We are going to build a 40 x 40 ICF building and I was planning on doing a lot of the site preparation myself with a compact excavator. We were going to have it below grade by several feet, so this would include excavating down the grade of the building footprint. We haven't found an ICF contractor yet but since the soil is clay I'm guessing my preparations will hold up for a while.

The two main things I will do are: - Remove trees and stumps within some distance from the building footprint - Lower the grade of the building footprint and move the dirt elsewhere

I'm wondering:
- How much space do I need to clear around the building footprint to accommodate ICF construction? It's a heavily wooded area, so I don't want to clear more than I have to, but I also don't want to clear too little and have to deal with it later or have someone else deal with it.
- Does it make sense for a non-professional like myself to lower the grade down? What I'm thinking is that I can get the bulk of the dirt moved out, so that later on professionals can move in and level it properly, make sure everything is precise, etc. But I wouldn't want to somehow mess it up and create problems later on when we start to build. Especially since it will be at least 6 months before we build- so rain water would be able to collect in the pit I dig.

Also, worth mentioning that our building will have an ICF roof as well.

Thanks

They have to work from the inside on most foundations so have the center clear and you should be fine.

As Newbostonconstruct said, you're going to be doing most of the setup work for the ICF from the inside of the building perimeter.

However, when it comes to foundation prep, waterproofing, etc, you're going to need some space around the outside of the perimeter as well. So at least a couple feet per side.

Also, if you want to prevent water from filling the below grade area, run very basic curtain drain away from the foundation area and on a slight downward slope.
If you can do so and successfully daylight it someplace, so much the better, it can be repurposed for a French Drain once the foundation and below-grade wall are in place and waterproofed.

...and also please consider safety measures:

https://www.osha.gov/Publications/trench_excavation_fs.html

Posted By sailawayrb on 01 Sep 2019 06:06 PM
...and also please consider safety measures:

https://www.osha.gov/Publications/trench_excavation_fs.html

So climbing head-first into a post hole during a torrential rainstorm...BAD?

Thanks for the tips everyone.