Tag Archives: Construction

A Steel-Framed House

Most California houses are wood-framed. Typically, the walls are built with wood studs and covered with plywood and gypsum board; floors, ceilings, and roofs are built with wood joists, rafters, and trusses. We have designed many of these. The other … Continue reading

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A Trend in Home Remodeling: Knocking Down the Walls!

“Knocking down the walls” was the general theme of several projects we did last year at OAK Structural. In most cases, the clients wanted to remove and/or rearrange interior walls of their homes as part of a kitchen remodeling project. … Continue reading

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Your Earthquake Risk Exposure Part II- Seismic Retrofitting

In the previous article, I talked about your earthquake risk that is related to indirect effects of earthquakes on your house, such as liquefaction, tsunamis, flooding caused by dam failures, landslides, firestorms  triggered by the earthquake, etc.  Your best option … Continue reading

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Value of Remodeling Projects

In earlier posts I talked about the values of energy efficiency and earthquake resistance of your home.  But, how about the values of remodeling projects that do not involve structural or energy-efficiency upgrades? Hanley Wood LLC has published national and … Continue reading

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Value of an Energy-Efficient House

It is obvious that an energy-efficient house is worth more than another one that is not energy-efficient.  But, how much is the energy-efficiency worth? Let’s say we expect to pay $300 a month more on average to heat and/or cool … Continue reading

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Myths of Loma Prieta Earthquake

The Loma Prieta earthquake occurred on October 17, 1989.  It measured Magnitude 6.9 on Richter scale, and its epicenter was located about 9 miles North-East of Santa Cruz.  A section of the Bay Bridge, numerous buildings in San Francisco’s Marina … Continue reading

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What Is Below the Lake?

The header on this page is a view of the Crystal Springs Reservoir, which extends along Highway 280, south of San Francisco.  Beyond the lake, you see the fog draping over the Santa Cruz Mountains.  I love this view, and … Continue reading

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