Metal hardware is what keeps every structure together. However, despite this, it’s also one of the first components to fail when exposed to the wrong conditions, causing corrosion.

Many homeowners are often surprised when they see rusted bolts, screws, or connectors in seemingly “dry” places. Though dry, stress corrosion can slowly damage the hardware through tension, humidity, and chemical exposure.

Because of this, it’s important to use the right hardware in the right location. That’s why we’re going to compare the main hardware materials on their stress corrosion resistance below.

What is Stress Corrosion

Stress corrosion is a form of metal deterioration that happens when metal under tensile stress is exposed to a corrosive environment, like moisture or chemicals. Over time, the combination of stress and a corrosive environment can cause microscopic cracks and corrosion that wouldn’t occur with stress or moisture alone.

The Problem with Standard Hardware

Homeowners are often surprised when they find rusty screws, bolts, or plates in areas that seem dry. For example, crawl spaces may not show visible water, yet wood near the ground often holds enough moisture to corrode standard hardware over time.

Accordingly, we’ve seen zinc-coated hardware rust in just two years in a “dry” crawl space. Zinc, however, is the industry-standard. In the image below:
Zinc Fastener Above After Two Years of Usage in Dry Crawl Space (contact with redwood mudsill and concrete foundation, no contact with pressure treated lumber), and HDG URFP Hardware Below

Hardware Material Comparison for Stress Corrosion

Not all metal hardware is created equal. Different materials and coatings offer varying levels of protection and performance.

Regular Steel

• Corrosion Resistance: Low
• Durability: Low
• Cost: Low
• Code Acceptance: Low
• Environmental Suitability: Dry interior only; not for crawl spaces, exterior, concrete contact, or pressure-treated wood.

Regular steel, often called bright steel, is strong but completely unprotected against corrosion. Without any coating or galvanization, it quickly rusts when exposed to air, moisture, or contact with wood or concrete. Under stress, corrosion speeds up.

Therefore, this material is only recommended for completely dry indoor environments. Think of interior framing or furniture assembly. It shouldn’t be used for anything structural or anywhere that has humidity.

Zinc

• Corrosion Resistance: Low to Medium
• Durability: Low to Medium
• Cost: Low
• Code Acceptance: Low (generally interior, non-treated applications only)
• Environmental Suitability: Dry indoor areas or very mild conditions; must avoid exterior exposure and treated lumber; although allowed, it is recommended to avoid crawl spaces and contact with interior concrete due to possible corrosion.

Zinc-coated steel, also known as electroplated galvanized, offers a thin protective layer that delays rust. However, it doesn’t prevent it long-term. Once the layer wears off or if a crack appears, corrosion can speed up rapidly.

Generally, zinc fasteners are okay for dry interior applications, like framing or furniture. For outdoor projects or treated lumber, they must not be used. For crawl spaces or contact with interior concrete, they shouldn’t be used as the coating may begin to rust.

Mechanically Galvanized

• Corrosion Resistance: Medium
• Durability: Medium
• Cost: Low to Medium
• Code Acceptance: Medium when coating meets ASTM/ESR (e.g., Class 55/65)
• Environmental Suitability: Interior or light exterior; acceptable for some retrofit/concrete anchors; avoid coastal or continuously wet locations.

Mechanically galvanized hardware has a much thicker zinc layer than electroplated steel. Therefore, corrosion resistance is improved. The coating, though, is only mechanically bonded and can chip or flake under load, exposing the steel underneath.

For performance, it’s okay. It is the next step up from zinc for many hardware applications. Typically, it’s used for light exterior work or semi-protected environments. It can even be used as an upgrade to zinc for concrete anchors or retrofit work, depending on the environment.

Hot-Dipped Galvanized

• Corrosion Resistance: High
• Durability: High
• Cost: Medium
• Code Acceptance: High (commonly required for treated wood/exterior)
• Environmental Suitability: Exterior and damp areas, crawl spaces, treated lumber, and concrete interfaces; not ideal for severe marine spray zones.

Hot-dipped galvanized (HDG) hardware offers one of the most corrosion-resistant coatings available. The steel is deep in molten zinc, creating a thick, bonded layer that protects against moisture and stress corrosion.

Generally, it’s the industry-standard for decks, anything exterior, and treated-wood applications. In some cases it is required, but at least always recommended for all crawl space work and foundation retrofits. Due to how the coating is applied, it offers long-term performance even in humid or damp environments. Please note, not all hardware is available in this option.

Simpson Strong Tie’s ZMAX

• Corrosion Resistance: Medium-High
• Durability: Medium-High
• Cost: Medium
• Code Acceptance: High (G185-level heavy galvanization)
• Environmental Suitability: Exterior and treated-wood connections (decks, crawl spaces, seismic retrofits); good general choice short of harsh marine exposure.

Simpson Strong-Tie’s ZMAX uses heavy galvanization, around double that of zinc. This ensures that it resists corrosion from moisture and pressure-treated wood.

Mainly, this is used for exterior and high-humidity applications, like decks, crawl spaces, and seismic trusses.

GRK’s Climatek

• Corrosion Resistance: High
• Durability: High
• Cost: Medium
• Code Acceptance: High (AC257/ICC-ES approved as HDG alternative)
• Environmental Suitability: Exterior structural and treated-wood uses, including crawl spaces and most coastal neighborhoods; avoid direct marine immersion/submersion.

GRK’s Climatek coating is a multi-layer finish that combines zinc and polymer protection. Tested under AC257 and ICC-ES standards, it meets and exceeds the corrosion resistance of hot-dipped galvanized hardware.

Due to their high resistance levels to stress corrosion, they are ideal for exterior structural work, crawl spaces, and treated-wood applications. The only real limit is direct marine or underwater environments.

Stainless Steel

• Corrosion Resistance: High
• Durability: High
• Cost: High
• Code Acceptance: High
• Environmental Suitability: Best for coastal/foggy or continuously damp areas; ideal for treated wood, concrete interfaces, and long-life exterior work.

Stainless steel fasteners are an excellent option for corrosion resistance and longevity. Containing chromium and often molybdenum, they naturally resist rust and stress corrosion without needing any additional coating.

You get two main types of stainless: A2 and A4. A2 is resistant to all non-salty water, and A4 is for saltwater protection. Therefore, A2 is used for most damp locations and A4, more coastal environments.

Comparing Hardware Materials for Corrosion Side-by-Side

Material	Corrosion Resistance	Durability	Cost	Code Acceptance	Environmental Suitability
Regular Steel	Low	Low	Low	Low	Dry interior only
Zinc-Coated Steel	Low-Medium	Low-Medium	Low	Low	Dry indoor or mild conditions
Mechanically Galvanized	Medium	Medium	Low-Med	Medium	Interior or light exterior
Hot-Dipped Galvanized (HDG)	High	High	Medium	High	Exterior, damp, and crawl spaces
Simpson Strong-Tie ZMAX®	Medium-High	Medium-High	Medium	High	Exterior and treated-wood use
GRK’s Climatek	High	High	Medium	High	Exterior, treated wood, coastal
Stainless Steel (A2/A4)	High	High	High	High	Coastal, foggy, or damp areas

What Hardware Material Should You Use?

The right hardware material depends on where and how it’s used. For dry indoor areas, zinc-coated fasteners can be used. However, in crawl spaces, basements, and outdoor projects, upgrading to at least hot-dipped galvanized or Simpson Strong-Tie’s ZMAX hardware is recommended.

For homes that are near the coast or exposed to high humidity, stainless steel hardware and fasteners are the best options. These can resist stress corrosion and even damp or salty air (A4 stainless steel only)

Why Should You “Upgrade” Your Hardware Material

When compared to regular steel, the costs of other fasteners with better stress corrosion resistance levels are higher. Therefore, why should you consider the upgrade?

Prevent Costly Repairs

The main reason is that corroded fasteners and connectors can lead to serious structural damage over time. Replacing rusted hardware often means taking apart prior work, which can be labor-consuming and expensive.

