Saunders Seismic Insights
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Expert guidance to help commercial and industrial property owners, facility managers, and investors understand earthquake retrofitting, structural repairs, and building safety.
Earthquake Safety for Tenants: A Guide for Property Managers
Earthquake safety is a serious topic, but it doesn’t have to be a scary one. For apartment building owners and property managers, communicating with tenants about seismic risk is not just a legal or ethical responsibility—it’s also an opportunity to build trust. In a...
Apartment Soft-Story Retrofits: What Owners Should Know
Many older apartment buildings were constructed before modern seismic codes accounted for major earthquake forces. If your property has tuck-under parking or an open ground floor, it’s probably a soft-story building — and that puts it at serious risk during an...
Earthquake Preparedness for Commercial & Multi-Family Buildings
Earthquakes happen without warning. For commercial, industrial, and multi-family properties, the damage can be immediate—and long-lasting. Yet many property owners remain unprepared, leaving buildings, businesses, and occupants vulnerable. This guide walks you through...
How Seismic Retrofitting Strengthens Your Commercial Building
Is your building ready for the next earthquake? Many commercial buildings in high-risk seismic zones like California, Oregon, and Washington weren’t built to withstand strong shaking. Even a moderate quake can cause severe damage—or worse, total collapse– without...
How to Hire a Seismic Retrofit Contractor: 5 Pro Tips
Hiring the right seismic retrofit contractor is crucial in protecting your commercial, industrial, or multi-family property from earthquake damage. A well-executed retrofit strengthens your building’s structure, reduces the risk of collapse, and ensures compliance...
Beyond Fault Lines: 8 Hidden Earthquake Dangers
When it comes to seismic safety, it’s common to focus on fault lines as a primary cause of earthquake damage. While fault line proximity is significant, relying solely on it can leave your commercial and industrial buildings vulnerable to other unforeseen...
Maximize Your Business Tax Savings with a Seismic Retrofit
Seismic retrofitting is not only an investment in your building’s safety but also a smart way to save money. By leveraging tax deductions, depreciation benefits, and local incentives, your business can reduce upfront costs while improving long-term financial...
What Are Non-Ductile Buildings?
Non-ductile buildings, often called “non-ductile concrete” or “non-ductile reinforced concrete” buildings, are a critical concern in earthquake-prone regions. These structures lack the flexibility to withstand seismic activity. This rigidity...
Earthquake Risks of 5 Commercial Building Types
Earthquakes don’t just shake the ground—they test the strength of every structure built upon it. For many types of commercial buildings, especially those constructed before modern safety codes, seismic events reveal dangerous vulnerabilities that could put lives and...
What is Roof Condensation? Causes, Risks, and Repairs
Roof condensation poses a hidden threat to the structural integrity of commercial and industrial buildings. If left unchecked, it can cause severe structural damage, lead to costly repairs, and create safety hazards, which can result in significant financial and...
Living with Earthquakes in California: Myths, Facts and Safety
California is one of the most seismically active regions in the world, experiencing frequent tremors ranging from minor shakes to potentially catastrophic events. While most earthquakes in California go unnoticed, larger ones can cause widespread damage, endangering...
Is Commercial Earthquake Insurance Worth It?
Damage to a commercial building after the Northridge earthquake. Source: USGS Earthquakes are among the most common natural disasters, yet standard property insurance rarely covers them. Property owners in high-risk areas often need separate earthquake insurance,...
Soft-Story Collapse: Is Your Building at Risk?
Earthquakes strike without warning, and not all buildings are designed to withstand their force. If you own or manage a commercial or industrial property, it’s crucial to understand whether your building is at risk. Soft-story buildings—characterized by open ground...
Seismic Retrofitting: Why NOW Is the Best Time
Many property owners know seismic retrofitting offers essential benefits, but fewer understand why timing matters so much. Waiting to retrofit increases risks and can mean missed opportunities to improve property value and safety. While earthquakes aren’t common...
What Are the Most Common Structural Repairs?
Structural repairs are crucial to maintaining the safety and stability of commercial and industrial buildings. These repairs focus on critical building elements like roofs, foundations, floors, exterior walls, and support columns. All types of buildings—including...
