New Rehearsal Studio Advice Please

salbans wrote:

one half of this is going to be rehearsal rooms

hmmm....another option, if you need better isolation between the rehearsal room half and the other half of the space is to partition off the rehearsal room half. That would effectively mean buliding a wall (to divide your space in to two spaces) which is sealed airtight against the existing brick walls, ceiling, and floor. You could then stick with 2-leaf construction for your rehearsal rooms. The outer brick shell would still act as a flanking path between the two halves, but it would probably get you some degree of TL between the two halves. Whether that is enough TL for what you have planned in the other half of the space is another question, which, i'm sure you've figured out, is what planning a studio build is all about. lots,and lots of questions :D

This all begs the question, why do you want 60db loss in the corridor outside the rehearsal spaces?

The issue is that I have upstairs neighbours and pollution into the corridors will be exposed to the corridor ceiling and straight up into their unit (I still havent ascertained whether the whole ceiling is concrete or not, so for now assuming not so I can prepare for the worst). Actually, what seems simplest is to float a ceiling down into the corridor. It wont be particularly wide so easy to manage. I have access to free suspended ceiling for this kind of area which was reclaimed from offices recently, so I will bring that down into corridor and insulate above. Ok, so I worked out why I have been visualising this wrong. Its because I misunderstood Stuarts initial sketchup and from that moment convinced myself that mam was one leaf - now I look at it I can see that the inner walls have insulation in them, not complete walls. I think its finally sinking in, does this look better (maybe I dont need the stud attached to concrete wall?): Not sure about how much osb/drywall but think this will be effective with green glue on the outermost drywall sheet. I also know that all of this is dependant on construction detail, caulking etc, but its the basics of the walls I want to finalise for now. In terms of surface mounting electrics what seems logical is if i were to add a final sheet of OSB to the above (maybe 2nd to last or even last?) then I would have a surface that can be used to screw into without fear of penetrating the whole wall unecessarily, so attaching direct to walls can be achieved easily. At least the ceiling seems obvious now. All I have to do is rethink the layout (again) I have a structural engineer friend of friend who will run the calculation on the large ceiling. There will definitely have to be a full length wall between the studios and the rest of the facility, creating a proxi-external leaf (ok, I made that term up but its sticking as its so rediculous :D ). I was planning a 18" (2x6" stud wall with 6" gap) wall - but a little unsure of this now given all of the above. Thanks for all the help, Ben

salbans wrote:

The issue is that I have upstairs neighbours and pollution into the corridors will be exposed to the corridor ceiling and straight up into their unit

ahhh...right. Sorry if you've mentioned that earlier in the thread and I've missed it.

salbans wrote:

(I still havent ascertained whether the whole ceiling is concrete or not, so for now assuming not so I can prepare for the worst)

Always better to err on the side of caution. When you do get the keys to the place, one of the first things you'll need to confirm is whether you have a full concrete ceiling, and the second thing you need to do is get a reading on a reasonably good SPL meter, of the TL that the existing ceiling is giving you. That way you can figure out how you need to build your rooms so as not to annoy the neighbours.

salbans wrote:

Actually, what seems simplest is to float a ceiling down into the corridor.

Hold your thoughts on that one until you find out about the concrete ceiling.

salbans wrote:

I have access to free suspended ceiling for this kind of area which was reclaimed from offices recently, so I will bring that down into corridor and insulate above.

What is it made of? It needs to be dense to be of any use to you, and may not be needed at all depending on what TL figures your existing ceiling is giving you.

salbans wrote:

(maybe I dont need the stud attached to concrete wall?):

nope. serves no purpose.

salbans wrote:

but its the basics of the walls I want to finalise for now.

yep, that's your wall for a 2-leaf construction. Probably better to go with 2 sheets of the heaviest plasterboard you can get though, and possibly even 3 depending on your isolation requirements. If Stuart reads this he'll be able to give you a more definitive answer as he's had a lot more experience with using disimilar materials on walls/ceilings.

salbans wrote:

In terms of surface mounting electrics what seems logical is if i were to add a final sheet of OSB to the above (maybe 2nd to last or even last?) then I would have a surface that can be used to screw into without fear of penetrating the whole wall unecessarily, so attaching direct to walls can be achieved easily.

