California’s statewide Senate Bill 721 requires building owners to perform structural inspections of their exterior elevated elements (EEEs). As we enter the final month before the January 1, 2026 compliance deadline, balcony inspections remain a critical part of building ownership, ensuring occupant safety and protecting owners from costly liability.
When is the deadline?
The […]
It can be a little frightening, feeling the ground shift and sway under our feet. Rocking like a boat on stormy seas, we typically ask ourselves, “How much longer is this going to last; will it get bigger?” The truth in this response is that —in the back of our […]
Research studies that followed point to Ridgecrest as the impetus of successive ground-shaking that may create a chain reaction from one fault to the next, until it reaches the San Andreas.
Spanning 750 miles along the coast of California from the Salton Sea to Eureka, the San Andreas Fault is cocked […]
Many older apartment buildings do not meet current earthquake safety standards and often lack the modern amenities tenants seek. If your building was constructed before the mid-1970s, upgrading both its structural safety and interior design is highly recommended.
Seismic Upgrades with Modern Enhancements
Optimum Seismic, Inc. specializes in making these upgrades seamless. […]
Many older apartment buildings do not meet current earthquake safety standards and often lack the modern amenities tenants seek. If your building was constructed before the mid-1970s, upgrading both its structural safety and interior design is highly recommended.
Seismic Upgrades with Modern Enhancements
Optimum Seismic, Inc. specializes in making these upgrades seamless. […]
Real estate trends are often shaped by changing preferences. Once-popular features like wood paneling and shag carpet have been replaced by modern aesthetics such as bright walls and wood-style flooring. Beyond design, functionality has also evolved, with tenants now seeking spacious layouts, natural light, and an increasing focus on seismic […]
Before 1980, wood-framed, soft-story apartment buildings became a staple of Southern California’s rapid development. These structures featured open ground floors for parking with residential units above, prioritizing land use over safety.
These structures have since been shown to be among a community’s most deadly. Perched as if on stilts with their […]
Earthquakes are a constant threat in California. “The Big One” can hit anytime, and cause severe damage to vulnerable apartment buildings, along with death and injuries.
Apartment buildings with a “soft-story” are particularly at-risk of earthquake damage. Soft-story buildings usually have a large, open ground floor space like a parking area, […]
San Diego’s earthquake risk is significantly higher than previously thought, according to recent maps prepared by the California Geological Survey.
Recent information reveals the region’s fault zones are significantly larger and far-reaching than previously assumed – stretching along the Rose Canyon fault, an extension of the Los Angeles Newport-Inglewood fault, which […]
Most older apartment building fall short of today’s standards for earthquake safety and fail to offer the types of interior spaces tenants want.
If your apartment building was constructed before the mid-1970s, it could benefit from an upgrade of both its structural safety and functional design.
Many building owners in these circumstances […]
