Bay Cities Construction Blog

Do you know all the retrofit solutions that are available for your soft-story building? The most common solution is to install special moment frames to bolster the existing structure. We’ve written this article to help you understand the nuts & bolts of the two most popular special moment frame (SMF) manufacturers; Simpson Strong Frame and the MiTek Hardy Frame. Soft story retrofitting is about to become a major topic of discussion among property owners in Los Angeles County.

Do you have a soft story building in Los Angeles or Santa Monica and need soft story retrofit? Looking for a trustworthy soft-story retrofit contractor can be daunting so I wrote this article to help you. My name is Alexander Rodriguez, MBA, I am a general contractor and I own a construction company that specializes in soft-story retrofits here in Los Angeles. This is an honest comparison of the best soft-story contractors in Los Angeles, California. The reason I am writing is this article is because I know many of my future customers are researching and looking for a soft story retrofit contractor. Over the last 14 years in business I have learned that we are not a perfect fit for everyone. Clients have different needs, personality types and are located in various geographic areas that we may not service (sorry San Bernardino) 

If you received a notice for the Los Angeles Building and Safety about a soft story retrofit, you are probably wondering what the engineering plans are going to cost. This article will give you some guidelines on what you can expect to pay for architectural and engineering plans. We have also published a number of Soft Story related articles that you may find of value as you research your options. It is our intention to help building owners get their buildings compliant with the new soft story retro-fit ordinance.

How much will this soft-story retrofit cost? It is the most commonly asked question I get during a site assessment. When this ordinance became law, construction costs were hard to calculate, but now that more than 1,000 buildings have been retrofitted in the City of Los Angeles, construction costs are easier to determine. This small article will help you understand how much you might pay for your soft-story retrofit project. We will segment the estimated construction costs into different brackets that correspond to the size of the property, from smallest to biggest, and we will also include a picture to illustrate the building size.

Many of you know there are approximately 13,500 soft-story buildings in the City of Los Angeles that require a retrofit since the passing of Ordinance 183893 & 184081 in 2015. Most property owners do not know how lengthy the entire retrofit process can be. Did you know that it takes about a month to draft a set of engineering plans? And do you know how long it takes for the Department of Building and Safety to approve them? 

Hey, folks!

I’m Alex Rodriguez, owner of Bay Cities Construction. On this week’s blog I’ll be talking about home flooring. No matter what project you’re considering for your home, flooring is everywhere so it always has to be considered. For those of you that are looking for a flooring product that won’t break the bank, you should consider the latest in laminate flooring. But we’re also talking about engineered flooring as well, and pretty much everything you need to know about flooring for a home remodel.

Los Angeles is a different type of place, especially when it comes to home remodeling. Glitz and glamour are not just reserved for the red carpet, you can find high-end touches across Southern California homes. According to KPCC the average home price in California is above $600,000 so spending more than $50,000 on a kitchen remodel is not unusual. Just in case you hadn’t noticed, prices for a home remodel in Los Angeles are higher than the national average.

When you are remodeling a bathroom you’ll want to make sure you pay attention to costs and your budget. Money is always the priority for most homeowners when considering a bathroom remodel, but if you live in Southern California you’ll notice that you’ll be paying more than the prices you see online. According to HomeAdvisor the national average for a bathroom remodel is $9,758, but this price won’t get you much in Southern California (it’ll be more of a makeover than a remodel). We know it might seem like a general contractor is overcharging you, so we’ve written this article to help you understand the true prices of remodeling a bathroom in Los Angeles.

If you own a soft-story building in Southern California then you are well aware that the cities of Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and West Hollywood legally require seismic retrofits for soft-story buildings. The distinctive design of tuck-in parking on the ground floor makes soft-story buildings especially vulnerable during seismic activity, making them prone to collapse. The first kind of soft-story retrofit ordinance was passed by the city of Los Angeles in 2015, Santa Monica quickly followed suit in 2016, and West Hollywood joined the efforts in 2017.

If you have a large family with a single bathroom, you’ll know the pain of having to share a bathroom with other people. Sometimes adding a new bathroom is the only option, it won’t be cheap, but it will change your life. How Much does a bathroom addition cost? It depends on a lot of things like size, material selections, features, and selections. Adding a bathroom is usually more expensive per square foot than other rooms because of components like plumbing, ventilation, electricity, and drainage. If you live in California you can expect to pay up to 25% more than the prices you see online.