YA Group was asked to assess the condition of a two-story hillside wood-framed single-family residence destroyed by the 2025 Pacific Palisades wildfire. Specifically, YA Group was asked to determine if the residence could be reconstructed using the existing concrete pile and retaining wall foundations.
Challenge Overview
YA Group was tasked with determining the extent of fire-related foundation damage and whether the concrete piles and retaining wall foundations were serviceable and structurally adequate to support reconstruction of the residential structure. Additionally, YA Group evaluated the foundation components for compliance relative to site-specific requirements imposed by the Los Angeles Department of Building Safety (LABDS) applicable to hillside properties.
YA Group’s Area of Impact
YA Group evaluated the existing concrete foundations for fire-related damage using Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) testing and other nondestructive methods. Based on the results of our investigation, YA Group determined that the existing foundation system was serviceable and would be adequate to support the loads imposed by the wood-framed structure if it were reconstructed.
Subsequently, and based on the site-specific geotechnical recommendations for the hillside property, YA Group developed architectural and structural construction documents. Due to differences in the allowable soil characteristics for the hillside property relative to the original date of construction, the LADBS Grading Division required that the foundation system consider the current allowable soil characteristics for the hillside property. In response, YA Group developed an efficient code-compliant retrofit design that selectively added new foundation components with limited disturbance to the original foundation system.
