CIVIL ENGINEERING · ENGINEERING WITH NATURE

Civil engineering
for land and water.

Civil engineering that integrates land, water and landscape resilience. Septic, grading, drainage and stormwater planning, considered together.

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SAN DIEGO & RIVERSIDE COUNTIES, CALIFORNIA

Imagined Southern California hillside with a home, garden, native trees and a water corridor — ORIGINAL ENGINEERING PARADISE ARTWORK · IMAGINED LANDSCAPE, NOT A PROJECT OR TECHNICAL DESIGN

FROM THE FIRST QUESTION
TO THE CIVIL PLAN

Septic & OWTSGrading & drainageStormwater & hydrology

01 / WHAT WE DO

Make sense of
the ground ahead.

Every property brings its own questions. We help homeowners, builders and architects understand the civil engineering work needed to move forward.

Septic & OWTS

Onsite wastewater planning, soil testing coordination and septic system design for properties beyond the sewer network.

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Grading & drainage

Plans that bring the building pad, earthwork and surface drainage into one considered site design.

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Stormwater & hydrology

Understand runoff and plan how water is conveyed, managed and treated across the site.

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Stuart Kuhn, PE

California Civil Engineer · C 72193
The Kuhn Company · San Diego & Riverside Counties

Meet the practice

WATER IN THE LANDSCAPE

Catch the rain.
Make room for reuse.

Roof water stored for later. Rainfall welcomed into the ground where conditions allow. Suitable household graywater directed to landscape irrigation. Each has a different role in a whole-site water plan, with soil conditions guiding the approach.

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Potable rainwater feasibility Keyline-informed design

01 / ACTIVE RAINWATER

Collect & store

Roof catchment, tanks and planned nonpotable use.

02 / PASSIVE RAINWATER

Shape & soak

Grading, planted basins and a safe path for overflow.

03 / GRAYWATER REUSE

A second use

Appropriate household sources for landscape irrigation.

SOIL & SITE

Start with the ground

Soil assessment, structure, cover and appropriate planting.

FIRE, WATER & THE LANDSCAPE

Resilience starts
at the home.

Plant hydration matters alongside home hardening, fuel maintenance and thoughtful spacing. Explore fire ecology and lessons from Greg Rubin’s work with California native landscapes.

Explore layered fire resilience

Conceptual sepia engraving of a home surrounded by a broad bare gravel and stone apron, with separated planting farther away. — **AI-generated conceptual illustration.** An imagined property, not a completed project or site-specific design. No landscape is fireproof.
Harden the home
Keep immediate surroundings noncombustible
Manage vegetation spacing and dead fuel
Maintain plant health and ongoing care
Prioritize the first five feet around structures and decks; confirm current local fire requirements. The illustration does not show every home-hardening detail or establish compliance.

A WHOLE-PROPERTY PERSPECTIVE

A good place
is a living
relationship.

Abundance, comfort, water and care belong in the same conversation.

The Engineering Paradise philosophy adds a wider set of questions: how can land support life, health, security, comfort, useful work and belonging? The answers begin with the place and the people who will care for it.

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PARADISES & PRACTICAL HISTORY