How Much Does It Cost to Rebuild a House After an Earthquake?

Do you know that it is the International Day for Disaster Reduction on October 13? Earthquakes are among the most ruining natural disasters as underground tremors can level to the ground entire neighborhoods. Each year, thousands of households around the world suffer from earthquake impacts. And it is not a really rare thing when an earthquake ruins a house and makes it unsuitable for living there.

It is real luck if your home has withstood the disaster and hasn't got numerous damage issues. In other cases, you may need to rebuild the house after an earthquake. Even the thought about such an undertaking makes a person really worried as it sounds costly. We can assure you that prices may vary greatly when it comes to rebuilding a house after an earthquake. So, let's consider the average cost of this work.

What Are the Average Costs of Rebuilding a House After an Earthquake?

It all depends on the complexity of the damage and the size of the house itself. But not only this affects the total cost of repairs. Additional factors that can increase the cost of rebuilding a house after an earthquake may include:

• The type of the building structure. It is one thing to repair the damage caused to a solid newly built mansion whose walls are made of bricks, but an entirely different thing to restore a light summer house or frame-based structure.
• The amount of damage. Rebuilding a house from scratch can be both cheaper and more expensive than a major overhaul. Spot repair of damage often results in a larger amount in the end.
• When rebuilding a house from scratch after an earthquake, you will have to take into account not only construction and repair work, but also the work connected with dismantling walls and removing construction waste.
• The price of such services often differs even within one state. In different states, it can also be very different. Both the prestige of the area in which you live and geological factors play a role.

In any case, you should not order home rebuilding services from the first agency you come across. Even in your neighborhood, the price for such services may be different. Find below a few numbers that are common throughout the United States. They are not the ultimate because, in the end, everything depends on the type and amount of damage, the type of construction, and location of your home.

Usually, the most expensive part of house rebuilding is the restoration of the foundation. During the earthquake, it is under significant stress from both sides at once. From above, the foundation is under the load of walls, floors, roofs, and the entire building as a whole. In case of an earthquake, the load from the tremors is added to this. Under the best of circumstances, the foundation will require slight strengthening. But more complex work will be required if there are cracks in it or some of its pieces have simply collapsed. The cost of such work starts from $5,000 and can be twice as much. It all depends on the area, the type of foundation, and the type of damage inflicted by the earthquake. But a complete house reconstruction can cost many times more, starting from $30,000. And there is simply no upper limit to this amount.

Forewarned Is Forearmed

If you do not want to risk your money, it is much better to think in advance how to reduce costs in the event of an earthquake. There are two ways out. You can combine them in a complex manner or just choose one of the options.

• Take out special insurance to cover earthquake damage. This is because the homeowners policy does not cover earthquake damage. Alas, this is so. Of course, if you live in the area where earthquakes happen no more often than a dinosaur walk around the city, there is simply no much need for such a policy. But, this is a must for the regions where earthquakes occur quite often. Such a policy will cost you about $800 a year. But, in case you need to rebuild the house after an earthquake, you can be sure that the insurance company will cover some of the costs.
• Make your home earthquake-proof ahead of time. It is much easier and less costly to gradually improve the house than to start rebuilding it after a disaster. What is needed for this? Strengthen the foundation. It is best to use monolithic foundations because they are much more stable. It is also useful to invite an architect and create a load plan for the supporting structures. The load must be balanced and evenly distributed. If you can afford it, try to make sure all the parts of the house are made from the same type of material. In this case, there definitely will not be any difference in the loads during jolts. It is also possible to install on each floor anti-seismic belts made of monolithic reinforced concrete. But, the internal partitions can be made thinner. Then, the risk that they will entail the collapse of the load-bearing walls is minimal.

All this, of course, will not be a panacea if the earthquake magnitude is 10+. But, this will reduce the likelihood of significant damage that might require to rebuild the house after an earthquake.