crawl access problem

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Hi,
My house is a one floor, raised foundation, no basement home. The square hole that you jump into in the ground is too small in front of the Access opening to the crawl space under the house. I want to make the hole bigger and deeper.
My questions are
How deep can I go next to the house footing?
Should I slop the bottom ground so rain water will run away from house?
Then put some gravel on top?
Then put my three retaining walls on top of the gravel?
 
1st, lose some weight :D 2nd, what retaining walls ? positive drainage is always good but no digging next to the footer unless you're underpinning it,,, gravel where ? :confused:
 
"What retaining walls?"
The three concrete walls that hold back the dirt that makes the hole that I was talking about.

"no digging next to the footer"
I was going to pour 4” slab at the bottom of the hole, parallel to the footing. The tops of the footing even to the top of the slab. The slab is 2’x2’x4” pitched down so water drains away from the footing. I want to put 2 cubic’ of gravel pocket below the slab at the end, which will also be supporting one of the retaining walls, the outer one.

So I can’t go down 4” below the top of the footing?
I was thing on making the hole 30” cube.
 
Wow.That's a bit hard question. How wide is the opening then? It will be best to get a picture of it... :)
 
the reason you don't dig down to the footing is frost protection. How deep does it freeze in L.A.??
 
i was more concerned w/minimizing foundation support rather than frost protection,,, hadn't considered any freeze/thaw in la,,, IF water in the crawl space is not an issue, i'd probably just shore the pit walls w/pressure treated 2x6 box & some #57 stone on the btm altho i still think the least effort would be to lose weight :rofl:
 
No 2 X lumber or landscape timbers are below ground rated, only 4 X 4, 4 X 6's and 6 X 6's are below ground rated. Read the label on the ends of the lumber and it will tell you that.
What we have done a couple of times is to make a simple shed style roof to put over the opening out of pressure treaded 2 X 6's cut to a taper on the sides, a full one in the back and a 2 X 4 for the front, sheathing over the frame and shingled the roof. With a handle on the front. That's stops all the water from getting in.
 
With my fat ***, I would get to many splinters, right ITSEALLY? So concrete is the way. I am going to go 4.5” thick. What about rebar?
 
2 words - LEATHER PANTS :banana: if you think its necessary, ok - 2 layers,,, 1 about 6" off the ground & the other 6" down from the top,,, just be sure they bend around the corners,,, for that size, i wouldn't, tho,,, good luck !
 
A concrete wall will need a footing for it to sit on, then I'd use 4" concrete blocks not do all the work of forming and trying to pore in that narrow a form.
We buy both full and half blocks and pre lay it out so there's no cutting of the blocks needed.
 
Ah ****, I already did it. Three walls one solid piece with rebar, no blocks. And no footing!! Joe I don’t think it’s going to move, it is only 2’ high. I did put one foot of gravel under the front if it, that should hold it.
 
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