I outlined my plan for the window well and retaining walls with the inspector today.
The well is 6'6" tall from subgrade to top of well, which is 6" below finish floor and siding.
My plan is to cut and set up the 3 outsides of the form plywood, and then put L-bar inside it at 1' on center vertical and across the bottom. Tie a horizontal U at top and mid points, then set up interior form panels with snap ties and shoes for a 4" wall and 6" floor.
I'll put two pairs of imbeds on the inside form for a ladder on one side.
I'm setting it up as an egress window, all the basement windows are egress capable.
My rebar supplier will bend anything for me, so I'll get 6' by 3' bends I can tie together across the bottom, and a couple of U-bends for the top and mid horizontals.

the retaining walls are 4' high with a 2' leg underneath the fill side. They come out from the house 6', and then do a 3' 45 bend away from the fill side to provide support in compression.
I can make those 6" thick if needed, but was planning 4" walls and 6" foundation leg.

what is L-bar? Can you do a sketch?

 

yes I will draw something on paper and take a picture. I am too slow with SketchUp to be of any help.

 

I think I would do just the opposite with the dimensions, 6" wall and a 4" floor. It would take a small amount of concrete to do an 8" wall instead. Rent some form liners for the inside to give the visible concrete walls a nice affect. You could even color the pattern.

 

I am waffling about the 4" or 6" thick wall for the window well. I have set hundreds of concrete structures with 4" walls under roads and highways. This is not going to have a significant load on it. I have 1" MDO that I salvaged years ago for the form boards.
Code is 3' out for the egress well, and a 9 SQ ft minimum landing there.
We are building it 39" deep and 60" wide, so we have 6" either side of the window buck for parging and flashing and trimming the window.
I will either buy or make my own chamfer for the top edges.
I am going with 6" thick on the retaining wall and at least that for the footing leg on it.
It has more of a load consideration on it.

 

we got the well mostly formed today. Tomorrow is metal roof day so it will wait to get finished. I bought some chamfer and will set that to grade a little below the top of the forms.

6" floor and walls with snap ties.

 

You are not attaching to the foundation?
We hang rebar off 3 1/4 double head nails

 

no, the foundation engineer did not want that doweled to the foundation. We ran it by him for that, the retaining walls, and approach slabs.

 

It's for an expansion joint, 2 separate pours.

 

it is going to be a single pour. I'll get first mud in the bottom and slicked off, and go away and pour the bottoms of the retaining walls the same way and let it tack up. Come back and pour it up and it will hold. I will not vibrate it too much or it will slump on out of there.