Longtime Reader, 1st Post--Basement Studio Design

Hello! I am excited to finally be in a place where I feel confortable posting some details and getting some feedback on my two-room basement studio buildout plan. I am thrilled that such a forum exists where we can interact and share knowledge! The details: - I am in the planning stages, have initial architectural drawings, looking for all of your sage input and advice on what might be looking right and wrong about my design. Naturally, I am very eager and excited to get into putting my plans into action. I plan to hire (and closely supervise) a contractor for all construction to do it right the first time! Hoping to stay in the $10-12,000 range. - I am going to be buiding out half of our already nicely finished basement into a two-room recording space--control room and live room. The open space is 30’ x 16’, without any support columns or other trouble areas to work around. My projects are band oriented, generally loud...drums, bass, guitars, etc. So there is low freq content to contend with. SPLs reaching into the 110-120's at peaks in the live room. Farily low control room levels (70-90dB-ish). Only neighbors to one side--friendly, elderly (read: hard of hearing!), and about 30ft from our closest external wall. Some light residential traffic noise on the far opposite side of the house. - Existing Construction: Fully finished. Partially above-ground (live room side fully underground, control room side partially above). To my knowledge, without busting into the walls just yet, one existing layer of drywall, 2x4 framing, then brick exterior of the house. Concrete slab with ceramic tile flooring. The house was built in 1957, and completely updated in 2008. - New Construction: new seperate double-stud, double drywall, green glue layered walls--see pics for existing space and new walls added. Two rooms of similar size: approx 15' x 11' x 8' (close to decent ratio!). Hallway (small airspace) b/t control and live rooms. 5'x3' Double pane (1/2" & 3/4" thick) window b/t control and live rooms. Questions: 1.) Anyone see any other design/layout opportunities that I may have overlooked? 2.) The newly constructed walls (b/t rooms & hallway wall) would be double stud, 2” airspace, 703, and double 5/8” drywall w/green glue on both sides. BUT on the existing walls, could any decent isolation could be achieved by only adding drywall and green glue layers to the existing drywall on the outer walls and the ceiling and treating with 703 and slot resonators (pseudo-inside out)? Or would this do next to nothing isolating the space from the living space upstairs? Do I need to get in between the studs and joists with mass layers to beef things up? Keep in mind I am obviously also trying to conserve square footage. 3.) Are the ceramic tile floors able to stay? Can the base plates of the framing be drilled through the existing tile floor? Anyone have experience with this? Or will I end up needing to replace all of the flooring? 4.) The large closet in the live room is one of our only good-sized storage areas in the house, so it must stay…I suppose mass must also be added inside the closet? The closet opening is 4’5” and extends under the stairway, so it is triangular, and about 2 ½’ deep. I was thinking of a track-mounted, sliding barn-door covered with 703? Stupid? Suggestions? I don’t think I can get away with hangers in there as we need easy access to the storage. 5.) I plan to conserve space with as much inside-out wall/ceiling design as possible…suggestions on placement of absorptive and slot areas in my design? Corners will be bass trapped. 6.) There is existing electrical and HVAC vents, but I am thinking upgrades are in order? Star grounding and separate circuits? And HVAC separate from the rest of the house? I’ve been looking into Mitsubishi’s Mr Slim. Looks like a good option. Or is this unnecessary with a few existing vents already in place? So I’ll start there…I’m sure I am forgetting some major questions that I had. Below I’ve attached a few drawings of the space. For a reference let's call the walls North, South, East, and West—north being the top of the included drawings. Thank you so much for reading and any input and advice yall can provide! -Dan

1.) Anyone see any other design/layout opportunities that I may have overlooked?

Not untill a few questions of my own are answered..but more on that later

2.) The newly constructed walls (b/t rooms & hallway wall) would be double stud, 2” airspace, 703, and double 5/8” drywall w/green glue on both sides. BUT on the existing walls, could any decent isolation could be achieved by only adding drywall and green glue layers to the existing drywall on the outer walls and the ceiling and treating with 703 and slot resonators (pseudo-inside out)? Or would this do next to nothing isolating the space from the living space upstairs? Do I need to get in between the studs and joists with mass layers to beef things up? Keep in mind I am obviously also trying to conserve square footage.

Considering the intended SPL, especially at Low Frequencies, I submit you will have to not only add extensive mass, but decouple it as well. Considering the small spaces, I would also submit you will have to plan in extensive Low Frequency absorption too, as Isolation equals little Transmission loss to the outside world. I would suggest a multi tiered strategy for small footprint Iso construction with different TL assemblies for walls that are part of the Exterior than those that are Partition walls. However, the biggest problems are your Slab, and existing ceiling. Since you will have a common slab between CR and Live room, and it is most likely is integeral with the foundation footings or at least poured within the building foundation, this is a direct flanking path for structural transmission. Not so much for airborn sounds, but impact transmission from drums. For this I would suggest a floating platform of 4" concrete, or at least a sandfilled framwork with 2 layers of drywall and top layer of 3/4 MDF. For ceiling, I would submit you indeed will have to line the joist cavitys with 2 layers of drywall, and build ceiling assemblies either supported by the interior Partition walls, or suspended via RSIC decouplers and Hat channel, or use RC fastened to the existing joists. For an overall strategy, I would suggest a complete decoupled inner envelope in each room. However, since(I asume)SOME of the walls below grade are probably concrete/concrete block, without knowing how high they are, among other things, at this point, it would be impossible to detemine exactly what TL strategy to apply to any given exterior wall, which in turn may determine other things, such as interface connections with cieling and partition wall assemblies. So untill I know some more information, I hesitate to further advise anything.

