Los Angeles Softstory Retrofit

What do I need to do first? Property Owner’s Responsibility

The property owner must hire an engineer or architect licensed in the state of California to evaluate the strength of the building. The engineer or architect must then develop plans for the building’s seismic strengthening in compliance with this program. The owner must notify tenants in writing per HCIDLA regulations.

You can get the Property Owner’s Guide courtesy of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety as part of our free everything you need to know about soft story e-book

What Is the process of doing a Softy Story Retrofit?

1. $213 billion of economic loss throughout SoCal

• This type of plan is considered architectural plans to scale that meet Type V classification. This must include all the buildings on the property, property line boundaries.
• Engineering: a licensed structural engineer will use the site plan to create a structural solution to the weaknesses of the building. The engineer will have detailed all to structural connections and supports that must be built to strengthen the building.

2. Bring the plans to the City Plan Checkers.

• It is important to touch base with the city planners and city engineering once your plans are ready. You will get guidance about what notes and data have to be present in the plans in order to gain city approval.

3. Quote the cost of construction.

• You cannot get an accurate cost of construction until you have a full set of plans that detail the repair. If you have questions about the difference between a quote and an estimate please read our blog article about “Quote Vs. Estimate.”

4. Construction Planning

• You must give notice to tenants because they will be affected by the construction.
• Many time plumbing and electrical infrastructure is affected by the retrofit work because these pipes and conduit run along the ceiling of the carport. Often items they need to be relocated or temporally disconnected. You can download our free E-Book prior to construction.

5. Construction Work

• This type of work is very disruptive to the tenants so the faster your contractor finishes the better. A clear construction schedule should be established prior to commencement of construction so that the affected people can plan accordingly.

Bay Cities Construction is a California licensed Contractor. We have a team of engineers and designers that are ready work for you. This is what we offer.

• Our team will draft your preliminary drawings within 4 weeks.
• We will represent you with the City of Santa Monica and The City of Los Angeles.
• We will provide you with a written quote that covers labor and materials for the work.