General Handyman Services
NW Seismic
Seismic Retrofits Scientifically Designed to Protect Your Home and Family
4.8
Our Story
NW Seismic is a family-owned company that has been providing seismic retrofitting services in the Portland area since 1992. They specialize in designing and implementing retrofits tailored to a building's unique architecture and environment to protect homes from earthquake damage. The company aims to provide affordable solutions to help families safely shelter-in-place after a major seismic event.
Our Specialties
Minor RepairsFurniture AssemblyPainting Touch-UpsWall and Ceiling FixesOutdoor MaintenanceAppliance Installation
Services
What we bring to every project
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Service Area
Based in Portland, OR
Serves within 30 minutes drive from Portland
Common Questions
Seismic retrofitting is the process of strengthening a home's foundation to better withstand earthquake forces. In Portland, where we are overdue for a major earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone, retrofitting is crucial. It helps prevent your house from being forced off its foundation, minimizing damage and allowing you to safely shelter-in-place after a seismic event.
While costs vary depending on the size, construction type, and finishes of your home, most of our seismic retrofits range from $3,500 to $6,000. This investment can provide peace of mind, knowing that your home is better protected against earthquake damage and that you'll be able to shelter in place.
We follow earthquake retrofit science, including performing a full assessment of your home and a calculation called the Base Shear Formula. This helps us determine how to correctly anchor your house to its foundation and shift loads to the strongest components, ensuring that your house stays put during an earthquake.
Having a foundation inspection before purchasing a home is crucial for assessing its structural integrity and identifying potential weaknesses. We can evaluate the foundation's quality and provide a quote for a seismic retrofit, giving you a clear understanding of the home's earthquake resilience before you buy.
NW Seismic proudly serves the entire Portland, Oregon metro area. We're dedicated to providing affordable seismic retrofitting solutions to protect as many families as possible from the potential devastation of a major earthquake in the Cascadia Subduction Zone.
Yes, homes built before 1974 in Oregon were not required to be anchored to their foundations, making them particularly vulnerable to earthquake damage. Anchoring is the most important thing you can do to prevent a collapse of your home. We can assess your home and provide a customized retrofit solution.