Hillside Architecture

A good hillside house reads as if it could only have been built where it is. Grade, orientation, and outlook decide the plan, and restraint keeps the architecture from competing with the view.

Start with the site

• Topography and survey — the real shape of the lot, not an assumption of it.
• Soils and geology — hillside sites usually need geotechnical input before the design can be trusted.
• Drainage and access — how water leaves the site, and how people, vehicles, and construction reach it.
• Light and outlook — where the sun and the view are, and how the house frames them.

Rules that shape hillside projects

Hillside lots are commonly subject to additional rules on grading, height, floor area, and fire safety. In the City of Los Angeles, for example, hillside-area rules can limit the size and height of a house, and some hillside areas also fall within wildfire hazard zones with extra construction requirements. These rules differ between jurisdictions and change over time, so they are confirmed for the specific property. Fire rebuilds are often hillside projects too.

How the work proceeds

• Site review, and a conversation about how you live and what the site offers.
• Design studies that let terrain, light, and outlook drive the plan.
• Permit drawings coordinated with the required engineers and consultants, taken through plan-check.
• Design-build and construction coordination, where wanted.

Recognition

Kevin received the Outstanding Directed Design Research Award from the University of Southern California for the project “Hillside Los Angeles.”

A note on scope

This page is general information. Requirements vary by lot and jurisdiction and are confirmed for the specific property before design decisions rely on them.