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Understand the support behind deep basements, excavations beside existing buildings, and hillside construction through practical explanations and documented projects.
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Engineering explained
A retaining wall, temporary shoring, and an underpinning system do different jobs. Learn how they work, when they are needed, and how they fit together on a construction site.
See how ground investigation, building design, and excavation support fit together, and where a shoring or specialty foundation engineer can join your project team.
Read guide
Start an engineering inquiry with the plans and site information you have. Find out what helps define the work, the fee, and the support included in a proposal.
A finished retaining wall and the shoring needed to build it serve different purposes. Learn how the two designs affect excavation, bracing, access, and construction.
Understand how loads, ground conditions, equipment access, and connections to the building affect the choice of micropiles, drilled caissons, or helical piles.
How slopes, retaining walls, nearby buildings, and equipment access shape hillside foundation design, with examples from Cefali & Associates projects.
When property rights or underground structures restrict tiebacks, rakers and internal bracing may provide support. See how the alternatives affect construction space.
Local planning guides
Explore underground parking, hillside construction, hospital expansions, and other projects where nearby buildings, utilities, groundwater, or local review requirements affect the design.
How nearby Metro tunnels, tieback limits, demolition, and construction access affect shoring for a Los Angeles basement, with the Wilshire Grand example.
How an active hospital campus affects excavation support: existing utilities, neighboring buildings, service access, and construction of the new basement.
What San Diego hazard maps establish, and why basement depth, sloping grades, ground investigation, and nearby foundations still need site-specific review.
How shoring, sewer connections, sidewalk use, and construction access compete for space at the frontage of a San Francisco basement project.
How changes in basement depth, ramps, and foundations affect San Jose excavation support, alongside site investigation and the City geologic review.
How temporary water control relates to Sacramento excavation support, groundwater information, discharge permissions, and the permanent basement.
See how ramps, a pedestrian bridge, drilling access, and temporary platforms shaped Cefali’s shoring at 755 Fig and Wilshire Grand Center.
How Cefali supported retained basement walls at Westfield Century City while old floors were removed and new decks and foundations were built.
Thompson Hotel’s three basement levels required excavation up to 46 feet. See how parking clearances, rakers, and floor changes shaped Cefali’s design.
How Cefali supported excavation around retained stairs, seating, tunnels, and historic buildings at USC Coliseum and Columbia Square in Hollywood.
Cefali’s work at LAX and Hollywood Burbank Airport shows how utilities, large foundations, existing structures, and construction access shape shoring.
At Vista Monterey in Corona, property limits led Cefali to combine soil nail and soldier pile walls. See how reinforcement space affects wall design.
When tiebacks cannot extend beyond a Los Angeles site, rakers and cross-lot braces may need space inside it. See Cefali examples at Intuit Dome and G-8.
See how nearby foundations and basements affected Cefali’s shoring at 755 Fig, G-8, and USC Coliseum, and when separate underpinning may be needed.
What changes a Los Angeles shoring bid: basement depth, foundation geometry, tieback rights, Metro constraints, equipment loads, and construction stages.
How depth, neighboring basements, property rights, and access shape soldier pile shoring, with Cefali examples at 1201 S. Hope, G-8, and Intuit Dome.
Deep utilities and underground structures can change tieback angles, pile locations, and bracing. See Cefali examples from Hollywood, Downtown LA, and Burbank.
At 6th & Bixel and Thompson Hotel, Cefali modified shoring for deeper excavation while retaining soldier piles. See what the engineering review involved.
Look for shoring experience with the conditions on your site: deep basements, nearby buildings, restricted tiebacks, construction access, and field changes.
What Los Angeles BOE reviews for shoring beside the public way, including foundation plans, tieback depth, utilities, and dewatering information.
How groundwater assumptions, wells, tanks, discharge routes, and settlement monitoring affect the space and design needed for Los Angeles excavation shoring.
See how monitoring accompanied Cefali’s excavation support at Wilshire Grand, Century Plaza, and TEN50, from pile installation through deep excavation.
Understand the parts of a shoring system, where they fit around an excavation, and how Cefali used them on Los Angeles projects.
See how excavation depth, tieback rights, access, utilities, and field changes affect shoring design and construction, with examples from Cefali projects.
Retaining walls, hillside stability, and excavation support serve different purposes. See how Cefali designs permanent walls around foundations and property limits.
A Dallas retaining wall needs room for its foundation, drainage, and construction excavation. Learn how streets and easements affect that work.
How tiebacks, internal bracing, ramps, and temporary foundations change the space needed to construct a Fort Worth basement.
How underground support, utilities, and temporary street use affect Austin excavation shoring, including the difference between agreements and permits.
Adding a basement or pit to an existing San Antonio building? See how foundations, retained structures, and equipment access shape the shoring design.
Groundwater affects shoring, water control, and basement construction. Understand how those designs connect on a Houston excavation.
A hillside building pad needs room for retaining walls, foundation excavation, drainage, and equipment. See how those constraints affect an El Paso project.
A liquefaction finding can affect a Salt Lake City basement project. Understand what the geotechnical study, foundation design, and shoring each address.
See how a Provo hillside layout brings retaining walls, basement excavation, slope conditions, property limits, and foundations together.
Nearby footings, limited anchor space, and narrow access can shape an Ogden infill basement. See where shoring and underpinning design meet.
Expansive soils swell and shrink; collapsible soils can settle when wetted. See why the distinction matters for St. George foundations and excavation.
A Park City building can fit its site while excavation equipment and shoring need more room. See how access, braces, soil handling, and site limits connect.
A utility pit needs room for support and installation as well as the finished chamber. See how nearby utilities and foundations shape an Orem excavation.
Find the right starting point
The guides cover shoring systems, foundation support, hillside work, and the different engineers involved. If you are unsure which service applies, tell us about the site and what you are planning.