Invest in better hardware now, prevent replacement in the future.

Invest in Durability

Upgraded materials like HDG, ZMAX, and stainless steel are built to last. They maintain their strength under tension, resist environmental wear, and prevent premature hardware failure, making them much more durable.

Protect Against Hidden Moisture

Even “Dry” areas like crawl spaces or basements often hold enough humidity to trigger corrosion. Upgraded hardware provides a safety margin against these threats, ensuring that your connections remain structurally sound for years to come.

Conclusion

Choosing proper hardware isn’t just about meeting the standard code. It’s about protecting your home’s structure for the long term.

Stress corrosion is a serious problem. Quietly, it can weaken connections in areas that may appear dry. Therefore, it’s highly important that you choose quality hardware materials from the get-go.

For most Bay Area homeowners, hot-dipped galvanized (HDG) and Simpson Strong-Tie’s ZMAX hardware is a good option. This balances cost and corrosion resistance perfectly. For more coastal areas, stainless steel (A4) hardware and fasteners are recommended. Upgrading your hardware today means avoiding costly repairs tomorrow.

For guidance with comparing hardware materials for corrosion or installation, feel free to contact our professionals at Avant-Garde

When these codes aren’t met, however, a property is deemed unsafe. That’s why it’s important to know the most common code violations to ensure your building is safe and prepared.

What Are Seismic Building Codes?

Seismic building codes are legally enforceable standards to ensure buildings can withstand local seismic activity. They’re used in earthquake-prone regions, like the San Francisco Bay Area, to guarantee public safety, structural integrity, and property preservation.

How Is a Seismic Building Code Violated?

The most common reasons seismic building codes are violated are through overlooked work, outdated structure, or contractor shortcuts.

For example, in the Bay Area, we often see unpermitted or DIY renovations that bypass code review or older buildings that were never retrofitted.

Another way a code is violated is through contractors or construction errors. Perhaps an anchor bolt hole has been drilled oversized, the wrong size bolts have been used, or not enough bolts have been installed, etc.

Alongside the above, sometimes, codes just naturally get violated. A code might get updated, and the latest retrofit may no longer be adequate. 

Most Common Seismic Building Code Violations

There are many common seismic building code violations. We believe that these are:

1. Missing or Improper Foundation Bolting
2. Unbraced Cripple Walls
3. Unaddressed Soft-Story Conditions
4. Lack of Shear Transfer Connections
5. Non-Ductile Concrete Frames

1.   Missing or Improper Foundation Bolting

The California building code requires sill plates (also known as mud sills) to be anchored to the foundation with steel bolts with bearing plates and nuts—with at least two exposed threads above the nuts.

Alongside this, there should be two per sill section (one near each end), and they shouldn’t be spaced more than 6 feet on center. At shear walls, the spacing is required at 32”. Bolts are also required at each end of the mudsill, and centered at the first and last bay of each shear panel.

In many older homes, think homes built before the 1950s, there may be no anchor bolts at all. In certain Bay Area cities, like San Francisco, though, 44% of homes have been built before 1940.

Not only this, but some contractors install foundation bolting incorrectly. Some may space them incorrectly, use the wrong type or embedment, install too few, or drill the holes too large, reducing the strength and integrity of the bolts and overall retrofit.

This code violation is massively problematic. Without proper foundation bolting, it can cause the house to slide off its foundation during seismic activity.

2.   Unbraced Cripple Walls

Cripple walls are short wood-framed walls above the foundation on a raised floor. They’re there to increase the lateral strength of your property’s foundation/first floor.

The code (CBC) and retrofit guides require these walls to be sheathed with structural-grade plywood panels. They should also be tied to the framing.

Missing framing or plywood, however, means little cripple wall strength. This makes it extremely vulnerable during heavy earthquakes.

Most cripple walls lack plywood altogether, which is more common than you think, leaving them unbraced and weak.

In South Napa, this was a huge issue in 2014. A lot of the home were built before pre-1980s with inadequate cripple wall bracing, leading to many homes getting “red flagged” for structural failure.

When shear panels are installed, they must be properly framed, nailed, notched, spaced, sized, etc.. If any of these components are done incorrectly, which usually is the case, you will not have the required protection.

3.   Soft-Story Conditions

A soft-story appears when the ground floor has an opening (garage door, large storefront window, etc.) spanning most of the property’s width with minimal shear walls. This, unfortunately, makes the first story remarkably weak compared to those above.

In the Bay Area, however, a large majority of apartment buildings and condos built before 1978 have soft stories. These, due to the time they were developed, don’t meet the modern seismic standard imposed by the state.

Currently, the SF Mandatory Soft-Story Retrofit Program is doing a great job of identifying these buildings in their area. Still, many continue to violate this building code.

Violating this means that the building has inadequate lateral resistance. In circumstances like a seismic earthquake, properties with poor soft-story conditions usually pancake or collapse.

4.   Lack of Shear Transfer Connections

Local codes state that shear transfer ties/clips or blocking are required to tie the floor framing (joists/plates) to the braced wall or mudsill. With many Bay Area homes, though, this is usually overlooked.

What we often see is the contractor using the toe-nail connection per legacy framing standards. This states that you must nail three toe-nails per joist. However, this is generally the only connection; no metal connectors are installed, making it non-compliant.

Without this connection, especially with older homes, the floor can move off the braced wall during a quake. If this happens, the structural integrity of the property can be at risk.

Further, many modern retrofits often install the wrong type of connector, or leave fasteners missing and/ or not installed properly (most people use nails even though they know structural screws offer more strength, higher withdrawal rating, and have a lower chance to split the wood).

5.   Non-Ductile Concrete Frames

Many of the Bay Area commercial buildings and even older apartments were constructed pre-1970. During this time, they used reinforced concrete frames. Though great for the time, now, these are considered to have a lack of rebar details (aka non-ductile concrete).

In a non-ductile building, columns don’t have closely spaced ties. As a result, instead of flexing during seismic activity, they shatter. This can cause the overall strength and loading of the building to be imbalanced.

All of these structures are also considered non-compliant. Yet, despite this, thousands remain in areas like San Francisco and Oakland. In fact, there are around 4,000 older concrete buildings in San Francisco alone.

How to Ensure Seismic Building Code Compliance

To bring an existing building into compliance, Bay Area owners should follow the clear retrofit process below:

1.   Schedule a Professional Seismic Evaluation

Before anything, hire a licensed professional (preferably someone experienced in seismic retrofits) to take their time properly evaluating your property.

During this evaluation, they’ll thoroughly evaluate the entire crawl space and foundation plus reviewing any past retrofits. While most retrofits start in the crawl space, creating a continuous load path starting at the roof and transferring all the way down to the foundation is the only way to obtain the best level of protection.

 You will find most contractors bending over backwards to give you a “free estimate.” For most homeowners, their home is the largest investment they will make, and your family spends at least 33% of their time home (assuming you sleep at least 8 hours a night every day at home).
When it comes to seismic protection for your home, and more importantly your family, you should not be looking for the cheapest or least amount of work done possible. You should instead look for contractors that actually have knowledge performing entire home retrofits, contractors that can thoroughly explain how an earthquake force can affect your home, and how your home may react during a strong seismic event.

There are specialty licenses for almost everything in construction, and yet, sadly, there is none for seismic retrofitting.

2.   Review Local Requirements

In the Bay Area, building codes can vary by city. Therefore, after the evaluation, your seismic retrofit professional will guide you through any city-specific seismic requirements or ordinances.

Currently, there are several programs to understand. This is the San Francisco Soft-Story Retrofit Program, as well as the Oakland and Berkeley Ordinances.

The seismic retrofit professional you choose should confirm whether or not your property is subject to these new mandatory retrofit rules.

3.   Obtain Retrofit Designs

Once the assessment is complete, your contractor or engineer will prepare a detailed set of retrofit drawings and specifications. These will specify the scope of work.

