Earthquake insurance

irvinehomeshopper

Well-known member
We live in earthquake country and should we buy earthquake insurance.

I have seen the devastations of Semi Valley, Whittier Narrow and Northridge Earthquakes. Prior to these earthquakes constructions were often not monitored and inspected. Code standard were less stringent. Construction defect litigations and lawsuits during the late 80's improve the way builders construct homes.

Regardless of builders reputation the bad craftsmanships are evident in waterproofing, plumbing, finishes and cosmetic appearance. Seismic measure in a home has been a common practice where builders never or rarely cut corner or cheapen up. Shear walls, structural hold down, specified diaphragm, nailing schedules, drag hardware, and wall height to width ratio are built accordingly per architects and engineers design.

The structures that failed during the earthquakes were structure without adequate shear walls or moment frames. Many of there structure were pre 70's and constructed out of multiple materials such as masonry blocks base to wood frame apartment structures. These structures have wide openings without adequate shear walls flanking both ends. The end walls must have a 2 to 1 ratio. If the wall adjacent to the opening on that given story is 10' high the width of the wall must be 5' wide to become an adequate shear wall. This is extremely crucial for the flanking walls at the ends of those 3CWG. Because so much of the house front is relegated to the garage openings very little is left for shear walls. If these flaking walls are narrow and don't meet the 2:1 ratio wood wall then a narrow galvanized metal wall bolted to the foundation can be used for the shear. Older homes did not have these metal walls. The only wood frame house I have seen collapsed or damaged were those that failed around the garage openings and much more susceptible to the 3CWG design.

Wood frame houses is ideal for earthquake zones because the structure is ductile and allowing the entire structure to flex and dissipate energy. The entire wood frame must be bolted to the slab foundation and the entire structure must move with the seismic oscillation. Plaster may crack and window may pop but the structure is relatively well protected from seismic damage. The standard practice in wood framing is typical and therefore is quite consistent through out SoCal and NorCal. Houses don't fall down or collapse during earthquake.

The masonry we see on homes are fake. This is actually better than a true masonry structure from seismic standpoint. The brick and stone are glued to a wood frame exterior wall. The appearance is nice and without the weakness prone to cracking resulting from lateral forces.

After all my gibberish you don't need to buy earthquake insurance if you bought a home built by a builder after 1980's.

You should consider hiring a structural engineer if you have a 3CWG builder home built prior to 1980s to evaluate shear walls and seismic hardwares.

If you have a mid century modern home like the Eichler homes in The Fairhaven tract in Orange the expansive glass openings, the dissimilar materials used in construction, the lack of wood shear walls and deterioration of rigid moment frame then you should also consult a structural engineer for an evaluation.
 
irvinehomeshopper said:
We live in earthquake country and should we buy earthquake insurance.

I have seen the devastations of Semi Valley, Whittier Narrow and Northridge Earthquakes. Prior to these earthquakes constructions were often not monitored and inspected. Code standard were less stringent. Construction defect litigations and lawsuits during the late 80's improve the way builders construct homes.

Regardless of builders reputation the bad craftsmanships are evident in waterproofing, plumbing, finishes and cosmetic appearance. Seismic measure in a home has been a common practice where builders never or rarely cut corner or cheapen up. Shear walls, structural hold down, specified diaphragm, nailing schedules, drag hardware, and wall height to width ratio are built accordingly per architects and engineers design.

The structures that failed during the earthquakes were structure without adequate shear walls or moment frames. Many of there structure were pre 70's and constructed out of multiple materials such as masonry blocks base to wood frame apartment structures. These structures have wide openings without adequate shear walls flanking both ends. The end walls must have a 2 to 1 ratio. If the wall adjacent to the opening on that given story is 10' high the width of the wall must be 5' wide to become an adequate shear wall. This is extremely crucial for the flanking walls at the ends of those 3CWG. Because so much of the house front is relegated to the garage openings very little is left for shear walls. If these flaking walls are narrow and don't meet the 2:1 ratio wood wall then a narrow galvanized metal wall bolted to the foundation can be used for the shear. Older homes did not have these metal walls. The only wood frame house I have seen collapsed or damaged were those that failed around the garage openings and much more susceptible to the 3CWG design.

Wood frame houses is ideal for earthquake zones because the structure is ductile and allowing the entire structure to flex and dissipate energy. The entire wood frame must be bolted to the slab foundation and the entire structure must move with the seismic oscillation. Plaster may crack and window may pop but the structure is relatively well protected from seismic damage. The standard practice in wood framing is typical and therefore is quite consistent through out SoCal and NorCal. Houses don't fall down or collapse during earthquake.

