Why Consult An Earthquake Retrofitting Specialist In Seattle?

One thing you might not currently be thinking about is earthquake preparation. Perhaps you’re going about daily life without caring if an earthquake will shake your Seattle home. However, that’s not a good way to approach the situation. Geologists predict that a megathrust earthquake will shake the area. It’s just simply a matter of when it will happen. One of the biggest things you should do as a homeowner is to ensure you are prepared. The best way to do that is by working with a company such as Evergreen Seismic. With the help of an earthquake retrofitting specialist in Seattle, you can get your home ready for an earthquake that may happen in the future.

Understanding The Need For Earthquake Awareness

Earthquakes happen because plates in the earth start to shift against each other. They can be minor or major. When there are significant shifts, it shows up on the Richter Scale with a magnitude such as 5.2 or 9.3. The larger that number, the more damage that occurs. When you’re not prepared, it can shift your entire home off the foundation or bring it down flat.

Learning about the chances of that happening in Seattle can help you be a well-prepared homeowner!

Subduction Zones

The area that Seattle sits on is called the North American Block. The Seattle fault line sits in a place called the Cascadia Subduction Zone. When you’re thinking of the shifting and moving, it happens way below the earth’s surface. However, when the results come to the top of the surface is when damage can really take place. For example, a megathrust of the plates happened years ago off the coast of Japan. That ended in a massive tsunami coming ashore and losing many lives and property. Scientists say that one of these megathrust earthquakes typically happens every 500 years. The last one on record occurred over 320 years ago. Right now, the odds are that one of these megathrust earthquakes could hit Seattle in the next 50 years is at about 14%.

There are two areas of the Cascadia Subduction zone to be aware of. There’s the locked zone area where the megaquakes can cause massive devastation to occur. Deeper into the zone is the site where silent earthquakes happen. These may be felt as a slight tremor or a slip event. The next major quake in Seattle on the fault line will be right under the city. That’s why you must start with earthquake preparations before that time occurs.

Having peace of mind that your home can withstand the inevitable megaquake is easy to do when you work with our Evergreen Seismic experts.

What We Do

Our team has been in business for years, offering assistance to those who want to seismic retrofit their homes to ensure that they are stable and on firm foundations. As a family-owned and operated company, there are over 18 years of experience in doing just that. We can come out and evaluate the home, provide you with an estimate on retrofitting and securing the home, and get to work as soon as you approve. Our six-phase approach works from start to finish to make sure your home is properly engineered and constructed to handle earthquakes that could hit at any moment.

Our process looks like this:

Initial assessment
Design and engineering process
Impact of the project
Obtaining permits
Work starts
Structural and final inspections
Finish replacement if chosen
Walk-through and the final cleaning of the home
Documentation necessary for the retrofit

While you don’t want to fixate on this subject to the point where you live in fear, you need to think logically and take the time to be prepared. It is best to have your home inspected by one of our expert team members to discuss options to help you have peace of mind.

Being proactive and having your home retrofitted now is a great way to know that you’re secure, no matter how big or small the next quake may be. You can do that by working with a company that takes pride in helping homeowners just like you to protect their homes and families.

Get Started Today

Earthquakes can be devastating no matter when they hit. Take steps today to protect your home, your family, and the valuables inside your home. Call our office at (206) 984-2580 for more information or to set up a consultation appointment with an earthquake retrofitting specialist in Seattle. We are here to help you regain peace of mind and protect everything in your home. Don’t hesitate to reach out to our team today if you have questions or concerns you want to take care of. We’re here to help!

We would definitely hire this company again. They had good communication; were prompt; respectful of our property; and completed the work in less time than expected. In general, they did a great job.

K Curtis

Evergreen Seismic came up in a Google search when I was questioning whether my earthquake insurance was really necessary, so I called and owner Matt came out for a free inspection. It turned out that our house did have some risk factors and Matt explained what he recommended and how they would do the job. After some research, I decided to proceed. They just finished after less than a week and Matt and his crew were thoroughly professional and friendly. I especially appreciated Matt's willingness to take extra time explaining things and he even offered some free advice on a couple of unrelated areas where some foundation repair was needed. A residential seismic retrofit isn't cheap and like any insurance, you hope you won't need it. I'm happy with the quality of the work performed and the price. I would recommend Matt and Evergreen Seismic to anyone thinking about making their home more earthquake tolerant.

