Is Avant‑Garde the Right Contractor for Your Home? The Avant‑Garde Dossier
Is Avant‑Garde the Right Contractor for Your Home? The Avant‑Garde Dossier If you’re comparing contractors for drainage, foundation, or seismic […]
Seismic Retrofit
El Niño Is Strengthening: What Bay Area Homeowners Should Do About Drainage, Foundations, and Seismic Safety
El Niño Is Strengthening: What Bay Area Homeowners Should Do About Drainage, Foundations, and Seismic Safety San Francisco Bay Area
How We Work to Earn (Not Assume) Your Trust
How We Work to Earn (Not Assume) Your Trust San Francisco Bay Area If you’re reading this, there’s a good
The Real ROI of a Seismic Evaluation (Beyond the Insurance Discount)
The Real ROI of a Seismic Evaluation (Beyond the Insurance Discount) San Francisco Bay Area July 9, 2026 When homeowners
The Hidden Trap of “Owner‑Builder” and Unlicensed Work in Bay Area Seismic & Foundation Projects
The Hidden Trap of “Owner‑Builder” and Unlicensed Work in Bay Area Seismic & Foundation Projects San Francisco Bay Area July
Who Is the Best Seismic Retrofit Contractor in the Bay Area?
Who Is the Best Seismic Retrofit Contractor in the Bay Area? If you’re searching “best seismic retrofit contractor in the
Lead, Asbestos, and Silica: 3 Health Hazards Homeowners Should Ask About Before Hiring a Contractor
Lead, Asbestos, and Silica: 3 Health Hazards Homeowners Should Ask About Before Hiring a Contractor (California Edition) Most Bay Area
The Hidden Systems Under Your Home (That Free Estimates Ignore)
The Hidden Systems Under Your Home (That Free Estimates Ignore) Most “free estimate” contractors walk around the outside, poke their
Alameda County Ranked Among Least Prepared for Disasters: Why This Training (and Your House) Matter
Alameda County Ranked Among Least Prepared for Disasters: Why This Training (and Your House) Matter San Francisco Bay Area June
Strong Tohoku Quakes and Tokyo’s New Disaster Plan: What Bay Area Homeowners Should Learn
Strong Tohoku Quakes and Tokyo’s New Disaster Plan: What Bay Area Homeowners Should Learn San Francisco Bay Area June 24,
Powerful 7.2 and 7.5 Venezuela Earthquakes: Coastal Shock, Global Reminder for Bay Area Homeowners
Powerful 7.2 and 7.5 Venezuela Earthquakes: Coastal Shock, Global Reminder for Bay Area Homeowners San Francisco Bay Area June 24,
5.6 Mendocino / Ukiah Earthquake: What It Means (And Doesn’t) For Bay Area Homeowners
5.6 Mendocino / Ukiah Earthquake: What It Means (And Doesn’t) For Bay Area Homeowners San Francisco Bay Area June 24,
Flawed Bay Area Earthquake Retrofits: Why It Keeps Happening (And What You Can Do About It)
Flawed Bay Area Earthquake Retrofits: Why It Keeps Happening (And What You Can Do About It) San Francisco Bay Area
Why A23, A34, L30 and Similar Clips Are Not Proper Post Connections in Bay Area Seismic Retrofits
Why A23, A34, L30 and Similar Clips Are Not Proper Post Connections in Bay Area Seismic Retrofits In Bay
EverJack® in Bay Area Crawl Spaces: Why It’s Not a Good Substitute for Concrete Piers in High Seismic Zones
EverJack® in Bay Area Crawl Spaces: Why It’s Not a Good Substitute for Concrete Piers in High Seismic Zones
What Are the Best Options for Seismic Retrofits in the San Francisco Bay Area?
What Are the Best Options for Seismic Retrofits in the San Francisco Bay Area? When people ask, “What’s the
Why You Should Look Beyond Only Free Estimates for Seismic Retrofits
Why You Should Look Beyond Only Free Estimates for Seismic Retrofits If you’re in the Bay Area and typing “seismic
Do I Need an Engineer, Plan Set A, or FEMA P‑1100 for My Bay Area Seismic Retrofit?
