I’ve been asked to do retrofit inspections a couple of times now recently. This is not about retrofit foundations. I’ve been told they are basic only checking a few items. I believe the county LA or OC is requiring them. I’m looking for any information on who requires them, when and why. Is there a form or template from the county?
Perhaps…??
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The issue is the term “retrofit” is thrown around a lot to mean different things.
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@imayer have you been performing them for the different cities? Is there one generic form that will cover them all?
The City of Los Angeles has its own form called a 9a.
I don’t believe other cities have specific forms.
Insurance companies have a specific form for Earthquake retrofit standards. I used to do those by request until insurance companies changed the document form “must be signed by a home inspector or…” to “must be signed by a licensed contractor”
I don’t do retrofit inspections per se, but 90% of it is covered by a typical home inspection.
If they want a general property sale retrofit inspection, usually they want the price on what is needed and the work done (Install smoke detectors, strap the water heater, install low-flow toilets, etc). In the city of LA that also means installing the seismic gas shut-off valve on the gas meter, which requires a plumbing license and a permit. Not to mention some skills to deal with gas lines and not explode.
If it’s an earthquake insurance retrofit then it needs a foundation contractor.
If they’re talking soft-story retrofit, only a licensed structural engineer can do those.
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