Your diagram has your plaster on the inside face of the room. This means that your power cable will be running through the stud cavity behind the plasterboard and penetrating everywhere you want a power point or light. The other advantage of doing the walls inside-out (apart from having somewhere to put acoustic treatment) is that you have a single wall penetration for the power to come in and you wire everything from there.

salbans wrote:

I have a structural engineer friend of friend who will run the calculation on the large ceiling.

That'll be a very good friend to have on this project :D Buy him/her copius amounts of their beverage of choice whenever possible :wink:

salbans wrote:

There will definitely have to be a full length wall between the studios and the rest of the facility, creating a proxi-external leaf (ok, I made that term up but its sticking as its so rediculous :D ). I was planning a 18" (2x6" stud wall with 6" gap) wall - but a little unsure of this now given all of the above.

'proxi-external leaf'....Stuart's going to love that one :P The actual construction you outlined for it sounds good. you probably won't need 6 inch studs but keep the air gap as wide as you can between the two leafs.

salbans wrote:

Thanks for all the help, Ben

:D steve oh, PS, you don't have neighbours below, do you? That could get tricky :shock:

Your diagram has your plaster on the inside face of the room. This means that your power cable will be running through the stud cavity behind the plasterboard and penetrating everywhere you want a power point or light

i was thinking of only piercing the internal plasterboard wall once and running all electrics surface mount on the plasterboard/osb - doesnt that work in my version (of reality :D )? The one thing that concerns me (maybe unecessarily) about the inside out approach is that these are rehearsal rooms and even though the inner walls would be insulated and covered with cloth my experience is that musicians arent the most careful bunch and this somehow feels a bit exposed compared to an inner wall. thats good news on the unecessary stud - saves £s. Thanks Steve.

What is it made of? It needs to be dense to be of any use to you, and may not be needed at all depending on what TL figures your existing ceiling is giving you.

Im uncertain, but I did intend insulating heavily as required as long as it can withstand. Having said that it will only be a 4' - 5' span so maybe quite easy to deal with. If the ceilings are concrete I probably wont need this as you say. Neighbours: Its a business unit above and they finish at 5pm (part-timers :wink: ) and they dont work weekends. Having said that, Im not willing to restrict trade so will absolutely make sure that any isolation is sufficient to use the studios without any impact to them. I have one half of the downstairs footprint, separated by a brick wall. The other half is storage and will unaffected by my usage, even if there were some leakage.

oh, PS, you don't have neighbours below, do you? That could get tricky

no thankfully, solid concrete :mrgreen: if you look at the basic idea for the studio layout below, Im guessing that the big rooms door area presents an issue as its effectively a single leaf into hallway. If I build a connecting wall from the other studios to 'bridge' that gap will that do the trick? Seems to me I need to build a floor to ceiling wall enclosing the big studio to create one of my 'proxi-leafs' many thanks, Ben

salbans wrote:

i was thinking of only piercing the internal plasterboard wall once and running all electrics surface mount on the plasterboard/osb - doesnt that work in my version (of reality :D )? The one thing that concerns me (maybe unecessarily) about the inside out approach is that these are rehearsal rooms and even though the inner walls would be insulated and covered with cloth my experience is that musicians arent the most careful bunch and this somehow feels a bit exposed compared to an inner wall.

Yep, that works in reality, but check out your local regulations about wiring,lighting etc as you'll probably have to run all your internal wiring in conduit. I hear what you're saying about musos not being the most carful bunch :roll: especially once that double-kick starts going :P

salbans wrote:

if you look at the basic idea for the studio layout below, Im guessing that the big rooms door area presents an issue as its effectively a single leaf into hallway.

