Building pad perimeter clearance

I am a hands on DIY'er (remodeler and small building projects) but not an industry professional. I hope it is okay to join this forum and post here - I found the forum while searching for answers to my question:

Daughter wants to build a home on our property (90 acres in foothills). We have graded and compacted a pad. We are looking at mountain-style home and assessing the footprints of the plans she likes and I raised the question about the width and depth of the footprints relative to our pad size and orientation. The home needs to (for the view and for other reasons) face with the front to the East. The pad is 54' east to west, and no issues with length north and south (120 feet at least).
I understand that builders/contractors want at least 5' beyond the footprint/foundaton for drainage, and I assume access.
Remember this is a hilltop, and beyond the 54 feet (i.e., to the ground well packed to that point) there is a slope front and back. If I go right to the edge I suppose the depth woud be about 60 feet plus before the sloping - but am using 56 feet as what I consider the solid pad area.

So, I am guessing if I take 5' off the front and back depth (east to west) I can have a home with a footprint of 44', and we have found home plans that are suitable - i.e., would fit. But I am wondering if this is enough perimeter clearance as it would seem that the builders - subcontractors would like, or need, more than that for their equipment, unloading trusses and such.
There is access to the pad/foundation site on the north and south - using different roads to each side.

Anyway, as we try to decide on a home plan and modifications to a plan, I thought I should get a handle on any perimeter clearance issues first. Hope this is the forum that can help. Thanks in advance - any advice will be much appreciated by me and by my daughter.

I searched the forums first but did not find anything relevant.

Welcome and yes we see all sorts of posts so this is not unusual. Just a few questions:
1) when you say "graded and compacted", did you have to make a fill in the process?
2) what is the slope down hill from the site on that narrow direction? A common unit is to measure out with a level tape and then measure down with another one, to get numbers like 2 units horizontal to 1 unit vertical , etc.

Addressing #1 above, I would not put a footing on a fill on a hilltop. I would cut and/or dig to place the footing in undisturbed soils.

How about a sketch? words are fine, but a lot of questions can be answered with a drawing.

How about some pix ?

Thank you all for responding. It was graded (already relatively flat hilltop leveled off - best guess is 1 to 1.5 feet taken off) and no fill was added. We have had soil tests done (five bores) and all apparently okay. The slope on the back/west side is about 30%-40%. The front/east side about 50-60%. I staked a footprint yesterday from a house plan we decided we like (30'' deep east to west plus 10 foot front deck = 40' total, and 52' north to south - it is a mountain cabin style plan) and then I was able to drive my pickup along the outside of the staked area along the perimeter berm - it seems I would have at least 10' -12' on front and back (pad narrows at points beyond the footprint area) if we use that plan. I know this is not definitive of the issue, but the ground there is hard - need a sledge to pound in a stake. We had rain last year on the pad without issues - no erosion at all anywhere. There are many homes up here in the foothills on small pads, leveled hilltops or cuts into hillsides.

I know it is difficult or impossible to assess the situation without seeing it - and I am asking a very unfair question. My concern was how much perimeter clearance is recommended or needed for a builder's equipment clearance - truss truck, concrete trucks etc. around the building site. North and South the pad is at least 120 feet with access to both sides, and more flat land beyond the graded pad.

I will post a couple of pictures. The first is of the pad facing somewhat west (pad width just to right of tree on the edge is about 60'), the second is facing south from an access road sloping down to the pad. The tree at the edge of the pictures can be used as a referance to recognize the pad's alignment.

Again, thanks for weighing in on this. I just did not want to make avoidable mistakes and I hate to create problems for builders unnecessarily.

I'd say your plan is sound. That does look like undisturbed soil with those trees and you left plenty of room to work with. I'd be interested in pictures of the finished product
The scale of your building also determines the spave needed beyond the structure.

You will need 10 to 12’ around the slab on at least 3 sides or you will moving logs a long ways as they stack them around pad.
Also consider where you septic tank will be and no more than a 2/1 slope at the field.

HarleyHappy said:

You will need 10 to 12’ around the slab on at least 3 sides or you will moving logs a long ways as they stack them around pad.
Also consider where you septic tank will be and no more than a 2/1 slope at the field.

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Thanks for responding. Not a log cabin - it will be (assuming we go with the plan we like 'today') a traditional framed single floor cabin with a loft. The septic tank location has been fixed on north side, and area for the leach field (3 parallel 90' lines) determined - all set far from well per code.

I know dirt work is expensive, but given where you are, I would consider making a road around the perimeter as a firebreak. If that is not feasible, I'd consider clearing brush and trees 50'-75' all the way around the site. Who knows what will happen one day, but it is a safe assumption that someday there will be a wildfire and you or your daughter will be out of town and you'll have to count on your layout design to protect your property.

For traditional lightweight framing you have plenty of room. You don't need a road for a fire break, just to chainsaw.

Welcome to the Forums Ron R!

Just my $.02 but I would want at least a skid steer bucket width plus a couple feet around the house in order to fine grade and get positive drainage away from the foundation.

Beautiful building site.

The pad should be 10 foot wider than the house on all sides. Make sure your footings hit natural soil or what you have filled is compacted. Code here would require a soils test.

he said the pad was as much as 60' and he de-rated it to a comfortable 56'.
The house footing is 30' and a 10' deck. That is plenty of room, when you consider that they will have ~15' all sides before building the deck.
Grading so it will drain away? Fellows, it is a hill top. You'd have to work really hard to have it do otherwise

Thanks to all for taking the time to read and respond. Very helpful. The county here also requires soil tests and we have had that done - five bores and they prepared a report of their finings. No apparent problems with building there - at least as concerns the soil there.

skyking1 said:

Grading so it will drain away? Fellows, it is a hill top. You'd have to work really hard to have it do otherwise

Click to expand...

So it slopes away from the edge of the foundation slab or basement wall...