Construction, Renovation and Retrofitting
Home Earthquake Retrofitting in Ankara: Is My Home Earthquake-Resistant?
We answer your questions about your home’s safety with the right steps and carry out any necessary retrofitting in line with its design.
Overview
The room where your children sleep, the living room you sit in every day… It is entirely natural to wonder how resistant your home is to earthquakes. With our home earthquake retrofitting service in Ankara, we turn that question from uncertainty into a measurable roadmap.
Let us make one important point from the start: a home’s load-bearing structure usually belongs not just to that flat but to the entire building. That is why the right starting point in retrofitting an older building or home is licensed laboratory measurements, an engineering analysis and, where necessary, a decision taken together with the other flat owners. At Çayyolu Architecture & Construction, we organise these steps for you and execute the approved retrofitting design with our 20 years of experience.
Our Services
Which Homes May Need Retrofitting?
Older apartment flats
For flats in buildings constructed many years ago, with missing or unclear design information, an assessment is the first step.
Previously renovated homes
In homes where walls have been removed, columns altered or floors added in the past, the load-bearing structure must be assessed.
Detached houses with gardens
In single-storey or low-rise detached houses, decisions and works usually move faster because there is a single owner.
Buildings showing signs of damage
If there are cracks in load-bearing elements, rust on reinforcement or persistent damp in the basement, consult a specialist without delay.
Homes you are thinking of buying
We explain how to start the assessment process so you can find out the building’s condition before you buy.
Homes due for renovation
Assessing the load-bearing structure before a major renovation saves you from having to demolish twice later on.
A Closer Look
How Can You Tell If Your Home Is Earthquake-Resistant?
A visual inspection gives an idea, but it is not enough to base a decision on. Earthquake resistance is assessed using core samples taken from load-bearing elements by a licensed laboratory, reinforcement detection and a performance analysis prepared by a civil engineer using this data. The result is documented in an earthquake resistance report.
We do not carry out these measurements ourselves; we coordinate the process with licensed organisations, make communication with the building management and your neighbours easier and go through the report with you. This way, you learn in plain language what you need to do.
02
Can a Single Flat Be Retrofitted?
In apartment buildings, columns, beams and shear walls are part of a shared load-bearing system. An intervention in just one flat that ignores the whole will therefore not deliver the right result, and load-bearing elements must never be touched without an approved design.
The right approach is an assessment covering the entire building and a decision taken together with the flat owners. The retrofitting design is prepared based on a licensed engineer’s calculations and goes through the municipal approval process. We describe the process for apartment-scale works in detail on our building retrofitting page.
- Changes to non-load-bearing walls within the flat are assessed separately
- Load-bearing elements are only altered under an approved design
- Decisions and cost sharing are agreed among the flat owners
03
What We Pay Attention to During the Works
Home retrofitting is delicate work carried out in a lived-in space. That is why we organise the site to respect not only technical accuracy but also the daily lives of you and your neighbours.
When carrying out works specified in the design, such as column jacketing, carbon fibre wrapping or additional shear walls, we submit the reinforcement and anchorage work that will later be concealed to the design engineer for inspection before closing it up.
- Protecting furniture and floors
- Dust screens and regular cleaning of the work area
- A work plan that avoids disturbing neighbours in shared areas
- Sharing progress with you through photographs
04
Renew Your Home After Retrofitting
The walls and floors opened during retrofitting are a good opportunity to renew your home. Tackling the electrical and plumbing installations, kitchen and bathroom in the same programme saves both time and repeated labour.
With our turnkey renovation and home decoration team, we can complete the retrofitting with a renovation that improves your quality of life. For a free site visit, call us or send photos of your home via WhatsApp.
Our Process
How We Work
01
Free site visit
We see your home and building on site, listen to your questions and review the existing documents.
02
Assessment coordination
We organise appointments and site access for licensed laboratory measurements and the engineering analysis.
03
Report review
We go through the report with you and, if necessary, with the other flat owners, explaining the options clearly.
04
Design and approval
We closely follow the preparation of the retrofitting design and the municipal approval process.
05
Retrofitting works
We carry out the works exactly in line with the design, taking measures for dust, noise and occupational safety.
06
Making good and handover
We complete the plastering, painting and installation work and hand over your home clean and ready to use.
Good to Know
Frequently Asked Questions
Can’t find the answer you are looking for? Give us a call — we will listen to your project and answer your questions right away.
0312 240 51 51Is my home earthquake-resistant, and how can I find out?
A definitive answer comes from licensed laboratory measurements and a performance analysis prepared by a civil engineer. We help you start and manage this process.
Can a single flat be retrofitted?
Because the load-bearing structure is a shared part of the building, the assessment and decision are usually made at building level. Load-bearing elements in a single flat must not be altered without an approved design.
Who prepares the earthquake resistance report?
The report is prepared by civil engineers qualified in this field, based on the measurement results of licensed laboratories. We take on the coordination and the subsequent retrofitting works.
How much does home retrofitting cost?
The cost varies with the condition of the home and building, the method specified in the design and the scope. We provide a clear quotation after a site visit, based on the approved design.
Can I stay at home during retrofitting?
It depends on the areas to be worked on. In some cases the work can be carried out section by section; in others the home needs to be vacated temporarily. We plan this together with you.
Free site visit
Let’s plan your project together
With 20 years of experience, we inspect your space on site and present the right solution with a clear roadmap. The site visit and first meeting are free of charge.