Thanks for this great info! I am looking at doing a soft story retrofit to a 5 unit building in Oakland. This is was exactly the overview of options I was hoping for!
Thanks Howard! I have a garage connected to my house but with no living space above it. In any case, this and the drywalling shear wall strengths on your website helped me understand what I can do there. For reference, the exterior wall of the garage is unfinished (exposed wall framing) and I was planning to finish it with drywall which has the nice side effect of adding shear strength.
Well done and very informative. Hopefully, the industry professionals can form some association to promote public education and professionalism. We are just getting started in Utah with this specialty and informing the public.
Great info Howard. I recently bought a house built in 1993 with living area over a 2 car garage and a slab foundation. Looking at my house plans, I have shear walls on the back and 2 sides plus short shear walls with anchors on either side of the garage. To me it looks like the rotational design you describe. I will investigate further, but your video suggests I have a pretty good design to start with. Bay Area near the Hayward fault and subject to liquefaction.
Thanks Howard, this was really informative. My 2 story house has 2 garage doors in the front with only 7ft available for shear wall, and a door and window in the back allowing 10ft for shear walls. Would adding some Simpson Strong-Walls between the studs give extra support to these walls? If it helps my house was built in San Francisco in the late 1950s.
Mixing steel and wood is not a good combination. Their is a stiffness differential between the two that a very well respected research engineer told me should be avoided. I would take full advantage of the wall space you do have, nail the plywood with 10d commons 2" o.c., hold downs etc and connect it to the floor framing with lag screws. See the video Safe Money with Special Floor Connectors. It shows you how to do that. If you wall on either side and a continuous header you can build it like a portal frame. Go to the PDF library to see what those are.
Looks like the walls formed hinges with the floor plane during ground motion. I assume this home would be red tagged after inspection. Too bad all the ground floor wall studs end at the 2nd floor platform. Long 6x6's with straps and anchors in the corners from sill to rafter would stop the bending.
great info.. My house is twisting like this with a 2.5" drop from front to back for 900 sq feet. Can I do sheer walls, bolt the floor down and use tie downs with it somewhat crooked or do I have to straighten up the whole house? Soft story with a 6' high basement that I actually use. thanks
Howard thanks so much for your videos and website. I have learned a great deal. Your work is greatly appreciated.
Thanks for sending this over Howard and very informative. Now looking at my 3 car garage through a very different lens.
You are welcome, thanks for letting me know it helped you.
Thanks for this great info! I am looking at doing a soft story retrofit to a 5 unit building in Oakland. This is was exactly the overview of options I was hoping for!
Happy to help.
Thank you for this information. I have a soft story and split level house in Pismo Beach.
Thanks this is the kind of video I was looking for
Why did you find this helpful? Just want to know so I can create more like it.
Bay Area Seismic Retrofit yes I was wondering if we could have a house that can defend natural disasters
Great video. Thanks.
Most engineers don't know about rotational retrofits. I agree, it is important information. Be sure to subscribe.
Thanks Howard! I have a garage connected to my house but with no living space above it. In any case, this and the drywalling shear wall strengths on your website helped me understand what I can do there. For reference, the exterior wall of the garage is unfinished (exposed wall framing) and I was planning to finish it with drywall which has the nice side effect of adding shear strength.
That is the most sensible approach
Well done and very informative. Hopefully, the industry professionals can form some association to promote public education and professionalism. We are just getting started in Utah with this specialty and informing the public.
Glad I could help, I just hope I am correct!
Great info Howard. I recently bought a house built in 1993 with living area over a 2 car garage and a slab foundation. Looking at my house plans, I have shear walls on the back and 2 sides plus short shear walls with anchors on either side of the garage. To me it looks like the rotational design you describe. I will investigate further, but your video suggests I have a pretty good design to start with. Bay Area near the Hayward fault and subject to liquefaction.
I agree with you. Looks like someone who knew what they were doing already retrofitted it.
You are welcome. Be sure to subscribe.
It might be red-tagged but not too expensive to repair. Please promote the channel by subscribing.
It has been a labor of love to help people like you. Please subscribe to the channel.
Thanks Howard, this was really informative. My 2 story house has 2 garage doors in the front with only 7ft available for shear wall, and a door and window in the back allowing 10ft for shear walls. Would adding some Simpson Strong-Walls between the studs give extra support to these walls? If it helps my house was built in San Francisco in the late 1950s.
Mixing steel and wood is not a good combination. Their is a stiffness differential between the two that a very well respected research engineer told me should be avoided. I would take full advantage of the wall space you do have, nail the plywood with 10d commons 2" o.c., hold downs etc and connect it to the floor framing with lag screws. See the video Safe Money with Special Floor Connectors. It shows you how to do that. If you wall on either side and a continuous header you can build it like a portal frame. Go to the PDF library to see what those are.
Looks like the walls formed hinges with the floor plane during ground motion. I assume this home would be red tagged after inspection. Too bad all the ground floor wall studs end at the 2nd floor platform. Long 6x6's with straps and anchors in the corners from sill to rafter would stop the bending.
great info.. My house is twisting like this with a 2.5" drop from front to back for 900 sq feet. Can I do sheer walls, bolt the floor down and use tie downs with it somewhat crooked or do I have to straighten up the whole house? Soft story with a 6' high basement that I actually use. thanks
I don't have enough information and I doubt I could get it without a site visit.
@@bayarearetrofit5814 Thanks for replying! I will give you a call
@@bayarearetrofit5814 I sent an email on your we page form.