Excavation in Sherman Oaks & Encino
Encino sits on the north slope of the Santa Monica Mountains and runs down to the Sepulveda Basin, and the LA River forms Sherman Oaks’ northern edge. In both neighborhoods the hills are City-designated Hillside Area, and much of the valley floor below them is a state-mapped liquefaction zone.
The Mulholland Scenic Parkway Specific Plan, adopted as Ordinance 167,943 on May 13, 1992, splits its territory into two bands. The inner corridor reaches 500 feet from the Mulholland right-of-way; the outer corridor runs from there to the half-mile line. Many of the environmental measures written for the inner corridor carry into the outer one as well. On a ridge the plan treats as prominent, the Director can approve no more than 1,000 cubic yards of grading, and only with findings. For a lot on Beverly Glen or up the Encino canyons, knowing which band the parcel sits in is the first step in scoping any slope grading or pad cut.
North of Ventura Boulevard the ground levels out toward the Los Angeles River, which forms Sherman Oaks’ boundary with Van Nuys, and toward the Sepulveda Basin on Encino’s north side. Much of that flat ground is mapped by the state as a liquefaction zone, more of Sherman Oaks than of Encino. The hills also carry state-mapped earthquake-induced landslide zones in places, so a street that climbs from the flats into the hills can cross from one state map into the other.
When a deep backyard excavation comes close to the next house, California’s Civil Code requires reasonable notice to the adjoining owner, and when the dig goes below that owner’s foundation, the neighbor gets at least 30 days to protect the structure. The building code adds a 10-day written notice when the excavation is deeper than the neighboring foundation and deeper than its distance from the property line. We build those notices into the plan for a pool excavation or a basement, and settle the shoring before the hole is opened. Where an older house has to come down first, demolition and haul-off is scheduled so the site is clear when the notice period ends.
East along Ventura Boulevard is Studio City, North Hollywood lies beyond it, and the Hollywood Hills continue along Mulholland.
Excavation and grading across the Los Angeles area:
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