Basement control and live room project

Hi, First time posting, love all the info here. Hoping to clear somethings up. I have started a basement project for my son and want to run the plan by you guys for your thoughts. What I will have is two seperate rooms (16' x 10') & (16' X 8') with 7' ceiling height. The space between the two rooms is 12". The space between the existing painted concrete block walls and the new walls is 3' on three sides and twenty feet on one side.The walls are 2 x 6 top and bottom plates with 2 x 4 staggered studs 24" on center, bottom plate is screwed to concrete floor. Ceiling supports (2 x 4) are resting on the top plate of the new 16' walls and are between the existing 2 x 8 floor joists (de coupled from existing structure). I have 3/4" hard wood floors with 3/4" subfloor on the top of existing 2 x 8 joists and R19 fiberglass insulation between the joists. The doors are single pre hung solid wood and the window will be about 2' x 4'. What I am not sure about is where do I insulate and how much in my new walls and ceilings. Also, where (and how many layers) do I install the sheetrock (5/8"). When I am looking into the 12" space between the two new rooms, what should I see when finished, sheetrock or insulation? How do I isolate the window framing in the staggered walls between the rooms. I Hope this is understandable. Thanks Ed & Eddie.

Pictures work wonders Ed. Basic stuff is that insulation goes in between any wall assembly, between the hard boundaries and if you are looking directly at insulation, you have something that needs to be corrected, assuming it isn't an acoustic panel for a specific tuning reason. I'm thinking that you may be on the road to wasted material, if you have framed up a wall assembly that has staggered studs, inside of a basement since this is not a requirement because the basement wall is the first leaf in your room-in-a-room configuration. Also, the 2X4 for ceiling joist running the short dimension may be OK, but 2X6" would be a better option from a safety stand point.

Brien, Thanks for the response. As you can see from the pic, I have three feet between the existing block wall and the new walls and 12" between the two new walls. I am trying to minimize the sound coming in and going out of the new rooms. I planned on two layers of 5/8 Sheetrock for the ceilings in both rooms, above that is the new ceiling joists, then R19(between existing 2 x 8 floor joists) then the 3/4" sub floor and then the 3/4" hardwood floor on the floor above the new rooms. For the new walls in both rooms I was going to use two layers of 5/8" Sheetrock on the inner and outer walls. Not sure if this is the best approach? Do I need to rock the outer walls between the two rooms? I planned on insulating the space between the new ceiling joists and all the new walls? As you mentioned, i don't want to waste material that wont be needed or effective. Thanks for your help.

will the rooms be used together like a studio? or just separate isolated rooms? if the former, you might consider adding a window into the separating walls - something like 3'h x 5'w in the middle (horz and vert). you also want the drywall supporting studs to be 24" o.c. not staggered (on the separation walls) which is making it 48" o.c. for the remaining walls, you want to have the drywall on both sides to ensure a mass-air-mass configuration and no drywall between the two rooms (as the inner wall on each is part of your MAM). 2x 5/8" is good all around. on the remaining walls, the staggered studs is OK but still need to be on 24" o.c. for each side. R19 overhead. R13 in the walls.

Glenn, The rooms will be separate with their own doors and a window between. So, 2x 5/8" on both sides of all walls EXCEPT the walls with the window, these walls get 2x 5/8 on the inside of the rooms only? How about the ISO booth walls, 2x 5/8 both sides also? See drawing. Thanks Ed.

edhotaling wrote:

i don't want to waste material that wont be needed or effective. Thanks for your help.

Like I said Ed, you have done already things that need not be done...mainly you have a staggered stud wall backed up to another staggered stud wall (frame). Some people would call this completely useless...i just say it is most likely a product of information over-load. I know you are headed in a direction with lots of information at your fingertips, but this is a large energy/material set-back that you have already embraced, and you have not really even begun the journey, and we may want to discuss, with a slower motivation what you want...for your sake:) EDIT: I can not see how these walls are being supported, if they are fastened directly to the upper framing, it's a short circuit in isolation. Give me a day or so and I may can come up with a better framing plan to maximize your isolation. The efforts you are taking, well meaning I know, are not helping you in your quest...I can help if you wouldn't mind...

Brien, I really appreciate help. The new rooms are not attached to upper the upper framing, they are free standing. This is what my son will be doing in the rooms: Live Room- Everything from full band to just vocals (drum kit, keyboards, bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar amps in iso booths.) Control Room- Live monitoring, editing, mixing, mastering Dad, I'm not sure if this is what you meant, but it's all I could really come up with. I don't think the gear that's being used is gonna matter much but the signal is going from the mic's into the pre-amps (not sure what yet, havent bought them) then into the m-audio delta 1010 a/d converter (pci interface) into the computer where i'll be using samplitude 11 as my DAW. Thanks again. Ed

I got the PDF file...it doesn't show the height of the actual existing room(to the bottom of the floor joist) or what kind of bridging is inbetween the joists. If you could get me that height and if it is an x-brace type bridging or block, that would be really helpful. Thanks Ed.

Brien- 85" to bottom of existing 2 x 8 floor joists and i have x-bracing. Ed.

This is an example of how you should set up your framing. It does not by-pass code nor is it anything more than the means required to do the actual decoupling, e.g. the main wall that will most likely need some type of decoupling device from the wall to the existing structure.

Brien, Thanks so much. I have a few questions for my own understanding. Using your sketch: - Where and how much Sheetrock and insulation? - Doors into control/live rooms and iso booths. Double doors? - Access to the 3' space on the sides of each room? - You will probably hate me for this one. I have two 1 1/2" black iron heating pipes that run through the length of live room and the smaller iso booth. I can isolate them from existing floor joists with vibration isolators but how should I deal with them going through the new walls? They will be roughly 6" below new ceilings. They are just to the right of the live room door on the PDF I drew up. Thanks again, Ed