All of the plans should align with the California Building Code (CBC), California Residential Code (CRC), Chapter A3, Plan Set A, and/ or FEMA recommendations like FEMA P-1100, FEMA P-1100-2A, or FEMA P-1100-2B.

4.   Hire a Licensed Contractor

Your next step is to hire a licensed contractor to carry out the work. A lot of the time, the retrofit designer will recommend someone or have a team that can carry out the work.

As a rule of thumb, you want to look for contractors that:

• Have experience with seismic retrofitting before the creation of grant programs like the Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB).
• Are familiar with seismic codes on a regional and city level.
• Actually have knowledge beyond the minimum requirements of Plan Set A (most contractors cannot even follow these two-page requirements properly).

Ideally, you want to avoid hiring general contractors with zero seismic retrofit experience and/ or cannot offer any recommendations for increased seismic protection.

5.   Get Permits and Inspections

Once you have your retrofit plans, your contractor should apply for a building permit through the local building department. A city inspector will then verify the plans as well as perform on-site visits as the work is being carried out. Although the inspections should catch all non-complaint work, this often is not actually the case. Not only are the inspectors not given the proper amount of time to inspect, the plans are often missing key requirements, and the work is for the most part considered to be “just a voluntary seismic upgrade.” As long as the work does not actually make your home any worse, they often will approve anything. In some cases, we have seen seismic retrofits done so incorrectly that they actually did make the home more dangerous (and was still approved by the local building department, EBB, and FEMA).

Additionally, when a seismic retrofit is done incorrectly, but the homeowner does not know, they will have a false sense of security which ultimately may be a more dangerous situation than knowing your home is not safe.

6.   Apply for Grants or Rebates

If you do not need to pay out of your own pocket, why do it? Before any work commences, look for grant programs that help property owners fund their seismic upgrades.

Nowadays, there are quite a few. Some popular options include:

• Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB): Offers up to $3,000 for foundation bolting and cripple wall bracing.
• Soft-Story Retrofit Grant: Provides up to $13,000 for eligible soft-story seismic retrofits.
• Low-Income Retrofit Assistance: Qualifying households may receive up to $5,800-$10,000 cost coverage through the EBB Supplemental Grant.

Ideally, your contractor will know what grants you can apply for.

7.   Keep Documentation

When your retrofit is complete, keep records of everything. This includes stamped plans and valuations, permit applications, documented photos, invoice, etc. This will be essential for possible insurance claims, resale, or refinancing.

Contact Us

Our team at Avant-Garde are experts in seismic evaluation, retrofit design, and retrofit installation in the Bay Area.

It doesn’t matter whether you are concerned about a retrofit in San Francisco, a soft-story retrofit in Oakland, or foundation bolting; we’re here to help every step of the way.

To get a better understanding of how our team can help, contact us today . Waiting will be a professional ready to assist.

The FEMA P-58 Seismic Methodology is a performance-based approach for evaluating how buildings will fare during earthquakes.

It was developed by the Applied Technology Council (ATC) as part of the ATC-58 project series for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Unlike traditional code, which has a strong focus on minimum life-safety, the FEMA P-58 provides a complete risk assessment of a building’s likely earthquake damage and its consequences. 

For example, instead of “ensuring the building won’t collapse”, it outlines estimates of how much damage could occur, how long repairs might take, what it might cost, and how much downtime would be needed, etc.

How Performance-based Seismic Design Works

Performance-based seismic design (PBSD) shifts the focus from meeting minimum building code safety standards to meeting owner-defined seismic goals.

Simply, building codes aim to prevent building collapse in a “design level” earthquake. However, they don’t guarantee that the building will be usable or economical to repair afterwards. PBSD, though, does.

At the beginning of a PBSD, the owners and stakeholders set clear performance targets. This could include maximum allowable downtime, repair costs, etc. For example, a hospital may require full functionality instantly after a moderate quake.

By using tools like the FEMA P-58, professionals can model and compare design options early in the process. This then allows them to develop a seismic design plan that meets the goals of the owners or stakeholders to meet their post-seismic goals.

When to Use FEMA P-58

Not every project requires a full FEMA P-58 analysis. After all, it requires additional effort and design. However, it is always recommended, and even insights from such methodology are valuable.

High-Value or Critical Facilities

This could include anything such as residential homes, hospitals, emergency operation centers, data centers, telecommunication hubs, major manufacturing plants, or power utilities. Pretty much, any building that must function or be inhabited after an earthquake.

These facilities, if they encounter downtime, could be life-threatening. That’s why such facilities should have a FEMA P-58 seismic plan instead of an “ordinary” code-compliant seismic design plan.

Protecting What is Inside the Building

Some projects are less about protecting the building itself and more about what is inside.

If you and your family sleep at home at least 8 hours every night, then there is at least a 33% chance you and/ or your family will be home during the next major seismic event. Your family and loved ones deserve the very best when it comes to seismic protection, and the minimum required work is not designed to protect your home or family from extensive damage.

For general buildings besides your home, these could be anything from museums to archives, high-tech laboratories, art galleries, data storage centers, and so forth.

In these cases, whether the building survives or not isn’t the key issue. The goal is to protect the goods inside. Therefore, a FEMA P-58 plan will look into the probability of things like sprinkler leaks, ceiling collapse, etc., to protect them.

Projects in High Seismic Risk Zones

If a structure is located in an area with a high likelihood of seismic activity, like California’s San Andreas and Hayward fault regions, the Pacific Northwest, etc., a PBSD could help reduce the deadliness of the “big one”.

For example, the “big one” in the San Francisco Bay Area could be a magnitude of 7.5. However, codes only ensure that most properties, such as residential, can handle minor quakes. Therefore, major earthquakes still pose a serious threat with standard seismic codes.

Real Estate Transactions & Investments

FEMA P-58 isn’t just for design. It can also be used as a powerful due diligence and risk assessment tool when buying, leasing, or financing a building.

By getting a professional to review the current real estate plans, you’ll be able to determine how earthquake-ready the property is. This can then sway your decision on whether or not to make the purchase.

Construction Retrofits

When retrofitting existing buildings that are known to be vulnerable, a FEMA P-58 can guide a targeted retrofit strategy to achieve certain performance metrics. This ensures that your retrofit upgrades protect your property in a way suited to your goals.

The Process of FEMA P-58

If you decide to use FEMA P-58 on a project, the process looks a little like the following:

1. Define Performance Goals: Establish clear, quantitative resilience objectives early in the project. Identify acceptable limits for downtime, repair costs, and safety risks.
2. Assemble a Qualified Design Team: Engage experienced professionals who are familiar with FEMA P-58/PBSD. This may include architects, MEP engineers, seismic risk consultants, contractors, and cost estimators.
3. Conduct Preliminary Performance Assessment: Use the conceptual design phase to run early FEMA P-58 analyses. Test multiple structural systems and identify risky elements or design.
4. Refine Design and Align with Goals: Move into a detailed design with more precise FEMA P-58 assessments. Use an iterative analysis-feedback-design cycle until all the performance indicators meet targets.
5. Final Verification and Implementation: Perform final FEMA P-58 analysis to prove design meets performance goals. Document all expected losses, downtime, and causality risk for personal or stakeholder review.

Benefits of FEMA P-58

Using the FEMA P-58 methodology (and PBSD in general) can provide multiple benefits for building owners, occupants, and even the broader community.

Here are some major advantages:

Saving Lives, Reduced Downtime, and Business Disruption

The biggest benefit of getting a FEMA P-58 seismic design is to save lives. When retrofitting your home, the goal is to protect everyone inside and prevent as much damage as possible.

For a non-residential structure, it is about protecting the staff and clients inside, plus the ability to remain functional or recover quicker.

Traditional code-designed buildings, in some circumstances, can be closed or non-inhabitable for months (maybe even years) for repair after a big quake.

With a P-58-optimized building, however, you can specially develop a building design where the building doesn’t need repairing after a certain magnitude of quake.

