Insights on civil engineering, hillside construction, grading, and structural engineering in Los Angeles.https://bwengr.com/en-ushttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/05/18/burbank-sunset-canyon-drive-grading-plan/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/05/18/burbank-sunset-canyon-drive-grading-plan/Burbank SB9 project on a 34-foot slope. See how we designed the garage level, handled drainage, and got planning approval.Mon, 18 May 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/05/14/altadena-w-marigold-street-drainage-hydrology/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/05/14/altadena-w-marigold-street-drainage-hydrology/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.Thu, 14 May 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/05/06/altadena-adu-timing-drainage-plans/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/05/06/altadena-adu-timing-drainage-plans/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.Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/05/02/ai-powered-search-status-monitor/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/05/02/ai-powered-search-status-monitor/We built a status page with real response time metrics and an AI search tool that answers questions about our civil engineering work.Sat, 02 May 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/27/altadena-drainage-plan-without-sump-pump-or-lid-covenant/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/27/altadena-drainage-plan-without-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.Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/26/altadena-drainage-plan-vs-grading-plan/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/26/altadena-drainage-plan-vs-grading-plan/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.Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/26/pacific-palisades-chapala-drive-fire-rebuild/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/26/pacific-palisades-chapala-drive-fire-rebuild/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.Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/25/los-angeles-baseline-hillside-ordinance-explained/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/25/los-angeles-baseline-hillside-ordinance-explained/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.Sat, 25 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/25/los-angeles-grading-plans-ladbs-requirements/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/25/los-angeles-grading-plans-ladbs-requirements/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.Sat, 25 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/25/who-do-you-hire-for-grading-plan/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/25/who-do-you-hire-for-grading-plan/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.Sat, 25 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/24/draining-sideways-lot-addition/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/24/draining-sideways-lot-addition/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.Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/21/olive-ave-drainage-plan-sideways-lot/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/21/olive-ave-drainage-plan-sideways-lot/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.Tue, 21 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/20/canon-boulevard-grading-plan/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/20/canon-boulevard-grading-plan/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.Mon, 20 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/19/pacific-palisades-fire-rebuild-grading-plans/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/19/pacific-palisades-fire-rebuild-grading-plans/The Pacific Palisades fire rebuild process is different from a standard project. Here is what your grading plan needs to get through LADBS approval.Sun, 19 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/17/cloudflare-workers-open-source/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/17/cloudflare-workers-open-source/We are open sourcing some Cloudflare Workers tools we use on this site - one helps AI agents read our content, the other handles our contact form securely.Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/13/hillside-grading-pacific-palisades/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/13/hillside-grading-pacific-palisades/Pacific Palisades fire rebuilds often require grading plans, excavation plans, stormwater sump pumps, and erosion control. Basements add complexity requiring shoring plans from structural engineers.Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/13/second-wapello-street-drainage-plan/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/13/second-wapello-street-drainage-plan/Our second drainage plan for a Wapello Street property in Altadena. Looking at the existing topography with an excavated house pad, downslope site, and existing pool to work around.Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/12/altadena-rebuild-costs/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/12/altadena-rebuild-costs/A look at current construction costs for Altadena fire rebuilds, what goes into the pricing, and where engineering fits into the total budget.Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/12/avoid-sump-pump-altadena/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/12/avoid-sump-pump-altadena/Many Altadena fire rebuilds are told they need a sump pump. Here's how we sometimes show the site drains the same way it did before the fire and skip the pump entirely.Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/12/driving-through-altadena-after-fire/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/12/driving-through-altadena-after-fire/A drive through Altadena to see the aftermath of the fire, and a first look at a project we're engineering - drainage plans and hydrology report for a hillside residential rebuild.Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/12/w-mariposa-drainage-plan/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/12/w-mariposa-drainage-plan/How we designed a drainage plan for an Altadena fire rebuild, starting with existing survey data, tying into neighbor elevations, and setting up flowlines to gravity drain to the street.Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/11/altadena-fire-rebuild-drainage-plans/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/11/altadena-fire-rebuild-drainage-plans/An Altadena fire rebuild drainage plan for a lot with a 10ft front-to-back drop and existing pool. We raise the house, re-grade the driveway, and add rain gardens to keep post-development Q similar to pre-fire levels.Sat, 11 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/11/sump-pump-design-altadena/https://bwengr.com/blog/2026/04/11/sump-pump-design-altadena/When does an Altadena property need a sump pump? We follow LA County standards for design and try to avoid pumps whenever gravity drainage can work instead.Sat, 11 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://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