Providing High Quality Retrofits, In Addition To Educating Our Clients and The Public

 

In this video you will learn how we became the Bay Area’s number one seismic retrofit experts.  In addition, you will learn about our many achievement, including 25 years experience, post graduate education, and engineering training.  As a result, we believe this will inspire faith and trust in our ability to protect you and your greatest investment.

In this video you will learn about Bay Area Retrofit’s founder Howard Cook’s
mission to improve public safety.  He does this through public education and
contractor training.

PBS  interviewed him on National and local TV.

The Association of Bay Area Governments chose him to teach a class in seismic retrofitting.

The City of San Leandro asked Howard to help teach their retrofit workshop.  Please come!

 

Seismic Retrofit Experts Require Continuous Education

Bay Area Retrofit’s founder Howard Cook already had 10 years experience as a general contractor before he founded the company.  He combined this experience with his research skills from graduate school to become one of the nation’s top experts.  He has studied with the leading engineers in the country as well as designed thousands of retrofits over the past 25 years.  In addition, he is in regular contact with the most important research labs in the world.  Seismic retrofitting is not just his job, it is also his mission to save homes and lives.

He makes it a point to keep up on the latest research and is known to say “the more I learn, it seems like the less I know”.  He has developed important first name basis relationships with the best seismic retrofit engineers in the country.     This website is the result of those years of research and his desire to share his knowledge with the public.  If you see a subject that you wish researched and published please let him know. Bay Area Retrofit has also received excellent reviews from Angie’s list and YELP, in addition to recommendations from some of the finest engineers in the field.

 

Education is Number One

 

Cartoon figure with light above head meaning seismic retrofit contractors must understand engineering principles as part of the job

WE ARE COURSE INSTRUCTORS FOR THE SAN LEANDRO HOME RETROFIT COURSE

An instructor standing in front of a table of students points to a wallboard

THE FOUNDER OF THE COMPANY TRAINS EVERY EMPLOYEE HIMSELF

 

A Well-Trained Crew

Similarly,he passes his knowledge onto his employees.  In this way, he tries to make them seismic retrofit experts as well.  Seismic retrofits often have unexpected challenges.  These challenges make understanding seismic retrofit engineering a must.

This work requires unique individuals.  They must be intelligent enough to grasp the engineering principles. At the same, time they must be OK with crawling under houses all day.  It takes time to train such people and we must pay them well. We know we must pay well and treat well  to make sure the job is done right.

We are innovators

Bay Area Retrofit developed the Flush Cut Method, and is the only company in the state who uses it.

Bay Area Retrofit is the only seismic retrofit contractor in the country that uses Mudsill Plates. This hardware increases bolt strength.

Cities and Counties We Serve in the San Francisco Bay Area

Bay Area Retrofit serves the Greater San Francisco Bay Area.  In addition, we serve the following cities:

Alameda Contra Costa Marin San Mateo Santa Clara Sonoma
Alameda Alamo Belvedere Atherton Alviso Cotati
Albany Antioch Corte Madera Belmont Campbell El Verano
Berkeley Bay Point Fairfax Brisbane Cupertino Glen Ellen
Castro Valley Bethel Island Greenbrae Burlingame Los Altos Kenwood
Dublin Blackhawk Kentfield Colma Los Altos Hills Rohnert Park
Emeryville Brentwood Larkspur Daly City Milpitas Santa Rosa
Fremont Byron Mill Valley East Palo Alto Monte Sereno Sebastopol
Hayward Canyon Novato Foster City Mount Hamilton Sonoma
Livermore Clayton Petaluma Hillsborough Mountain View
Newark Concord Ross Menlo Park Palo Alto
Oakland Crockett San Anselmo Millbrae San Jose
Piedmont Danville San Geronimo Pacifica Santa Clara
Pleasanton Diablo San Rafael Redwood City Saratoga
San Leandro Discovery Bay Sausalito San Bruno Sunnyvale
San Lorenzo El Cerrito Tiburon San Carlos
San Francisco El Sobrante San Mateo
Union City Hercules South San Francisco
Kensington Woodside