Bay Area Retrofit’s Mission and Training

Our Experience and Engineering Background

 

Historic building preservation structural engineer Nels Roselund trained me without charge and asked me to pass his knowledge to others. This is the main reason this website was created.  Nels believed engineering should be used to benefit the public whenever possible and I hope to do my small part.

Nels spent his half century long career in retrofit code development and he retrofitted numerous priceless buildings. His two favorite project were the San Juan Capistrano Mission and the Bradbury Building in Los Angeles.  Nels also introduced me to the leading seismic retrofit engineers and scientists in the country.

A Well-Trained Crew

This work requires unique individuals.  They must be intelligent enough to grasp the engineering principle and at the same be OK with crawling under houses all day.

It takes time to train such people because there is so much to know. The quality of the job is only as good as the people who do it.

We are innovators

We developed the Flush Cut Method, and Bay Area Retrofit is the only company in the state who uses it.  We are also the only seismic retrofit contractor in the country that uses the Mudsill Plates.  The company that made them went out of business and we bought all they had and still have some we will use on your house.

Our Contributions To The Field

We are the only contractors on a committee developing a national seismic retrofit building code.  Operations Manager Jeff Bailey and Field Supervisor Jason McDonald are also making significant contributions.

We are co-authors of Standard Plan A used by the California Earthquake Authority as well as building departments all over the Bay Area.  W

Course Instructor: “Principles and Practice of Earthquake Retrofitting”  2014 presented by the Association of Bay Area Governments.

Author of article  “Seismic Retrofit for Cripple Walls”, The Journal of Light Construction.   April, 2006.

Featured expert  “The Hayward Fault. Predictable Peril.”  KQED, Channel 9.

Contributing Contractor “California Works to Prepare for the Big One”, PBS News Hour.

Featured Expert in this KGO Documentary. 

Subject Expert in the  San Francisco Chronicle. 

Guest Lecturer “Retrofit Principles and Practice for the Home Inspection Industry.”  Sponsored by the Golden Gate Chapter of the American Society of Home Inspectors.

Keynote speaker “The Preservation of Historical Wood-Framed Buildings” Sponsored by The City of Victoria Heritage Foundation in British Columbia.

Mayoral Appointee to the Berkeley Disaster Commission as a seismic retrofit expert.

Guest Lecturer: “Retrofit Principles and Practice for the Canadian Home Inspection Industry,” sponsored by the Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors.

Primary source for an article in the San Jose Mercury News on Soft Story Retrofitting.

Residential Damage Inspector, FEMA.  1989-1994. 

Member Associations

• Earthquake Engineering Research Institute
• Structural Engineers Association of Northern California

 

Publications by Bay Area Retrofit

• Co-Author with Wendy Allen, Engineer for Simpson Strong Tie, “Mudsill Anchorage Systems in Cripple Wall Retrofits”, 2007.
• Co-Author and currently updating Bay Area’s Retrofit Guidelines: “Standard Plan A, Residential Seismic Strengthening Plan”, The International Code Council, 2005.
• “Homeowner’s Guide to Seismic Retrofitting.”
• Many other publications available in the PDF Library at BayAreaRetrofit.com.

Cities and Counties We Serve in the San Francisco Bay Area

Bay Area Retrofit serves the Greater San Francisco Bay Area including.