Caissons — bearing-soil foundations for hillside work.
Drilled, reinforced concrete piers that carry hillside loads down to competent soil — where the load belongs.
Below-grade engineering that lets you build above it.
A caisson is a deep, drilled pier — reinforced and filled with concrete — that bypasses unstable surface soils and bears on competent material below. On Southern California hillsides, caissons are how we make patios, pool decks, and view structures sit safely on terrain that would otherwise creep, slip, or settle.
- Sized to the geotechnical report — diameter and depth driven by load and bearing capacity.
- Steel rebar cages tied on site to the engineer's spec.
- Coordinated with retaining walls and drainage so the system works together.
- Permitted and inspected before pour.
Where caissons solve the problem.
View decks & cantilevers
Letting the structure project beyond the buildable footprint, supported on piers behind it.
Hillside pool decks
Carrying pool deck loads down to bearing soil instead of relying on fill.
Retaining wall support
Carrying surcharge loads from tall retaining systems where shallow footings would creep.
The rest of the structural system.
Retaining Wall
What sits on or alongside the caissons — engineered for surcharge and drainage.
Retaining Wall
Erosion Control
Drainage and planting that protect the hill once the structure is in.
Erosion Control
Planning a hillside build?
We'll look at the soils, the slope, and what you want to put on top — and tell you what kind of foundation it actually needs.