Los Angeles Soft Story Retrofit Questions

Hello Sinai Soft Story Retrofit, I just found out my property is on the Los Angeles list. So...what's next?
The the first thing  you need to do is get a professional, like Sinai Soft Story Retrofit to review your Los Angeles building. The point here is to access your structure, do a detailed inspection and provide you with a proposal for an engineering solution that will comply with the new Los Angeles ordinances.

Sinai Soft Story Retrofit can make this pretty painless for you, after all we've been doing this for over 30 years and have seen it all. Our proposal comes in two parts; first the engineering plan, then the construction plan. You'll have 2 years from the date you receive your ordinance to obtain approved plans. Ok, this may sound like a long time, but it isn't when you look at the scope of work and time it takes the city to review / get you permits in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles building department is swamped most of the time and once you submit, it will take approximately 11 weeks for you to receive a reply and 2 weeks for any corrections. So our advice is, the sooner you start, the sooner you can finish and avoid any penalty fees. And avoiding penalties is a good thing.

How much is this soft story retrofit going to cost?
Every Soft Story Retrofit project is different , there is no one size fits all. Depending on the size and scope prices can run anywhere from the low end of $40,000, and upwards to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Every Los Angeles building is unique, and we know it's impossible to make general assumptions.

How do we get started?

At Sinai soft story retrofit, we take a detailed look at each Los Angeles property and only then do we give a proposal specific to your building.  Once you sign a contract with us, we start with a complete As-Built survey of the property. Once our engineer goes over this, and is finished with his calculations, they will determine and communicate where excavation and tear back of the stucco is needed.

Our Sinai construction team will then visit the property for excavation and back fill with dirt and top with gravel. After exposing joists and beams and creating holes, they will cover holes with plywood (for safety) until construction begins, once construction begins all construction damage will be repaired.

The exploratory demolition is key as it prevents delays during the construction phase. Sinai Construction is looking at the existing structural components of the building as well as the existing foundation rather than making assumptions (we don't do assumptions) that could be incorrect and costly in the long run.

Sinai engineers goals are to design the most economical solution.  This usually means steel fabrication rather than a pre-fabricated frame.
 
In the end, the smooth flow of every Los Angeles soft story retrofit project is the result of a dedicated Sinai Construction team, educated engineering plan and a detailed construction plan working hand in hand. And that's the Sinai way...