This is vital for not only your home, but also for community buildings, like hospitals and grocery stores. If such buildings need extensive repairs after a large quake, it could be life-threatening to many in the area.

Not only this, but it could be financially threatening if your home becomes inhabitable or your business need to close down due to repairs for a while. This may even put you into bankruptcy.

Financial Risk Control

Using a FEMA P-58 also means fewer financial surprises when we experience an earthquake. The reason for this is that you likely know the outcome (in regards to dollars) based on the analysis provided.

For example, with a standard seismic-code property, you won’t know how much damage you might encounter. With a FEMA P-58 design, though, you’ll have realistic values on how much it may cost you if your building needed to be repaired due to a quake.

From a risk management perspective, the P-58 enables what people like to call a risk-based design. While developing the design, you set an acceptable risk (in terms of dollars) and create it in such a way.

Let’s say you don’t want the repairs of your building to exceed 10% of its value after a magnitude of 5 or more. In that case, in the previous design and development steps, the building would have been designed to meet these goals.

Enhanced Property Value and Marketability

Alongside the above, buildings designed for high seismic performance can demand a high market price (especially in high seismic zones).

For instance, in regions like California, some buyers and tenants are looking for buildings with higher seismic ratings. This is because some regions in California have high seismic risk.

If you can show that your building has, for instance, a USRC Platinum rating or has been performance-designed to minimal damage, it’s a strong selling point.

In fact, FEMA has even mentioned that better building earthquake resilience does increase the value of the property.

Community and Environmental Resilience

Beyond the individual building and owner, there are broader societal benefits to designing with FEMA P-58.

Simply, a community with more earthquake-resilient buildings will recover faster after a disaster. They can support the entire community.

A FEMA P-58 designed building will likely need less extensive repairs, demolition, etc. Therefore, services can be spread elsewhere and to those who are more in need.

Conclusion

Overall, FEMA P-58 enables homeowners, building owners, designers, and investors to move beyond the one-size-fits-all seismic design approach.

By quantifying earthquake risks in terms of dollars, downtime, and casualties it brings clarity to the seismic performance of your property.

If you’d like a FEMA P-58 seismic design today, contact our professionals at Avant Garde.

We’ll be more than happy to listen to your seismic goals, develop a plan, and, most importantly, execute on it.

In earthquake-prone regions, building owners and developers need to weigh up their design approach carefully.

Typically, there are two paths: meeting code-based standards or pursuing a custom, performance-based seismic design.

The best option? Well, that depends on your goals and needs. That’s why we’ll compare both options side by side below.

What is Code-Based Seismic Design

A code-based seismic design refers to designing a building or retrofit in strict accordance with the local, regional, and national building codes.

The goal of such a design is to protect life. It’s been developed by the International Building Code (IBC) to ensure the structure won’t collapse and occupants can safely evacuate during a code-defined earthquake event.

This approach provides clear, prescriptive standards that professionals can follow, and if these standards are met, the building will be compliant with legal safety mandates.

A big problem is; however, that many times these standards are not even being met due to poor implementation and lack of proper inspections.

What is Performance-Based Seismic Design

A performance-based seismic design is a tailored, goal-oriented approach to earthquake design. It goes beyond the one-size-fits-all code approach and offers a bespoke option set to meet specific seismic performance objectives.

Following this approach doesn’t only focus on life safety. It also helps control damage and functional recovery after seismic activity. For example, the expected damage, repair costs, and downtime under certain strengths of seismic events.

Rather than following the generic code formula, professionals can use advanced analysis techniques to predict the building’s response to various earthquake scenarios, designing the structure to meet performance targets.

Pros and Cons of Code-Based Seismic Design

Code-based seismic design is the default for most projects, especially those that are budget-friendly or don’t need to meet special performance requirements.

Pros

Lower Initial Cost

For most projects, designing for code is the most affordable option upfront. You are only meeting the minimum required strength and detailing requirements, meaning less reinforcement, fewer specialized materials, and simpler retrofit or construction.

Clear Standards

Another benefit of code-based seismic design is that it’s backed by clear, standardized criteria. Simply, they provide a universally applied set of rules and calculations that engineers, contractors, and building officials all understand.

Due to this, it means the design and construction process is relatively straightforward. Normal processes and materials are used, so there’s a reduced need for specialized expertise, equipment, or goods.

Meets Legal Compliance

Designing a building to code is the law. By using a code-based design, you guarantee that your building meets all the legal compliance requirements.

By following the code, owners can be confident that they are meeting the required legal obligation for earthquake safety.

Cons

False Sense of Security

Many homeowners go this route; however, other contractors typically overlook critical requirements— leaving you with a seismic retrofit that will not perform as expected.

Uncertain Post-Earthquake Usability

The biggest drawback of code-based design is what happens after the earthquake.

While a code-designed building is unlikely to collapse, there’s no guarantee that it will be usable or safe to reoccupy in the aftermath. In fact, the code allows the building to sustain significant damage as long as lives are protected.

Therefore, even when a building meets code, it can be unusable for months or even condemned, resulting in loss of housing, revenue, etc.

Hidden Financial Risks

A code-based design is a cheaper alternative upfront. However, it doesn’t account for the aftermath damage for things such as downtime or loss of residence.

If a code-compliant building is badly damaged by an earthquake (a very real possibility), the owner may encounter massive repair bills, business interruption costs, and more.

One-Size-Fits-All Approach

Regardless of the building’s specific use or the owner’s priorities, a code-based seismic plan is almost the same for all buildings.

The major issue with this is that not all buildings and building owners have the same requirements. A building, for instance, like a museum with priceless artifacts, needs a very different seismic design plan from a residential house.

Pros and Cons of Performance-Based Seismic Design

Despite being more expensive to develop, a performance-based design offers protection based on the owner’s goals. This level of design allows you to construct a building with aftermath priorities aligned.

Pros

Tailored Protection to Goals

With a performance-based design, you tailor your seismic protection to the owner’s specific goals. Therefore, you’re not limited to the code’s single performance level.

Instead, the owner defines what “success” looks like for a building after an earthquake. For example, whether the building is fully operational immediately after a major quake or if it can take a few weeks to repair.

That’s just one instance as well, it could be how much repairs cost, where the building can and cannot collapse to protect certain goods, and so forth.

Essentially, using a performance-based seismic design allows owners to align the design with their business or operational needs.

Reduced Downtime and Quicker Recovery

Alongside the above, you can reduce the downtime a property encounters. This can be done through the design stages.

Simply, the owner chooses an appropriate downtime for the building, and the engineers design it in a way that the building meets those requirements after a quake.

For example, a hospital needs to be instantly available after an earthquake. In this case, it’ll need to be designed using a performance-based seismic plan that allows for such protection.

Better Risk Transparency

Naturally, with a performance-based seismic design, you get more information and insights into your building and its earthquake protection.

This allows building owners to get a clearer picture of the expected earthquake performance under multiple quake strengths.

It’s possible to then use this information to plan for such events. For example, a building can be designed to suffer $500k in damage after a 7.0 earthquake. By knowing this, the owner, business, etc., can then ensure they have these funds on standby in case it happens.

Long-Term Value and Resilience

Alongside the above, investing in performance-based seismic design can provide long-term value for property owners and communities.

While it may cost more upfront, the payoff is a building that is far less likely to encounter catastrophic damage or require lengthy closure after a quake.

Cons

Higher Upfront Cost

Due to the research required, specialized expertise, etc., the cost of a performance-based seismic design has much higher upfront costs.

There’s no way around it. Aiming for better seismic performance will require a bigger investment during design and construction.

Greater Complexity

By nature, a performance-based seismic design is more complex and involved than a code-based design. The planning, skills required, and the materials used are different and often require specialized expertise.

For example, when it comes to designing the building’s structure, complicated analysis techniques are used. The time will simulate dozens of earthquake scenarios and tweak the design to fix weak points to ensure multiple performance metrics are met.

Performance-Based vs. Code-Based Comparison

Which Approach is Best for You?

Deciding between code-based and performance-based seismic design depends on three key factors:

• Building Type: Buildings such as hospitals, data centers, or emergency hubs will usually need a performance-based design to stay functional. Lower-priority structures, such as warehouses, may be fine with code-based compliance.
• Owner Priorities: If minimizing upfront costs and meeting legal requirements is your goal, a code-based design is enough. If you want to protect long-term investment, rental income, etc., performance-based seismic design is the safer choice.
• Budget: Performance-based seismic design will cost more upfront, but can save you on downtime and building damage after a quake. A code-based design, though, will be cheaper initially but may expose you to financial exposure.

At the end of the day, the best options depend on your requirements. Sometimes a standard code design is suitable, while other times, a performance-based seismic design.

Conclusion

When it comes to performance-based vs code-based seismic design, the difference comes down to personal goals.

While a performance-based seismic design can be costly, it can offer more protection. On the other hand, while a code-based seismic design is more affordable, it can cost more in the aftermath.

The best option? It depends on your goals and building. To see which is best for your specific situation, feel free to contact our professionals at Avant-Garde.

When it comes to earthquake performance goals, you can just follow the “code”, for example, for those in the Bay Area, the CBSC, IBC, and local building regulations. However, for most buildings, these “codes” aren’t good enough performance goals.

The reason for this is that these codes are designed to stop building collapse. At first glance, they seem great; however, they do not account for function preservation or minimal financial loss in such events. This goes unaccounted for.

As a result, property owners need to come up with real earthquake performance goals, which, normally, require additional seismic protection. These goals should be specific to your building, such as its activities, occupants, contents, recovery needs, and financial considerations.

What Really Matters to You?

Simply, earthquake/seismic performance goals should reflect your priorities. Codes may save your building from collapse and limit fatalities. Goals, on the other hand, help reduce downtime, protect a building’s internal infrastructure, etc.

For example, imagine you own a hospital. With such buildings, you want to limit or eliminate downtime. This means you want to protect the building as well as its contents. If the contents are damaged, like fire sprinklers, etc., it may need to be shut down until repaired.

Now, let’s say you had a warehouse. Of course, you don’t want this to collapse, but you may accept downtime a little more. At the end of the day, it’s less life-threatening if a warehouse cannot re-begin work for a few days, weeks, etc.

This makes the question, “What really matters to me?”, very important. Before creating any performance goals, you need to repeat this. By asking yourself such a question, you’ll be able to create a performance-based seismic design specific to your goals and situation.

Key Questions to Guide Your Performance Goals

When establishing earthquake performance goals for your building, it helps to break down the problem into a few key areas:

• Activities in the Building
• Occupants and Contents
• Post-Earthquake Recovery Needs
• Financial Considerations

Activities in the Building

• What is the building used for, and which functions are mission-critical? Identify the primary activities that happen in the facility that are deemed essential to your business or mission (for example, operations that impact your revenue, reputation, or anything that cannot be moved elsewhere)
• How would an earthquake disrupt those activities? Consider how damage or loss of utilities, like power, water, gas, internet, etc., could impact your essential operations. You should also think about how costly or difficult it would be to relocate or how long you could survive if the operations were to stop.

Occupants and Contents

• Who uses the building, and are any occupants especially vulnerable? Think about how many people are in the building and who is in the building. Particularly vulnerable individuals, like children, the elderly, and those with limited mobility, will need extra protection.
• What valuable contents or equipment are inside? For example, specialized machinery, servers, research samples, artwork, archives, etc. The best way to answer this question is to think about how hard (or costly) it would be to repair or replace certain items if they were to become damaged.
• Are there hazardous materials present? These types of materials could present serious health or environmental risks. Consider what materials may need additional protection to prevent the spillage or release of such chemicals.
• What if people can’t access the building? If your staff or residents cannot enter the facility for days, weeks, and maybe even months, what would be the consequence? Would it prevent them from doing their jobs, accessing important materials they need, etc.?

Post-Earthquake Recovery Needs

• How quickly do you need to resume operations? Determine what’s at stake if your building is unusable for an extended period of time. If you can only handle minimal interruption, your performance goals should reflect that.
• Is the building needed immediately after a quake? If your building is required immediately after seismic activity, for example, any emergency response building, this will massively increase the required performance level.
• Will people shelter on-site? Consider what occupants, staff, or community members may rely on if they can no longer use this building for shelter. What would be the steps to ensure they have shelter until the building is deemed safe again?

Financial Considerations

• What financial losses are you willing to tolerate? On average, an earthquake can cause around $4.4 billion in damage. Therefore, you need to think about the economic impact that can come along with disrupted operations and how much you can handle.
• Could the building be a total loss? In a worst-case scenario, a very heavily damaged building may need to be demolished. Could you handle this? What would the impact be on your operations and financial well-being?
• Do you have funds to repair quickly? After an earthquake, having the liquidity (or insurance payouts) to start repairs as soon as possible is crucial. If you know resources may be tight, designing for higher performance may be wise.
• What about reputation and liability? You should also consider less tangible costs. For example, if your building gets red-tagged, how would that affect your organization’s reputation, public relations, or even legal liability?

Performance Goals Should Vary by Earthquake Size

Small, frequent tremors can impact your building differently than rare, catastrophic quakes. Your goals should reflect this as well.

Generally speaking, it’s reasonable to accept that a major, very rare earthquake might cause some damage, financial loss, and downtime. Simply designing a building for absolutely no damage in the worst-case event is, most of the time, impractical.

However, for something like a moderate earthquake, which has a higher chance of occurring, you might expect your building to remain functional with only minor repairs needed.

In other words, your performance goals should align with your targets for safety, repair time, and allowable damage to expect earthquake severity. For moderate events, you may set high performance expectations, while for extreme events, the objective may be more forgiving.

One useful tool for this is a performance goal-setting worksheet. This is a simple table where you can define acceptable outcomes for different earthquake scenarios—for example, moderate and rare events. By filling in the target outcomes, you can make decisions on what you’re willing to tolerate.

Example of an Earthquake Performance Goal Worksheet

Developing a Performance-based Seismic Design

Once you’ve designed your earthquake performance goals, the next step is to find a qualified professional to turn these goals into a feasible plan. This is known as a performance-based seismic design.

According to FEMA P-58, performance-based seismic design evaluates a building’s expected behavior under different earthquake scenarios, including potential repair costs, downtime, and occupant safety—allowing building owners to tailor designs to their specific risk tolerance and operational priorities.

Unlike a conventional code-based approach, which primarily aims to prevent total collapse, a performance-based approach aims to achieve specific outcomes you want for your building (life safety, financial safety, downtime minimization, etc.).

For example, if your goal is “immediate occupancy” after a moderate earthquake, these engineers will develop a design to limit the internal and external damage of your property to allow for this.

Contact Us Today

Developing and implementing earthquake performance goals should be left to the professionals. If you want to protect your property, staff, residents, and investment today, contact our team at Avant-Garde.

Our team will listen to your goals and help develop a performance-based seismic design to fulfill your needs. Once approved, they can then actualize this design using the best materials and following the best practices. See the difference we can make today.

We all know that building codes are designed for the safety of lives. That’s obvious. However, they are not specially designed to protect your property, investment, and finances. 

That’s why building codes aren’t enough. There are limitations, and these limitations could cause huge personal issues.

What Do Building Codes Actually Guarantee?

Building codes in earthquake-prone regions (like California’s IBC/CRC seismic provisions) guarantee life safety. They are carefully designed so a building intended to such code is unlikely to collapse in a design-level earthquake. 

The Limitations of Building Codes in Seismic Zones 

While building codes are great for general building, in Seismic Zones, they’re unpredictable. Therefore, a code-based approach has several limitations. 

Risk of Collapse Still Exists

All in all, building codes don’t eliminate the risk of collapse. Really, they only reduce it to a level that regulators (those who create the codes) deem as an “acceptable” level. 

The code’s overall philosophy is to make a collapse unlikely. However, unlikely is not impossible. Therefore, even if you build a house to seismic code, it may still collapse. 

For example, a modern, code-compliant building may have a low probability of collapsing during a “maximum considered earthquake”. But what if the earthquake is more severe than what the code anticipated? Well, failure can occur. 

Without question, it’s very sobering when you realise that “code-compliant” doesn’t mean “zero chance of collapse”.

No Protection for Financial Loss or Downtime

A huge surprise to property owners is that, even if your property is code compliant, it can still collapse, causing financial loss or downtime. 

What the law cares about the most is that people survive. It doesn’t really care about whether the building is usable or cheap to fix after seismic activity. 

As a result, for non-structural features, like cladding, drywall, ceilings, mechanical/electrical systems, plumbing, etc., they have minimal to no code requirements to keep them protected. 

For example, after the 1994 Northridge earthquake, many commercial buildings structurally survived. They were, however, shut down and unable to be used due to internal damage, such as in their fire sprinkler systems. 

Alongside this, building code doesn’t account for loss of income or relocation costs if your building is unusable. If your home, apartment, or business has to close for a year for repair, that’s not a code violation; it’s an expected outcome under the “life-safety” objective. 

Codes Don’t Prepare for Worst-Case Earthquakes

Building codes use probabilistic criteria. Therefore, they prepare us for strong earthquakes but not the absolute worst-case scenario. 

Generally, structures are designed for a certain level of ground shaking. This is often measured using past data, but larger-than-ever earthquakes are possible. 

Older Buildings Are Often Exempt from Code Updates

Sometimes, older buildings are grandfathered under the codes that were in effect when they were built. As a result, they don’t get updated with “new codes”. 

This is only in some areas, though. The Greater San Francisco Bay Area and the Greater Los Angeles Area for example, push homeowners to retrofit their older homes through an incentive program. 

Still, this is only an incentive program. Though it can reduce the costs of seismic retrofitting for older homes, it isn’t mandatory. 

Example of Building Codes Not Being “Enough” 

Time after time, real earthquakes have exposed the issues between code-compliant properties and actual outcomes. 

Some of the most popular examples include: 

Northridge Earthquake (1994, M6.7) 

At the time, California’s seismic building codes were the most advanced in the world. However, in 1994 in Northridge, CA, an earthquake exposed weaknesses in the code. 

One of the key issues was non-structural and infrastructure failures. While most modern buildings didn’t collapse (which was to code), the economic losses were estimated to be around $20 to $40 billion. 

For example, many hospitals in the region were built to code. However, they still had to shut down because of many broken utilities and sprinkler flooding. 

Loma Prieta Earthquake (1989, M6.9)

Bay Area seismic building codes also failed back in 1989 in Loma Prieta. The main issue here was with pre-code buildings, which are mostly buildings built in the 1930s. 

Instead of retrofitting them to modern compliance codes (in those times), they were grandfathered to their almost codeless design. As you can imagine, the magnitude 6.9 quake hit this region during these times, and most of these buildings collapsed. 

South Napa Earthquake (2014, M6.0)

The South Napa earthquake in 2014 was looked at as a success. A lot of the modern buildings (Napa has mostly buildings built post-2000) survived. 

Despite the lack of collapses, however, there was a ton of non-structural damage. There were still ceilings that fell, sprinkler pipes that burst, and more. 

In fact, there was only one fatality in South Napa during this quake. This fatality was caused by non-structural damage. 

What is the Solution to Building Codes for Seismic Activity? 

As you have seen, relying on building codes leave us with potential collapse risk, crippling non-structural damage, and several other vulnerabilities. Because of this, we need to go beyond the code for true earthquake resilience. 

Luckily, we can do this by embracing a performance-based approach to seismic design and retrofit. This Performance-Based Design (PBD) focuses on real-world performance outcomes instead of following a “generic” recipe.

With such a design model, which follows FEMA’s P-58 methodology, you define what you want your building to achieve in an earthquake. This allows you to go beyond the “code” requirements and to actual performance-based designs. 

How Performance-Based Design (PBD) Can Help 

Focuses on Real-World Outcomes

Unlike predictive codes, PBD looks into how a building will perform during and after an earthquake. 

Therefore, instead of a one-size-fits-all type of methodology, engineers use simulations, nonlinear analyses, and historical data to predict damage to both structural and non-structural elements. 

By doing such a thing, a PBD lets you set realistic performance objectives. For example, ensuring a hospital can reopen within 24 hours or a warehouse within a week, etc. 

Alongside this, you can set clear performance goals with a PBD. This allows you to protect what matters most to help minimize potential repair costs. 

Quantifies Downtime and Financial Risk

Another huge advantage of PBD is the ability to estimate how much damage and downtime a building may experience in a real earthquake. 

Simply, traditional building codes can’t answer such questions. For example, “How long will this structure be unusable?” or “What will it cost to repair?”, etc. A PDB, however, can set probabilistic projections for repair time, cost, and so forth. 

This, as you can imagine, allows you to design more strategically. Even a slight change in design could save millions in repair costs or missed revenue. 

Enables Smarter, Site-Specific Design

Depending on where your building is located, codes can give broad assumptions across entire regions. These, however, aren’t specific enough.

A PBD, on the other hand, factors in everything. This includes soil conditions, fault proximity, tsunami risks, and various other unique variables specific to your building and location. 

Such an approach allows you to make smarter choices when it comes to design, factoring in all environmental, structural, and seismic factors. 

Building Code Vs Performance-Based Design

Contact Us Today 

Understanding the gaps in building code is just the first step. The second step is contacting a seismic retrofit professional, like us, Avant-Garde, to develop a performance-based retrofit plan. 
Therefore, contact us today and ensure that your property is above code for unexpected situations. Let us give you peace of mind knowing your building is truly prepared regardless of the severity of the earthquake.

In the Bay Area construction industry, not all contractors play by the “rules”. 

While there are many that are licensed, insured, and fully compliant, others operate in a legal gray area. 

This “grey area” is construction tax and insurance fraud, and though more affordable, it can leave homeowners at serious risk.

The Hidden Problem in Bay Area Construction

As Bay Area contractors, we’ve started to see a troubling trend. A large percentage of contractors (big and small) are cutting corners by cheating on taxes and insurance. 

This is known as “contractor tax and insurance fraud”. Generally, it involves misclassifying workers and having somewhat insufficient insurance policies. 

In fact, from 1972 to 2012, wrongful classification of employees as independent contractors and unreported compensation in the California construction industry increased by 400%. 

The reason many construction businesses are dishonest about this is to dodge a bunch of costs. Costs involving payroll taxes and workers’ compensation premiums. This allows them to price projects a lot lower than legitimate contractors. 

As a homeowner, you may be unaware of these “hidden” fraudulent issues. You may think, “This is a better price, we’ll go with this”. However, working with contractors like this presents some real risks involving project cost and safety. 

Misclassified Workers: The 1099 vs. W-2 Scam

One “common” form of contractor fraud is misclassifying employees as “1099” independent contractors instead of W-2 employees. 

By doing this, contractors avoid paying things like payroll taxes, overtime, and workers’ comp premiums. 

However, legally, if a worker is under a contractor’s direction, for example, given hours, tools, and told how to do the job, that worker is an employee, not an independent business owner. 

Despite this, many firms ignore this. A national study in 2017 proved this as well. It was discovered that between 12.4 and 20.5 percent of all construction workers (around 1.3 to 2.16 million) in the US are misclassified workers or paid “off-the-books”. 

Why Misclassification Is So Tempting

It’s a quick path to lower costs for contractors following such misclassification practices. By issuing a 1099 instead of a W-2, they save about 20 to 30 percent on labor costs. This is from skipping taxes and insurance. 

As a result, these contractors have 20-30 percent more wiggle room for bidding. They can either make more profit or bid lower for jobs, making it harder for honest contractors to win projects and be profitable. 

