Barn studio....please help.

Hi, Gang: Long time no speak. My project has been burdened and slowed with water problems (not just runoff, its coming thru the ground) which is taking a lot more $ and time to deal with than I anticipated. Hope to have these water problems solved by Spring then begin framing in Spring/summer. John, want to bring you up to speed on the latest developments on my design. I have attached two drawings for your reference (one my earlier design, one my current). Basically my design has changed because I just got permission from my wife to tear out the hayloft and make it the live room with cathedral cielings :D. So the rooms flip...what was the live room is now the control room and vice versa. Now for the details (please keep in mind I am an amateur so go easy on me): Cieling apex for live room (new drawing) is 21'. Apex runs top to bottom of drawing, right in middle of the room. Cieling apex in control room is 10' and falls left to right towards top of room (near speakers). Live room has large sliding barn door in front (bottom). John, please help with the following: 1) I am very concerned about keeping structural integrity ripping out the hayloft....right now, the 2nd floor, including crossbeams etc. (just joists running every 16 inches is about 9' high. It supports the 2nd floor, which currently holds a lot of wood, etc (lots of weight). If I tear this out, I don't want the side walls to cave. How shoudl I handle this? 2) I have tried my best to do a layman's drawing of my new design. Can you help me take my drawing to the next level adding acoustic treatment where you think it might be best suited? Please ask any questions...I'm in over my head. All the best, Jeff

Jeff, before you worry about acoustic treatment you need to take care of the "stayin' alive" part - any chance you can take a few pix of the loft area and post them? If so, please scale them so they're no bigger than 800 pixels wide, 750 would be better. I need to see intersections of loft floor, walls and outer roof, roof peak, a long shot showing as much of that part of the barn as possible, etc - It's hard to concern yourself with flat response when you're just plain FLAT... Steve

Steve...will do. Will try to post tonight. Thanks, jeff

Steve et. al: Here are some (hopefully small) jpgs that make the picture a bit clearer. Pictures consist of the outside barn view, joist view from 1st fl, crossbeams & joist resting cross-section. Steve, does this help? (note: it wouldn't let me add more than 3 pics) Thanks, jeff

Steve, one more: This beam runs the 16' length, beginning on the right side of the barn door (exterior view) towards the garage. I don't know whether this is structurally required or not...I believe it is supporting the hayloft, and probably helps support the 2 stalls (pic below). Jeff

What a beautiful building jeff :):) I'll work on it ;) Oh - could you give us ALL the dimensions? cheers john

John, Here are my revised measurements, etc. I'm not really competent here, but I did the best I could. Is this helpful? These came out small, but in 2nd pic, measurement to roof peak is 21'. Right wall is 6'. 1st Fl is 9ft high at top of joists. Jeff

John, are these measurements sufficient? Is there any other info that would be helpful? Looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks!

Sorry I've been late here - I've been hit by lightning again - spring is springing :) Mate - I've had a play with your building and I find it really restricting trying to squeeze a control room into that small shell.Whynot use it as a booth/entrance and build a control room in the larger space where you can get some length and width. 13 ft depth is really too short IMO the otherway around using the 15 ft length is cool but you can't fit in access doors etc without compromising the exterior. Whynot use the existing wide door as an entrance to get to a control room in the main area? cheers john

John, Hope you didn't get any nasty power surges w/the lightning.... We've had flooding here in NY: all the reminents of the hurricanes. I'll take your best recommendation on this so whatever you think!! However, I do think it would be ashame to not have the vaulted cieling of the larger room as a recording environment... If you look at our last design, we had the CR in the larger room (minus the hayloft), using the smaller room as live room/booth. Do you think that's the way to go? We could access the large room thru the garage (north side) or large sliding door (south side). Small room could be accessed via sliding glass doors if space is an issue. What's your suggestion? Many thanks again & best wishes.

This is what I had in mind - at least the access doors work :) cheers john

Thanks, John! That makes great use of the space and I never would have thought of that orientation....my only concern is the rooflines/cielings. They're not even structure to structure. Are you suggesting forgetting about the "cathedral cieling" (i.e. keeping the hayloft in tact)? The "Live Room" you have currently would be situated in the smaller structure (to left). I guess I was sort of thinking the control room could still be in the smaller structure, saving the great cielings for a live room in which I could record choirs, drums, even piano at some point. Do you think such a scenario migght be possible (possibly re-orienting the control room as you suggested earlier?)? I really don't mind a smallish control room. Please advise. Thanks again!!! Jeff

I really don't mind a smallish control room

well it's really up to you jeff. do you really want 3 - 4 sec reverb on everything you record?? cheers john[/code]

John, I love it.....a few questions, though. 1) Does your new design assume that the hayloft is left intact and that I'll have 8ft. cielings in the CR? This would save me nice storage space up there and save me some demolition/structural expenses. 2) If it does, how do I manage the change in cieling from the shed structure to the barn structure? Remember, the shed only has 7ft cielings on the side you have the drums on. 3) I'll still need access to the hayloft via a ladder...where shoudl this go? 4) Can I swap out your "windows" for "sliding glass doors" going into the live room? 5) Finally, what do you see these three "green" rooms functioning as? p.s. any way to get natural light in here? Greetings from NY.....

1) Does your new design assume that the hayloft is left intact and that I'll have 8ft. cielings in the CR? This would save me nice storage space up there and save me some demolition/structural expenses.

Yes - there's no need to use the full ceiling height.

2) If it does, how do I manage the change in cieling from the shed structure to the barn structure? Remember, the shed only has 7ft cielings on the side you have the drums on.

I'd continue the ceiling height in the shed through to the control room.

3) I'll still need access to the hayloft via a ladder...where shoudl this go?

I'd make the room directly in front of the control room with a high ceiling to increase the room volume - it could even be used as a live drum room. You can have a ladder in either of the "green rooms."

4) Can I swap out your "windows" for "sliding glass doors" going into the live room?

sure - not a problem - you'd need double doors to get a decent isolation.

5) Finally, what do you see these three "green" rooms functioning as?

Deader booths for vocals etc. as I mentioned before the larger room could be turned into a live drum room using the full ceiling height.

p.s. any way to get natural light in here?

Possibly on the other side where the drum rrom would be - it's really a matter of how much you wish to alter the exterior of the building. cheers john