Residential on East Palm Avenue

Single-family residential fire rebuild in Altadena following the Eaton Fire. The 0.199-acre lot drops 13 feet from street to rear, one of the steeper slopes we've worked with in Altadena. The new driveway ties into existing grades along the property line with no retaining walls needed, leading to a rear detached garage. A trench drain in front of the garage manages stormwater from the garage roof and any surface flow.

Keeping slopes at or under 5:1 (20%) meant the project qualified as a drainage plan rather than a full grading plan. Area drains at the front of the house collect stormwater, with pipes running down the sideyard connecting the area drains and downspouts. These pipes route to the garage trench drain, which exits into a plastic-lined rain garden at the rear. We offset the rain garden placement due to an existing sewer manhole at the rear corner, ensuring we avoided any conflict with potential sewer infrastructure. The front-to-back slope means the rear deck has 13 steps coming down from the main level to the lower yard.