Single leaf into the hallway yes, but as far your neighbours are concerned it's still a double leaf as the concrete ceiling is your second leaf. How you construct these single leafs and how much mass you need on them is all going to depend on A-whether your ceioing is a full concrete slab, and B-how much TL it is giving you to start with. One thing you'll have to tell any bands rehearsing is that the doors must be completely shut before they start hammering away. As soon as a rehearsal room door is open, you go back to one leaf (the concrete ceiling) between you and your neighbours.

I hear what you're saying about musos not being the most carful bunch :roll: especially once that double-kick starts going :P

yep, when they start throwing themselves around it would be good to know they are actually bouncing off something solid :)

Single leaf into the hallway yes, but as far your neighbours are concerned it's still a double leaf as the concrete ceiling is your second leaf. How you construct these single leafs and how much mass you need on them is all going to depend on A-whether your ceioing is a full concrete slab, and B-how much TL it is giving you to start with.

yeh, it kinda hinges on the ceiling. When i inspected initially it seems the area where the perfomance room is currently allocated has a solid concrete ceiling, but the rest looked like plasterboard - but Stuart made a valid point that its unusual to bother putting concrete on one part and not the other... so theres hope its all concrete and I wait to see. My less optimistic side thinks the buliding was built at different times which kind of makes sense as that area at the end of the unit is supported by a couple of thick concrete pillars (not in diagram, but will be between the performance room and other studios, outside of the room of course) Lawyers are holding this up, which is no bad thing as Im starting to make some progress with basic layout and material requirements. Whilst waiting i've also managed to buy a £2.5k coffee machine for £50 for the cafe. All it need was a complete clean through and rinse/cleaning cycles. Works perfect. I had to drive 5hrs to collect but it seems if you are willing to make the effort the budget can be stretched.

salbans wrote:

Whilst waiting i've also managed to buy a £2.5k coffee machine for £50 for the cafe. All it need was a complete clean through and rinse/cleaning cycles. Works perfect. I had to drive 5hrs to collect but it seems if you are willing to make the effort the budget can be stretched.

WIN 8) with the added bonus of being able to get an early morning solid caffine hit right from the start of your build. Putting in the time and effort will really make your budget go a long way. especially if you've got the skills and patience to DIY. Real life example: I got my studio done for approx 50K, going from a bare bit of ground to completion. That's with me doing the majority of the work with the occasional helper and a few tradies where necessary. A buddy of mine just had a garage built which is a smaller footprint than my studio (although two storey with a loft kind of bedroom).......170k :shock: all standard construction (but really well done), not PITA studio construction. So I reckon I put 100k in my pocket, although it did probably take me 3 years to complete. But as the old saying goes "quick, cheap or good...pick any two"

Thanks Steve, just read through your studio build thread and its really impressive Steve...great job!! I have a question re a door solution for my situation. As it will be a single stud Im guessing hanging 2 solid core doors is going to be difficult so would you suggest a similar solution to the one in your studio Steve? Its going to be full on band rehearsals in close proximity. One thing I probably missed in the thread, but how did you install the aircon and maintain the isolation. Im assuming it has the usual two pipes running to the external unit? Thanks, Ben

salbans wrote:

Thanks Steve, just read through your studio build thread and its really impressive Steve...great job!!

Thanks mate :D Hope you got a few tips and hints out of it, and as you can see, Stuarts advice was spot on every time :!:

salbans wrote:

As it will be a single stud Im guessing hanging 2 solid core doors is going to be difficult

You need to have as much mass in your doors as you you do in your walls and ceilings. That way you don't build a weak point by having a flimsy door. Same goes for making it too heavy as well. It's no point having a solid lead door if you've got two sheets of plasterboard for the rest of your leaf. So having two solid core doors on one leaf won't be of any use to you unless you're building the walls/ceilings to the same degree.

salbans wrote:

Its going to be full on band rehearsals in close proximity.

from the drawing you put up a few posts back, it looks like the main issue with isolationg one band from another will be the walls closest to each other for each room. The doors that are facing each other will effectivly be a two leaf system seperated by the corridor.

salbans wrote:

One thing I probably missed in the thread, but how did you install the aircon and maintain the isolation. Im assuming it has the usual two pipes running to the external unit?

