Perspectives on civil engineering, hillside construction, and grading in Los Angeles.
Lots in Altadena are getting fully graded with no grading plans on file. When the county catches up, here's what it's going to take to fix.
Read More
Earthwork analysis for a Pacific Palisades single-family home with a basement. Existing and proposed contours plus cut/fill depth model to stay under 1000 CY and skip the LADBS haul route hearing.
Read MoreSenate passed the Padilla wildfire tax relief bill August 7, 2026. Insurance settlements on the 2025 LA fires stay out of federal taxable income through 2026.
Read More
Grading plan for a Pacific Palisades hillside rebuild on a 12% slope. Garage and basement on same level with lightwell, area drains, and deep trench drainage to the street.
Read More
Grading plan for a South Pasadena residential remodel. Lot above street grade with garage widening, new staircase, and area drains routing to Hanscom Drive.
Read More
Burbank SB9 project on a 34-foot slope. See how we designed the garage level, handled drainage, and got planning approval.
Read More
A drainage plan and hydrology report for an Altadena fire rebuild where the site slopes 11 feet from street to rear. We designed flowlines around the main house and proposed ADU, added plastic lined rain gardens on both sides, and used the hydrology report to show pre-fire impervious was greater than proposed.
Read More
LA County often requires pumps on Altadena fire rebuild projects. But there are ways to get around that requirement. If you are planning to add an ADU later, doing the extra engineering now could save $15,000 to $20,000 by avoiding sump pump requirements.
Read More
We built a status page with real response time metrics and an AI search tool that answers questions about our civil engineering work.
Read More