Hillside · Slopes · Difficult Sites
Hillside Construction Contractor in Pasadena & Los Angeles
Hillside lots have the best views in Southern California and the hardest ground to build on. SAWA specializes in the sites other contractors turn down: steep grades, fill, expansive soil, limited access, and hillside ordinances. We drill, pour, and frame with our own crews, so the structural work that keeps a hillside home standing is never subcontracted away.
Licensed, Bonded & Insured · CSLB #1114721 · Pasadena, CA
What's Included
Hillside Construction: scope of work
- ■Hillside drilling for caissons and piles, including limited-access rigs
- ■Deep foundations, grade beams, and pile caps engineered to bedrock
- ■Retaining walls: soldier pile, tieback, shotcrete, CMU, and cast-in-place
- ■Grading, shoring, slope stabilization, and drainage
- ■Ground-up hillside homes and multi-unit hillside developments
- ■Coordination of geotechnical reports, structural engineering, and hillside permits
How It Works
Our process for hillside construction.
Site & soils review
We walk the lot, read the geotechnical report, and identify the access, drilling, and retaining approach before anyone prices it.
Engineering & permits
We coordinate structural and civil engineering and carry the project through hillside ordinance review, grading permits, and plan check.
Drill & anchor
Our crews drill caissons or piles to competent material and tie the structure to the hill with grade beams and retaining systems.
Build up
Foundations, structural concrete, and framing are self-performed on a fixed schedule, followed by finishes and inspection sign-off.
FAQ
Hillside Construction: common questions.
Usually, yes. Most 'unbuildable' hillside lots are really access, soils, or cost problems. With a geotechnical report and the right foundation system, caissons, grade beams, and retaining walls, nearly any slope in Southern California can carry a structure. We will tell you honestly what it takes.
Foundations and site work on a hillside typically run higher than on a flat pad because of drilling, retaining walls, and access. The premium depends on slope, soil, and how far bedrock is. We price this early, after reviewing the soils report, so there are no surprises.
Yes. Pasadena's Hillside Overlay District, the City of Los Angeles Baseline Hillside Ordinance, and the hillside rules in Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, and LA County each have their own requirements. We manage the permitting and plan-check process alongside your architect and engineer.
Site work and foundations on a difficult slope often take several months before framing starts, and a full ground-up hillside home commonly runs 12 to 18 months from mobilization. We commit to a schedule up front and hold it.
Where We Do This
Related Services
Caisson & Pile Drilling
Hillside and limited-access drilling for caissons, piles, and shoring, with our own rigs.
Learn more →04Structural Concrete & Foundations
Foundations, grade beams, retaining walls, shotcrete, slabs, and hardscape.
Learn more →03Basements & Excavation
New basements, underpinning, shoring, and excavation under new or existing homes.
Learn more →06New Construction
Ground-up homes, multi-unit, and commercial buildings from permit to keys.
Learn more →Start the Conversation
Planning hillside construction?
Send us the site and the scope. We'll tell you, honestly, what it takes to build it.