TKB Retrofits

Why Retrofits?

A huge number of existing homes and many other, mostly insufficiently stabilized structures are located within the so-called Tornado Alley or along the Hurricane-stricken coastlines of the Caribbean and Florida. Another very large number of wooden homes is located along the San-Andreas fault line on the West coast, exposing them to the risk of damage through severe earthquakes.

To serve these markets of hundreds of thousands of existing buildings we have developed ingeniously simple retrofit-solutions.

In a nutshell our bracing systems are composed of an array of steel cables attached to the integral parts of the wooden houses. These are guided around a power balance and over power guide plates and ultimately tied to strong ground anchors which are installed outside of the existing floor plan next to the existing building.

 

Installation on Site
Most of the other components of the system can be directly employed or adapted for retrofitting into existing –mostly doubled walled 2-by-4 structures. These elements are designed for introduction into the double walls of existing structures with minimal intrusion or other major operations within the retrofitting process.

 Advantages:

  • Easy installation into existing wooden structures
  • Supplementary reinforcement of ground anchoring
  • Fortification of timber binders
  • Simplicity of installation

Main Components:

  • Steel Cables with Locks
  • Central Power Balance
  • Anchoring plates
  • Baffle plates
  • Ground Anchors