R2H

We worked with Evergreen Seismic in the Summer of 2023 to retrofit our Seattle home. From the very first meeting, we knew that Matt was the right person to trust this project to. He is very knowledgeable and competent, and our communication was always transparent and smooth. Evergreen Seismic coordinated the process of getting the proper permit from the city (which took some time since we were using the standard set of plans) and provided us with all the documentation. When the time came for the retrofit itself, it was performed quickly and efficiently, in just one day for our one-story, 3-br. home. The city inspector was happy with the job as well! We confidently recommend Evergreen Seismic and Matt to anyone planning a seismic retrofit work in the Seattle area.

Kristina

Evergreen Seismic was amazing to work with. Matt was quick to respond to our initial query, and took the time to walk us through the process and answer questions when he came out to look at the house. His bid was very clear and thorough. He's also a great communicator and made the whole process extremely smooth once we decided to go forward. We really appreciated that nothing felt rushed or unexpected. The crew here doing the work was considerate, patient with any questions we had, and kept us updated every day about what was going on. They did a really great job retrofitting our basement and crawl space and took care of some necessary repairs as well. We were lucky enough to have Evergreen recommended to us, so passing on the recommendation now! We would hire them again with zero reservations.

Amelia Apfel

Evergreen Seismic and Matt were such blessings to us during our seismic retrofit on a Bellevue home we just bought! Matt and his crew, Phil and Nick, were all equally tremendous and beyond helpful to us and my inlaws! We were hell bent on seismically retrofitting by removing drywall interiorally vs sidings exteriorally. And Matt was accommodating to our request. As a hedge though, we knew we wanted a contractor who knows how to retrofit by both methods should a need arises during the retrofit peocess! And Matt fits the bill with his extensive knowledge and years working in earthquake retrofitting. They say never open up drywall if you don't want to find out what deep dark secrets lie underneath. And boy, did we unearthed a structurally problematic framing job on most all the studs holding up an exterior wall of the house, which threw my husband and I in a loop thinking of the scope creep. But Matt stuck with us, helped to sister in all new 2x4s on the compromised studs, and best yet didnt charge us an arm and a leg to fix the framing issue because he truly cares about doing the best job at the most economical rate. The framing job along with the seismic retrofit all easily passed various round of inspections. What started as out as contractor/client relationship became friendship based on what transpired with our house framing issue. We can only hope to find contractors as knowledgeable and honest as Matt and crew!

Cindy Hedrick

I would hire Matt again in a heartbeat. Not only do he and his crew perform good work (in my case, seismic retrofit) at a fair price, he combines his core competencies with great people skills and clear, timely, winsome communication. I am especially grateful to Matt because he was ever so patient with me when I suffered long COVID a few weeks after signing the contract, prompting me to delay the project a few months while I recovered. Matt turned what I expected to be a stressful experience into a very good experience. I encourage anyone considering a seismic retrofit to invite Matt to visit you and give you an estimate. I expect that you, too, will be highly satisfied with the result.

Darrell Dorr

Matt did a fantastic job on the earthquake retrofit for our home. Our garage had never been so clean as it was after he was done with his work. Matt had the utmost professionalism through every step of the project. The contract clearly explained everything he was going to do, and he completed every step exactly as described. He thoroughly answered each of my questions during his initial visit in a way where he not only answered the question I asked, but gave background information to educate me on the topic of seismic retrofit. It's great to have the peace of mind that not only is my home now better able to withstand the "big one" that will eventually come to the PNW, but also that the work was done by a great company.

Matthew Offerman

Matt is knowledgeable and competent, and he communicates clearly before and during the job. He made sure that we knew what our options were, and that we understood them. Matt is a friendly, likable person and obviously cares about doing a professional job. He wants his customers to be happy. It was soon clear that we could count on Matt and his team to show up on time and also to clean the site each day before they left. They worked all day each day until the project was finished. I would certainly recommend Evergreen Seismic to anyone who wishes to retrofit their home. I have confidence now that my 1901 home is in much better shape to withstand a significant earthquake without coming off the foundation.

Catherine Wesley

Matt came out to see if our house needs a retrofit and I was absolutely blown away by his honesty, knowledge and professionalism. He advised against retrofitting our house due to the newer age of the home but did provide me with a tonne of useful information that I did not come across during my research and while speaking with other retrofit companies.

Ana Lenskiy

I was extremely pleased with the seismic retrofitting job Matt and his team completed for me. The entire experience was seamless. Matt was extremely informative during the bidding process and everything was completed on time and to a high standard. The work site was cleaned everyday and work plans and schedules were clearly communicated. It's obvious that Matt and his team really care about performing quality work. To echo another review, if I could hire them for all my home renovations, I would.

Sarah Weil