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Things to know

  1. British Columbians live in an active earthquake region where some of the largest earthquakes in the world occur. more »
  2. A major earthquake is predicted in British Columbia within the next 50 years. more »
  3. bolts - seismic retrofits for Victoria, Vancouver, and British ColumbiaTo survive an earthquake your home must be securely bolted to its foundation. more »
  4. Most homes built prior to 1980 are not bolted to their foundations. more »
  5. Many homes built after 1980
    are improperly secured to their foundations and will not withstand
    earthquakes.
  6. When your home is shaken from its foundation, major damage, injury and loss of life may occur.
  7. Your house, property and family can be protected from the catastrophic effect of an earthquake for as little as $4,200.00 by bolting your house to its foundation.
  8. We recommend earthquake insurance but even with the annual premiums and astronomic deductibles it will be very difficult to find equipment, labour and resources to rebuild your home. It can be years before homes are rebuilt in a severely devistated area.
  9. QuakeSafe bolting methods are shown to minimize earthquake damage and loss.

Quick Terms Reference

Foundation - This is a perimeter of cement that supports the house.

Crawl space - This is the space between the ground under the house and the floor you walk on. Often the cripple wall and foundation creates this space.

Floor - This is the area you walk on that is above the sill plate or basement.

Sill plate/Mudsill - This is the layer of wood that rests on top of the foundation. The entire weight of the house rests on this layer and it should be secured to the concrete foundation. This is not the case in an older home and in an earthquake the entire sill plate could slide causing the house to fall off the foundation.

Cripple Wall - Not all homes have a cripple wall. This wall is the support between the sill plate on the foundation and your floor. It is often used to raise the house off the ground and foundation creating the crawl space. In older homes the cripple wall is not properly reinforced and in an earthquake the horizontal motion will cause the cripple wall to rock back and forth like a domino ultimately causing it to topple over bringing the house crashing to the ground.



Ok, so what's next?

Why retrofit and how?