Southern California · Licensed General Contractor
Soft-Story Seismic Retrofit and Balcony Repair in Los Angeles.
Soft-story seismic retrofit, SB-721 and SB-326 balcony repair, and waterproofing, all under one license, across Southern California.
- CSLB #310779
- Licensed & insured
- 25+ years of combined experience
A decade as Cal Retrofit, built on 25+ years of combined experience in soft-story seismic retrofit, balcony repair, and waterproofing, engineered, permitted, and closed out across Southern California.
See the project map- Soft-story retrofit
- Steel moment frames
- Cantilever columns
- Shear wall reinforcement
- SB-721 balcony repair
- SB-326 HOA balcony repair
- Foundation repair
- Waterproofing
- Permit · plan check
- Recertification
- Structural compliance
- City inspection · closeout
What we do
Three services. One licensed team. Engineering through closeout.
S01
Seismic retrofit
Soft-story retrofits under city ordinance. Permitting, steel installation, and city inspection, handled end-to-end, with engineering by our partner Naxa.
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S02
Balcony repair and recertification
SB-721 and SB-326 exterior elevated element repair, waterproofing, and recertification. The licensed contractor who executes the fix after the inspection.
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S03
ADUs, through our sister companies
For dedicated ADU design and delivery, our sister companies lead: ADU Concepts for single-family and multifamily ADUs, and LyteMods for panelized light-gauge-steel ADU homes. Cal Retrofit provides the structural, foundation, and permitting support where an ADU pairs with retrofit work on the same lot.
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About Cal Retrofit
A decade as Cal Retrofit, built on 25+ years of value engineering, design minimization, and white-glove customer care.
Cal Retrofit is a Southern California licensed general contractor specializing in mandatory soft-story seismic retrofit, SB-721 and SB-326 balcony repair and recertification, and foundation and waterproofing work.
We carry the permit coordination, fabrication, field installation, and city closeout in-house, with structural engineering by our sister company Naxa. One contract. One accountable partner from the first walk through the final inspection card.
800+ completed projects on the ground in Southern California. Real fieldwork, not estimates on a website.
Why Cal Retrofit
Six reasons property owners and HOAs hire us.
01
Single point of contact
One project manager owns your job start to finish. No bouncing between engineers, contractors, and the city.
02
Cost-effective solutions
Value engineering trims design overhead and keeps scope tight. We don't pad estimates.
03
Project management
Daily logs. Photos. Tenant communication. Your job runs on a documented schedule.
04
Permitting and approvals
We pull the permits, respond to plan check, and coordinate with HCID-LA. You don't chase the city.
05
Construction expertise
Licensed and insured crews. 800+ completed projects across SoCal.
06
Peace of mind
Code-compliant work. Closed permits. A building you can insure, sell, and stand behind.
Mandatory soft-story program
Reduce the risk of injury or loss of life from earthquakes.
Soft-story buildings, the kind with open parking on the ground floor and units above, collapse first when the ground shakes. Los Angeles, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, and a growing list of cities require seismic retrofit on these structures, on enforceable timelines.
Cal Retrofit installs steel moment frames, cantilever columns, and shear-wall reinforcement engineered to the city's structural standard. Every detail goes through plan check before a tool hits the site.
- Soft-story seismic retrofit (mandatory ordinance compliance)
- Steel moment frame and cantilever column installation
- Shear wall and structural reinforcement
- Permit coordination, with structural calculations by our engineering partner Naxa
- City inspection scheduling and final certification
- Single-vendor accountability through closeout
Balcony compliance deadlines
California balcony safety just got a major upgrade.
New laws targeting Exterior Elevated Elements (EEEs), meaning balconies, decks, walkways, and elevated entries, require inspection and any necessary repairs. SB-326 covers HOA-managed buildings, with the first inspection due by January 1, 2025 and every nine years after. SB-721 covers multifamily rental property, with the first inspection due by January 1, 2026 under AB 2579 and every six years after.
Missed deadlines carry fines, insurability problems, and exposure if an element fails. Cal Retrofit designs the repair, pulls the permit, executes the work, and recertifies. For the SB-326 licensed inspection report itself, we work with our engineering partner Naxa.
P01
Soft-story ordinance
Los Angeles, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Pasadena, Culver City, Long Beach, and growing, all require mandatory seismic retrofit on soft-story buildings.
P02
SB-721 and SB-326 balcony deadlines
Every exterior elevated element on multifamily and HOA property in California must be inspected and, where needed, repaired. SB-326 first inspection was due January 1, 2025; SB-721 is due January 1, 2026 under AB 2579.
P03
Foundation and waterproofing
Structural foundation repair, leveling, and waterproofing keep a compliant building sound, and protect the exterior elevated elements the state now requires you to maintain.
Our process
Six steps from free survey to closeout.
One contract. One project manager. One accountable team for every stage, from the first walk through the final inspection card.
01
Free property survey
100% free property survey, inspection, and measurement. We walk the building, document conditions, and tell you exactly what compliance requires.
02
Engineering and plans
Our engineering partner Naxa prepares architectural and structural plans, sealed and ready for plan check.
03
Tenant notifications
Tenant Habitability Plan and HCID-LA notifications prepared and filed. We handle every required disclosure.
04
Construction begins
Crews mobilize with all materials, labor, and equipment. Documented quality control. Daily field logs.
05
City inspection
Coordination with Department of Building and Safety inspectors. We schedule the inspections and resolve any callouts.
06
Tenant cost-sharing
Up to half of qualifying retrofit cost can be passed to tenants over ten years, coordinated through HCID-LA approval.
What clients say
In their words.
“Cal Retrofit handled our soft-story retrofit start to finish. The engineering, the permit, the city inspection, all of it. We didn't chase a single thing. The work was clean, the crew was respectful to tenants, and the building closed out on schedule.”
Property owner
Multifamily, Mid-City Los Angeles
“We had a hard deadline and three competing bids. Cal Retrofit was the only contractor that came in and explained exactly what the law required versus what was nice-to-have. They repaired, waterproofed, and recertified. Done.”
HOA board
SB-326 balcony repair, Westside HOA
“Going from concept to a finished project sounded impossible to me. Tal and the team mapped the whole path, handled the foundation and permits, and coordinated the ADU with the sister company. Straightforward the whole way.”
Homeowner
Foundation and ADU project, San Fernando Valley
“What I appreciated most was that they knew the soft-story ordinance cold and got us through plan check on the first submission. No subcontracting the part that matters.”
Building owner
Soft-story retrofit, Santa Monica
Free site assessment
Get a real number. No pressure.
Cal Retrofit comes to the property, walks the structure or the scope, and tells you what's actually required, in plain English. The first visit is always free.
Mon to Fri, 9 AM to 4:30 PM · 19528 Ventura Blvd #300, Tarzana, CA 91356