EVERETT, MA Studio Design

maybe consider any additional weight etc you intend to add so the new floor can support it properly - consider it an investment where it will last longer so would be worthwhile....

Are you saying that a newly poured concrete floor may not handle the weight of the rooms i'm building? I figured if anything, it'd make them stronger, no?

it would be a good idea to check to make sure the new floors are structured to support it. edges in particular is typically where weight gets concentrated.

Ok gotcha. I'm under the impression it's just a slab/foundation on earth. I'll double check though. Thanks

Glenn, I don't know how simple it was or wasn't, but in this sketch you made for me - is there a trick to getting even angles/dimensions? Especially with a 5 wall (CR) room? I feel like if I freehand in Sketchup, even if all my wall lengths are correct/parallel, the angles will still be a little out of whack. Any tips/advice? thanks!

actually, the more I thought it wasn't too tough to figure out. I still do not know how to do/draw exact angles in sketchup. But if I start with a big square and make some subtractive cuts I can find my way to an even/parallel CR shape. :)

use the construction line tool. it allows you to easily set the angles and then you can draw your lives over it.

Ok thanks! I'm actually learning a lot about Sketchup today... Watching lots of the tutorials :shock: I'm meeting with a contractor tomorrow and wanted to have some sort of rough 'blueprint' of the floorplan to help explain what I'm trying to do with this space. By the way, is there anyway to get Sketchup to give me a perfect birds-eye view/blue print style rendering? Anyhow this is where I'm at now. Glenn, I know you mentioned specific angles for the CR ceiling. What about the angles of the CR walls where they splay wider from the front wall? They're at about 7 degrees in this most current plan.

For the bird's eye view you want: In the view menu activate the views toolbar, then click on the icon that looks like the roof. Next, in the camera menu, select "Parallel Projection" Zoom in or out as necessary. That should do it. Generally, for angles, use the protractor tool. Establish your reference axis by clicking on your point then moving the mouse to the end of an existing line or 'til it shows "on xxxx axis" (red, blue green) and click again. Next, move the mouse to determine the direction of the angle (rotation around the first point you clicked), then you can type an exact angle in the text box. Rotating existing entities/objects works the same. The best advice however is: for every object you create, either group it or make it into a component. This will save you hours of grief when you need to manipulate things.

Hey thanks for the help, Brian. Worked perfectly. So I met with a contractor yesterday. I should hear back this weekend with some options/numbers. After our meeting, I have some new questions. 1) Wood or metal framing? Any benefits or drawbacks? Contractor was leaning towards metal because that's standard in commercial buildings. 2) Is it okay to use common blanket insulation (r-19) in the inner walls? I do plan to build lots of absorbers/traps/clouds using mineral wool or rigid 703 - in all rooms. 3) There is an old sprinkler system running through the ceiling of this building. I need to find out from the owner if he knows the fire code regarding them. I can't imagine having sprinklers over my gear :shock: I need to find out what the laws/alternatives are. 4) More fire code biz... I need to find out how many exits are required in my unit. The building itself has many exits, but I'm curious if my unit (within) needs more than one. We briefly talked HVAC ideas/solutions, and I don't think this is going to be easy/cheap. Contractor thinks a combo heat/ac unit (central) would run up in the $4-7k range. That's clearly out of my budget. So we talked about maybe electric heat (like those baseboard wall-mounted units). As for AC... maybe a standalone unit (or 2), not sure how I'd vent them though since other than through the roof, I have no fresh air source. I don't know if a mini-split would work for me since I have multiple rooms, but I'm going to research that some. Any thoughts/ideas about any of these questions are welcome!

the electric heat is probably a bad idea for health reasons. and you still need air exchange (even <pick your musician type> needs oxygen :mrgreen: ) so you're going to put in something to exchange the air. maybe this is the case where an AC/heat room is ducted to the other rooms? a single heat pump split unit with a pair of fans to pull and push air between the outside and then ducts off that room (essentially building your own air handler...) but that's probably will $3-4K all said and done.

Yep. Just the cold/hard truth. I guess I need to make some HVAC friends pronto. From the research I've done of combination/packaged units, I see some 13 Seer gas-heat/electric-ac systems (including air handler) for as low as $1500 so I feel like it can't impossible to have this done for $3k or under. I'm coming from a 10'X11' control room and let me tell you: after a 10-hour day with 3 or 4 guys in there, the place is absolutely disgusting with no fresh air. :shock: By the way, what is unhealthy about electric heat? I couldn't find much relevant info on the web about it.

dry heat, no moisture, no fresh air. you can make fixes like humidifiers, etc but then you will find the fresh air requirement creeps in and you're back to ducting anyways. if you can do the bulk of duct fabrication and putting things into the right place, the having an HVAC person come in and finalize the installation, that should be cost effective.