Concrete Tilt-Up Buildings: Pros, Cons, and Seismic Concerns
Factors like construction cost value, experience, qualifications, and tenant operations are critical when selecting a contractor and engineer for your projects. Concrete tilt-up construction is one of the most popular methods in the commercial and industrial sectors...
Are You Ready for the Great California ShakeOut 2024?
The Great California ShakeOut is an annual earthquake drill that takes place on the third Thursday of October, designed to help millions of people across California and beyond prepare for earthquake emergencies. This year’s drill is scheduled for October 17, 2024, at...
Earthquake Retrofits: 6 Benefits You Can’t Ignore
Earthquake retrofitting is a crucial step for property owners in earthquake-prone areas. Earthquakes pose significant risks to both buildings and their occupants, making it essential to ensure that your property can withstand seismic forces. While the initial...
The Northridge Earthquake: Pioneering Disaster Recovery
The 1994 Northridge Earthquake is remembered for the widespread destruction it caused across Southern California, but its long-term impact on disaster recovery planning is equally significant. It became a turning point for modern recovery methods, later applied to...
2024 Guide to California Balcony Inspections and Compliance
In California, ensuring the safety and structural integrity of balconies, decks, and similar elevated structures is more critical than ever, with the California balcony inspection law mandating compliance by January 1, 2025. This ordinance was introduced after a...
Who Do I Hire for Structural Repairs?
Structural repairs are critical for maintaining the safety and integrity of your commercial or industrial property. Structural problems like roof condensation don’t fix themselves; they only worsen over time, leading to more extensive and costly repairs. Whether...
The Northridge Earthquake: Shaping Modern Seismic Resilience
As part of the Earthquake Country Alliance’s Northridge Earthquake Anniversary Webinar Series, Episode 4, titled “The Northridge Earthquake – 30 Years Later – A Catalyst for Engineering Resilient Communities,” brought together experts to explore how the...
Discover the Saunders Retrofit Advantage
In business since 1979, Saunders Seismic is a commercial industrial contractor that has specialized in seismic solutions since 1984. We perform seismic retrofits and structural repairs to existing buildings, making them more earthquake-resistant. However, when it...
SEL vs. SUL: Mastering Seismic Risk Assessments
Seismic events pose significant risks to structures, especially in earthquake-prone areas. Therefore, understanding seismic risk is critical to ensure buildings’ safety and financial viability. Lenders, insurance companies, and risk managers use risk assessments...
Building Seismic Safety: The Seismic Retrofit Process
Despite advancements in building codes, older structures may still need to meet current seismic safety standards. Building owners, property managers, and investors must understand how an effective seismic retrofit process protects lives and commercial investments....
The Cold Storage Boom: 8 Trends Driving Demand
Cold storage is quickly becoming one of the fastest-growing sectors in commercial real estate. A recent Skyquest report shows demand is expected to grow from $43.2 billion in 2023 to $118.8 billion by 2031. This surge is fueled by changing consumer habits, new...
West Coast Seismic Risks: Protect Your Real Estate Assets
Last week, the Los Angeles Times reported multiple swarms of earthquakes along the California-Mexico border. Earthquake swarms are common in the Imperial Valley and can be a cause for concern, as major, damaging earthquakes have been known to follow. However, these...
Top Trends Shifting Retail in Commercial Real Estate
The forecast for retail in commercial real estate is undergoing significant shifts, influenced by various factors and trends. Retail Commercial Real Estate will surely be top of mind at the upcoming ICSC Las Vegas conference. ICSC Las Vegas is the largest commercial...
Client Profile: Marin Medical Center
Saunders Seismic recently completed a seismic retrofit for Marin Cancer Medical Center. One of our fortes is completing seismic retrofits and structural repairs in occupied spaces with ongoing tenant operations. This requires a lot of client communication and customer...
Top Takeaways from NAIOP’s I.CON West 2024
One of the best annual industrial events in commercial real estate is NAIOP’s I.CON West (& East). This year, in Long Beach, CA, a record-setting crowd of over 1,200 of the industry’s top industrial owners, developers, investors, and vendors attended for...