Kathy's Barn Conversion!

TomVan wrote:

WOW and WOW again. I am so impressed but the old wood is absolutely beautiful.

Thank you. I have to thank those here that recommended pulling up those boards. We were just building the new raised subfloor right over them and I was in the middle of laying down tubing and cabling when someone saw the pictures and said I should salvage it for either money or to use later in the finished room. I started pulling them up only to find a SECOND older layer underneath. By the time I got fully into it I was cursing those who made the suggestion! LOL! I was way off schedule and going down some road I hadn't even mapped out in my plans. Ha!! But I'm very glad I did it. I've been pretty good about keeping a pictoral diary of everything but I somehow neglected to take photos of the planing process. THAT was even harder and longer than pulling up the boards. ALL the nails and bits of rusted metal had to come out of the boards first. Then, Scott had a big planing machine that looked like a giant table saw (that man has everything). He brought it over here in his truck and left it for 2 weeks. It took FOUR full days (two Saturdays and two Sundays from sunup to sundown) to plane those boards down to a nicer finish. Oh, do I wish I had pics of that. Once again, good 'ol Nana was on one end of the planing machine holding the board as it would come out. Some of the boards took 45 passes thru the planer to get them cleaned up! It's because they were all so uneven and different thicknesses. But as a result, what used to be lying on the ground in the early 1900s is now a part of the studio.

Hats off to you Kathy and congrats on your accomplishments, your drive, desire and passion to take this on. Pat yourself on the back for me. I only hope my 2 girls grow up to be as ambitious as you. Tom

Thank you so very much, Tom. What a compliment.

Kathy, This is absolutely beautiful - My hat is off to you - when I think of what you had in the beginning to work with - and see what you've produced from it in the end - I am amazed that you had no prior construction knowledge....... You should be proud of yourself.......... Every once in a while I make it up around the NH border - one of these trips I'll have to make it a point to get in touch so I can see it in person............ And now - finally - you can do what you REALLY love to do - make music in a great room.............. Sincerely, Rod

rod gervais wrote:

Kathy, This is absolutely beautiful - My hat is off to you - when I think of what you had in the beginning to work with - and see what you've produced from it in the end - I am amazed that you had no prior construction knowledge....... You should be proud of yourself.......... Every once in a while I make it up around the NH border - one of these trips I'll have to make it a point to get in touch so I can see it in person............ And now - finally - you can do what you REALLY love to do - make music in a great room.............. Sincerely, Rod

Rod, I have your book and I think you are amazingly intelligent and knowledgeable and a compliment from you means an awful lot. In no way was I able to get as technical or as detailed as you would have for a variety of reasons but fortunately, my needs weren't as crucial as those of a world class recording facility. I fullfilled MY needs as adequately as possible using your advice here on the boards as well as in the book and along with the input of all the best here (I don't want to name you all for fear of leaving any one of you out but you all know who you are and how much you truly contributed to me. All of your compliments mean so much). And Rod, I would be honored and quite humbled for you to come by and see it in person. You are welcome to anytime you are in the southern New Hampshire area (I'm not far from the Mass border). Thanks again..... And now onto some more pictures!!! You've all yet to see the control room area!

And now onto some more pictures!!! You've all yet to see the control room area!

Kathy, I've be watching you post all these pics over the past few days, been waiting till your done to post my comments. I was almost going to ask you last night "where's the CR" so, COME ON WITH IT, let's see the CR. BTW you work and space looks great. :D Marc

THE BIG FINISH: The Entire Studio - Part TWO Second - The Live Area & Drums Ok, so before we get to the control area here's the rest of the live section of the room. The deep blue carpet on the drum riser (and is also in the vocal booth) came from a discount roll I got at Building 19. I bought the padding and laid it down myself. Next to my drums is a computer screen and cables that allow me to bring my Pro Tools 002 rig over there and record drums when by myself. I have a wireless mouse over there. Above the computer cabinet is the main live area patchbay that allows all the connections in the back to be routed underground to my control room patchbays. Basically, that means the outs of the Roland drum brain as well as signals from mini patchbays inside the vocal booth and elsewhere. The last shot is of the drums at night but it didn't come out too well. I ran some of that rope style lighting (blue) around the carpeted riser and the wood walls to "stage in" the drumkit. It looks beautiful at night but the camera doesn't do it justice.

