Hi, I am building a new home and have budgeted for a stand alone building for a studio. I am looking at about 15'x20' of interior room, but that's not set in stone. A little expansion is possible. I need some guidance for outside wall construction and ceiling height to begin with. I need a control room, tracking room, and a half bath. I plan on doing most of the work myself. I am experienced in most construction trades and I've done a few studio conversions in existing space, but nothing from scratch. Any input would be super! :D
Newbie building stand alone two or three room studio....
Originally posted at johnlsayers.com, topic 3480.
Sooo, is that the Gobi desert, the Sahara, or??!? Seriously, we're not after your credit card #'s here, just a chance to make PERTINENT suggestions based on what might actually be AVAILABLE near you.
Welcome to the forum; next, you need to read and follow This
As soon as you update your profile with a meaningful location, we can get started... Steve
I've spent the last year or so going through all the reference material on the forum, but have found no specific answers to my questions. I can get anything I need for the build process.
This is starting to feel a bit like pulling teeth; if you've been around the forum for that long, you've seen the kinds of information we ask for in order to help people, right? Things like ALL the points mentioned in the link above, for example; nothing there is just "fluff", it all counts toward helping you get the results you want, so please don't ask me to read your mind here.
In addition to actually following the "before you post" thread's topics, if you can provide info on the style/exterior materials your HOUSE will be, and whether or not you'd like your studio building to match, we can also take that into consideration.
Please take the "before you post" thread point by point, and remember I can only help if I know what your FULL situation is - thanks... Steve
Sorry man...The building will be wood framed with a stucco exterior. Concrete tile for the roof. This is only a project studio, but I want to do it well. I need advice on exterior wall construction, ceiling height, and some suggestions on interior wall design as well. I will have one neighbor on the side of house the studio will be built on. The lots are rather large and I have no neighbors behind me. I do want it to be as quiet as possible, naturally. I have sources for building materials, insulation, etc. Thanks!
Will zoning in your new neighborhood allow you to have a second building with a bathroom in it? Some residential zoning requirements are very strict in this regard; shed, workshops, and garages typically do not have plumbing in them, whereas guest houses and in-laws do.
I know someone whose plans to build a guest house were scrubbed for that reason.
Got a plot plan of your lot?
No problem with zoning. We do real estate on the side, so we go through everything with a fine toothed comb. Just has to match the house and follow building code...
looks like i'm on my own...thanks everyone!
On your own? Hardly... Read the forum here -- and I mean really get into it, and you'll see that you have lots of company -- people not unlike yourself with projects not unlike yours. Some of those projects are just now starting to be discussed, while others are well underway. Still others have been completed altogether.
In order to get assistance here, you really need to be willing to sit down, invest the hours it takes to explore this site (and others), and then come up with a plan. Present that plan here, and you'll get some great feedback, so that you can change your plan (or not). As you go through this process, your plan becomes more refined, more solid, to the point that you can see virtually every detail in your mind, that it practically builds itself.
(Yes, that last part was intended to be funny, kind of! ;) )
Perhaps you are disheartened by the fact that you didn't receive a flood of suggestions right off the bat, on your schedule. It simply doesn't work that way. It can't. You have to be willing to dive in, get very wet, learn all you can, post your ideas based on what you've learned, and then be willing to accept that you learned less than you thought. Such is the path to studio construction enlightenment. ;)
I noticed that you've updated your profile with a location of "outta here," so I realize you may not see this post. However, for at least the benefit of others who may come upon it, I wouldn't want them to think nobody gives a rat around here. From personal experience, I can honestly say quite the contrary is true.
Good luck with your project.
Galaxie, what on earth (oops, pun alert) are you talking about? A couple of requests for REAL information, a couple of days when I can't provide INSTANT gratification for FREE, and you're "OUTA HERE"??!?
IF/when you come to understand that this can NOT be an overnight education, I have a few suggestions for your specific application - but unless you grow a slightly thicker skin and a bit more patience, I'm afraid I might just hurt your feelings again.
