Whether building suburban homes, a mountaintop retreat, or a common landfill, one thing is certain. The earth has to move . . . literally.

Moving it is the role of an engineering construction company. These firms shovel massive amounts of dirt while attending to equipment maintenance, employee safety, and the environment. They're an important part of the $30 billion construction industry (2000 est.) in Southern California.

Though a range of engineering construction companies exists, only a dozen or so can handle the biggest and most prominent jobs. These companies focus on private projects such as housing tracts and golf courses, but they occasionally tackle public works as well. These works may include freeways, canals, and earth-filled reservoirs.

Building and Blasting

The largest sites require the removal of 25-30 million cubic yards of dirt. Even an average hillside development means moving one million cubic yards. That's enough soil to cover 471 football fields (including endzones) to a depth of one foot.

Nor is shaping the terrain purely a matter of brute force. Roads, lots, and sewer lines must meet specifications to within inches. A hillside can take on a sculpted, terraced look reminiscent of ancient Machu Picchu.

The earthmoving business doesn't use a lot of space-age technology, but it does manage some clever and innovative techniques, says Larry Wilmot, a vice president at Ebensteiner Co., an Agoura Hills, Calif.-based firm that has worked on such projects as the Getty Center, the Stevenson Ranch development in Santa Clarita, and portions of the Orange County Foothill Transportation Corridor. Wilmot cites examples of these techniques:

From Dream to Reality

A land development begins with someone's vision and ends with a grand opening. Between those bounds lies a number of steps. The process goes something like this:

First, the developer reconnoiters and picks a site that meets its needs. It gains title to the parcel from the current owner. It gets approval and zoning variances from the proper government bodies.

Next, geologists and soil technicians inspect the site. They drill it and report on what they find, noting problems and possible mitigating measures. Then, civil engineers incorporate this report into their construction plans. They decide how to develop the property in the safest and most feasible manner.

Finally, an engineering construction firm executes the plans with its fleet of earthmovers. "We build whatever they design," says Larry Wilmot of Ebensteiner. He likens his company's role to that of a carpenter doing an architect's bidding.

Of course, the process doesn't always go smoothly. The geologist's report, the civil engineer's plan, or the contractor's implementation may be off. The recent news of a collapsing 18th hole on the Palos Verdes Peninsula shows what can go wrong.

The golf course wasn't an Ebensteiner project, but Wilmot says such trouble is likely to generate lawsuits these days, a trend he deplores. "Everybody wants to blame somebody else for everything that happens."

A Prestige Project

One of Ebensteiner's proudest achievements was its work on the Getty Center several years ago. Situated in the Santa Monica Mountains overlooking Los Angeles, the Getty site was a formidable challenge. Several factors made it difficult:

• The environmentally sensitive area.
• The exacting standards of a prestigious project.
• Tight, convoluted land forms.
• A demanding, accelerated schedule.
• A single access road.

Wilmot especially remembers the intricate, confined spaces. Rather than carve the land with bulldozers, his people had to use smaller equipment, even hand tools, to work in the steep terrain. "When you get into something like that," says Wilmot, "it's what I refer to as dental work."

Perhaps the greatest challenge was working with so many different contractors. "We had to coordinate a lot with their schedule," says Wilmot, "which complicated our work quite a bit." The Getty didn't use just one engineering plan, but four or five so tasks could proceed in parallel. That meant a lot of stopping and going.

Ebensteiner also graded 165 acres of steep Beverly Hills property for Merv Griffin—for a home he never built—but the business isn't all glamorous. In fact, contractors get a call whenever disasters (earthquakes, heavy rains, fires) strike Southern California. A collapsing overpass or muddy landslide means earth to move and roads to regrade.

"Contractors aren't the problem, they're the solution," says Jim Burton, executive vice president of the Southern California Construction Association.

Past, Present, and Future

In the early 1990s, the economic downturn and cutbacks in state spending forced contractors to tighten their belts. Many concentrated on the private sector, where the jobs were more flexible and the bureaucracy nil. "We're more directed toward private work," says Wilmot. "It's easier for us."

Companies are doing well these days, says Burton. Among Ebensteiner's current projects is the huge Porter Ranch development north of Los Angeles. Apropos of the times, the development's motto is "City Lights, Country Air and Luxury Living."

But while business is good, Ebensteiner is thinking ahead. The company intends to diversify and take on more public projects. It hopes to leverage its past experience in that sector.

Wilmot sums up the construction business this way: "It's pretty tough to outsmart Mother Nature. We can take an educated guess at it, but you never know what she's going to throw at you."