When you purchase an investment property it’s best to look for certain structural attributes that create property longevity. Such as choosing a property with a pitched roof instead of a flat design, or looking for an investment with durable exterior materials like brick or stucco, both of which decrease your capital expense.

Although we may have a checklist for these items, there is one area often that we miss; and that is home earthquake readiness.

Is your home earthquake-proof? The best way to determine if your house is prepared to handle an earthquake is to find out what year the property was built. As a rule of thumb properties built pre 1973 were not equipped with reinforced foundations. Hire a licensed contractor to look over your foundation and determine if it’s earthquake-proof.

I wasn’t knowledgeable about earth-proofing properties prior to researching the effects of earthquakes on homes during the last few major earthquakes we’ve experienced.

Out of curiosity, I’ve researched the cheapest and most reliable way to earthquake-proof your investment. Continue reading below to find out how you can protect your investment from a natural disaster.

How To Determine If Your Property Is Protected

Older homes across California have two types of building designs; concrete slabs or raised foundations. The typical rule of thumb is properties built pre 1973, were not required by the Uniform building code to anchor the walls to the concrete slab or wooden piers.

Crawl space

After getting acquainted with the duplex we own, I decided to take a peek underneath the house to determine if we were properly prepared for an earthquake. And that’s one of the biggest differences between a crawl space/raised foundation and a property being built on a concrete slab.

• easy access to plumbing
• access to sub-flooring
• tends to be slightly warmer
• best in earth-quake prone areas

When I came across the wooden support beams I noticed they weren’t bolted to the concrete *slabs. But this is a quick fix that any DIY handy person could do on their own.

Concrete Slabs or floor

(You’ll have to physically check the foundation) With this type of design, a board known as a mudsill is placed between the house and the foundation. To better prepare the home for an earthquake the mudsill is anchored to the concrete slab which increases stability during an earthquake.

In Northern California, many wooden frame homes slid right off the foundation during the earthquake of 1989 and 1992, because they weren’t anchored. If ever in doubt, hire a licensed contractor to check the foundation and determine if your property is equipped to handle an earthquake.

The properties we own are all built before 1973 and have not been earthquake-proofed, however, that doesn’t necessarily mean that your home has not been modified by the previous homeowner.

What Are Options Are Available For Protecting My Property Against Earthquakes?

All properties are capable of being upgraded to be protected against an earthquake of catastrophic capabilities. Once you determine what your home structural type is, then you can take the necessary steps to perform the upgrade.

Concrete slab foundation

A house foundation that consists of a concrete slab, is a large slab/block of concrete underlayment with a home constructed on top ranging in a number of different exterior designs.

Newer home construction is designed to include threaded rods that cast into the concrete footings to secure the sill plates. But in older homes, they relied on friction and a few nails to hold the house in place.

The fix if your home is pre-1979, would be to retrofit anchor bolts to the sill plates, with as little damage to the household as possible.

Crawl space foundation

The crawl space foundation consists of a post and pier method. Whereas a wooden beam sits in between the house and the concrete cinder block pier using the weight of the home to hold it in place. Side-to-side movement from a quake can cause the home to shift off of the foundation, which is pricey when it comes to repairs.

Hiring a contractor to brace the post and piers can and will help you protect your investment against quakes that could cause severe damage.

Mobile home

Mobile homes and manufactured homes are built with a post and pier design, similar to that of a home with a crawl space design.

There are two techniques that are commonly used for equipping motor homes for extreme weather conditions or earthquakes of devasting proportions.

• Install an earthquake-resistant foundation
• Anchoring the home to the ground
• Install earthquake-resistant bracing
• Install earthquake-resistant foundation

Install an earthquake resistant foundation

Steel piers have a fairly easy install process; when this option is chosen they should be positioned to the main beam of the home and to their footings. The connection points will prevent the home from moving off of the pier or footing during an earthquake.

Anchoring the home to the ground

Ground anchors also help to stabilize the home during a high wind situation, storms, and earthquakes. Under general guidelines, anchors should be mounted on two long sides of a home for movement under a high wind situation. If you’re also in an earthquake-prone location, anchors should be installed on each side of the home.

Bracing is a system designed to catch the home if it falls off of its piers during an earthquake. However, once the quake has subsided the home may need to be set back on its piers.

