Home preparedness and retrofit

[11Charlie]

when I think of home preparedness and retrofit I think of bolting the house to the foundation. I dont know much about this, last year I added quake insurance to my policy and the agency added it instantly because my house is newer enough, they said older homes are not bolted to the foundation and can easily slip off in a quake. Anyone know what year they started doing that as a requirement?

Houses built 1990 or after usually have the earthquake features installed during construction. The codes started getting tougher as the years went on changed again in 2000 and so on

 

[11Charlie]

My house was built in 1991 so at the for front of those codes. There are some retrofit things that I could do myself to make it safer but it totally depends on money.

There are other things that I would like to do before I pay the for this. I really need a generator and would like to up my food stores.

 

[Camelfilter]

Good thinking and good investment. I want to get a trailer eventually but it's hard finding a good one that my subaru can tow. Do they make 2k gross versions of yours?

You could probably use the ones hauled behind jeeps on your Subi, but honestly I'd think you'd lose a lot of gross hauling ability due to the trailer weight.

Better to hold off on a surplus unit until/if you decide on a truck. I haul the above trailer with a 1/2 ton no prob. Wouldn't want to, but could haul it with a smaller truck, the previous owner was hauling it with a Toyota Landcruiser.

The above trailer is rated to haul 3/4 ton, I don't know what the Jeep size trailers are rated to haul.

 

[Koda]

Houses built 1990 or after usually have the earthquake features installed during construction. The codes started getting tougher as the years went on changed again in 2000 and so on

thanks, I will have to look it up when I get to my computer... I think my home was built in 1986.

 

[simpleguy]

you can buy box's of screws really cheap at wholesale building places. Thank god for generators that way you can charge those batteries back up.

While I agree with the supplies and building materials/tools concept. I have EarthQuake Insurance, on a 300-400k house it is <$400/yr. The deductible is something like $25k, but it's better than nothing. (Randy Philbrook Allstate Insurance (not through Allstate, they broker it) 503.656.3992)

 

[simpleguy]

I still need a generator...

It's just towards the bottom of the list with everything else going on in my life.

I would get some 5 gal gas cans and fill my car up a couple times a year so it would stay fresh.

Same with stocking up on 5gal propane bottles - I'd be happier with them in an out building then in the garage. The 2 I do have in my garage already makes me a little nervous and I keep them in a corner of the garage that never gets close to a spark or flame.

And Propane doesn't go bad.....

 

[Camelfilter]

While I agree with the supplies and building materials/tools concept. I have EarthQuake Insurance, on a 300-400k house it is <$400/yr. The deductible is something like $25k, but it's better than nothing. (Randy Philbrook Allstate Insurance (not through Allstate, they broker it) 503.656.3992)

Pretty decent rate.

If there were a "big one" the insurance would not pay out, that industry would simply fold. IMO.

Small, localized seismic event, sure you more than likely would be covered.

Again, IMO, you'd be better off setting down and figuring out how long you'd like to stay in that current house. Cancel that rider & put similar monies saved into retrofitting over time. Cementing, hurricane type strappings, reinforced entryways/doors, retrofitting shear walls, seismic gas/water cutouts etc etc. That alone would provide higher actual insurance of you & yours surviving such an event if your home & it happens.

Shoot just simple things like reinforced shelving/workbench could likely save your tools, gear & such if the shop were to shift/collapse. A decent workbench is simply handy anyways.

Swap out that cheapo kitchen breakfast bar (as an example) for a decent butcher block etc etc.

 

[Camelfilter]

And Propane doesn't go bad.....

Ohh..and don't forget about propane powered generators. Some of the gas ones can be converted to run off propane & generac has a nifty one on a cart that holds a standard grill bottle. Quiter, lower maintenance than gas (because they burn cleaner supposedly).

 

[simpleguy]

Pretty decent rate.

If there were a "big one" the insurance would not pay out, that industry would simply fold. IMO.

Small, localized seismic event, sure you more than likely would be covered.

Again, IMO, you'd be better off setting down and figuring out how long you'd like to stay in that current house. Cancel that rider & put similar monies saved into retrofitting over time. Cementing, hurricane type strappings, reinforced entryways/doors, retrofitting shear walls, seismic gas/water cutouts etc etc. That alone would provide higher actual insurance of you & yours surviving such an event if your home & it happens.

