We are out of the dirt and putting up our first couple of SR Walls. It always feels good to be finally framing up walls. We have two teams starting in the middle of the front wall and going one direction each from there – the two teams will have a meeting somewhere at the other side of the perimeter of the house – kind of like the meeting of the old railroads.
Tags: earthquake, retrofit, SR Wall
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Handy Man Bob has asked me to speak to preparing for earthquakes on today’s show (Saturday the 20th). I will be on between 12:00 and 12:57 – so check it out!
Tags: Am 750 KXL, earthquake preparedness
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Oregon Business just wrote an article on the need for Oregon to really get prepared for “the Big One” – I am going to read it and blogg about it later!
Tags: oregon business
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Wow – what a week! We are nearing the completion of all the work required to actually start installing the walls. We have been blocking in between the joist bays of the first floor and installing new joists as needed to connect the top of the new wall into the first floor floor diaphragm as well as getting the new footings dug and poured. I anticipate starting to install the SR Walls later today – Friday!
Tags: Brick walls, seismic, SR Wall
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We just poured 22 yards of concrete into the footings of our latest SR Wall System – originally we started the project intending to pour about 12! The addition of three interior shear walls with MONSTER “key” footings (see last blog), as well as pulling out some of the old original slab that was undermined turned this into a huge pour.
We will let the concrete “rest” today and continue our seismic retrofit of the main deck that is attached to the house by adding tensions ties connecting the deck into the house first floor structure, bolting down the sill plate of the 104 year old cripple wall and adding connection between the numerous post and beams.
Tags: cripple walls, seismic retrofit, sill plate bolts, SR Wall
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A crew of six of our guys just started to build what is to date our largest SR Wall System to brace some 9 1/2′ tall brick walls of a 2000 square foot basement in a 104 year old house. Absolutely the coolest job we have ever done! I will be posting videos soon so you all can follow the progress of the job.
So far we have cut and dug the new footings inside the interior perimeter of the foundation, had the geo tech – Cindy Hovind of Terra Dolce come out and make recommendations for taking up some of the weight of the new footing and distribute it over piles driven about 8′ down to solid ground (to be installed by PIL) and have designed a drain system that will take water pressure off the wall from the outside by sending it out through a perforated pipe system next to the footing.
More to come!
Earthquake Tech
Tags: brick wall, earthquake, failing brick walls, failing concrete foundations, geo tech, geotechnical service, sr wall system
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Did you hear OPB Radio Think Out Loud this morning? The entire show was dedicated to discussing the very real earthquake threat Oregon / SW Washington faces. One commenter gave a 10-15% guarantee that “the big one,” meaning a giant earthquake, will hit our region sometime in the next 50 years.
Our response? The very best way we know to protect yourself and your home is to be prepared. Our job is to ensure homes are protected from any seismic activity, as well tsunami and landslide issues, with quality retrofit services. Homeowners who get it are the ones calling us right now to guard their property against potential damage. It’s like anchoring a boat to harbor so it doesn’t sail away or crash into another boat. It just makes sense. Plus the comfort of knowing your home is bolted down feels pretty darn good.
During my interview with a local news TV channel recently I put it this way: You either get it or you don’t.
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We just added four more videos to our collection. They walk you through the process of using epoxy to fix foundation wall cracks, filling holes with epoxy to stabilize your basement walls, and inspecting 1970s era homes for seismic strength.
Check out our new page and videos here.
Thanks for watching!
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Portland, Oregon-based Earthquake Tech owner, Steve Gemmell, walks the viewer through a typical home foundation retrofit project. Homes built before 1975 require foundation retrofitting and seismic upgrades to qualify for earthquake insurance. Houses susceptible to sliding and foundation buckling can also benefit from retrofits and SR walls, or foundation reinforcements. This video takes the mystery out of a home retrofit job and also includes the occasional comedic relief from Steve. Great for casual viewing and home improvement education.
Learn about our retrofit services >
Contact Steve now to schedule a free consult >
Tags: earthquake retrofit, earthquake tech, home foundation, home improvement, oregon, portland, seismic upgrade, steve gemmell
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You may not think you’re in earthquake country, but the reality is the Pacific Northwest is prime territory for major seismic events and natural disasters. Earthquake fault lines, landslides, tsunamis, flooding and foundation erosion all pose threats to Oregon and Washington homes. The best way to prevent crisis and reduce damage is to prepare ahead-of-time. Our services can help.
Contact us now to learn more. >
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3817 N. Williams Avenue, Portland, OR 97227
