Our Services
Retrofitting
Retrofitting/Bolting this is the system of directly attaching a house to its concrete foundation using high quality plates and anchor bolts. The typical foundation of a house built before 1935 was primarily designed to carry the gravitational force of a structure living in a earthquake prone state such as California increases the risk of potential damage due to having an unbolted house for it was only designed to only carry the house, not to withstand the left, right, up and down force of an earthquake thus pushing the house off it foundation. The proper combination of bolting and the bracing the cripple walls with structural-grade plywood provides greater resistance to earthquakes.
Foundation Replacement
The typical foundation of a house built before 1935 consisted of bricks, river rock or other materials indigenous to the area. These materials were grouted together by cement but had no reinforcing bars. Due to decades of weathering and ground movement these old foundations are starting to crack and crumble. Other homes have concrete foundations but they were also un-reinforced and have specifications inferior to the standard of today. We specialize in replacing these old foundations with up to date process that exceeds current building safety standards to ensure of your family and property.
Floor Leveling
Due to decades of weathering and certain soils conditions during construction, structures tend to settle deeper than actually designed. In most cases the building settles evenly, though in certain instances two or more posts settle deeper thus causing misaligned doors, wall cracks and uneven floors. We can repair the level of the house without disturbing the regular and daily activities of the homeowner.
Retaining Walls
High strength reinforced concrete walls incorporated to protect structures located on uneven lots and hills sides. Landslides and surface soil erosion due to rain or soil movement can be avoided with this technology.
Drainage Systems
Foundation drainage systems are a structure or series of structures designed to remove excess and runoff water from the ground around your home’s foundation. System components move water away from the supporting structure of the house by collecting it and discharging it using gravity or pumps.
The system eliminates damaging water pressure and other problems affecting the footings, crawlspace or basement walls.
Our Expertise
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New Foundation
Our company also specializes in constructing new foundations for homes, small building and other multi-use establishments within the Los Angeles and Southern California Areas.
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Caissons
12" to 36" diameter holes, and or designed by the structural engineer, are bored into the ground and embedded into bedrock 4 to 8 feet. Usually used for the structural support for a type of foundation wall structural slab. Reinforcing bars (rebar) are inserted into and run the full length of the hole put together by ties and then concrete is poured into the hole. A caisson is designed to rest on bedrock to carry the wall or slab independently.
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Underpinning
The process of underpinning is modifying the foundation by extending into the soil subsurface that is deeper and more stable than the surface soil that support an existing foundation. This is done to provide vertical support that is not present in the existing design. Together with doweled reinforcement bar and concrete, underpinning lifts the structure and stops further settlement.
BACKGROUND AND HISTORY
For over 20 years of experience in different fields of construction our corporation has developed the technology and core values of a world class construction firm. LC General Construction has maintained the reputation of Honesty, Integrity, and Quality to a point that we have maintained a AAA rating among the thousands of clients we have served. Together with our team of engineers and dedicated staff, we shall continue to bring high quality work at fairly affordable prices to our past and future clients. The Trusted General Construction Firm in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Ventura County, and other areas in Southern California Are you living in earthquake vulnerable areas such as in Los Angeles County, (Alhambra, Altadena, Arcadia, Arleta, Bel Air, Bellflower, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Burbank, Canoga Park, Chatsworth, City of Industry, Commerce, Compton, Covina, Culver City, Eagle Rock, East Los Angeles, El Monte, El Segundo, Encino, Glendale, Granada Hills, Harbor City, Hawthorne, Hollywood, Inglewood, La Canada, La Crescenta, Long Beach, Lake View Terrace, Malibu, Mar Vista, Marina Del Rey, Mission Hills, Monrovia, Montebello, Monterey Park, North Hills, North Hollywood, Northridge, Oak Park, Pacific Palisades, Pacoima, Panorama City, Pasadena, Pico Rivera, Porter Ranch, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Reseda, Rolling Hills, Rosemead, San Fernando, San Marino, San Pedro, Santa Clarita, Santa Monica, Sepulveda, Sherman Oaks, Sierra Madre, South Pasadena, Studio City, Sun Valley, Sunland, Sylmar, Tarzana, Temple City, Toluca Lake, Topanga, Torrance, Tujunga, Universal City, Valley Village, Van Nuys, Venice, Verdugo City, West Hills, West Hollywood, Westwood, Whittier, Winnetka, Woodland Hills), Ventura County, Santa Barbara, and other areas in Southern California? Let the foundation specialists of LC General Construction be at your service to further strengthen the capability of your houses to withstand the devastating effects of any major seismic activity. LC General Construction, a California-based construction company, was formed primarily to provide the highest quality of retrofitting and foundation repair services in LA, Los Angeles County through our well-trained and dedicated foundation specialists and construction workers. LC General Construction is a licensed, bonded, and insured construction firm specializing in retrofitting, foundation repair and replacement, and other home repair and improvement projects. Our company’s unparalleled 20 years of professional experience in retrofitting and foundation repair industry is a glaring proof of the quality of services we provide in LA, Los Angeles County, Pasadena, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and other areas in Southern California. Essentially, we aim of making our customers feel safer inside their houses. As a retrofitting and foundation specialist, we assure our customers that we only employ the latest technology and excellent workmanship for greater resistance of any residential/commercial establishments from earthquakes. Our services are especially available in Los Angeles, Pasadena, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and other areas in Southern California. Better protect your house and your loved ones from major seismic activities by retrofitting and further strengthening the foundation of your house! Let the foundation specialists of LC General Construction, Inc. do such a pivotal retrofitting and foundation repair services at affordable costs! For more details regarding the construction services that we offer, you may visit out website “THEFOUNDATIONSPECIALIST.COM.” Or you may call us at (323)254-8800.