The masonry we see on homes are fake. This is actually better than a true masonry structure from seismic standpoint. The brick and stone are glued to a wood frame exterior wall. The appearance is nice and without the weakness prone to cracking resulting from lateral forces.

After all my gibberish you don't need to buy earthquake insurance if you bought a home built by a builder after 1980's.

You should consider hiring a structural engineer if you have a 3CWG builder home built prior to 1980s to evaluate shear walls and seismic hardwares.

If you have a mid century modern home like the Eichler homes in The Fairhaven tract in Orange the expansive glass openings, the dissimilar materials used in construction, the lack of wood shear walls and deterioration of rigid moment frame then you should also consult a structural engineer for an evaluation.

Very accurate and well written piece, your knowledge of structural engineering is impressive. Wood structures in general have historically proven to perform pretty well in seismic events. I definitely agree with consulting with an engineer if dealing with an older home and you have concerns. The lack of engineering codes and regulations years back lead to homes being built with no serious regard for seismic events. The reality of the matter is that Southern California statistically speaking is overdue for a substantial earthquake.

But the height the width ratio of shear walls on new wood structures can actually go to 3.5:1, which means that they often time still use them at garage fronts (especially track homes). It is important to note that the current engineering code is based on ensuring "life safety." This means that the building can withstand the earthquake, but is not necessarily functional/safe after, so either it must be substantially repaired or demolished.

This is something that I feel most people don't know and will not change until people are aware and willing to pay for more safety. The structural engineering cost of building is usually less than a 1% of the construction cost of a home. Especially in places like Irvine, the fridge or counter tops are more expensive than the structural engineering cost of their home. Unfortunately, its human nature to have an "out of site out of mind" mentality, so people do not like paying for what they cannot see.
 
3.5:1 is the minimum standard. The walls are relatively short. To achieve the cumulative shear strength multiple walls are needed. The 2:1 ratio is much safer and stronger.

A 5' wall is much stronger than a 3-1/2' wall. The 2:1 wall ratio will protect the home from damage while the 3:1:2 :1 wall ratio will sustain the home from collapsing so the occupants could safely escape. However, the home will require structural retrofitting.
 
What percentage of people on here have earthquake insurance? I don't, seemed like deductible was so damn high that their wasn't that much value and I kind of figure at that point, we are talking major disaster and government bailing things out. I could have horrific logic though (and question myself all the time for the logic...since in general I'm very conservative). 
 
Bullsback said:
What percentage of people on here have earthquake insurance? I don't, seemed like deductible was so damn high that their wasn't that much value and I kind of figure at that point, we are talking major disaster and government bailing things out. I could have horrific logic though (and question myself all the time for the logic...since in general I'm very conservative).

We do.. for under $200/yr, its a negligible cost for peace of mind ..

I would not want to have to wait for government bailout especially in a major disaster .. that could take forever.
 
paperboyNC said:
I have it. It costs $10/mo in the 92618 zip code for every $400,000 or so in construction costs.. not bad at all.
Not a bad price (I might have to look back). I presume you guys are not getting any additional coverage but the dwelling?  So no loss of use or personal property coverage's? I ask because whenever I had evaluated, it was basically the cost of my current homeowners insurance, which seemed relatively absurd to me. 
 
What the hell am I looking at. I get quotes for like $600/yr with similar coverage (and no, I do not live in Shady Canyon). 
 
Bullsback said:
What the hell am I looking at. I get quotes for like $600/yr with similar coverage (and no, I do not live in Shady Canyon). 

May be a zip code issue. I remember some zips in irvine are more $$$$ than others. Most who quoted here are 92618.
 
you also need to find an insurance company that is part CEA list of companies (California Earthquake Authority).  The quotes difference I got from those part of and not part of is significant.
 
GH said:
you also need to find an insurance company that is part CEA list of companies (California Earthquake Authority).  The quotes difference I got from those part of and not part of is significant.
I would have thought since it is just going through the CEA, that the prices would be the same no matter who you bought from. 
 
I'm going to guess that the premiums by zip code has more to do with potential building codes in that zip code and/or % of homeowners with earthquake insurance already in the pool?  Seems odd how generic the process is vs. normal homeowners (not that it is so complicated). It just seems crazy that my earthquake coverage is more then my homeowners policy. 
 
Some zip codes known to have a high percentage of 3CWGs so the risk is higher. Recent builts in newer zip codes are not at risk because the neighbors homes on both side act as shear walls for your home!
 
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