If you’re a property owner or manager in the Bay Area, you’ve likely heard a few seismic retrofit horror stories: ballooning budgets, slow timelines, and change orders that seem to appear out of nowhere.
It’s no surprise. Seismic retrofits are complex projects. But here’s the truth: the confusion around pricing usually starts long before construction does — and it starts with a lack of clarity around how costs are really built.
“If you want to seismically retrofit your building, there are four main factors that come into play,” says Connor Daly, founder of Connor Daly Construction.
And those four factors? They determine not just your budget — but how smoothly your entire retrofit will go.
The Four Pillars of Retrofit Cost
According to Daly, the cost of a retrofit breaks down into:
- Measuring the building
- Engineering
- Permitting
- Construction
Sounds simple — but there’s a catch.
“The construction is the big variable cost, and that will depend on how your building was originally built,” Daly explains.
In other words, everything up to construction is fairly predictable. After that, it depends on the bones of your building — and the team you hire.
What Happens When You Guess Instead of Know?
Some owners go straight to construction bidding without enough upfront investigation. That’s when surprises show up: missing shear walls, unexpected foundation types, permit delays.
“Depending on the size of the building, how much foundation it has, how many existing shear walls you have… we’ll then be able to figure out how much we need to add,” Daly says.
These are the details that make or break your budget — and they should never be discovered after the project starts.
Speed Comes from Strategy — Not Shortcuts
Connor Daly Construction’s process is built around eliminating guesswork. Daly and his engineering team don’t just show up and measure. They begin researching before they even walk the site.
“My engineer and I are able to come up with a preliminary design based on publicly available info online,” he shares.
That pre-work allows them to generate proposals quickly — often within days — with high confidence and low risk of change orders down the line.
“I can come out, take a look at your building, verify it is the way we’ve expected, and turn around a proposal to you within a couple days,” Daly says.
It’s this level of preparation that allows retrofits to move forward faster and with fewer surprises.
Is Your Retrofit Partner Asking the Right Questions?
Before signing off on a seismic project, it’s worth reflecting:
- Has anyone walked me through the full cost breakdown — from measurement to construction?
- Do I understand how my building’s original construction could impact pricing?
- Is my contractor taking shortcuts in the pre-design phase to speed things up, or doing the hard work to get it right early?
- Can the team I’m hiring explain why certain structural upgrades are needed, and how they were determined?
If you’re unsure how to evaluate those questions, Connor Daly Construction is here to guide you through them — before you commit to anything.
Contact us today to get a realistic, research-backed proposal for your seismic retrofit — not a guess. [License #546425]
Why Owners and Managers Rely on Connor Daly Construction
Every property is different. But one thing remains true: the cost of a seismic retrofit doesn’t come from the blueprints — it comes from what’s behind the walls.
That’s why Connor Daly Construction starts earlier, thinks deeper, and proposes smarter. Daly’s team has performed hundreds of retrofits and knows exactly what to look for — and what to avoid.
“What sets me apart is the way we go about the seismic retrofit process,” Daly says. “Based on me and the engineer’s experience doing hundreds of these buildings, we’re able to know what we’re supposed to do”.
No drama. No surprises. Just solid construction and a process that respects your time, money, and investment.