Nothing has really happened for the past week or so. I was waiting for the floor to be "fixed" which was supposed to happen by the end of last week. The broker called Friday to tell me the floor would be addressed the next day and I should be able to get in there by Monday (today). I drove by yesterday eager to see what they had done. I was disappointed to find 2 small (3'X3') patches of cement filled into some of the worst spots on the floor. There are still many large divots/cracks/holes throughout the floor. I was hoping the owner would just pour a new floor, but I knew that'd be the unlikely deci$ion. I was correct. I'll be calling the broker back today to see what is going on. I'm trying to talk myself into believing that maybe they're 'in the middle' of this repair, but regardless the patching solution seems like a lost cause - leaving the floor nearly as uneven as it was in the first place. They still haven't installed the electric panel either, so I couldn't really 'get in' there today anyway. Yet another studio build moving very slowly. No surprise here. :|

:!: Broker left me a message saying the floor patching idea "wasn't really working" (no sh*t!) so they're instead just going to pour a new floor! They read my mind :D So relieved! I'm meeting with the general contractor tomorrow to go over numbers, then meeting with HVAC for a quote.

cool! keep in mind that adding any necessary structural enhancements are easier while they are doing this including any footers, re-bar, control joints, compacted soil etc... need to support the interior isolation walls.

Well, I should clarify that they really just poured enough concrete to fill the holes/lumps - probably less than 1 inch in most places. Simply enough to level things out. More cosmetic and less structural. They did the pour yesterday morning and while it's not the prettiest job (done by owner and his 'crew'), it's a million times better than it was. :)

Here's what I'm thinking for the electric layout. I'll have a 60amp panel to work from. I'm told I'll need 30amps dedicated for an HVAC unit. Any advice/ideas on how the remaining power should be divided amongst each rooms outlets/lights etc? I'm planning on dividing the lights in the CR & LR into 3 different "zones" so I can have different on/off switches (for some control, while avoiding noisey dimmers). I'm thinking I'll mount recessed lights into absorption clouds. Probably 3 cans per zone. Any rough idea what I might expect to pay to have this all wired? I'll be soliciting quotes soon. I feel like this job shouldn't be too involved, since everything will be open. Also, note that the panel will already be installed in the space.

30 amps for the CR and LR should be enough (unless you have an older large console...) - probably split it on 3 15 amp breakers (i know it = 45) where one is the light circuit (not likely to take more than a few amps but 15 amp breakers are typically as low as you go...) and 2 more circuits for the outlet power - one per room. use a single leg off the main power for the outlet side to avoid any potential for 220v due to wiring or equipment defects. use the other leg for your lighting and HVAC (or other induction motor equipment). star ground for the outlets etc etc.

Thanks for all that electric info, Glenn. I'll be sure to pass it on to the tech. I have a smaller analog console (old Ramsa 812) so it wouldn't draw too much power. I checked in yesterday and the floor is dry. I'm trying to get the owner to tie up the remaining loose ends (put in the electric panel, patch some ceiling/wall gaps with drywall, remove a roll-down door I don't need). Once that's all set, I'm hoping my contractor will be able to begin framing by June 1st. That's the goal anyhow.

Glenn, I know little about electric. Can you please explain what you mean by "avoid potential for 220v"? Do I need any circuits to be 220 or would they all be 110?

all the mains feeds tend to be 220v split into 2 legs each with 110v. if you were to run your studio off separate legs, you could end up with one leg in the live room and one leg in the control room, and due to unforeseen wiring issues in equipment end up with a 220v potential - say on a microphone or guitar...

I keep hearing about this drywall they make specifically for sound isolation. Everyone keeps suggesting it, even the contractor. Ive been sticking to my guns about going double 5/8" based on all Ive read on the sound forums. What is it called exactly? and is it near as (or as) efficient as 2 layers of 5/8"?

a number of products are out there - quiet rock, etc but in most cases the 2x (or more) 5/8" (16mm) fire specification drywall tends to be the best bet.

Okay, we're sticking with double-layer drywall. I assumed I was getting the best/proper advice here anyhow. Contractor should be pulling permits today or tomorrow. If all goes well, he thinks we could start building next week. HVAC quotes continue to drop my jaw. it's just so much money for such a small space. Funny how it's the least glamorous/interesting part of a studio, yet one of the most expensive aspects of a build. Well actually... 'funny' isn't the word at all. :cry: Alas, I'm coming to terms with the reality of these costs, and as they say: "the die have been cast" so there's only one way to go. Onward. Very eager to getting this place open. I've got a few projects lined up already, so that feels nice. In the meantime, I'm planning out my studios wiring/patchbay, etc. Just ordered the SSL Alphalink (converters) which I'll be using as an interface via MADI card. Now I've got a bunch of custom D-subs to build which should keep my mind busy for a bit.