On the day Ray Carlin of Bar Diamond R Services arrived to assess the existing framing, he described it as "minimalist." This was a polite way of saying it was substandard and wholly unacceptable under the current building code. The lumber was found to be heavily compromised by termite damage. In the end, about 80 percent of the framing was replaced by Ray and his partner Jim Olsen, under the direction by the structural engineer and according to the seismic retrofit plans that were approved by the city.