Why Your Altadena Fire Rebuild Might Not Need a Sump Pump or LID Covenant
We recently got a drainage plan approved in Altadena without requiring a sump pump or a LID maintenance covenant. Here is the engineering behind why it worked.
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Perspectives on civil engineering, hillside construction, and grading in Los Angeles.
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AI Search and Status Monitoring for Civil Engineering
We built a status page with real response time metrics and an AI search tool that answers questions about our civil engineering work.
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Most Altadena Fire Rebuilds Do Not Need a Full Grading Plan. Here's How to Know If Yours Does.
LA County requirements keep changing after the Eaton Fire. Most Altadena fire rebuilds only need a drainage plan, not a full grading plan. Here is what can trigger the requirements.
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Pacific Palisades Fire Rebuild: Basement, Pool, and Sump Pump on Chapala Drive
A fire rebuild project on Chapala Drive in Pacific Palisades required a grading plan, excavation plan, erosion control plan, and stormwater sump pump design for a basement with 2 stories above. The corner lot had existing drainage from NW to SE and a proposed pool with lightwells below street grade.
Read MoreThe Los Angeles Baseline Hillside Ordinance Explained: What Homeowners and Contractors Need to Know
The Baseline Hillside Ordinance controls how much you can grade on hillside properties in Los Angeles. Here is what the BHO actually says, what triggers it, and how the formula works.
Read MoreWhen Does Your Los Angeles Project Need a Grading Plan? LADBS Requirements Explained
LADBS requires grading plans for hillside properties, excavations over 500 cubic yards, and ADUs in hillside zones. Here is what triggers the requirement and how to navigate the process.
Read MoreWho Do You Hire for a Grading Plan in Los Angeles?
For a grading plan in Los Angeles, you hire a civil engineer, not an architect. Here is the difference and why it matters for your project.
Read MoreDraining a Sideways Lot Addition When You Cannot Slope to the Rear
An Altadena fire rebuild addition on a sideways lot created a drainage challenge when the rear of the addition sat lower than the existing garage. Here is how we figured out the drainage without using a sump pump.
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Olive Ave Drainage Plan - Sideways Lot with 7% East to West Slope
Drainage plan for a 0.1685-acre Altadena sideways lot. The lot slopes 7% east to west with minimal north-south elevation change. Sheet flow design with flowline splitting to sideyard and driveway.
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Canon Boulevard Grading Plan: Steep Altadena Hillside
A steep Altadena fire rebuild grading plan near the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. We took over from another civil engineer to design cost-effective grading and drainage.
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