from shed to studio?

What would be the best way for fastening the walls to the floor? Usually with concrete slabs you have the anchor bolts put in when its wet, what should I do with my wooden floor/foundation?

You would just use 16d nails, run a bead of construction adhesive before tipping up the wall frame, and then toenail the bottom wall plate into the perimeter joists through the double layer of OSB flooring - space the nails about 12" on center, all around the perimeter. With a flat floor surface, you'll be able to construct each wall's frame laid flat on the floor so you can nail up through the bottom plate and into each stud without having to toenail the studs down from the top and into the bottom plate - then, once the frame is complete, you tip it up into place and nail flush with the outer edge of the floor. Here's a drawing that should illustrate... Steve

Ok, thanks we got two walls done, finishing the shorter walls today, after this, it'll be the ceiling. Anything special on ceilings?

Yeah, you'll need to build a 2x6 version of your floor frame, but without doubling the perimeter joists - the outer edges of the frame should line up flush with the outer edges of your wall caps, the two end joists (the joints at the corners of the frame) should be glued with construction adhesive and screwed together with 3-1/2" screws so those joints are airtight - this is because these perimeter 2x6's will be your outer isolation mass (you should add the same two layers of outside siding on these as on your stud walls) - Then, once the joist frame is in place, put your two layers of OSB (no coincident seams, caulk with acoustic caulk at every seam) on TOP of this ceiling frame - what you want here is a solid, airtight barrier. YOu will need a moisture barrier in this leaf as well - one way would be to use 30 pound roofing felt between the two layers of OSB - you can put one layer of felt (comes in 3 foot wide roll) lengthwise, NOT overlapping seams but just butting them together firmly - do a second layer running at 90 degrees to the first, so you have virtually no cracks through both layers, then put the second layer of OSB over that. Caulk everything as you go. Any construction you won't be able to access later should be painted well before you continue. The roof itself should be also 2x6 joists, it can be 24" centers if you want - note that for a 4/12 pitch, your shed roof will be nearly 4 feet higher on one side - I'm out of time for now, will continue this tomorrow nite if possible... Steve

So instead of using 2x4s for my ceiling just use 2x6s? For the actual roof design, easier to do a sloped roof or a standard house roof where both are angled to make a peak?

Right, 2x6's for ceiling joists AND for roof rafters - shed roofs are definitely easier to build in most ways - I'm not finished with the roof details yet, but here's what I have so far - nothing is labeled, it's sort of to scale (you can tell which are 2x6's) and it only shows the ceiling and roof sitting on top of the double caps which are part of the stud frames - blue is house wrap, black is a double layer of 30 pound building felt, dark and light brown are framing, wierd greenish brown is OSB, green is whatever roofing you intend to use (may require sheathing depending on choices) - Check your originally posted PDF for a pic of the rake studs, it's about the 4th set of pix and is titled "End Stud" - You'll need to use screening wherever there are ventilation holes between roof and ceilng, or you'll host more birds and bugs than you ever thought existed. I'll spend some more time on this in the next couple of days... Steve

Ok I just built the first part of ceiling, just the joists. Before I go onto laying OSB ontop of it, should I plan where my A/C duct is going to go if I decide to go that route. Just punching a hole into the wall I feel that using resilent channels will be useless since I just put a huge hole in the wall. I know you went through this already, but what do you think again?

Ok, I will put down the double layer of OSB down tonight with roof rolling inbetween on top of it. I still don't understand how i'm going to construct the roof. After I do my layers of OSB, am I esentially building another perimeter frame on top it where my roof joists will sit on?

