Soft-story Retrofits & In-Law Additions

The Mandatory Soft Story Retrofit Program (MSSP) was created in 2013 as a multi-year community-based effort led by the Earthquake Safety Implementation Program and enforced by the Department of Building Inspection to ensure the safety and resilience of San Francisco's housing stock through the retrofit of older, wood-framed, multi-family buildings with a soft-story condition.

Doherty Restoration, Inc. has extensive experience in retrofitting these types of building throughout the Bay Area. Many of our clients are doing more than the mandatory soft-story retrofit, they are adding new housing units. Thanks to legislation by Supervisor Scott Wiener that allows buildings in the soft-story program to convert ground floor or basement spaces into housing units. Suddenly, buildings across the city are digging out basements and garages and laundry rooms and turning them into accessory dwelling units, more commonly known as in-law units. This can increase the value of the building itself, while also creating additional income and increasing the city’s housing supply.  Many years of remodeling and new builds allows Doherty Restoration to offer cost effective methods in adding these units. Any seismic retrofit will greatly increase the safety and structural soundness of the building, and increase its value.  Furthermore, other necessary or desired work can be added on to the permit for building improvements, and work on these can be done simultaneously with the retrofit, which cuts costs from doing these separately. 

The cost of a seismic retrofit can vary widely based on many factors, including, but not limited to, the existing condition of the building, size, and who does the work. 

At Doherty Restoration, Inc. we use value engineering to ensure all products and services we provide bring you the greatest value by either improving the function or reducing the cost. By choosing Doherty Restoration for your retrofit and in-law addition, you not only save during the remodel, but also long term with savings in energy bills and available tax credits. We work with you to increase your profit on your investment; and we help clients with any pass through petitions relating to seismic improvement and capital improvements.

View some of our work below.