Design: DIY or get a pro?

Hi! I'm planning to convert a double garage into a one-room recording and mixing studio. It's currently a box of something like 6m x 6,5m x 2,5m. I've been reading up a little on studio-design, and learned from my previous dead-end studio-build (>>) (Thanks for all help!), but now my question is: Should I design things myself, with as much help as I can get here and elsewhere? Or should I pay a pro to design it for me? Cost is a big factor. So, what would hiring a pro cost me? and What could I expect in respect of finished result and time-saving compared to doing it myself? I understand there are now absolute answers, but I guess you could share some insight about this. Thanks!

Hi G-Sun! There are pros and cons both ways: A designer can save you a lot of time, and maybe even money by helping you to avoid expensive mistakes. But if you learn all you need to know yourself, then that will REALLY help when you are actually building it, so you truly understand what you are doing and why you are doing, as well as the consequence of making any changes. The forum is here to help the DIY guy who wants to learn how to do it himself: He can post questions and proposed designs, and get help on improving them, but that can take a long time, since sometimes nobody replies to your thread for many days. So either way will work. If you have plenty of time (maybe a year or so) before you need your studio, and you like learning, researching, studying, then then DIY is a great way to do it. But if you are in a hurry and need your studio finished in a couple of months, then hiring someone would probably be better. Either way, good luck with your build! - Stuart -

Thanks a lot Stuart! Yes, it's a lot to learn, but that will help me in the build and as a studio-owner later. I think I can't afford hiring a pro now. (For comparison: My speakers are KRK Rookit 5 and my DAW-controller is a Korg Nanokontrol. So, it's not high-end budget-wise :) ) So, that means getting my hands dirty, research, design and build. May the force be with me :D