Install earthquake resistant foundation

Earthquake-resistant foundations usually have perimeter walls footings and piers located on the main beams of a home similar to foundations for conventional housing.

Brick/stone exterior

When it comes to reinforcing stucco exteriors, the job can be a bit extensive. It requires installing plywood behind the stucco siding which braces the walls against lateral forces.

What kind of house can withstand an earthquake

After 1979 homes were not designed with earthquake preparedness in mind. During the quake that hit *Ridgecrest and Trona in the Mojave desert towns. The homes that were built in the 1980s and ’90s were engineered to handle seismic forces.

Typically newer homes can withstand earthquakes. However, the same couldn’t be said for Trona; many chimneys collapsed, water heaters toppled over and broken gas lines sparked fires. Newer homes have a greater chance of holding up against a quake, but I highly recommend having a licensed contractor going over your property to ensure that it could handle a quake of large magnitude.

How Can You Reinforce Brick, Stone, and Stucco Services

Brick, stone, and stucco surfaces are very rigid by nature, making them susceptible to cracks, buckling of walls, and cause the walls to collapse. Luckily there are several methods you could implement which prevent excessive damage to a home.

I’ve always had a liking for homes made with a brick exterior. But, rarely do I see a home with steel rods bolted directly through the brick. Little did I know those steel rods were attached to a steel frame on the other side, which tie the wall together adding extra support during a quake.

When it comes to reinforcing stucco exteriors the job is a bit extensive. It requires installing plywood behind the stucco siding which braces the walls against lateral forces.

Earthquake-Prone Areas

There are a handful of states within the US that suffer from frequent exposure to earthquakes. Side note, before investing in a property outside of where you live; become familiar with the environment. Is your property of interest located in an area that experiences flood, fires, earthquakes, etc; because if so you’ll be putting yourself in a greater liability and may have to fork out extra insurance cost.

One of the properties in our portfolio was in the fine line of being in an earthquake zone near the San Andreas fault. This could have doubled the property insurance and increased our liability.

When you think of the state that has the most earthquakes the first that comes to mind maybe California. But actually, it’s Alaska which amounts to 57% of all earthquakes in the U.S. Below the graph list states within the U.S that experience the highest percentage of Earthquakes.

10 states with the most frequent earthquakes

One of the properties in or portfolio was on the fine line of being in an earthquake zone near San Adreas fault. Which would of double the property insurance and increased our liability. After doing a through search on the city’s planning agency and viewing the official seismic hazard, earthquake fault zone maps, and parcel maps.

I re-informed the lender so they could verify for the second time that the info was correct, and the three units were not deemed to be located in a hazard area. Thus lowering our insurance premium and giving us/investors peace of mind.

Recent California Earthquakes

Northridge Quake

The Northridge quake was the largest earthquake within an urban area. It was a whopping 6.7 magnitude and occurred for 10-20 seconds. The quake was felt as far as Las Vegas, Nevada, around 220 miles from its origin. Damage to roadways homes and utility lines occurred up to 85 miles from the epicenter, (San Fernando Valley). The death toll was placed at 57 and over 8,000 people were injured including the 1,600 that were hospitalized.

The Newhall Pass interchange of Interstate 5 and state 14 collapsed. LAPD officer Clarence Wayne Dean didn’t realize the elevated freeway roadway had collapsed, sadly during his patrol, he suddenly fell to his death. The city renamed the rebuilt freeway after him in his honor.

Ridgecrest Quake

Another earthquake that shook the lives of many Americans was the Ridgecrest quake. At a 6.4 magnitude, the Ridgecrest quake was the largest recorded in Sothern California since 1999. Damages to the infrastructure of the city were in the millions of dollars; mobile homes were torn off the foundations, chimneys fell, utility lines were broken, and many homes caught fire.

Many people were forced to live in shelters because their homes were so badly damaged. However, the newer build homes held up very well under the high magnitude quakes. Further encouraging the reason why protecting your hard-earned investment through earthquake-proofing is vital. No one knows when the next quake will come.

Final Word

Regardless of your property type, if you’re in an earthquake-prone area like myself it’s imperative that you protect your investment.

Yes, disaster relief programs and FEMA could step in but what happens if they don’t? Then we could be left with properties with substantial damage that may not be worth repairing. Don’t rely on Government assistance during a catastrophe, be prepared!