Aircon was installed as normal except: the penetrations between the internal wall and external wall are not directly in line. The penetrations are sealed back up with some very serious sealant/adhesive and are airtight once finished. You want as few penetrations in your walls as possible, but if you make sure they're sealed with the right kind of silicon/sealant then that's about as good as it'll get (short of running all your conduit etc in the slab, but that's a whole other story). The one I used is called Sikaflex 221 here in Australia. steve

Thanks mate :D Hope you got a few tips and hints out of it, and as you can see, Stuarts advice was spot on every time :!:

Absolutely did, priceless :D For a start one thing I would never have thought of - Im going to inspect the brickwork and take a view on whether to at least paint to seal. I did laugh out loud when Stuart criticised your rendering :)

short of running all your conduit etc in the slab, but that's a whole other story

Well, this thought has been on my mind. I have permission to use a mini-digger on the slab if I want and I was going to ask if running conduit between rooms under the slab is a good idea. I want to connect up at least the performance room and one other for future recording facilities, but I did have it in the back of my mind to run underground conduit between all of the rooms I could in theory run armoured cable in for the power this way as well to avoid piercing the walls? If its a good idea are there any pitfalls to avoid? (theoretical ones, I wont be digging that deep) Completion in the property is on tuesday, so by wednesday there will be some pics up of the space and the problems will no doubt come flooding into focus. The idea is to take a bit of time once in to plan the whole space out again with proper visuals on the physical site. God help me... :D

salbans wrote:

For a start one thing I would never have thought of - Im going to inspect the brickwork and take a view on whether to at least paint to seal.

I was amazed at how much difference rendering the internal brick walls made.

salbans wrote:

Well, this thought has been on my mind. I have permission to use a mini-digger on the slab if I want and I was going to ask if running conduit between rooms under the slab is a good idea. I want to connect up at least the performance room and one other for future recording facilities, but I did have it in the back of my mind to run underground conduit between all of the rooms

Under slab cabling is really only feasible if you're building from scratch. I built from scratch and didn't do it and I beleieve i still have excellent isolation between rooms. I cut a channel about 20-30mm deep in the top of the slab between the rooms and laid my cables in it and concreted back over the the top. Cutting all the way through your slab to run the conduits underneath probably isn't advisable as you'd be cutting through reinforcing mesh and god knows what else might be piped under the slab. I think you'll be fine with wal penetrations as long as you pay a lot of attention to sealingeverything up again. lookin' forward to seeing some pics :D steve

Yep, that works in reality, but check out your local regulations about wiring,lighting etc as you'll probably have to run all your internal wiring in conduit.

Right. Or use a structured wiring system, such as Legrand or something similar.

The one thing that concerns me (maybe unecessarily) about the inside out approach is that these are rehearsal rooms and even though the inner walls would be insulated and covered with cloth my experience is that musicians arent the most careful bunch and this somehow feels a bit exposed compared to an inner wall.

Then make them into slot walls! :) Your rooms will need acoustic treatment anyway: that goes without saying. So either you build it into the walls (and save money! 8) ), or you add it on top of the walls afterwards... And if you do add it on top afterwards, then most likely it will be cloth-cover frames with insulation inside...

if you look at the basic idea for the studio layout below, Im guessing that the big rooms door area presents an issue as its effectively a single leaf into hallway.

Right: That is a problem. In fact, your entire hallway is a problem as you have single leaves on ALL side of it, and therefore basically your hallway is in the MSM air gap! :shock: :!: :roll: That needs to be fixed... - Stuart -

Right. Or use a structured wiring system, such as Legrand or something similar.