THE BIG FINISH: The Entire Studio - Part THREE Last But Not Least - The Control Room Here we go. A couple of notes: • The carpet I chose for the control room is a silver/gray and had to be put down professionally because of the size and the seams it would need. The snakes that had to be pulled thru were numerous and the carpet guys said they had never in their career seen or done anything like it. LOL! I actually don't have any shots of those areas but will take some later when I do my "I Wish I Had Done This Slightly Different" Epilogue at the end of this almost completed thread. • The old wooden chest you see that is being used as a coffee table in front of the loveseat was actually a lucky find. It is from the late 1800s or early 1900s and is the same color and style as the wooden beams in the barn. We found it up in Nana's attic in her apartment building where it had been abandoned. Not only does it compliment the studio barn perfectly, inside of it is where I have stored all of my digital and analog media as well as software. * The loveseat actually pulls out to a twin bed for sleeping so that's a plus!

A couple shots of the ceiling.

Hey Hey Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy... Lookin' good Kathy! Must be a GREAT feeling from the 1st day you started (looking at the raw walls and floors around you) to the Finished room! :D 100% total undeniable absolute fantastic congratulations M'Lady... :wink:

beautiful.......... :D & 8)

Wonderful... Like I always imagined heaven would be -- complete with the David Cassidy wall! I'm in Rockport, MA -- can't be far from you... when you have the open house, let me know. - Andy

Bass Rocks wrote:

I'm in Rockport, MA -- can't be far from you... when you have the open house, let me know.

Agreed! I'd make the trip from Portland as well.... Of course, Kathy's probably thinking "where were all these offers to come visit when there was WORK to do.....?" :twisted:

Kathy, I'm in AWE.... You did a absolutely wonderful job. I'm sure you'll spend many quality hours enjoying your new space. Cudos.... Mark

Bass Rocks wrote:

Wonderful... Like I always imagined heaven would be -- complete with the David Cassidy wall!

Now, I was WONDERING when someone was going to take the plunge and make a comment on my "decor". I'm a 70s gal, ya know (hence, the mirrorball on the ceiling!). Big crushes on David and Donny Osmond as well. And obviously, a big KISS fan (though I reserve the right to limit that to 70s music only and most definitely not a fan of Gene himself. If anyone is interested, just email me and I'll tell you my dealings with him and just how far his greed and ego goes). My room is designed to give me familiarity and comfort so those images do just that.

I'm in Rockport, MA -- can't be far from you... when you have the open house, let me know. - Andy

Never thought of an open house, Andy, but that's not a bad idea. There's quite a few people here in the Northeast New England area that are on the board (and as I type we are getting the April Nor'easter!), so maybe an open house/party/meeting of the minds is a good idea. I'll have to think about doing that.

jwl wrote:

Bass Rocks wrote:

I'm in Rockport, MA -- can't be far from you... when you have the open house, let me know.

Agreed! I'd make the trip from Portland as well.... Of course, Kathy's probably thinking "where were all these offers to come visit when there was WORK to do.....?" :twisted:

Hey, yeah! LOL!! Good point. That's ok. You all helped right here on the forum. :-) Love Portland by the way. I love the oldport area and Dimillo's. Many a concert I've seen at the civic center.

Cool.... the last concert I saw at the civic center was Marilyn Manson, believe it or not. A friend of mine was a music journalist in town and got free tickets. What a cool freak show that was LOL.... Yeah the old port can be fun. Tourist season is a bit much for me though. LOL

Nice work Kathy - glad to see you up and running. :D Cheers john

jwl wrote:

Cool.... the last concert I saw at the civic center was Marilyn Manson, believe it or not. A friend of mine was a music journalist in town and got free tickets. What a cool freak show that was LOL....