If you change your mind, let me know - your choice, your gain or loss... Steve
well, I see questions like this all the time..."I'm building a studio in my garage can anyone help me out?" Within a day or two there are several sketches, drawings, and paragraphs upon paragraphs of info from several users. I'm just looking for some suggestions on ceiling height and exterior wall construction and I get questions about zoning??? Gee, never thought to check on that before dumping a bunch of money into a piece land specifically purchased to put a studio and a house on :roll:
"Gee, never thought to check on that before dumping a bunch of money into a piece land specifically purchased to put a studio and a house on" -
Again with the attitude - I've helped people who've made at LEAST that dumb decisions, and I don't know you from adam; how would any non-psychic know otherwise, without first getting to know more about a person's situation? ESPECIALLY since, on your first post in this thread you IGNORED all but one or two of the points made in the "before you post" announcement at the top of the forum - this isn't there for "eye candy", it's there so I DON'T have to spend 10-12 posts just finding out what you could volunteer at the beginning. If you're that impatient, why make me work so hard to help you for FREE??!?
If you've been lurking as long as you claim, how have you missed that I don't get off on attitude, putting people down, or impatience? NONE of those are conducive to either a good feeling OR a good final result, so what's the point?
With what little you've volunteered so far, here's a start - whether it goes any further is up to you -
I consulted last year on a situation similar to yours, except the studio is "semi-attached" - it's in Arizona, in a fairly new development. Stucco exteriors, fairly tight budget (owner wants to save enough for a $35,000 piano)
I met with his contractor, and what we ended up with was putting THREE layers of stucco on the outside (stucco is close to the same density as gypsum wallboard) on 2x6 framing, eliminating the obligatory foam board insulation, adding two "insert" layers of gypsum between studs and against the stucco backer board, then a 3" gap between frames, inner 2x4 stud frames, and 3 layers of drywall on the INSIDE of the INNER frame - prior to inner wall construction, tack a poly sheet across outer studs and fill with blown cellulose insulation (instead of the EPS foam board) then REMOVE the poly so it doesn't form a third leaf.
Erect inner frames, fill BETWEEN frames with UN-faced standard fiberglass batts, then between studs of inner frame with either rockwool or rigid fiberglass, 2 to 3 PCF - then 3 layers of 5/8 drywall, offset, taped, mudded, etc, caulked layer by layer around perimeter (hope you've read through the "complete section" sticky)
IF you don't want to fill between the frames (cost) you can build the frames on the floor, screw light lath across the studs at 2' centers, then stand the frames up, insulate and rock; the lath will keep the insulation in place against the rock for damping. This may cost you 2-3 dB of isolation.
Total wall thickness in this case will be nearly 15-1/2", from the outer stucco coat to the inner finished wall surface; with acoustic treatment, another 6-8" typically. So figure losing about 4 FEET of your total OUTSIDE dimensions for a quiet, good-sounding situation. With a proper floated CONCRETE floor and comparably built ceiling leaves, drums would have to hit 100 dB (at KICK drum frequencies, even louder at higher freq's) inside before they would be slightly audible at the outside wall.
Height inside - as tall as you can get it in most cases; if you want a floated floor for maximum isolation, both between you and neighbors and between rooms, and you want to do it RIGHT, figure on losing a FOOT for the floor (above the basic slab floor) - ANOTHER foot or more between inner and outer ceiling leaves (your roof doesn't count here, it needs to be VENTED or it will cause problems, even in the desert)
Also, ceiling height (to the innermost SOLID barrier) needs to be tied to OTHER room dimensions, so those should be chosen first.
As to interior space, ALWAYS go for as much as you can swing, either limited by funds or available space or :cry: spousal approval - it will NEVER be enough.
Now, if you want to RE-edit your profile and concentrate on a successful outcome instead of winning an argument, there's probably a lot more where that came from... Steve
Sorry to all I offended....and thanks for the info. I am trying to keep costs down...I'll be doing most of the labor myself.
Apology accepted. 8)Sorry to all I offended....
No prob, if building a house isn't stressful enough just add a STUDIO to the mix- (hehehe)
Now, if you'll put your other location back (too many members now to remember the member, so I tend to get "dis"-membered :? )
Then we can get on with the process of getting you what you want for only 6 times what you hoped to pay... :roll:
Sooo, what'd ya think so far? How much more space CAN you steal, and have you looked at some of the various floor plans posted on the Design forum yet, etc... Steve
I have looked at the posted designs. I want just a basic two room studio. As basic as basic can be. We are probably going to be building yet another home in the next few years so I don't want to get too elaborate. That will be for the next place. I am willing to do away with the bathroom for cost. I am also looking for a cost efficient way to cool the studio...it can get up to 120 in the summer...I'm going over my plot plan this evening to get a maximum footprint...