Thanks Stuart, I'll look at this. I was going to just surface mount all electrics into conduit. Ive seen quite a flat coinduit in other studios so was going to look for that - maybe this is it.

Right: That is a problem. In fact, your entire hallway is a problem as you have single leaves on ALL side of it, and therefore basically your hallway is in the MSM air gap! :shock: :!: :roll: That needs to be fixed...

I've actually had a stroke of luck and been given better access and another 800 ft2, so I have hopefully dealt with this, as below. Its still a mock up of the space layout. The completion has happened but access is on monday. The builders are going in to gut the unit so Im going in with them to see if anything is worth salvaging. Having said that, Im a little unsure of the smaller rooms at the far end, as they have a little hallway - is that a design fault? I only put them there to create a couple of smaller rooms. Ive put some pics of outside of building. 1 is the back end where the school area will be (windows will be in the classrooms, 2 is where the new entrance will be. Currently its a shutter and the idea is to replace with a entrance for the centre. Im going to look at the potential for keeping the shutters for security Inside Out

Then make them into slot walls! :) Your rooms will need acoustic treatment anyway: that goes without saying.

I like the idea, especially as (unless im wrong here ) I could keep adding mass on top of the ceiling to increase isolation between he studios and the unit above if he ceilings proved to be insufficient? - structural integrity permitting of course. Inside out ceiling - Ok, now my mind is melting. When the mass was on the inside I could see (eventually) how I could run joists across the studs and create a decent seal and add mass underneath. If the mass is on the outside of the wall studs how do i approach this? Does this latest mental block even make sense? Thanks, ben

Are ceiling tiles of any benefit for adding a final layer of mass. (the type that are in suspended ceilings)? They are 600x600 and 15mm thick. I only ask as I can get hold of a very large quantity for very little £s B

Are they "acoustic" ceiling tiles? If so, then they might be useful for the office areas of your facility: reception, halls, board room, kitchen, offices, etc.: Perhaps even the teaching rooms. Not for the actual studio, though. That's not the type of "acoustics" they are good for... - Stuart -

Thanks Stuart, its a little difficult to tell what grade they are as its basically a 146m2 suspended ceiling that all i need to do is dismantle and I can have. Ive been told the dimensions but not much else. I did actually think of the teaching rooms as I have used them before in music rooms to line over the drywall to save me having to finish - lazy, but they are dense so I guess they bring something to the party :) RWA45 I'm crossing my fingers - I'm on the verge of grabbing a large quantity of reclaimed 100mm rwa45 slabs. It seems someone is pulling apart a project somewhere and I can have quantities of 50 slabs for £10. I'll find out tomorrow if Im 'the chosen one' They look in pretty good condition, mostly new looking. I drove another 250 miles round trip today to collect cafe tables and chairs from a closed down cafe. im testing my wifes patience though and if I bring back this rockwool tomorrow shes going to go bananas as our house is already looking like a pawn shop...and not the good type. If I get my way it will be an itchy pawn shop. Tired rambling....

So i turns out I have been lucky as I have stumbled across a studio thats dismantling . Ive picked up abot 25% of the rockwool. Most of it is solid slabs, pretty heavy actually. Some of it is lighter slab. All are 100mm thick. Not sure if anyone has any advice on which to use where. Is there a better place for the heavier stuff? I took a few pics although not sure how useful for now, but one bonus is that the partition wall that runs most of the length of the left is covered in solid 18mm board. Its due to be ripped out on monday so Im having it all unscrewed carefully and stored. Im still not sure what the ceiling is made of as I didnt have a ladder, but i threw my keys up and it sounded a bit hollow to me - probably plasterboard imo. The entrance to be:Getting meaninful pictures is going to be difficult so when I get more time i will try and map the areas out properly. I'll start posting more organised pics once the builders have cleared the site properly. Anyway, its going to be a messy weekend, B

great to see some pics of the space Ben, and it looks like you've got plenty of swinging room in there :D Looking at the external and internal construction of the building I'm taking a guess that it won't be a concrete ceiling. I hope i'm wrong on that one for your sake as it'll mean a lot more beefing up to isolate you from the second floor. The heavy rockwool you've got sounds like it'll be useful in your MSM construction. The lighter stuff may or may not be useful depending on it's density. Figuring out the density of either might involve some careful stacking on a set of scales and some maths. steve