Unfortunately, however, these “savings” come from a pretty important place. Workers lose legal protections, the U.S. government loses tax revenue, and you, the homeowner, could lose massively if something goes wrong. 

More often than not, these “misclassified” workers lack health insurance, overtime pay, and safety training, all of which are important to the quality and safety of your project. 

Ghost Workers’ Comp Policies

Another fraud tactic in Bay Area construction is “ghost” workers’ compensation policies (also known as an “if-any” policy). Essentially, it’s a workers’ comp insurance policy in name only. 

For example, let’s say a contractor claims to have zero employees (often not true) and purchases a workers’ comp policy that only covers themselves (the owner). They’ll then get a certificate of insurance to show the homeowner or general contractor as “proof” of coverage. However, realistically, any crew working with them isn’t covered. 

Most of the time, these “ghost” policies are abused by small contractors. Nowadays, a lot of jobs require “proof of workers’ comp”, so they show these certificates to hopefully get selected for the job. And honestly, to the untrained eye, they look legit. 

This presents a huge issue, though. If someone has a ghost policy and gets hurt on your property, the policy won’t pay anything. If the contractor doesn’t step up, the injured worker can then pursue legal action against the homeowner to cover medical bills or injury costs. 

New CSLB Rule: Classification Code Requirements 

Thankfully, in the state of California, they’re taking steps to expose these insurance tricks. 

Starting July 1, 2024, the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) mandates that all licensed contractors with workers’ comp insurance to list their policy’s workers’ classification codes when renewing their license. 

These codes are only four to six digits; however, they describe what type of work their employees do. For example, there’s a specific code for carpentry, roofing, etc. 

As a homeowner, the presence (or absence) of these classification codes gives you a huge clue about the contractor’s insurance. Legit contractors who actually have employees will have more than one of these codes on file. 

When a contractor claims to have employees, but on the official CSLB website, only has a single classification code, or none at all, it’s a huge red flag that they work with misclassified workers. 

The Real Costs of Contractor Fraud

Contractor tax and insurance fraud isn’t a harmless money-saving “trick”. It shifts the costs and risks to others, resulting in honest contractors and the general public paying the price. 

Honest contractors can’t bid as low as non-honest contractors. They need to pay more workers’ comp and taxes, which is reflected in the price. This then results in them not getting as many jobs, and worse, the homeowner selecting an untrusted contractor. 

Alongside this, the U.S misses out on billions of dollars in taxes. One study indicates that the contraction of payroll fraud costs the U.S $8.4 billion in taxes.

Plus, for homeowners, the liability risks are real. If an improperly insured contractor gets injured on your property, legal and financial fallout could be heading straight for you. Remember, these workers are usually less skilled and trained, so it’s a common occurrence. 

How to Choose a Compliant Contractor as a Homeowner

Step 1: Verify the Contractor’s License and Insurance

Before anything, check the contractor’s license status through the CSLB license lookup tool. All you need is their contractor license number (which they should definitely have). 

Just so you know, you can also find licensed contractors on the official CSLB website. You can search by city, ZIP code, and license classification. 

Whatever way you choose, look for the specific classification codes tied to their insurance policy. If a contractor suggests they have a crew but their CSLB profile does not list any worker’s compensation insurance and/ or no extra classification codes on their license, that’s a huge red flag. 

Step 2: Ask if They Have Workers; if so, How Are They Classified

Alongside the above, simply ask the contractor if they have workers. If they do, also ask how their workers are classified. Say, “Are your workers classified as W-2 employees or 1099 independent contractors?”. 

Simply, honest contractors will tell you how their team is classified. They may have a team of 1099 contractors and W-2 employees. This isn’t a problem if the 1099 contractors aren’t managed like employees and hold their own insurance policies. 

If, for whatever reason, they say their whole crew is 1099 contractors but appear to be managed as employees, this is when you should be wary. 

Step 3: Request and Inspect Insurance Certificates

If everything is checking out okay with the above, request workers’ compensation and general liability insurance certificates. 

Once received, take a close look at them. Legitimate and valid policies for a real company will show employee coverage and class codes. 

Suppose a business owner is listed, and the coverage amount is unusually low; it could be a form of ghost policy. In that case, you can always call the insurer and double-check whether the policy covers employees. 

Step 4: Watch for Unrealistically Low Bids

Remember, contractors performing contractor tax and insurance fraud in the Bay Area can bid at least 20 to 30 percent lower than compliant contractors. 

Therefore, if you receive 3-5 contractors’ bids and some seem “too-good-to-be-true”, take a further look. There may be a reason for this. 

For example, they could be cutting corners on insurance, taxes, or skilled labor. All of which could present some huge issues. 

Step 5: Hire Based on Compliance, Not Just Price

All homeowners want a good price. We do too.
However, compliance should always be the key decider, not the total project price. 

Because of this, only choose contractors that are transparent, compliant, and have a strong reputation in the local area. 

Therefore, look for reviews, verify a contractor’s licensing and insurance policies, and ensure they’re not performing contractor tax or insurance fraud. 

Contact Avant-Garde Today 

Contractor tax and insurance fraud in the Bay Area can sometimes go unnoticed. However, with the information above, as a homeowner, you should be able to fight back. 

Never settle for contractors who are performing fraud. Choose those that insist on integrity and compliance, like us at Avant-Garde Construction Enterprise. 

Protect your property, project, and finances today and choose a contractor that doesn’t cut corners. Our team specializes in construction projects in the San Francisco Bay Area. Contact us today to see how we can help.

EBB Retrofit Preparation & Guide

For Homeowners Working with Avant-Garde Construction Enterprise

Licensed • Bonded • Insured | Serving the Entire San Francisco Bay Area

1. Preparing for Your Consultation

Before your consultation with Avant-Garde, we recommend:

• Gather Documents: Locate any original building plans, engineering reports, or past retrofit documentation.

• Take Photos: Photograph your crawl space, foundation edges, any visible cracks, and areas of concern.

• Clear Access: Ensure easy access to the crawl space and foundation—remove stored items or debris.

• List Concerns: Write down any structural issues you’ve noticed (e.g., uneven floors, moisture, odors).

2. Questions to Ask All Contractors

Ask these questions while selecting which contractor will be trusted to protect your home and family:

Technical

• What is the current condition of my crawl space and foundation?
  If the response if short and vague, beware.

• Will you use structural screws or nails — and why?
  There is a huge disparity between the two.

• How do you deal with tight crawl spaces, wiring, plumbing, or HVAC obstructions?
  Look for well defined answers.

• What are your recommended upgrades beyond the required work, if any?
  If there are none, avoid at all costs.

• Why do you seismic retrofit homes, and when did you start?
  If it is only to participate in the work provided from the EBB program,  they are probably not a real seismic retrofit expert.

• What other services do you provide?
  If seismic retrofit work is not their main service, you may want to reconsider choosing them.

EBB Program & Compliance

• Will this retrofit qualify for the Earthquake Brace + Bolt program?

• Do you help with the EBB documentation and photo uploads?

• Can I see examples of previous compliant EBB projects you’ve completed?

Timeline & Logistics

• What’s the estimated start date and how long will the job take?

• Will I lose access to utilities during any part of the work?

• Do I need to vacate or modify anything inside my home?

Quality & Assurance

• How do you ensure my systems (electrical, plumbing, HVAC) won’t be damaged?

• Do you provide before & after photos for transparency?

• What warranties or post-retrofit support do you offer?

• What quality control practices do you have in place?

3. Permits, EBB Reimbursement & What to Expect

Permits

• Required for any retrofit — Avant-Garde handles permitting, plan submission, and inspections.

EBB Reimbursement

• You may qualify for a $3,000- $10,000 grant if accepted into the EBB Program.