Soft story retrofitting
Soft story retrofitting in Los Angeles and Santa Monica are not just recommended, they are required by Law!
WHAT IS A SOFT STORY BUILDING?
A typical soft story building is a multi-level structure located over a ground level with large openings, typically parking. Soft-story apartments are hard to avoid in Southern California because they were all built after World War II, when the region experienced a large boom in population
WHICH BUILDINGS REQUIRE A RETROFIT?
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Buildings that are most vulnerable have been identified with the following criteria:
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Consist of 2 or more stories wood-frame construction
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Built under building code standards enacted before January 1, 1978
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Contains ground floor parking or another similar open floor space
Los Angeles City Soft Story retrofit Ordinance 183893 and 184081 detail which structures are affected.
Soft-story buildings are vulnerable to collapse during prolonged shaking. Soft-story structures designed and approved prior to 1979 are considered weak by current engineering standards. A considerable amount of soft-story buildings were constructed between 1960 – 1979. These structures have prone to experiencing catastrophically damage during a major earthquake. Soft-Story structures have failed during significant seismic activity. They are weak because they have unreinforced openings on the ground floor which caused far more movement than the structure can withstand. When this happens, resulting in the upper floors COLLAPSING on top of the lower level
WHAT IS A SOFT-STORY RETROFIT?
The weakest parts of the building are structurally reinforced to be able to resist seismic movement during an earthquake. In many cases, structural steel connectors and I-beams are used to create adequate resistance during seismic movement. The most common retrofit solutions include Special Moment Frames (the most common type are welded, but can also be bolted and prefabricated), Cantilevered I-Beams, Ground Beams, and Plywood Shear Walls.
Why Is a Foundation Drainage System Important?
Every home must have some sort of water drainage system to prevent water pressure from building up against the foundation and causing damage or water leaks into the basement or crawlspace. Homes built on concrete slabs must also eliminate excess groundwater to avoid ground swelling and frost heave.
Types of Foundation Drainage
There are several ways to shed water away from your home’s foundation. Sometimes, a home’s foundation drainage may be little more than a sloping lawn. Other times it may consist of a complex system of underground pipes and pumps.
French Drain
A French drain foundation system consists of perforated underground pipes wrapped in landscape fabric and surrounded by gravel, buried in a trench encircling the house foundation’s exterior. French drains work to eliminate excess water that has seeped into the ground by collecting it within the pipes that transfer the water to a sewer or a distant location away from the home.
Foundation Surface Drain
Foundation drains consist of buried and wrapped perforated pipes surrounded by gravel that encircle the foundation’s exterior, similar to a French drain. However, the pipes are placed closer to the top of the foundation to act as a surface drain. Foundation drains collect water before it can seep into the ground and discard it downhill from the home.
Sloping Drain
A sloping drain is simply a landscaping design in which the ground surface near a home’s foundation forms an incline away from the house to direct water outward and prevent it from pooling or soaking into the soil. Sloping drains can consist of dirt or a hard surface such as concrete.
Sump Drain
A sump drain is a perforated pipe system that collects excess water and funnels it to a sump pit, where it’s then mechanically pumped out and safely away from the home’s foundation. The collection pipes may be located at the foundation’s interior, exterior or both, and the sump pit is located at the lowest spot inside the house.