Earthquake Retrofitting | Seismic Upgrades

Earthquake
Retrofitting

Many homes in the Washington and Oregon regions aren’t constructed to accommodate seismic activity. That’s because the Seattle Fault wasn’t identified until 1992. Therefore, people living in this seismically active region who own an older home are at risk. There’s a high chance that your home isn’t built to current seismic codes.

Retrofitting homes involves upgrading existing structures with modern technology and materials. That’s where earthquake retrofitting comes into play. Even a minor seismic event could cause your home to shift off the foundation. It’s vital to take action, so schedule seismic retrofitting services with TerraFirma and safeguard your home in case of an earthquake.

Reasons to
retrofit your home

  • You reside in a high-risk, active seismic zone.
  • You want earthquake retrofitting to improve your home’s strength.
  • You want your home to act as a shelter after an earthquake.
  • You want to potentially reduce earthquake repair costs, insurance premiums, and deductibles.
  • You want to reduce earthquake insurance premiums and deductibles.
  • You want to potentially qualify for earthquake insurance if your home isn’t currently eligible.
tf seismic zone 1 retrofit
tf earthquake common signs retrofit

What are common signs of earthquake vulnerabilities?

The following are the most common home issues to look out for in Portland, Salem, Roseburg, and the Seattle-Tacoma areas:

tf unreinforced brick retrofit
Masonry like brick, tile, adobe, or decorative rock must be reinforced with bracings like rebar to withstand an earthquake. Unsupported load-bearing walls, exteriors, and other structures like chimneys are especially vulnerable to collapse.
Unreinforced Brick or Concrete Block
tf cripple walls retrofit
Cripple walls are short, vertical wooden boards that support the floor. In an earthquake, unreinforced cripple walls can sway from side to side or cause the house to fall. Expansion bolts, framing anchors, and foundation bolting can prevent a cripple wall from collapsing.
Cripple Walls
tf lack of sheathing retrofit
Sheathing is a layer of plywood that is nailed over the studs of your home, providing a solid surface upon which to nail tar paper, shingles, and siding. In addition to providing much-needed insulation, sheathing keeps the building from shifting in an earthquake.
Lack of Sheathing
tf unsecured foundation retrofit
When a home is not secured, an earthquake can cause it to slide off its foundation, rupturing gas lines, causing fires and other structural damages. A quick visual inspection can often reveal whether your home is secure: Look out for thick bolts and anchor plates that connect the frame to the concrete foundation in your crawl space or basement.
Unsecured Foundation
tf unsecured appliances retrofit
Appliance feed lines are particularly susceptible to breakage when unsecured equipment moves during a quake. Strapping your water heater to the wall or floor, and installing seismic protection for your gas meter can go a long way toward minimizing damage.
Unsecured Appliances
efflorescence small retrofit
Do you think something could be wrong with your foundation? Take a walk around the perimeter of your home. Do you see numerous small cracks in the foundation, or maybe even large ones? Is the concrete flaking off or crumbling in certain places?
Foundation Problems

Schedule your free
Earthquake Evaluation

Schedule your free
Earthquake Evaluation

TERRAFIRMA IN ACTION

Homeowners in the Pacific Northwest know we live in an active seismic zone.
A little preparedness will go a long way to protecting your home and your family in the event of an earthquake.


HOMES RETROFITTED & HOMEOWNERS PROTECTED

Don’t take our word for it – see what our clients have to say.
From Roseburg to Eugene, Portland to Seattle, our earthquake retrofitting work speaks for itself