• Requirements:

  • Use an EBB-registered contractor (Avant-Garde qualifies)

  • Complete the retrofit and pass city inspection

  • Submit signed contract, photos, permit, and final inspection approval online

What to Expect During the Retrofit

• Expect:

  • Dust (controlled), noise, and limited crawl space access for a few days

  • Most EBB retrofits take 1–5 working days

  • Professional site protection and daily cleanup from Avant-Garde’s team

4. Post-Retrofit Inspection Guide

Once the job is done, make sure:

• Bolts are installed properly, per plan

• Shear walls (plywood bracing) are securely and neatly fastened (if your home has cripple walls)

• Plumbing, electrical, and HVAC are undisturbed

• Crawl space is safe and clean

• All construction debris is removed

• A final inspection is passed and signed off by the city

You Will Receive:

• Before & After Project Photos

• Final Invoice

• Permit Copies & Approved Drawings

• EBB Documentation Packet (Avant-Garde assists with this)

Questions? Need Help?

Avant-Garde Construction Enterprise is with you every step of the way.
Contact Matthew Gatterman directly if you need guidance before or after your retrofit.

This is only going to get worse as well. Sea levels are rising and scientists have even predicted a “wetter future” for residence in the area. 

For homeowners, property developers, or investors, this means that proper drainage and basement waterproofing are essential. It’ll guarantee your foundation remains structurally sound, helping you combat seismic and other weather-related risks in the Bay Area. 

Common Drainage Issues in the Bay Area 

Despite the beauty of the Bay Area, it presents some unique issues regarding drainage. These include: 

Heavy Storm Runoff 

The Bay Area is prone to powerful rainstorms, particularly during winter atmospheric river events. 

When this happens, rainwater rushes off roofs, driveways, sidewalks, and other hard surfaces faster than the ground can absorb. 

Improper drainage, whether it’s poorly designed or damaged, can cause severe flooding in yards, basements, and crawl spaces. 

Poor Grading and Drainage 

Many older properties in the Bay Area also have insufficient slope to carry water away from the house. 

Sometimes, ground slopes towards a property, from a driveway, patio, garden bed, etc., causing pools of water to appear alongside your house. Add broken or clogged gutters or downspouts to the mix, and this problem is even worse. 

If this happens, water could flood into your home. It can also deteriorate the foundation if it settles into the ground over a period of time. 

Clay Soils & High Water Table 

Much of the Bay Area is built on clay-heavy soil, which, unfortunately, doesn’t drain well. 

After a heavy downpour, these soils become saturated and hold water close to the surface. Sometimes, this results in the groundwater table rising as high as the basement floor. However, even a few inches of underground water can cause problematic basement flooding. 

Alongside this, for coastal neighborhoods, sea levels are rising. This is causing groundwater to rise toward the foundations, making them more prone to flooding, and can cause cracking, efflorescence, delamination, spalling, etc.

Perched Groundwater and Hillside Homes

If you own a property in a hilly area, layers of water can get trapped above denser clay layers underground. 

This is referred to as “perched water”. When this happens, it tends to seep downhill toward homes near or built on a slope. If this occurs, you can experience constant moisture or seepage through your training walls or basement unless you have proper drainage. 

Our Drainage & Waterproofing Services 

At Avant-Garde, we’re an all-in-one contractor, offering a range of services to help improve property drainage and waterproofing. 

Drainage Designs 

Every single property in the Bay Area is unique. That’s why we offer complete custom drainage design. This is tailored to your specific lot’s slope, soil type, and structural layout.

While developing this design, we consider both surface solutions and the landscape of your property, for example, grading, gutters, downspouts, and catch basins. We also ensure your property is following the proper California Residential Codes for drainage. 

By offering such a service, it ensures our customers get a proper drainage solution for their property. 

French Drain Installation 

French drains are a superb way of managing groundwater while improving your property’s curb appeal and visual aesthetics. 

We install such systems by digging a trench, lining it with filtration fabric, placing waterproof membrane against the foundation, then installing gravel and perforated pipes that redirect water away from your property. 

These are ideal for a range of homes. Whether you’re experiencing basement seepage, high water tables, or lateral water pressure against retaining walls, these are the perfect solution. 

Sump Pump & Dry Wells 

A sump pump is an excellent solution if your basement sits below the local water table or has ongoing water intrusion. 

With these, we install a sump basin and fit it with a pump. The pump then ejects the captured water through pipes underground out to the street gutter.

For homes with low points away from the home, dry wells are superb. These are buried tanks in your yard that collect and slowly disperse the waters below-grade. Grading is important for this to work as it relies on gravity vs electricity and a pump.

Both services offer a similar solution. They take water from vulnerable areas and transport it somewhere safe, so it doesn’t damage your property. 

Basement Waterproofing 

By using exterior and interior waterproofing methods, our team can help protect your basement from water ingress. 

For exterior basement waterproofing, we excavate around the foundation of the property. Once completed, we apply waterproof membranes then French drains that block water at the source. 

On the other hand, waterproofing basement interiors involves applying penetrating, crystalline sealants. 

Both services are extremely important, especially for older Bay Area homes. They help keep your basement dry, mold-free, and usable. 

Basement Dig-Outs 

If you have a low-ceiling or damp basement, we can also perform complete dig-outs. This can convert it into a livable area and ensure your basement is built following the best waterproofing practices. 

During this process, we excavate downwards, install new concrete footings and walls, and fully waterproof the new basement level. This is the perfect solution for anyone looking to expand their property downwards instead of upwards. 

Why Drainage Design Should Be Customized 

No two Bay Area lots are alike. Some neighborhoods are built on sandy uplands with quick drainage, while others are in clay soil areas that retain water. Not only this, but a property on a steep hillside lot needs much different drainage than an urban flat lot. 

Because of this, your property needs a bespoke drainage design. This will ensure that no matter your soil type, current drainage setup, property grading, etc., you’ll have a sufficient system that can direct water away from your property. 

Risk of Delaying Waterproofing

If you have waterproofing issues, delaying action can lead to serious problems. For example: 

• Mold Growth and Poor Air Quality
• Structural Damage to Your Home
• Decreased Home Value and Increased Costs
• Health Risks from Mold and Humidity

The longer you wait, the worse the problem will become. That’s why you need to act today. The initial cost will far outweigh the future expenses. 

Why Choose Avant-Garde 

At Avant-Garde, we’re the go-to local Bay Area waterproofing contractor. We understand the region and bring decades of experience to every project. 

Bay Area Expertise 

We know the local soils, microclimates, and code requirements (like CBC Title 24) inside and out and back to front. Our team has handled drainage, waterproofing, and basement services in all major cities, from San Jose to Marin & beyond, ensuring our customers’ properties stay dry. 

Full-Service Integration 

Our comprehensive services are why our customers call us a ‘one-stop’ contractor for foundations and waterproofing. From the initial visit to the design and installation, we’ll handle every step of the project, from grading to permitting, pumps, structural work, and more. 

Clear Communication & Compliance 

Through every step of the project, our customers will be well-informed. We’ll use detailed assessments, itemized recommendations, and drawings so you fully understand the scope of work. Alongside this, we’ll strictly follow the California Building Code standards for dampproofing and drainage.

Local, Licensed Team 

The Avant-Garde team is as local as you. We live, work, and breathe the Bay Area. We are fully licensed, insured, and follow all laws— even those regarding taxes and employee classification (often ignored by “the other guys”). Therefore, you can trust our team to fulfill the work you require. 

Service Areas

We serve the entire San Francisco Bay Area for all our services. This includes drainage, waterproofing, basement, and various other services. 

Our team manages the following areas from our headquarters in San Leandro: 

• Alameda
• Contra Costa
• Marin
• Napa
• San Francisco
• San Mateo
• Santa Clara
• Solano
• Sonoma

As you can imagine, the distance from the HQ to the project will reflect on pricing. 

Contact Us Today 

Don’t wait until the next storm to flood your basement or the next foundation crack. Protect your home, property, and investment today with professional drainage and waterproofing. 

Contact our team at Avant-Grade for a professional consultation and let us evaluate your project, explain your options, and give you and your home the proper care you deserve.