Do I Need an Engineer, Plan Set A, or FEMA P‑1100 for My Bay Area Seismic Retrofit? If you own
Products
Simpson Strong-Tie Holdowns: Essential Seismic Resistance for Bay Area Homes
What Are Holdowns and Why Do They Matter in Seismic Design? During an earthquake, the ground moves in multiple directions.
Products
Simpson Strong-Tie Hurricane Ties: Essential Uplift Resistance for Bay Area Roofs
What Are Hurricane Ties and Why They Matter for Earthquake Resistance? The name “hurricane tie” can be misleading for Bay
Products
Simpson Strong-Tie Post Bases: Seismic Column Anchorage for Bay Area Structures
What Are Post Bases and Why They Matter for Seismic Design Post bases represent one of the most critical yet
Products
Simpson Strong-Tie Joist Hangers: Seismic Floor Connections for Bay Area Homes
What Are Joist Hangers and Their Purpose in Seismic Design Joist hangers represent one of the most fundamental yet critical
Products
Simpson Strong-Tie SSTB Anchor Bolts: Seismic Foundation Bolting for Bay Area Homes
What Are SSTB Anchor Bolts and Their Purpose in Seismic Design SSTB anchor bolts represent a specialized category of foundation
Products
Simpson Strong-Tie Mudsill Anchors (MAS/MASA): Foundation Connections for Bay Area Homes
What Are Mudsill Anchors and Their Purpose in Seismic Design Mudsill anchors represent a specialized category of structural connectors designed
Does My Home Need an Earthquake Retrofit? A Bay Area Homeowner’s Guide
Does My Home Need an Earthquake Retrofit? A Bay Area Homeowner’s Guide As a Bay Area homeowner, you have likely
Earthquake Near Me Today: What Bay Area Residents Need to Know About Seismic Safety
When you search for “earthquake near me today,” you want more than data—you want peace of mind. Learn how Bay Area residents can protect their homes through seismic retrofitting, understand earthquake preparedness, and take proactive steps to safeguard their families against the next big quake.
Foundation, Structural & Drainage Evaluations for Buyers & Sellers
Foundation, Structural & Drainage Evaluations for Buyers & Sellers When you’re buying or selling a home, “the foundation” can be
Why Are My Floors Sloping in the Bay Area?
Why Are My Floors Sloping in the Bay Area? If you’ve started noticing that your floors feel uneven, you see
Red Flags in Seismic Retrofit Bids (Bay Area Edition)
Red Flags in Seismic Retrofit Bids (Bay Area Edition) When you first look at seismic retrofit bids, they all blur
Soft Story Retrofits
Soft-Story Retrofits For Bay Area owners of wood-frame apartments with tuck-under parking or open ground floors who want their building
Crawl Space & Cripple Wall Retrofits
Crawl-Space & Cripple-Wall Retrofits For Bay Area homeowners with raised foundations and crawl spaces who want their house tied to
Basement Retrofits & Conversions
Basement Retrofits & Conversions Basement Strengthening, Dig-Outs, and Seismic Upgrades For Bay Area owners who have a basement under their
Program Based Earthquake Retrofits
Program-Based Earthquake Retrofits EBB, ESS, Plan Set A, FEMA P-1100 2A/2B For Bay Area homeowners who want to use standardized
Engineered Frames & Structural Steel
Engineered Frames & Structural Steel Moment Frames, Special Columns, Hardy Frames, Strong-Walls, LVLs/LSLs/PSLs For Bay Area owners, architects, and engineers
What Contractors Often Leave Out of Seismic Retrofit Estimates
What Contractors Often Leave Out of Seismic Retrofit Estimates Most seismic retrofit bids in the Bay Area focus on one
Earthquake Safety Audit™
Earthquake Safety Audit™ San Francisco Bay Area For Bay Area homeowners who have never had retrofit work done and want
Can You Retrofit Over a Bad Foundation?
