Request for help - Very difficult layout

OK, my brother-in-law has agreed to give me the rest of the garage that I'm using, so I have a lot more floor area at my disposal. The existing garage is approximately 8800x5030 (28'10"x16'6") and has two windows (which I want to leave intact and in place), one standard run-of-the-mill door, and a big double garage door (which we are removing and replacing with a regular wooden frame with studs, firbro on the outside wall panneling inside). I need enough space to comfortably live, hang out with mates, etc. and also need to build a bathroom (with shower, toilet, sink). The garage is brick, the floor is solid concrete and the roof is crappy corrugated aluminium (under which we will be constructing a proper ceiling. The budget for all soundproofing and recording equipment (except for computer which i already have) will be around $20000 australian dollars - that's after all the panels on the walls, ceiling and insulation, floor covering, wiring, bathroom with all piping and the wall that will replace the garage door. Well, now the problem I've been having is coming up with a basic floor plan for the studio. I've read the design section at the site and taken it all in, but this is an unusual case because of the placement of the windows, and the fact that the bathroom has to be against the top edge of the diagram, so the piping and be run down the hill straight to the houses septic tank. I've come up with several layouts myself and am not entirely sure which one would work. Remember these are really, really rough sketches and only very basic ideas of where the walls might go. Any input you guys could give me would be greatly appreciated.

here's a few more...

Perhaps I shouldn't even build a control room? I could even make a fairly large area for a recording room, (using screens for vocals and such) and make my living area the control room, putting carpeted/insulated panels in front of the windows only when mixing. All the furniture (bed, cupboard, bookshelfs, couch, tv etc) has got to break up or absorb some of the waves. The walls will be plaster or plywood covered insulation against bricks, and I could hang carpeted/insulated panels on the walls and sit bass traps in the corners maybe? Thanks again for any help you guys are willing to give me, I really do appreciate it :)

Here's the plan that I'm currently the most happy with. The idea was that I'd make several large panels of absorbant material (carpet, rockwool, foam, etc or slot resonator) and attach strong hooks at certain places around the room, including above the windows. Corresponding hooks or rings can be attached to the panels and when it's time to mix/master the music, then the panels will be strategically hung up around the room at the various locations where they're needed (I dont know exactly where yet because I don't yet know enough about accoustics) including panels that cover the windows. Some of the furniture itsself should also serve to absorb the high/mids and the bass traps should take care of the lows (in theory). This way the room can be used as a general living area, and on those infrequent occasions when it comes time to mix and master the music, it can be quickly and easily converted into a sound absorbing king :-) Remember thats a theory and that I still know very little about accoustics.

Yeah - I'd go with the last plan creating a soundproof booth for performance yet using the large space as a living control room. Also a larger room poses less acoustic problems. As you say - make up wall panels and hang them everywhere. cheers John

Yeah that's what I thought. I was a lot happier with this one than all the others, and no matter what all the wall panels cost, they'll be a lot cheaper than the extra walls I'll avoid building. Thanks :-) - Brad

I really like that last one, looks like a really cool place to live. How is your sister and her husband about noise? Is the garage some way off the house? Anton

Yeah my sis and brother in law are cool about noise, the garage is only about 20 metres from the house but thats ok it just means less sewer piping to lay. They both work full time so I'd have all day, every week day to make noise. Drums are really the only thing that's a problem anyway, and I don't play them - one of my friends does. Thanks - Brad

Here's the latest couple of designs I've come up with. They're drawn in Autocad so they're pretty accurate, except for the doors and doorways which are all about 200mm wider than they need to be (I made them 900mm wide in the drawing, but afterwards realised that most doorways are about 700 wide. The couches, coffee table, kitchen sink/bench and tv are not in the picture yet as I dont own them yet and dont know what dimensions they're likely to have. Thanks. - Brad

Here's the plan I think I'm going to stick with. You reckon that'll do, John?