Gigalittle Studio Build Thread

Inner Leaf Framing Begins!

Needed to come up with a solution for fireblocking on the partition wall between the control room and live room. Since neither wall is connected to the outer framing except via the RSIC clips I added some blocking to narrow the gap. This was later caulked with fire rated filler, and mineral wool was stuffed into the gap.

I have decided to use mini-splits for heat and AC as I really do not want to lose any more ceiling height for additional trunk lines. Even so I had to redesign some of the framing to accommodate a system for fresh air. I also do not want to draw in cold air in the winter, and hot humid air in the summer so I used a 300 cfm ventilation fan mounted in a baffle box under the stairs to draw already conditioned air from our living room upstairs via flex duct, then feed into a master baffle box where it penetrates the outer leaf. I based the airflow calculation on needing 15 cfm per person and a potential occupancy of 5 people in both spaces, then doubled that figure to allow for static pressure loss in the baffles, and the flex duct runs. Next built inner leaf baffles for the air supply inlets. The idea is to keep the entire space under positive pressure. Finally added exhaust ducts with double baffles. No fans here, just a path for the air to escape and allow flow, without compromising isolation. From the outside all that is visible are normal exhaust vents. The air quality is greatly improved with the vent system, no more clammy feeling in the summer or stuffy C02 feeling when working in the space for an extended period - something that I had definitely noticed after completing the outer beef up and sealing.

More framing details. To clear the drain pipes and avoid more awkward soffits I decided to just lower the ceiling height in that area. This is going to give me a huge air gap for that section, which I hope will compensate somewhat for the areas with less air gap directly under the HVAC trunks. Mid span support with RSIC Clips... Around support column. The other end of the lowered ceiling rests on the top sill of the inner leaf wall.

With the low ceiling heights I decided to go with LED recessed lighting, but to avoid creating a weak point in the inner leaf I built some "light boxes" Used 4 inch LED recessed lights from Home Depot, and built the boxes out of MDF lined with left over 5/8" drywall from the beef up to house the lights, and their junction boxes.

that's my preferred approach - building boxes around the outlets and switches versus simply using putty pads.

Thanks Glenn! Yeah I built a bunch of little boxes for AC and low voltage wiring. But putty pads have their uses too...

I bought three 8 channel mini snakes and built some airtight MDF housings to flush mount the stage boxes.

Also built hatches for the water meter and main shutoff, and the shut off for the outdoor spigot.

Pre-wiring for the Mini Split: $5000.00 later... Mini Splits installed

The other ends of the snakes in the control room. Live room ready for drywall...

might be late - did you split the audio conduit and recouple with rubber joint? to decouple between frames (if so attached).

Thanks Glenn! The PVC conduit is just there to make the opening for the snake pigtails look good. It's only about 4 inches of pipe and does not connect through to the other side.

The light boxes look great! One of the lights looks like it is in the blue electrical box surrounded by 2x4 and then some have the bigger MDF boxes. What is the difference ? And for the electrical boxes, is the 2x4 box around those just built to tightly fit the electrical box ? No safety concerns with that ? I like the idea and want to do it!

Hi Christopher, Thanks for reaching out! I made the bigger MDF boxes for the LED recessed "can" lights. They don't have cans, just a little LED module and a driver module that houses the junction box. The ceiling drywall (first layer) butts up against the MDF boxes, and the 2nd layer goes right over them. Then we cut another 4" hold in the 2nd layer drywall to install the lights. The other smaller boxes were made out of scrap 2x4s, backed with scrap MDF and sealed with caulk. They just fit around the boxes for the outlets and other wiring. The ones in the ceiling are for a surface mount light and 2 smoke detectors. No safety concerns because all the electrical is to code - all junctions are in accessible boxes no hidden splices etc. The electrician did mention it may shorten the lifespan of the LED ceiling lights a little bit due to heat build up, but if that happens they can easily be replaced. Will post some more pictures when I get a chance. Steve

if the lights are in the box enclosures, then leaving the light open to the room will help dissipate the heat (which is processed as part of the overall cooling strategy.

Gigalittle wrote:

Hi Christopher, Thanks for reaching out! I made the bigger MDF boxes for the LED recessed "can" lights. They don't have cans, just a little LED module and a driver module that houses the junction box. The ceiling drywall (first layer) butts up against the MDF boxes, and the 2nd layer goes right over them. Then we cut another 4" hold in the 2nd layer drywall to install the lights. The other smaller boxes were made out of scrap 2x4s, backed with scrap MDF and sealed with caulk. They just fit around the boxes for the outlets and other wiring. The ones in the ceiling are for a surface mount light and 2 smoke detectors. No safety concerns because all the electrical is to code - all junctions are in accessible boxes no hidden splices etc. The electrician did mention it may shorten the lifespan of the LED ceiling lights a little bit due to heat build up, but if that happens they can easily be replaced. Will post some more pictures when I get a chance. Steve

Thanks alot Steve! Great thread !! Awesome looking build, I appreciate the follow up as well. Hope all is well!

Here are some more details of the boxes as the drywall was being installed. I took care to re-caulk and make sure they were airtight as the first layer went on.

More Pics...

Recessed Lights Installed:

Walls Painted, LVP flooring installed..

Progress in the bathroom...

Finishing touches on the water shutoff hatch...

Used ripstop nylon to make coverings for the gaps between the door jambs and the windows... I chose this fabric because it is non organic to avoid mold or mildew problems. In retrospect I would have got something that is already fire retardant. I found out the hard way and needed to purchase some fire retardant spray for it after the fact.

Doors finally arrived! Solidcore 1 3/4” thick prehung from Lowes. They got damaged in shipment and I got a 50% discount which will pay nicely for the modifications I plan to make to them. Going to replace all the stops with beefier material and add extra detail on the fronts to make them look like 3 panel shaker doors on the sides that are visible when shut. This will cover the damage and add some extra mass as well!