That "man" (or thing) traumatizes me to no end. Honestly. I know it's a gimmick and all and everyone says he is the Alice Cooper or KISS of my day but I think not.........or I truly am becoming my parents as I age. Let's see.....David Cassidy on this hand and Marilyn Manson on the other... oh YEAH, I'd be extremely traumatized. LOL.... From your somewhat sheltered Kathy

John Sayers wrote:

Nice work Kathy - glad to see you up and running. :D Cheers john

Wow! An acknowledgement from the man himself. Thank you so much. And thank you for providing such a wonderful forum and outlet that allowed so many of us to learn what we have in our studio journeys.

Kathy wrote:

I have to thank those here that recommended pulling up those boards. We were just building the new raised subfloor right over them and I was in the middle of laying down tubing and cabling when someone saw the pictures and said I should salvage it for either money or to use later in the finished room. I started pulling them up only to find a SECOND older layer underneath. By the time I got fully into it I was cursing those who made the suggestion! LOL! I was way off schedule and going down some road I hadn't even mapped out in my plans. Ha!!

sorry :oops: that may have been my fault... i just had a hard time thinking about losing all that old wood to the worms... :-) it looks great! you should be rightfully proud of the the work you and your friends have put into your place overall!

Ok Kathy, now that your done, and it looks awsome, you must be bored. So,,,,,,,Wanna come and help me build my Studio?? :lol: :lol: Your Studio looks awsome, great job!! But 2 things: 1 - Make sure you have a heavy cord on that Oil Filled Heater (I am a City Firefighter by trade, so those things catch my eye) :lol: :lol: But seriously, those heaters have caused many fires due to the size electrical cord some use on them. I would hate to see such a cool studio have a fire. :oops: and 2 - Where is the Lava Light? :lol: :lol: Again, awsome job, and understanding you have no prior building experience, I only hope to come close to your accomplishment when mine is done. I have never built before either. Have fun in your new environment! AJ :wink:

studio911 wrote:

Ok Kathy, now that your done, and it looks awsome, you must be bored. So,,,,,,,Wanna come and help me build my Studio?? :lol: :lol:

Ummm......thanks, but no thanks! I've hung up my toolbelt for a long while. Seriously, thank you for the compliments on how it turned out.

Your Studio looks awsome, great job!! But 2 things: 1 - Make sure you have a heavy cord on that Oil Filled Heater (I am a City Firefighter by trade, so those things catch my eye) :lol: :lol: But seriously, those heaters have caused many fires due to the size electrical cord some use on them. I would hate to see such a cool studio have a fire. :oops:

Really? Well, the cords used are the ones attached to the heater by the manufacturer. I don't have any extension on it. But thanks for the warning. I'll never leave them on overnight. BTW, both of my uncles were career firemen in the historic city of Salem, Mass. I can remember sliding down the poles when I was a kid visiting them!

and 2 - Where is the Lava Light? :lol: :lol:

Ok, this next pic is just for you! I did have a lava lamp up right from the start but I guess I never got a pic from the right angle that showed it. It is high up on a speaker to the left of the drumkit against the vocal booth. Did you REALLY think my swanky 70s studio would be missing the lava? LOL!

Again, awsome job, and understanding you have no prior building experience, I only hope to come close to your accomplishment when mine is done. I have never built before either. Have fun in your new environment! AJ :wink:

Thanks again! I appreciate those comments so much.

gullfo wrote:

Kathy wrote:

I have to thank those here that recommended pulling up those boards. We were just building the new raised subfloor right over them and I was in the middle of laying down tubing and cabling when someone saw the pictures and said I should salvage it for either money or to use later in the finished room. I started pulling them up only to find a SECOND older layer underneath. By the time I got fully into it I was cursing those who made the suggestion! LOL! I was way off schedule and going down some road I hadn't even mapped out in my plans. Ha!!

sorry :oops: that may have been my fault... i just had a hard time thinking about losing all that old wood to the worms... :-) it looks great! you should be rightfully proud of the the work you and your friends have put into your place overall!

No, I actually thank you and others for the suggestion. Don't apologize! I wouldn't have the distinctive beauty without that wood.

[quote="Kathy I wouldn't have the distinctive beauty without that wood.[/quote] Kathy, Awww....... I don't know about that - my guess would be that it had more to do with your parents........ :wink: Rod

Kathy, Looks like a great place for a party. I'll bring the beer..... Kudos,