So i turns out I have been lucky as I have stumbled across a studio thats dismantling

Can you do me a favor? Wrap up some of your luck in a box, and mail it to me! I never seem to have that kind of luck... :( But anyway, congratulations on finding that! Is there anything else that they might be getting rid of? Like windows, doors, HVAC, even used framing and used plywood can be re-used.

Some of it is lighter slab. All are 100mm thick. Not sure if anyone has any advice on which to use where. Is there a better place for the heavier stuff

As Steve said, you'll need to measure the density of that stuff. The easiest way is to set up about a quarter of a cubic meter of it on a scale (make a stack about 1m long, 50cm wide, 50cm high), see how much that weighs, and multiply by 4. That will give you an idea of the density, which you do need to know.

I'm taking a guess that it won't be a concrete ceiling. I hope i'm wrong

I also hope you are wrong, but I fear you are right... - Stuart -

As Steve said, you'll need to measure the density of that stuff. The easiest way is to set up about a quarter of a cubic meter of it on a scale (make a stack about 1m long, 50cm wide, 50cm high), see how much that weighs, and multiply by 4. That will give you an idea of the density, which you do need to know.

Thanks guys, I will take a set of scales to the site. Having made 3 trips in the truck I managed to get a significant amount of the heavier slabs - they are heavy, I hope not too heavy as it will be a shame.

Is there anything else that they might be getting rid of? Like windows, doors, HVAC, even used framing and used plywood can be re-used.

Absolutely - I grabbed: - at least 100 sheets of 3x2' 15mm plywood. - There were also about 10 x 8'x2' t&g chipboard, about 2" thick with a silver mesh cover on one side. Shame there wasnt more of this. - 2 x 8'x4' perspex sheets, about 18mm thick - 4 x solid core doors, 2 with glazed panel (the type with metal wire inside the glass), 2 plain. - about 12 or so 8x2" joists, 30+ 4x2 lengths (8' plus, most 10') - 3x 8x4' 2" polystyrene sheets - not sure what thats for? The new premises has quite a lot of osb 8x4' sheets, but underneath was a treasure trove of 4m lengths of metal stud. Its only 50mm but I reckon I can get some use out of it. There is lots of it.

Looking at the external and internal construction of the building I'm taking a guess that it won't be a concrete ceiling. I hope i'm wrong on that one for your sake as it'll mean a lot more beefing up to isolate you from the second floor.

Alas, its not concrete. :cry: Its a bit weird but its metal supports with floorboards. The white facia my side is just boxed plasterboard. Anyway, its not all bad news actually, as it turns out that only 1/4 of upstairs is office, the rest is purely storage. I will put the music school rooms and classrooms at the end they occupy and the studios away from them. However, they may decide to change their office around the day after I open, so this doesnt change the fact Im going to have to pretend they occupy the whole floor. I spent the morning taking more pics and detailed measurements. Once I do a more informed sketch up I will post it and ask for help if thats ok to make sure at least in principle Im on the right track. Back to sketchup I go. B

salbans wrote:

Absolutely - I grabbed: - at least 100 sheets of 3x2' 15mm plywood. - There were also about 10 x 8'x2' t&g chipboard, about 2" thick with a silver mesh cover on one side. Shame there wasnt more of this. - 2 x 8'x4' perspex sheets, about 18mm thick - 4 x solid core doors, 2 with glazed panel (the type with metal wire inside the glass), 2 plain. - about 12 or so 8x2" joists, 30+ 4x2 lengths (8' plus, most 10') - 3x 8x4' 2" polystyrene sheets - not sure what thats for?

