The homeowner Frank does a final walk of the front of his Altadena home. The foundation is unreinforced brick. He has elected to install a steel reinforced "sister foundation" on the interior face of the existing masonry foundation. Thereby preserving the architectural integrity of this classic craftsman home.
	Our crew has arrived at the jobsite and is busy under the house trenching for a new foundation to secure the structure against the lateral forces generated by some earthquakes.
	The trenching along the interior of the south elevation is nearly ready for the steel reinforcing grid.
	We have carved niches at 48" on center in the existing brick and hung a foundation bolt, which will be cast in the new concrete.
.	Additional niches and bolts are placed within twelve inches of each corner of the foundation
	The steel reinforcing grid is hung in place in readiness for the forming boards.
	The steel is bent into the new footing base and tied to two continuous bars of steel that run the length of the entire new footing.
	Forming boards are being placed to contain the pouring of new wet concrete until the concrete properly sets up
	As with a majority of homes of this era, there was no foundation under the wall of the front door where the porch joins the house, a condition that allows that portion of the structure to be the first section to slide and suffer some degree or total collapse. Above is a new trenching and form under that vulnerable portion.
	The trenching, and steel placement has been approved by the local jurisdiction. The foreman begins placing pumped concrete for the new foundation system.
	You can almost hear him shout commands to start or stop the pump until he has repositioned the hose for concrete placement.
	Easy to imagine the surging force of the wet concrete as it pumps out of the nozzle. Several crew members back him up holding the hose steady.
	The new concrete wall under the front elevation, along with the rest of the foundation has been stripped of the forms and anchored in place.
	Plywood shear panels are being gun-nailed to strict specifications. The holes in the plywood must be strategically placed to allow ventilation of the stud bays, and serve as inspection windows to verify steel foundation anchorage.
	The foreman tests the torque values applied to the nuts and washers.
	Mesh is fastened in place over the ventilation and inspection holes to prevent pest infestation.
	Our proud foreman stands along with Frank, his wife, and sweet daughter. The family can now rest easily as this fine home is now braced against future earthquakes.
	We are now ready to leave these delighted customers for the next project. Could it be yours?