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SITE EVALUATION AND PROPOSAL -
PERMITTING AND PLAN CHECKS -
RETROFITTING AND CONSTRUCTION -
Inspection and Compliance
Rhino Retrofitting is dedicated to you and your retrofitting needs. When you contact us about a potential project, we start by scheduling a time to speak to you regarding your project. During the scheduled visit, we verify if your particular apartment building has any particular factors we need to take into consideration.
Rhino Retrofitting has a fully trained team of construction professionals and soft-story seismic retrofit structural engineers.
Rhino Retrofitting take all necessary measurements and photographs to determine the seismic strength of the building. Some Bay Area buildings fall within the Soft-Story Retrofit Program and may already meet and/or exceed the city or county requirements, is that case we can help with a Petition for Exemption.
Rhino’s retrofitting experts will determine the best design approach to bring it in compliance for the lowest price point possible. We provide a design-build proposal link for your review. No commitment is required from you to receive this proposal link.
Upon proposal acceptance, Rhino Retrofitting returns to complete a second analysis, get the measurements needed to finalize the plans, sample the exterior finish, acquire the necessary calculations, create the engineer plans and pass all permit processes.
Rhino Retrofitting guarantees you a FREE inspection, FREE price quote/estimate, a high-quality retrofitting work, and lower construction cost guaranteed.
Bay Area’s soft-story property owners must hire structural engineers, licensed to perform engineer plans in the State of California.
Rhino Retrofitting’s staff of structural engineers are here to help you with any of these needs!
Building owners need 2 years from their receipt of the Order to Comply to show the previous retrofit (or plans to complete the retrofit). We prepare all necessary technical documents they are fully compliant to the Bay Area’s Retrofit Ordinance.
Rhino Retrofitting can submit all necessary permit documents to the city or county for full review by the Plan Check staff. The plan check process then proceeds via the Regular Plan Check Service or the Expanded Counter Plan Check Service. The ECPC gives you a same-day over-the-counter plan check review when your project is submitted for its plan check review.
ECPC-qualifying projects are frequently simple and have their plan check completed in less than 2 hours. Bigger projects must be completed through the RPC – plans are reviewed over a period of weeks.
The city or county plan check staff reviews the permit documents, and then sends them back along with both a Clearance Summary Work Sheet and a Plan Review List.
Rhino Retrofitting addresses the items on our Plan Review List (if there are any), with a response written to reinforce the structural analysis and/or all plans. We then return it for plan check verification.
The soft-story building owners in the Bay Area need to get construction permits within about 3 and a half years from the receipt of their Order to Comply.
After the review and compliance approval, building permits are issued which allow for construction and seismic retrofitting to begin.
When Rhino completes the work and secures all of the required clearances and permits, Rhino Retrofitting retrofits your soft-story building quickly and efficiently. We guarantee you and your soft-story building(s) a high-quality job as well as minimal disruptions for you and your tenants.
Rhino Retrofitting’s expert staff of structural engineering and contractor professionals are fully trained in seismic retrofitting. They value engineer designs, custom tailored for your specific needs for each apartment building. We design plans with construction costs taken into full consideration. All the savings are then passed directly to you!
It’s not a matter of if your building with be hit with an earthquake, but when. Protect your real estate asset today, and proactively reduce any potential financial losses and liabilities. Retrofitting protects you from potential future lawsuits.
Rhino Retrofitting’s team partners directly with the Department of Building inspector, as well as deputy inspectors, to ensure your building fully complies with the Retrofit Ordinance.
Rhino Retrofitting notifies these parties when a phase of construction is ready for inspection.
As a general rule, retrofitting work is inspected/approved in succession and no construction continues beyond points which are indicated in each of the successive inspections without first obtaining the inspector’s express approval first.
The approved set of plans has to be ready on-demand on-site at all times, so it can be available when requested for.
All of our work follows the approved plans and is subject to inspection by both city or county inspectors and deputy inspectors.
Rhino’s construction phases, subject to approval, will include the following:
Pre-Construction Meeting
- Once the pre-existing structural connections and elements have been fully excavated and exposed, prior to installation of new elements, Rhino Retrofitting and all relevant parties and contractors, will set up a meeting prior to construction with the building inspector. The meeting’s goal is to determine the relevant connections, structural elements, pre-existing conditions which will affect both the structure’s lateral and vertical load systems and to review the required observation’s scheduling.
The Groundwork and Foundation
- Rhino Retrofitting will request a full inspection once the anchors, reinforcement steel, and the forms have been fully completed, but prior to the pouring and filling in with the concrete foundation.
Steel Frames/Rough Framing
- We call for an inspection after the framing (this includes all relevant clips, straps, and plates) and have been installed and completed, but prior to installation of any sheathing or covering.
Fire Proofing/Plywood Sheathing
- We call to schedule an inspection once covering and sheathing has been installed.
The Final Inspection
- Finally, we request an inspection once all construction is complete.
After our final inspection is completed and has been approved, a Certificate of Compliance (shortened to CoC) is issued.
- Rhino Retrofitting staffs engineers and contractors responsible for the design.
- We maintain a close working relationship with all necessary inspectors.
- We do all the coordination, scheduling, and communication necessary for the inspection.
- All inspections are approved one after the other.
- The Certificate of Compliance is issued after the final inspection.