There's not a lot to say about this except....WIN :mrgreen: It might be a bit fiddly making sure any existing nail or screw holes are filled once you start using the sheets, but I'd say that's a small price to pay for what looks like several thousand dollars worth of material. The only thing that doesn't seem useful is the polystyrene board. I would think it's too light to have any sound apsorbing qualities, but maybe Stuart has some amazing use for it.

salbans wrote:

I will put the music school rooms and classrooms at the end they occupy and the studios away from them. However, they may decide to change their office around the day after I open, so this doesnt change the fact Im going to have to pretend they occupy the whole floor

Unfortunate about the floor mate, but you're thinking the right way about it and you'll be able to get the isolation you need with the right kind of build. Probably the first thing to do now is figure out how much isolation you need from upstairs.

Thanks Seve, I did manage to cause absolute chaos in the 7.5 tonne truck bringing this stuff back - terrifying for me and other drivers. I have managed to put together a sketchup taking into account obstacles. The elecricity room will reduce in size so I can increase the size of the affected studio, but until its confirmed by the electricity board I have left in the layout. The sketchup shows a void behind the studios, which looks like a waset of space but Im going to use this for storage and access to rear of studios for servicing etc.. However, do I need to build a wall along the back of the studios or is this void ok as is? Bare in mind Im now having to consider the ceiling shortfalls. Anything obvious sticking out here? Thanks, Ben

by the way, on a side note - anyone else notice that sketchup is addictive? I havent had this much fun/obsession with a computer since world of warcraft (I had to sell my graphics card to get me off that one). If it wasnt for the fact I have no eye for aesthetic detail, no idea of building regs, materials or structural integrity and compromised spacial awareness ....I think I would have enjoyed being a designer.

salbans wrote:

Anything obvious sticking out here?

well, maybe not obvious (and your emergency exits prompted the thought), but you might need some kind of permits/professionally drawn plans etc to make sure that your insurance will cover you for public liabilty etc. Being a rehearsal space you're probably likely to have a lot of people through at different times, and should the worst happen, you don't want some insurance 'guru' telling you that you didn't check the last box on page 403 of your application 'schematic exit diagram' which makes it void. I know my public liability covers me as my studio is on my property and i've ticked all the boxes, but it might be worth checking the fine print in your case to make sure all is well before you start with the build. Building regulations where you are might not allow certain kinds of builidng practice, or require different methods for commercial buildings etc etc.

salbans wrote:

I did manage to cause absolute chaos in the 7.5 tonne truck bringing this stuff back - terrifying for me and other drivers.

yeah, I have a truck for my earthmoving business. There's no cruising around, you've got to be driving the whole time! Glad you're in one piece :D

salbans wrote:

by the way, on a side note - anyone else notice that sketchup is addictive?

Yeah. Last time i used it was to 'engineer' a custom work-desk for my wife. I had the bolts holes all sorted out, bevels, curves, outer and inner diameters for steel, you name it. I think I spent longer on sketchup than making the actual desk :shock:

Hi, finally a layout we are happy to settle with including immoveable objects. Id love some feedback on potential problems. I know I am not sticking to leaf rules (or am I?) with the full length corridor, so Im a bit concerned about that? Q. We are considering adding another layer of OSB to the wall/ceilings so is there a better order to put them: Eg STUD/15mm OSB/12.5mm Drywall/OSB/Drywall Q. Now that the ceilings are proving to be a potential problem, in this layout would I be spanning the corridor with I stud across corridor and insulating as per all other walls. Q. Ive lost the liks to the room mode calculators - can anyone help please? I have dropped the idea of a performance studio in favour of this layout. It maxes out on income bearing space usage. The rehearsal spaces will be smaller than originally planned though (16'x17', 16'x13') - 3m high - any opinions on whether on this kind of space for band rehearsals?