Thanks to strong lobbying by your NCVV Board and Valley Village stakeholders, most of our community is now eligible for the state’s Earthquake Brace+Bold (EBB) program. EBB is a state program developed to help homeowners lessen the potential for damage to their house during an earthquake.
Owners of houses in Valley Village suitable for this type of retrofit in accordance with California Existing Building Code Appendix Chapter A3 are eligible for an incentive payment of up to $3,000 to help pay costs associated with the retrofit of their houses. Most homeowners decide to hire a contractor to do the retrofit work instead of doing it themselves. A typical retrofit may cost between $3,000 and $7,000 depending on the location and size of the house, contractor fees, and the amount of materials and work involved. If the homeowner is an experienced do-it-yourselfer, a retrofit can cost less than $3,000.
In summer 2017 homeowner Suzanne Schmidtke noticed that only a small part of homes Valley Village were eligible for this state sponsored program. She contacted the Board, who asked State Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian’s office for help to expand eligibility to all homes in Valley Village. Registration for the program opens this week, and you can sign up through February 23. For more information about EBB and how you can strengthen your house with an earthquake retrofit, visit www.earthquakebracebolt.com