Shoot just simple things like reinforced shelving/workbench could likely save your tools, gear & such if the shop were to shift/collapse. A decent workbench is simply handy anyways.

Swap out that cheapo kitchen breakfast bar (as an example) for a decent butcher block etc etc.

CF - I agree it's a possbility...... I also believe you insure what you cannot afford to lose. Insurance companies have several 're-insurers'. Swiss RE, etc. They paid out after Hurricane Katrina, though I know there'd be a larger loss, I'm not sure it would be enough to take them down........but if it were advantageous to just let'er go down, I'd not put that past an insurance co. either.

 

[WaGuy52]

Quakes are excluded from standard policies and require a specific policy. I checked into it last year - I was a participant in the "Cascade Rising" event EOC test spin up
The price I got for an EQ policy was $50K deductible for $400/year. I live WEST of I5.
The agent says prices go up pretty dramatically to drop the deductible. The rational being you always own the land. ..
I thought.. maybe... If "the big one" happens, the any point will drop 6 feet down and 10 feet West - at least that's the estimate. Nobody will admit it publicly, but fatalities are expected even in the "safe" reinforced bunkers. Think about that delta in dirt and how that much variance will effect, roads, bridges, water pipes, gas lines, sewer pipes, fiber optic cable (the infrastructure that keeps society running)-- forget buildings. gone.
Think about how many passes run OUT of Seattle West - even less in the winter. 2? Now shove 5 million people on them... get the idea.

Here's a great video demonstrating Liquefaction - what the land under (c) 7 million people will do when the big one hits...

If the big one hits, the real big one, plan on no to limited Government for 3-6 months. It will take communities of people working together for survival. A generator is nice - got 3 months of gas?

When it happens, it will be an event not experienced in recorded history with regard to number of people effected.

of course you could sit around and worry about the Yellowstone super volcano erupting too.. one crisis at a time...
feeling better?

Interesting observations. I have a small old farm house remodeled several times. I am getting ready to put a bunch of money into it remodeling preparing for sale next year. Only so much you can do to these old retrofitted places. Even on updated construction, the reinforcement required to retrofit for a 9.0 is going to be cost prohibitive and unrecoverable in sale probably.

If we have that 9.0 nothing will keep most peoples places standing. I am pretty sure that earthquakes are excluded under most current insurance policies. Since my home and property represents my retirement security, I need to find out. E mailing insurance agent now to find out.

 

[Skier]

If you have a Habitat for Humanity nearby, you can find incredible deals on back-up supplies. It's like a Goodwill for construction materials.

AKA "Habitat for Humanity ReStore"

I got some really cool stone to use as a backsplash for about 92% off the price that Home Depot sold it for. :-D

 

[bgdawgrr]

As my insurance agent told me, we don't write earthquake insurance anymore, but you are covered for any fires that may occur after.

 

[dude23]

After several other threads on the possible big one hitting the PNW it has gotten me thinking. How prepared are we. I'm not talking your preps or your get home bag or even a bug out bag.

What really made me think was how safe is my family at home. Does everyone have a plan on the safest place in the house to be during such an event?

Has anyone retrofitted there house or thought about spending the money to do so. My house was built in 1991 so I know the building codes are tougher now then they were back in 91. Is it worth having a earth quake retrofit done and will it really help to spend the money?

Thinking about the safety of my family these are the things that have come to mind.

If it's truly "The Big One" aka a massive plate drop/jump in the Cascade Subduction Zone, it will be an 8.0-9.0 quake and no structure will survive intact. Some may allow for fewer casualties, but all residential homes will be unsafe to occupy, especially with aftershocks.

The safest place to ride any quake out is in a doorway of a load bearing wall, away from any windows.

I was in Gladstone for the 1992 Spring Break quake & because of emergency training we did in school I was on auto pilot, up out of bed & in the doorway of my bedroom before my brother or my parents. That quake wasn't event that strong & I was around 30 miles from the epicenter, but the first time you experience it, it's pretty shocking.

 

[11Charlie]

If it's truly "The Big One" aka a massive plate drop/jump in the Cascade Subduction Zone, it will be an 8.0-9.0 quake and no structure will survive intact. Some may allow for fewer casualties, but all residential homes will be unsafe to occupy, especially with aftershocks.

The safest place to ride any quake out is in a doorway of a load bearing wall, away from any windows.