Terra Firma came out in cold conditions to level bldg slab and exterior sidewalk. Skyler the tech was great at communicating arrival times while driving in icy conditions. He was also great at communicating the process and was always friendly in answering my questions. They have professional tools and equipment to manage the work. Very satisfied and many thanks.
I have used there service for several projects under my house. They are the best in the business as far as I am concerned. There crew that did the work kept...
We had mold issues under our house. TF was chosen to encapsulate the crawlspace, remove insulation and put in a dehumidifier. The job was difficult due to more dirt removal required than anticipated. The field team was excellent. They worked extremely hard, were neat and very friendly. They did a terrific job in a difficult situation. TF gave us a date for the work and arrived as planned and stayed on the job until completed. They dealt with us honestly and with integrity. Very satisfied with the solution, the results and the process of working with TF.
6/25/2024Seeing I did a review 2 months ago.. I am unable to make a new one- here is the update for the work we did!6/21-6/24/2024 Work started and completed by TerraFirma!We do not even know what to say, THANK YOU WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH, You all went Way above and beyond expectations. I added pictures.To the Friday crew, to install a piering system, Jake, Aden, Steven (sorry if I spelled it wrong) what can we say, from start to finish this team was a well oiled machine, worked really really well together, put up with my husband Mark and I and all our questions and chit chat. The time that was taken to ensure EVERYTHING was going right, was explained and to ensure the safety of our home was just awesome. We had a lot of fun with these guys in conversation and jokes. When all the work was done, you could not even tell anyone was at the house working all day. These 3 great guys were some of the most fun and charismatic group we have had at the house in years. 🙂 Last but not least.... Jake you are a wonderful teacher to the crew, you have great leadership and a pretty awesome work ethic.Monday with Robert for the leveling of the driveway, walkway and stairs to front door. Working for TerraFirma for 2.5 years, Robert showed much skill and patience, as he worked alone and took his time to ensure that the proper amounts of polyfill was being pushed into all the tiny little holes he drilled all over the place. A tedious process and Robert defiantly has the patience for this part. I asked lots of questions and was pleased with all the knowledge. Again, a crew member that went above and beyond to ensure that what we expected was completed.Robert's ability to close the gaps, level a drive way that had repairs 2 times prior and failed and seeing the garage door with no gapping really blew our minds! We truly could not be happier with the outcome. Towards the end of the day, Jon, a field Supervisor came by to help with the concrete work to fill in the pier holes in the garage. Jon was just the nicest and in the short amount of time he was at our home helping, he was knowledgeable and we had great conversation while he helped with the perfect concreate work! Looks good Jon, Thank you!My family and I would like to say, the longest part was waiting for permits once the work started, it went quick, it was done RIGHT, we are truly 100% satisfied with the outcome. Hands down will recommend TerraFirma to anyone that we know needs this kind of work done on their home.THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!******************************************************************original post:My family and I are just getting started and can not wait to see what the end results are. For now I am rating what I KNOW with 5 stars and wish I could give more. If the work, the work ethic, the understanding and the compassion towards customers follows through this entire project the way it has just begun, I will tell you, I will brag on this company all day long!!I came across TerraFirma at the Tacoma Trade show March 2024. I spoke with both Samuel and Tulane regarding the issues at our home in South Hill Puyallup. I filled out a form, was contacted later the following week to schedule a FREE Estimate and had Samuel come to our home. Thinking we would just show him a couple things and Sam would be in and out in 30 mins, my husband and I were almost confused and very IMPRESSED with the 2.5 hour inspection, overview, breakdown of cost and mapping per say of the work area for our home. We found out and were educated on the scale of " oh S**t that is going on and that there was more to our project than a sinking driveway. Sam was beyond respectable and patient 😉 especially when listening to my concerns and questions on the what is next... and the cost of the what's next.We have now put down our deposit for work to be completed, due to permits that are needed, work can be up to 4 months out now, so Pierce county, please hurry... ;-)From our family to TerraFirma.... we look forward to working with you all soon.
I recently purchased a home that I knew had water encroachment in the basement. Terra Firma came and presented what can be done and I knew it had to be done. Tieran and his crew came in and did exactly what was explained to me. They answered all my questions and I feel very confident it will be a dry basement going forward. I highly recommend this company for any work that needs to be done to foundation, water issues, crawl space etc. Fantastic company!
Super professional, super punctual, under promised WAAAAY over delivered. Highly recommend them
Had an amazing experience with Marcus during our annual service. Marcus showed up a couple minutes earlier than the appointment time which was so appreciated. He was engaging, thoughtful and ready to get down to work. He did his thing and showed me pictures of the before/after and walked me through all that was done. He was great to work with and hope we will work with him again.
Great company. I would recommend them in a minute.
During my search on-line for a source of repair for cracks in our cement driveway, I found the TerraFirma Foundations Systems website most appealing. I invited Seth, Systems Design Specialist, to provide an estimate. He provided a thorough explanation of TerraFirma's method for repairing cracks. He examined the driveway, made the necessary measurements, and provided a reasonable estimate--considering the extent of the current damage. The project was scheduled to be accomplished in two phases. Phase 1 scheduled Nov 2024: foam injection to stabilize the cement pads thereby preventing further damage. Phase 2 scheduled May 2025 or sooner depending on the weather. This delay was a consequence of my procrastination to tackle the project earlier and TerraFirma's determination to ensure the repair would suffice to fulfill their 5-year warranty.Employees Robert and Elijah arrived on the scene as scheduled. While I observed their work, they impressed me with their professionalism and efficiency as an experienced team. They put forth an obvious desire to do an exceptional job thereby giving me confidence in the performance of the task and TerraFirma overall.Standby for my review this summer regarding Phase 2.
I had a sinking porch and sinking driveway. I had addressed the porch with another company about 7 years ago and they were completely out of the ballpark...
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EARTHQUAKE RETROFITTING HOMEOWNER QUESTIONS

How can I assure my home IS ready for an earthquake?

WILL EARTHQUAKE RETROFITTING REDUCE THE COST OF EARTHQUAKE INSURANCE?