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  • Writer's pictureMike Abell, Professional Civil Engineer

Our offer for soft-story retrofit


If you're a property owner who needs a soft-story retrofit, you might be feeling overwhelmed.


This is quite an undertaking.



You need to:


- Strengthen your building.


- Meet city requirements.


- Budget for a big financial expense.



We understand you have a lot to deal with.


Where do you even begin?



You must be concerned with:


- The total project cost.


- Coordinating the whole process.


- Getting a good design that's cost effective.


- Getting the best construction quotes for that design.



This is a lot to manage.


How do you take care of all this, while getting the best outcomes at the best price?


Well, the good news is that you don't have to, because ...



We'll take care of it for you.


We'll coordinate design, permitting, and construction, all at the lowest cost for each project phase.



Our offer is that we'll provide you with:


01) An accurate initial estimate for total project cost.


02) Cost-effective engineering service.


03) Cost-effective retrofit design.


04) The lowest construction quotes from our recommended contractors.



We'll do all of this while keeping our engineering fee low.



How is this possible?


We perfected our workflow during San Francisco's mandatory soft-story retrofit program.


Now we can offer you:


- Optimized project delivery.


- Automated process and coordination.


- Relationships with the best contractors who provide the lowest construction quotes.



We do all this to ensure that you have:


- Peace of mind.


- Significant savings (of money and time).


- Confidence that you're getting the best design and construction for the lowest cost.



Here is our offer in more detail.



01) Accurate initial estimate for total project cost


We will:


- Provide you with a complimentary briefing on your building and project.


- Sketch out a preliminary retrofit scope.


- Use our algorithm to calculate an accurate initial estimate of total project cost.



What's this algorithm?


We built an application from previous project data and construction quotes to provide you with an accurate initial estimate for total project cost.


While other engineers make you wait until their design is complete, we get you these numbers up front so you can plan your finances and have peace of mind knowing you're under budget.



02) Cost-effective engineering service


We're a small, agile, tech-savvy team who values efficiency with low overhead. Our workflow is template-based so we can optimize project delivery.


This generates savings that we pass on to you while we add value to each project phase.



Does high quality come with this low cost?


Absolutely! We love what we do. This motivates us to perfect our process and each individual project.


We're active with professional associations, we engage in continuing education, and we discuss the nuance of our projects and profession with personal acquaintances who are industry experts.


Our work is low cost yet reflects industry forefront.



03) Cost-effective retrofit design


We also value design economy. Working with us, you'll minimize construction cost while receiving reliable design that reflects industry forefront.


Other specialists over-engineer and burden you with unnecessary expense. We have techniques that achieve code compliance with much less cost. For example, we specify no moment frames or new foundation work unless absolutely necessary. Instead, we find strategic ways to retrofit your building using only wood-frame shear walls installed into existing foundation.



Does this work?


Yes! We've worked with all building departments to get all kinds of projects approved.


We can do the same for you and your project.



04) Low construction quotes from excellent contractors


We have a network of the best contractors who price cost-effectively.


Once your design is complete, we will:


- Collect construction quotes for you.


- Hand your project off to a recommended contractor.


- Provide inspection during construction.


- Make sure everything is done well and according to plan.



We'll also show you that our initial estimate was accurate.


We've done many soft-story retrofit projects in many cities around the Bay Area.


We're happy to help with yours too.



We'll help you:


- Protect your asset and cash flow.


- Meet building code and comply with the ordinance.


- Remove your building from the soft-story list.



You'll also save future expenses in that:


- Your building won't collapse during the next major earthquake.


- Damage will be substantially reduced or eliminated.


- You won't need earthquake insurance.



You'll have confidence and peace of mind knowing that you have the best specialists, and the best product at best price.


You can relax and go about your life, knowing that everything is taken care of.



Planning a Soft-Story Retrofit?


Leave us a message below in our website footer.


We're happy to provide you with a complimentary consultation.

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