I was in Gladstone for the 1992 Spring Break quake & because of emergency training we did in school I was on auto pilot, up out of bed & in the doorway of my bedroom before my brother or my parents. That quake wasn't event that strong & I was around 30 miles from the epicenter, but the first time you experience it, it's pretty shocking.

I have been in earth quakes, tornado's and none of them are fun!!! But there are things that can be done to make your home safer from such event. You might not have a full house or structure to live in but if your prepared you might have enough of a structure to start rebuilding to put a roof over your loved ones head.

 

[Blindranger]

I would disagree with everyone's assessment that all buildings & homes will be be completely destroyed during the big one. If you read up on the after event reports you will see that outside of the tsunami zone and areas effected by large land movements like landslides and liquefaction most residential buildings survive. The big difference between places like Japan and Chile that have recently experienced +9.0 earthquakes and the NW is that they have vastly superior building codes than we have in the NW.

Here is an expert from the Damage statistics, Summary of the 2011 off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake damage:

"The damage due to seismic motion alone was relatively small, in spite of the large magnitude of the earthquake. This is considered to be because the periodic properties of the seismic motion did not directly result in damage to buildings despite the large magnitude of the earthquake."
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So if you have an older home I would highly recommend doing the seismic retrofit. It will most likely make the difference between your house being inhabitable or not post event. When I bought my house last year the going rate was around $5k to do the retrofit in the PDX area, but there was a 12-16 month backlog to have the work preformed.

 

[dude23]

When I built my house down here, quakes were not a big concern, but I went ahead and reinforced my build any way, My home is entirely steel framed, bolted and welded together, and the outside walls are cement plaster. I built this way for several reasons, Snow weight, high winds, and a serious fire danger. A person could retrofit steel door frames and doors to an existing home with out too much work, and the added security is a nice side benefit. I have to keep large quantities of fuel at the home sight and preserving it is pretty important, sta-bil works really well even in diesel and Jet-A, so I don't have much problem there. I built a "fuel Shed" to keep every thing safe and sound, and it is steel framed and secured from theft as well as the elements.

I was going to say steel framing would be the way to go for a new build for all the reasons you mentioned. Steel studs with floating I-beam floors would probably be the best bet for earthquake resistance.

Even better than steel studs would be notched or mortised wood beams like the old Japanese temples. Those seem to handle earthquakes pretty well, although not so much with fires. Another reason Japanese temples held up to earthquakes so well, besides the way the structure handled the movement, was the eaves kept the rain runoff away from the foundation, keeping the ground dry & solid to better handle a quake.

 

[albin25]

There is one thing that I can almost guarantee no matter what the magnitude .... the weather will NOT be your friend!
Tarps for shade, tarps for waterproofing, tarps for building shelters, tarps for wind-proofing, for trade...etc. cheap, store easily and take up little space. Rope, bungee, rolls of plastic and packing/duct tape for disposal/handling the dead. You've got 2/3 days to get your area cleared, safe, stabilized, defensible, before you get too physically depleted to do the digging and heavy lifting. Earthquakes are the worst because there are no lead-up periods... just boom and you're fLicked!

 

[Ura-Ki]

Great points! I wonder how many think of those things. And I agree, you have about 72 hours to work with before things get really ugly. One thing I would add here, an its not going to be pretty, When dealing with the dead, make sure you secure personal belongings and I.D. of those people and then remember if you bury them, to do so away from potential water supplies. Do not try and burn, takes way too much fuel and too much time.

 

[Blindranger]

I was going to say steel framing would be the way to go for a new build for all the reasons you mentioned. Steel studs with floating I-beam floors would probably be the best bet for earthquake resistance.

Rigidity is the opposite of what you want in a structure to survive an earthquake. The reason why wood structures fair so well is because they flex, and move with earth during an earthquake. If you look at all of the leading design innovations that allow large structures to survive an earthquake they employ forms of suspension and other systems that help dampen the movement between the structure and the ground.

 

[dude23]

Rigidity is the opposite of what you want in a structure to survive an earthquake. The reason why wood structures fair so well is because they flex, and move with earth during an earthquake. If you look at all of the leading design innovations that allow large structures to survive an earthquake they employ forms of suspension and other systems that help dampen the movement between the structure and the ground.

I agree, but wood framing with traditional US building techniques are not the best for quake resilience. With seismic reinforcements & newer styles of construction wood may fare better than metal studs, but neither is ideal unless doing some seriously modified building styles incorporating techniques from Japan, etc.