We are in deep frost country, with some jurisdictions requiring as much as five feet of below-grade wall depth atop the footing.  Doing stepdown foundations for a walkout basement calls for some tall walls.

We have struggled with doing builds when going for one pour, but it seems as if we might be better off doing sequenced pours.

What we are considering is a sequence which gets us to a common level one block above the floor slab, then pour that, and then do the grading and floor, then work off the nice level slab from there, doing a cold joint.

Does this make sense?  Working high above the deep frostwall ditches is getting old, and there must be a better way.

Gene,

It does make sense except for one thing. The foam is pretty tough and can handle a little lateral pressure. So what I would do is hold my cold joint down 6" below top of slab then backfill and pour. We are currently working on a foundation that has 8' worth of steps due to soil and site conditions.

ICF Contractor

Thanks, ICF Contractor.  But I gotta ask.

For the typical one-level walkout basement, the slab sits atop the footing at the highest uphill level, and can be five feet above the footing at the deepest frostwall.  To get ICF block in so we can pour the slab means we need to have one block placed along those high elevation top runs.  My idea was to erect ICF block to that one-course above highest footing elevation, then pour the walls to a fill level about 6" down from top of block.

That would give us a perimter for the slab, and we could backfill all the stepdown trenches and level up.

You said "backfill and pour."  Did you mean really "pour and backfill." 

Hi Gene:

Have you considered using Frost Protected Shallow Foundation -- so you don't have to take your footings to frost depth level below finished grade?