Right - the frame that's already there will support your inner sheet rock layers on RC as well as your double layer of OSB on the outside, for a true mass-air-mass ceiling - then, you'll need a way to hold the roof on - you might be able to just do a short stud wall on the tall side of the roof, then cut blocks for between the roof rafters, and fasten the rafters through the OSB layers using "hurricane ties" - specifically these - http://www.strongtie.com/products/conne ... S-HTS.html Available at some Home Depots and Lowes - I'm still waiting on some info about HVAC options, I wouldn't get too much further into roof construction til we have more info - meantime, if it looks like rain :wink: you should cover your room with a tarp if necessary... Steve

Ok cool, thanks! I actually went and got my acoustic caulk from a place called AMS. The were real knowledgeable about everything and ended up getting some info on a door. The door was $380 and was a solid core door, double pane glass with frame and seals. The guy said I have to put my drywall up inside so I can measure the true dimension first. And I almost forgot, if I will need some type of ventilation, do I just cut a hole in the OSB on my ceiling after I put all of em there, that makes the most sense to me. And one side note, OSB is not cheap! $20 a sheet! Wow, pretty expensive I always thought this kinda stuff would be cheaper. What kind of insulation do you recommend using? Rockwool? 703? R-13? With my ceiling being covered up, that means I have to put my insulation with the paper facing down, which I doubt makes a difference. Hmm I think thats it for now, I know I can buy A/C wall outlets at AMS and they should be knowledgeable about setting those in my drywall with RC. And another thing, my walls are sturdy but aren't rock solid. I used 16D nails and 3 1/2" screws but I felt they weren't enough. So I went ahead and bought 4" screws today, haven't gotten a chance to sink em in. I need to get batteries but tomorrow i'll have pics of the shed that I can upload. Thanks! oops I also decided that the slope you had in the drawing was a little too much. I decided to make one wall about 2 feet taller than the opposing side. Not exactly a 45 degree slope, but its sloped at least. Phew one last question thats been lurking in the back of my mind, any ideas on how its actually going to sound inside? If I put wood on top of my drywall inside (looks nice 8) ), shouldn't affect it too much? If I wasn't going to do this, what would the bare painted or unpainted drywall sound like?

Gotta hit the sack soon (4am wake-up for work) but for right now you should STOP building til I can explain roofs a bit more - for one thing, depending on what type roofing you will use, a 4/12 pitch is minimum (which means that your 10' wide roof should have a rise of 3'4" MINIMUM - The other reason for this is that I'm looking into the idea of using your "attic" for an insulated plenum for AC using a standard window type AC unit - if you lower the slope, there won't be room for that and you'll need a "sidecar" or something similar. I've still not heard back on my queries, hopefully I will in the next few days - And, your room will sound like a big box, at least until you get some acoustic treatment in it - small rooms don't naturally sound good without a fair amount of help... Steve

Ok, well I still haven't even gotten to covering the ceiling with OSB. If I had my AC in the attic, how I would I turn it on and off? Just a simple ON/OFF switch in the room and leave the A/C with the on switch on all the time?

That would depend on the AC unit you get - some have "real" switches that can be left in position, and one of those would work - most of the newer ones, though, have "soft" switches that only work after the power is turned on - if that's all you can find, you would need some kind of "trap door" in the higher side wall (above the ceiling) the AC unit would go in the attic area, but its controls(and air in/out ducts) would be inside the attic space - you would need to open the trap door and reach in to turn it on/off. This is less than Ideal, but the alternative would be something like a Mini-split which starts at about $900, and you'd still need a fresh air circulating system (mini-splits don't do that) Getting ready for work, so will check back... Steve

knightfly wrote:

That would depend on the AC unit you get - some have "real" switches that can be left in position, and one of those would work - most of the newer ones, though, have "soft" switches that only work after the power is turned on - if that's all you can find, you would need some kind of "trap door" in the higher side wall (above the ceiling) the AC unit would go in the attic area, but its controls(and air in/out ducts) would be inside the attic space - you would need to open the trap door and reach in to turn it on/off. This is less than Ideal, but the alternative would be something like a Mini-split which starts at about $900, and you'd still need a fresh air circulating system (mini-splits don't do that) Getting ready for work, so will check back... Steve

I don't think a standard window A/C would have a a return duct. If I was going to put it in the attic, I should put the unit in the corner. With the back of it exposed and sticking out of the building, it might be ugly but thats the only alternative. With a trap door to the side of it so I can reach in and turn it on and off, etc. Without a return duct, it will only have fresh air coming in correct? It won't pose any problems as serious as suffocating will it ? haha :lol: but yeah, i'm almost done putting both layers of OSB on top. If you don't get an answer for the roof this weekend, i'll goo ahead and drywall my wall with the door so I can go ahead and order the door. I need to start drilling holes to electricity too.

