12 ft tall wall sheathing

[dkaskie]

12' sheets aren't common, they would be ridiculously expensive if you could find them

Horizontal or vertical orientation does not matter for strength as long as all the panel edges are nailed. Running the sheets vertically means less block lines (less things for the electrician to drill through, less thermal bridging, less work to install, less material)

Speaking as a professional framer, I would run the first course of sheets horizontal, put a line of blocks at 4', then run the upper sheets vertically

That is what I decided to do. I am also adding a second row of blocking 4 ft below the top plate. Although not really needed, I felt it would add strength.

Although I am sure running sheathing horizontal would be fine, the science and shear strength studies showing a vertical orientation being more resistant to shear forces makes me just want to go that route all the way around the garage

Thanks everyone for the input.

 

[ItsNemo]

Fair enough. I don't really care what you think of me though (and you should go look at the definition of anecdotal). That's one thing on this forum that bugs me, there's no way to tell who has been doing this for most of their life, in an earthquake zone, with some of the most stringent engineering in the country, that gets inspected for every facet of work performed, from those that just pull up a chart to feel superior

Sure thing!

an·ec·do·tal
/ˌanəkˈdōdl/
adjective
(of an account) not necessarily true or reliable, because based on personal accounts rather than facts or research.
"while there was much anecdotal evidence there was little hard fact"
synonyms: informal, unreliable, based on hearsay; unscientific
"the evidence is merely anecdotal"

Seems like the most perfect word in this situation.