Structural Work for Older Encino Homes
Structural work for older Encino homes that looks for hidden faults first: undersized headers, sagging girders and old repairs done without a permit.
Old repairs are often the hidden problem in an older Encino house. A girder propped on stacked bricks, a header made from two flat boards over a widened opening, or an addition framed onto the original house with nothing tying the floors together can each stay out of sight for a long time. Finding one changes the job, since it may need an engineer, a footing or a permit that the first repair skipped.
Signs of an earlier fix
Under the floor, we look for posts that do not match the rest, shims hammered in at odd angles, and girders resting on stone, brick or scrap wood. In the walls, a doorway that was widened often has a header too shallow for the span, which shows as a crack above the opening. Where an addition meets the original house, we check whether the floor framing and foundation are actually connected or simply sit side by side, with only siding hiding the gap.
How the scope shifts
A girder on bricks gets a proper concrete pier and post base. A weak header is replaced with one an engineer sizes, with temporary shoring holding the wall while it goes in. An addition that was never tied in may need new hold-downs, straps across the joint and sometimes a footing at the seam. Plans for Encino go to LADBS as part of the City of Los Angeles, and older unpermitted work may need to appear on them as well.
Structural Work in Encino: common questions
Cracks that form a line where an addition meets the house, a door that binds after a widened opening and floors that dip near a girder are the signs to check. From below, odd posts, brick props and missing anchor bolts confirm it needs attention.
LADBS permits all structural work in Encino. A basic bolt and brace retrofit may proceed under a prescriptive plan. Engineering is needed for headers over widened openings, new girders and any tie between an addition and the original house, and earlier unpermitted repairs may be reviewed alongside.
Pier and post repairs and crawlspace retrofits leave the rooms untouched. Replacing a header means cutting into the wall around the opening, so the door casing is pried off with care, the plaster outside the work area is protected and the patch is matched to the old surface.
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Other work we do in Encino
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