Studio trial balloon ... to build above a detached garage?

Hey Doug, I ordered the catalog from www.vpi.us, just for a hard copy of possible solutions for those types of issues. It's as good a place as any to start a hunt. Brien

Thanks for the tip Brien, I'll do the same! -Doug

Hi all, Just had my first visit to 'code enforcement' in our little municipality. It went well and I heard most of the things I wanted to hear. 1) Q - How big can I go? A - 75% of your residence size. 2) Q - Can I put a bathroom in there? A- Yes. 3) Q - How close to the neighbor can I go? A- 4 feet. 4) Q - What about noise, are there any limitations that I need to be aware of? (this one was a bit more ethereal of an answer) A - Well, if you're running a compressor 8 hours a day it could make people wonder what's going on in there. Alot of this depends on how well you get along with your neighbors. So anyway, we're moving forward and I can now meet with the contractor and give him some real numbers and draw up some real plans. Guess I'd better get learning Sketchup, eh? Again - should I start a new thread or just re-name this one somehow? -Doug

Well (deep breath) ... The balloon has popped. After reading (forums, books) and speaking with contractors, city officials and of course my chief advisor, my wife ... I've decided not to build at this time. Practicality's voice rose above the desire/need/dream of my build. I'm left now with plans to modify my current (small) space. I have been consulting Jeff Cooper's book on studio design and have stumbled on his plan for "sane" modifications. Sane is right up my alley at this time. One last question - Is this the place to embark on studio "modifications"? Or is this forum strictly for those who are building from scratch? I won't start a new post and load it up with questions if this is considered bad form, or not the right focus for this place. In the meantime, thank you all for your advice and helping me get to the decision that I've arrived at. Sometimes the dream is postponed. Cheers! -Doug

That's a real shame, Doug. I was looking forward to seeing your build thread here soon. I guess that was a tough decision to take, and I guess there were real good reasons for it. Anyway, if a new place is not on the cards, then I reckon folks here wouldn't mind suggesting stuff you can do to improve your current place. What do you have right now, and what do you think is wrong with it? - Stuart -

Stuart, Yes, it was a tough decision but I'm glad that it has been made. The main reason(s) were financial. Anyhow, I will be modifying my current small space and will appreciate all advice that you and others can offer. My studies here and from the books I've purchased have given me alot of ideas. I'm going to learn Sketchup and do my level best to get some plans posted. This will take me awhile. Not to mention I can't start on the mods right now as I have alot of recording to get done in the near future. So again thanks for your interest, and I'll be lurking and posting here when I have something to say or ask. :) Cheers! -Doug