Renovating Old Homes in the US: Structural Safety is Key for Renovation Permits
“Master, knock down this wall for me. A bigger living room will look more impressive!” In the heart of a bustling American city, a homeowner excitedly points to a floor plan for their 30-year-old house. The general contractor glances at it and casually replies, “No problem, this doesn’t look like a load-bearing wall, we can just remove it!” Neither of them realizes that this old house might have sustained unseen damage during past seismic events.However, in a different neighborhood, for a 35-year-old apartment, an architect holds a structural diagram and states seriously, “The wall you want to remove, while not a ‘load-bearing wall,’ might have served as a ‘seismic bracing column’ back in the day, contributing to the building’s lateral…