Ok, I just got my first layer of OSB and roof rolling ontop of that. The structure seems kind of wobbly. I mean its sturdy as hell but when your standing up there it moves a bit. My guess is that, it'll remain like this until I put my drywall up and what not.

Tomorrow next layer of OSB.

Reason your room is wobbly is there's nothing keeping the frame from "racking" - normally (I probably forgot to mention this, my omission) you put your first layer of sheathing (OSB in this case) on the outside of the frames BEFORE you do the roof/ceiling frames - you should do that before you go any further (don't go on the "roof" any more til this is done) - You'll need to fasten the sheathing along one vertical edge of each wall first, then get help if necessary to pull the frame either way to make the bottom of that piece of sheathing line up with the bottom plate, and nail that - Use 8d galvanized nails for the first layer, 10d for the second, and space the nails every 8" along each framing member including studs. Center of every third stud should fall at the edge of a piece of OSB. Caulk as you go. Looks like you're doing pretty good so far - you'll be amazed at the change in your structure once you get a layer of sheathing up... Steve

So your saying I should put my outside layer of sheathing first right now? Before I do that, I think I should start wiring or drilling holes at least don't you think? Thanks

No, wiring can be done by drilling through the centers of studs after the outer sheathing is on - it isn't safe for anyone to be on top of your structure without some kind of bracing, at least diagonal boards temporarily fastened on each wall frame - Do you have any kind of wiring plan yet? Like how many outlets, where you want lights, whether you will use surface mount electrical fixtures or in-wall, etc? Steve

knightfly wrote:

No, wiring can be done by drilling through the centers of studs after the outer sheathing is on - it isn't safe for anyone to be on top of your structure without some kind of bracing, at least diagonal boards temporarily fastened on each wall frame - Do you have any kind of wiring plan yet? Like how many outlets, where you want lights, whether you will use surface mount electrical fixtures or in-wall, etc? Steve

No wiring plan yet, but I figure two outlets per wall to keep it simple. My two choices for lights is either an in-wall light on the ceiling which I can have a switch for (convienence) or buy the studio lighting kits which have three bulbs with it. I guess it won't be much harder to install an in-wall light fixture so I guess i'll go with that.

The more of your electrical you can keep surface mounted, the less you will compromise your sound proofing - Home Depot and others have rectangular wiremold and boxes that can be used for this, especially where aesthetics aren't a main concern - if these are placed around 2 feet off the floor, they can be partially hidden by your acoustic treatments hung on the walls. BTW, how are you planning to feed the power to your building, or do you know yet? Steve

So A/C outlets wouldn't be in the wall? I plan on just getting power from the main box for the house.

Change of plans, my dad wants to do a peaked roof instead of a sloped roof, we won't have to build a higher wall then and more attic space. I guess this is a good thing. One general question, is OSB cheaper than plywood? I always thought plywood was dirt cheap?

Neither plywood or OSB are "dirt cheap" any more - 1/2" plywood CDX grade here in the northwest has gone from around $11 a sheet a year ago, to $22 a sheet currently - OSB isn't a lot cheaper. For any sound isolation where you're not exposed to weather or moisture, sheet rock at around $5.50 is better isolation at 1/4 the price. Right, you mount small channels on the surface of the walls and run your wires through them - the outlet boxes then mount on that channel and stick out from the wall, instead of into it. Looks less elegant, but better for sound isolation since you're not punching holes in your airtight construction. Do you have an electrician to help you with wiring? This isn't an area where you "sorta" do it right... Steve