3.) Are the ceramic tile floors able to stay? Can the base plates of the framing be drilled through the existing tile floor? Anyone have experience with this? Or will I end up needing to replace all of the flooring?

Personally, I would cut away the tile where ever partion walls are placed. You may need to use some type of Partition wall floating devices, such as neoprene pads at bottom, and sway bar decoupling at the top. This still remains to be determined though. Existing joist locations, HVAC ducting, and other things will have a bearing on this too.

4.) The large closet in the live room is one of our only good-sized storage areas in the house, so it must stay…I suppose mass must also be added inside the closet?

I would assume so if it's open to the room. There may be another strategy though. I played with your layout a bit to illustrate. See below. BTW, see the jpg with the drums? I would move the window wall 16" to align the wall for a Soundlock door and make a wider Live room. The closet opening is 4’5” and extends under the stairway, so it is triangular, and about 2 ½’ deep. I was thinking of a track-mounted, sliding barn-door covered with 703? Stupid? Suggestions? I don’t think I can get away with hangers in there as we need easy access to the storage. Yes, you could add one layer perhaps, and or add a solid core door, as well as create a Soundlock with all solid core doors. Forget the 703, at least for TL considerations. It does nothing in that regard. As to hangers, I'm still unqualified to answer about those. Theres lots of disagreement on the net regarding LF performance. As far as the closet...well, I would think clothing would help with any resonance :mrgreen:

5.) I plan to conserve space with as much inside-out wall/ceiling design as possible…suggestions on placement of absorptive and slot areas in my design? Corners will be bass trapped.

This has to do with the ultimate choices for TL assemblys. I have to play around with it for bit to see the advantages/disadvantages of any given strategy. Perhaps the use of Staggered Stud or 2x6 framing with RC for partition walls. I'll post some sections later.

6.) There is existing electrical and HVAC vents, but I am thinking upgrades are in order? Star grounding and separate circuits? And HVAC separate from the rest of the house? I’ve been looking into Mitsubishi’s Mr Slim. Looks like a good option. Or is this unnecessary with a few existing vents already in place?

Could you post a plan showing existing ductwork and where the existing HVAC is?

So I’ll start there…I’m sure I am forgetting some major questions that I had. Below I’ve attached a few drawings of the space. For a reference let's call the walls North, South, East, and West—north being the top of the included drawings.

Well, I too am starting here. Hope this helps for the moment. :mrgreen: I'll be back. I need lots more info, but I've run out of time to post the questions. Heres a couple of views to illustrate the relative scale of your rooms. Plus, I modified your plan to illustrate my suggestion.

Thank you so much for reading and any input and advice yall can provide!

Noi problem. :D Just remember, I'm no expert, and these are only my "opinions" fitZ

fitZ, thanks for the response! and sorry for my delayed response. i hope i can clear up a few of the things you asked about. Yeah, i am hoping that i can reinforce the outer walls a little less extensively than the partition (or newly constructed) walls. as i said the live room is fully underground, and like you said probably has concrete walls, although i am not positive about that. The rest of the basement is below grade until the two windows in the control room (see first post, first attached drawing) which are dug out half above grade at 5'10" height in the room. So about 2' above ground for the "east" control room wall. As i said, control room levels are not as much of a concern for me, i tend to keep levels pretty low--the isolation concern is more in the live room levels, and managing transmission from there to the second floor and control room. Does this info help determine how i can approach the outer walls, and as you said the interfacing of the walls and ceiling? Cutting away the tile floor under the new walls makes some sense to me. My architect suggested that with careful drilling for the base plates, he didnt see why the tiling couldnt stay. Would neoprene pads be a necessity? And what exactly does a sway bar do? After some searching, I have not found much info out there about that. Any links or threads you could share? The basement is currently fully finished including the ceiling, so i am not sure of the location of joists and ductwork. There is an hvac vent in just about the middle of both the proposed live room and control room. And a small rectangular (about 2'W x 1 'L x 3"H) outcropping from the ceiling where i can assume some ductwork is located, against the east wall of the live room. The utility closet is located on the other side of the stairwell, so it is coming from the "west" side of the drawings. See pic below. As far as the closet problem goes...i think you may have misunderstood that the closet opening is IN the live room, and extends under the stairs "southward." So adding mass is most likely in order, and a solid core door. Im not sure if I am misunderstanding your design suggestion, or if you misunderstood the direction of the inner closet? I didnt see the difference in where my live room door and your revised live room door were placed. A pic below shows the closet. Thanks again for your response and suggestions! Please keep the questions and advice coming! It is invaluable! -Dan

Thats the nicest working basement I've seen.

lilith_envy wrote:

Thats the nicest working basement I've seen.

hey, thanks! the great basement was a definite selling point for us when we bought the house this past summer...good size, decent ceilings. I (more than my wife!) am looking forward to tearing it all apart and building it back up! haha.

and so many power points, I think the last owner was growing drugs! :twisted: