Insights on civil engineering, hillside construction, grading, and structural engineering in Los Angeles.https://bwengr.com/en-ushttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/09/hillside-grading-guide/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/09/hillside-grading-guide/A comprehensive guide to what goes into a hillside grading plan, why it's essential for LA construction projects, and how B+W Engineering can help streamline the process.Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/03/25/altadena-fire-rebuild-sheet-flow/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/03/25/altadena-fire-rebuild-sheet-flow/We are taking over for another Civil Engineer to bring construction costs down on some Altadena fire rebuild drainage plans. This particular lot we were able to sheet flow the entire property.Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/03/17/changing-drainage-pattern-to-remove-sump-pump-in-altadena/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/03/17/changing-drainage-pattern-to-remove-sump-pump-in-altadena/We have another Altadena drainage plan where the goal was to not use a stormwater sump pump. The way the lot sits the existing stormwater used to drain all from the top of curb at the street to the rear of the property.Tue, 17 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/03/12/altadena-fire-rebuild-manufactured-homes/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/03/12/altadena-fire-rebuild-manufactured-homes/Our next Altadena drainage plan is for a lot with manufactured homes, consisting of basically two ADU's. With the way this lot slopes and two smaller, separate structures, we are trying to save as much on construction costs as possible.Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/02/05/widening-driveway-apron-for-an-altadena-fire-rebuild/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/02/05/widening-driveway-apron-for-an-altadena-fire-rebuild/Another Altadena fire rebuild where the client also wanted to try to widen the driveway. These are pretty straightforward normally, but some of the older streets in Altadena have a concrete slab acting like a little bridge over the street flowline.Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/02/02/domains/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/02/02/domains/Sometimes I like to give our other email address which is a different domain, but haven't posted anywhere some of the domains we own.Mon, 02 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/01/21/altadena-fire-rebuild-drainage-plans-continue-to-go-out/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/01/21/altadena-fire-rebuild-drainage-plans-continue-to-go-out/A bit of back and forth still with LA County with our creative solutions to getting Altadena Drainage plans approved. Plan check wanted some minor modifications which is fair enough to bring the plastic lined rain gardens 5 feet off the property lines.Wed, 21 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2025/12/17/altadena-drainage-plans-being-approved/https://bwengr.com/blog/2025/12/17/altadena-drainage-plans-being-approved/Its been an experience, but we are finally getting the latest batch of Altadena drainage plans approved by LA County. Our technique is to keep the existing drainage pattern so we don't have to install stormwater sump pumps.Wed, 17 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2025/11/19/altadena-multi-unit-fire-rebuild-drainage-plans/https://bwengr.com/blog/2025/11/19/altadena-multi-unit-fire-rebuild-drainage-plans/This is our first sideways lot in Altadena, with the entrance on the West side and the topography slopes North to South. The goal is to drain as much stormwater to the street as possible using gravity.Wed, 19 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2025/11/18/altadena-fire-rebuild-drainage-plans-insurance-question/https://bwengr.com/blog/2025/11/18/altadena-fire-rebuild-drainage-plans-insurance-question/Going through plan checks and getting the current requirements back in a correction, one of the projects had their insurance ask what code LA County is using to require drainage plans on some lots, and not on others.Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2025/10/14/drainage-plans-in-altadena-fire-rebuild/https://bwengr.com/blog/2025/10/14/drainage-plans-in-altadena-fire-rebuild/This Altadena Drainage Plan is a corner lot fire rebuild. The proposed house sits in a similar location but we need to adjust the existing contours to keep 5% slope 10 feet from the structure at the top.Tue, 14 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2025/10/07/altadena-grading-plan-to-remove-pool/https://bwengr.com/blog/2025/10/07/altadena-grading-plan-to-remove-pool/Next up in the Altadena fire rebuilds is a grading plan to remove a pool. This will be our first pool removal plan in Altadena. This particular lot is a large one and the County is requiring a grading plan to remove the pool.Tue, 07 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2025/10/03/altadena-drainage-plans-with-lined-rain-garden/https://bwengr.com/blog/2025/10/03/altadena-drainage-plans-with-lined-rain-garden/We have another longer lot Altadena Fire Rebuild Drainage Plan. This lot, the front yard doesn't slope as heavily as the previous ones we have seen, which allows more room to slightly regrade the contours.Fri, 03 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2025/09/24/drainage-design-models-in-altadena/https://bwengr.com/blog/2025/09/24/drainage-design-models-in-altadena/LA County wants us to show earthwork numbers for the difference between the existing and proposed soil. Showing the contours in a 3d orbit view always looks interesting and a quick way to tell if the model is looking good or not.Wed, 24 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2025/09/18/altadena-drainage-plans/https://bwengr.com/blog/2025/09/18/altadena-drainage-plans/Any lot that sits on the North side of the block or sideways in Altadena is likely going to require drainage plans. Some South lots might require drainage plans as well.Thu, 18 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2025/08/05/brentwood-sfr-with-a-basement/https://bwengr.com/blog/2025/08/05/brentwood-sfr-with-a-basement/Looking at corrections from Building and Safety they wanted us to show the earthwork exhibit. The model is sometimes tricky, but after looking at Altadena surveys, a typical Los Angeles survey is a lot easier to read fast.Tue, 05 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2025/08/04/first-altadena-like-for-like-into-plancheck/https://bwengr.com/blog/2025/08/04/first-altadena-like-for-like-into-plancheck/Our first Altadena rebuild like for like project was pretty smooth. The idea was that the proposed house would be in nearly the same footprint as the existing now gone house.Mon, 04 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2025/06/09/silver-lake-driveway-grading-design/https://bwengr.com/blog/2025/06/09/silver-lake-driveway-grading-design/After going through a few options, I started to narrow down a potential idea that works with LA City garage turnaround radius and a typical car reverse radius.Mon, 09 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2025/06/04/brentwood-driveway-drainage/https://bwengr.com/blog/2025/06/04/brentwood-driveway-drainage/Looking at a new single family house with basement in Brentwood and the main constraint is keeping everything as level as possible while minimizing cut.Wed, 04 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2025/05/06/grading-and-drainage-solutions-for-altadenas-distinct-landscape/https://bwengr.com/blog/2025/05/06/grading-and-drainage-solutions-for-altadenas-distinct-landscape/Altadena, tucked beneath the San Gabriel Mountains, is a charming Los Angeles County community known for its scenic beauty and charming homes. Unlike the steep hillsides of nearby areas, Altadena's flatter terrain presents its own set of grading and drainage challenges.Tue, 06 May 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2025/05/03/why-drainage-plans-are-essential-for-los-angeles-hillside-homes/https://bwengr.com/blog/2025/05/03/why-drainage-plans-are-essential-for-los-angeles-hillside-homes/Los Angeles hillsides, from Pacific Palisades to Beverly Hills, offer stunning views and prime real estate for luxury homes. But building on these slopes comes with a hidden challenge: managing water.Sat, 03 May 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2025/05/02/hillside-grading-and-drainage-for-los-angeles-luxury-homes/https://bwengr.com/blog/2025/05/02/hillside-grading-and-drainage-for-los-angeles-luxury-homes/Los Angeles iconic hills, from Bel Air to Malibu, are the backdrop for some of the city most stunning luxury homes. But building on these slopes requires expert hillside grading and drainage.Fri, 02 May 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2025/04/29/silver-lake-hillside-driveway-looking-for-optimum-route/https://bwengr.com/blog/2025/04/29/silver-lake-hillside-driveway-looking-for-optimum-route/We were tasked with finding a clean driveway path so a car can drive up the driveway and turnaround in front of the house. The conditions are steep existing driveway and not much room.Tue, 29 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2025/04/16/los-feliz-grading/https://bwengr.com/blog/2025/04/16/los-feliz-grading/Looking at an interesting plan in Los Feliz with a slight addition and a nice ADU addon. At first glimpse everything is trying to be tied into the existing topography.Wed, 16 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2025/03/20/altadena-and-sb9/https://bwengr.com/blog/2025/03/20/altadena-and-sb9/Was doing some networking this week and getting to chit chat with Architects and developers about the fires has been most interesting.Thu, 20 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2025/02/12/rebuilding-altadena/https://bwengr.com/blog/2025/02/12/rebuilding-altadena/Altadena first lot since the Eaton Fire, was sold recently on Calaveras Street for $100k above listing. Location and price wise this seems low to me, but also the buyer will have to wait a while before anything can happen.Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2023/09/13/website-revamp/https://bwengr.com/blog/2023/09/13/website-revamp/We are thrilled to announce that our digital space has undergone a stunning transformation! After weeks of tinkering, refining, and innovating, our website now boasts a sleeker design, improved functionality, and a more intuitive user experience.Wed, 13 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2023/08/07/welcome-to-our-new-blog/https://bwengr.com/blog/2023/08/07/welcome-to-our-new-blog/Hello, innovators and dreamers! Welcome to our corner of the web where engineering's analytical prowess meets design's captivating aesthetics.Mon, 07 Aug 2023 00:00:00 GMT