hillside foundation (helical vs concrete piers)?

[larry rosen]

Hello,

I'm starting the process of having built for me a home (2700 sf) on a hillside outside of San Francisco. The slope is pretty severe (1(rise)/2(run)). Bedrock is around 10 feet down. Foundations here are very expensive ($80K-$200K) and almost always use concrete piers and gradebeams. I've heard that helical piers are ofen less expensive and quie effective, but they don't seem to be used very often here. I'm trying to figure out whether helical piers can be used on a job like this and whether they tend to be more cost effective. Any insights (including other cost effective systems) would be really appreciated.

Thanks,

Larry Rosen