Hi. Please read the
forum rules for posting (click here). You seem to be missing a couple of things!
:)
- Do we need a floating floor?
Very probably not. I'd suggest you read this to understand why:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8173
- Are there wall/floor/ceiling plans for this kind of space that we can use as a general starting point for contractors?
Not really. All studios are different, and each needs it's own design. There is no such thing as "one size fits all" in studios, nor even a basic model that can be copied. There are calculations that can be done, and specifications that should be followed, and rules of thumb that can guide the process, but that all takes time and careful design. The contractors won't be able to do anything at all until the final design is complete: only at that point will they be able to take over, and start quoting materials and labor.
Budget is 10K for the entire project.
Way low- You have about 500 square feet to deal with. That works out to roughly US$ 20 per square foot. That isn't realistic for a professional 5.1 room. It's not even realistic for a 2.0 hobby studio room! But you say you want this to be your main studio for "film scoring, music recording, video production"? Not feasible on a 10k budget. You could easily blow a third of your entire budget just on HVAC, and another third on the finish flooring...
Triple your budget, at least, and you are getting close.
we're trying to learn as much about this as possible in case we can't afford a lot of consultation.
It isn't reasonable to think that you can do part of the design yourself, then give it to a studio designer to fix, and hope to save money like that, which seems to be what you are proposing. If you did that, the designer would very likely have to scrap what you already did and start all over, because it is nearly impossible to fix a poor design.
This might sound harsh, but it is reality: You basically have two choices here: spend the time necessary to learn all the basics of acoustic design, and all the basics of studio design, and all the basics of construction design, and the basics of HVAC design, then actually do the complete studio design... or hire someone to do it for you. Realistically, it takes about 3 to 6 months to learn that, then another 3 or 4 months for the actual design process. So call it about 10 months total, if you want to learn yourself.
It isn't workable to think that you can split the design between yourselves and a designer. Either hand it over completely to him, or do it completely yourselves. If you have the time, then obviously doing it yourself will save you a bit of money. On the other hand, hiring a designer can save you more money in the long run, since you would avoid all of the "beginner's mistakes" and common pitfalls that first-time studio designers frequently run into.
Floor plan attached. I'd be happy to answer follow up questions of course!
What are the red dotted lines?
- Stuart -