ABAG Retrofit Professionals
Click on one of the diagrams to go to the list of that type of professional.
   

Contractors
Many owners of single-family homes can contact a contractor, rather than an engineer, to do the needed earthquake retrofit work on their home. The contractors listed have completed training for the seismic retrofit of wood-frame homes, conducted by ABAG using Federal Emergency Management Agency training materials.
   

 

 Structural Engineers

All owners of residential buildings of more than four units should contact an engineer or other design professional, not a contractor, to design a retrofit.

Some owners of single-family homes should call an engineer or other design professional, rather than a contractor. The following are examples of conditions best examined by an engineer or other design professional.
   
Your home has two or more stories Your foundation is brick or is "weak"
Part of your home is supported by posts, not a wall Your home is almost touching an adjacent home
Your home has an unusual shape, is very long and narrow, or is shaped like an "L" Your home has a two-car or larger garage with rooms above it, or is a "split-level"
Your home has a porch that is recessed under a second story Your home is on a steep hill
   

Home Inspectors

Are you in the process of buying a home? Trained home inspectors can often do more than merely check to see, for example, if there are no plumbing leaks! The following home inspectors have completed training for the seismic retrofit of wood-frame homes conducted by ABAG. They will recommend that you contact a contractor, engineer, or other design professional if they see a possible structural problem with your home.
   

ABAG, the Association of Bay Area Governments, is the regional planning and services agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.

Home Inspector, Contractor, and Structural Engineer graphics courtesy of Lena Perkins.

This page was last updated 11/2/06 by jbp