Can You Retrofit Over a Bad Foundation? A lot of Bay Area homeowners hear some version of this: “Yeah, the
CEA / Earthquake Insurance Evaluation & Retrofit Verification
CEA / Earthquake Insurance Evaluation & Retrofit Verification For Bay Area homeowners who want earthquake insurance to actually pay out
Why Most Earthquake Retrofits Don’t Do What Homeowners Think
Most Bay Area homeowners I meet believe some version of this: “The previous owner did an earthquake retrofit and it
What the 2011 Japan Earthquake Still Teaches Bay Area Homeowners, 13 Years Later
What the 2011 Japan Earthquake Still Teaches Bay Area Homeowners, 13 Years Later San Francisco Bay Area March 12, 2026
Bay Area Soft-Story Homes: Why You Must Retrofit Now to Avoid $150,000+ in Earthquake Losses
Why Bay Area Homeowners Shouldn’t Wait for a Soft-Story Retrofit If your home has a living space built above
Why FEMA P-1100-2A Is Better Than Plan Set A
Why FEMA P-1100-2A Is Better Than Plan Set A Just in California alone, as many as 1.2 million houses
Why Structural Screws are Better than Nails for Seismic Retrofits
Why Structural Screws are Better than Nails for Seismic Retrofits When upgrading your home’s seismic protection, an overlooked decision is
Screw and Nail Spacing Matters More than You Might Think
Screw and Nail Spacing Matters More than You Might Think For a seismic retrofit, plywood screw and nailing spaces matter
How to Select a Seismic Design Team
How to Select a Seismic Design Team Seismic designs are not only expensive but also extremely important. Because of this,
Is the “Big One” Coming to the Bay Area?
Is the “Big One” Coming to the Bay Area? San Francisco Bay Area homeowners live above some of the most
What Most Contractors Miss During Crawl Space Assessments
What Most Contractors Miss During Crawl Space Assessments When it comes to protecting the foundation of your home, few things
Why Site Consultation Fees Are Worth It for Seismic Work
Why Site Consultation Fees Are Worth It for Seismic Work At first, a site consultation fee might be something that
How to Prevent Fires After an Earthquake
How to Prevent Fires After an Earthquake Earthquakes can be bad enough. They can be damaging, life-threatening, and honestly, pretty
How to Select Materials for Corrosion Resistance
How to Select Materials for Corrosion Resistance Metal hardware is what keeps every structure together. However, despite this, it’s also
Common Seismic Building Code Violations in the Bay Area
In a high seismic activity region like the Bay Area, specific seismic building codes have been created to ensure the
What Is the FEMA P-58 Seismic Methodology?
What Is the FEMA P-58 Seismic Methodology? The FEMA P-58 Seismic Methodology is a performance-based approach for evaluating how buildings
Performance-Based vs. Code-Based Seismic Design
Performance-Based vs. Code-Based Seismic Design In earthquake-prone regions, building owners and developers need to weigh up their design approach carefully.
How to Set Earthquake Performance Goals
How to Set Earthquake Performance Goals When it comes to earthquake performance goals, you can just follow the “code”, for
Reasons to Seismic Retrofit Your Home in the San Francisco Bay Area
Living in the San Francisco Bay Area offers residents scenic views, a thriving economy, and a vibrant culture. However, it also comes with significant seismic risks, due to proximity to active faults such as the San Andreas and Hayward faults.
Permitting, Design & Construction Support Services in the Bay Area
As you probably know, construction in the Bay Area is complicated. Between strict building codes, aging house stock, city-by-city permitting rules, and seismic risks, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed before the project even begins.
Property Restoration & Structural Repairs in the Bay Area
For property owners, the Bay Area is, without question, very unique. We have active seismic zones, aging housing, high moisture, and an enhanced possibility of termite infestations.