of damaging the home’s framing or walls.
Rather than preventing earthquakes, retrofitting focuses on limiting movement, improving load transfer, and reducing the likelihood of a home shifting off its foundation.
Common retrofit improvements include:
Anchoring the home’s framing to the foundation
Reinforcing crawl space or cripple walls
Adding steel plates or hold-down systems
Strengthening weak structural connections
These upgrades are especially important for homes built before seismic codes were updated.
Los Angeles sits near multiple active fault systems, and seismic risk varies depending on soil conditions, construction type, and age of the home. Properties built decades ago often lack the reinforcement standards now required for new construction.
Homes that benefit most from earthquake retrofitting include:
Houses built before 1980
Raised-foundation or crawl-space homes
Properties without anchor bolts
Homes in areas with soft or shifting soil
If you’re unsure whether your home needs reinforcement, a professional inspection can identify structural vulnerabilities. Learn more about local retrofit considerations in our guide to earthquake retrofitting in Los Angeles
The California Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) Program provides up to $3,000 in rebates to homeowners who retrofit qualifying homes.
Eligibility: Homes built before 1980 on raised foundations.
Application: Simple online process through the state or Long Beach Seismic Program.
Golden Retrofit advantage: We guide homeowners step-by-step through EBB applications and inspections, increasing approval success.
Learn how we help homeowners maximize savings with the EBB program.
Golden Retrofit provides inspection-based earthquake retrofit solutions tailored to each home’s structure. Our service scope may include:
Older homes often have weak cripple walls, which can collapse during an earthquake. Our expert team reinforces these walls by installing plywood sheathing and bracing systems to increase their strength and stability.
Foundation bolting secures the structure of your home to its foundation, reducing the risk of the building shifting or sliding during an earthquake. We install high-quality anchor bolts to ensure your property is tightly secured to its base.
Soft-story buildings, commonly found in multi-family residences with open spaces on the ground level (like garages), are highly susceptible to collapse during seismic activity. We provide comprehensive soft-story retrofitting solutions that include adding steel frames and strengthening existing walls.
Chimneys can be hazardous during earthquakes. Our chimney bracing services reinforce or replace older, unstable chimneys, preventing them from collapsing.
Shear walls provide additional strength to your building’s structure by distributing lateral forces during an earthquake. We install these walls to enhance your property’s overall seismic performance.
Every retrofit plan is based on the home’s existing conditions and California seismic standards—not a one-size-fits-all approach.
We assess foundation type, crawl space access, framing connections, and existing anchoring to determine seismic vulnerabilities.
Based on inspection findings, we define the appropriate reinforcement scope aligned with current seismic requirements.
Our licensed team installs structural reinforcements efficiently and with minimal disruption to the home.
Completed work is reviewed for compliance with local building standards and permit requirements.
For a more detailed breakdown, see our full explanation of the earthquake retrofitting process
The cost of earthquake retrofitting depends on:
Accessibility of the crawl space
Extent of required reinforcement
Existing structural conditions
Rather than estimating without data, we recommend an inspection to determine the appropriate scope. Homeowners evaluating the return on investment often ask whether retrofitting is worthwhile—this is covered in our resource on
👉 whether earthquake retrofitting is worth it in Los Angeles
Seismic conditions can differ across Southern California. Coastal and port-adjacent regions may experience different soil behavior than inland areas.
If you’re located outside Los Angeles proper, explore how seismic retrofitting applies in nearby communities such as
👉 earthquake retrofit services in Long Beach
Golden Retrofit focuses exclusively on residential foundation and retrofit work. Our projects follow California seismic safety guidelines and local building requirements.
We handle:
Code-compliant retrofit installation
Permit coordination when required
Residential-only structural reinforcement
For additional homeowner education, the California Earthquake Authority provides public guidance on seismic safety.
If your home has not been evaluated for seismic safety, an inspection is the most reliable starting point. Golden Retrofit provides professional earthquake retrofit inspections throughout Los Angeles and surrounding areas.
Call us at 800-217-2458 or fill out our online form to schedule your assessment.
Explore our related services, including Foundation Repair, Pier and Post Support Systems, and Foundation Leveling, Crawl space Repair to ensure your home’s foundation is in top condition Also read our Blog section for more tips and insights. As well as checkout our Earthquake retrofitting projects and gallery.
We pride ourselves for the quality of the work we do and we care what our customers say about us.
Earthquake retrofitting is the process of reinforcing a building to make it more resistant to seismic activity, ground motion, and soil failure.
If your home was built before modern seismic codes were established (typically before the 1980s in California), retrofitting is highly recommended.
Depending on the size and complexity of your home, retrofitting can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks.
Retrofitting strengthens your home’s structure, reduces the risk of major damage during an earthquake, and can lower insurance premiums.
The cost varies depending on the size of the home and the extent of the work needed, but it's a worthwhile investment compared to potential repair costs after an earthquake.
In most cases, you can stay in your home during retrofitting, as the work is typically done in the crawl space or basement.
