Im building my basement and wondering what size block to use 8 or 12 . The basement will be 9 ft high walkout with 4.5 above ground and 4.5 below . I’m in East Tennessee, there is no building codes and I’m building on the top most part of a hill . Soil type is clay. Would love to get some advice,thanks.
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My take on foundations is that ya can't build 'em too strong, only too expensive.
You're probably on the eastern fringe of tornado alley, but....
12" CMU + grout every 3rd core with a #5 vertical rebar. Use horizontal truss wires in every bed course. Cast your anchor bolts in the grouted cores - do not use drill-in anchors later.