the Stiz build diary - FINISHED!

i think it looks great! i'm in the window phase of my build, unfortunately i need 5by7 foot sheets of laminated 1/2 inch and 3/8th inch glass.what do you think that should run me? this forum's been a bit of a ghost town lately, no moderators to speak of, maybe it'll pick up a bit soon. did you use any rubber, or just glazing tape? also, anything special on the exterior side? big suction cups for the install? more details please! thanks

Awesome build Dude - lookiing really cool with great carpentry! :wink: I'm on your tail buddy - even with hat channel instead of RC :oops:

and SOMEBODY LEAVE ME A COMMENT!!! i'm gettin lonely over here.

Keep 'em coming cos everyone's watching - trust me. :shock: Regards, Lou. 8)

finished the outside window and wall section. rockwool, sheetrock (4 layers 5/8"), weather grade exterior sheet of something (i have no idea what it is, but i found it at Lowes)

last pics of outside window and trim. no paint yet though!

here's a step by step for my window install. it's a single wall, inside framing, outside brick. it is, however, a really thick wall. . . so i had to frame each window separately. outside 2x4's, inside 2x6's. this gave me the biggest space between the glass that i could do. next i put in the stained pine 1x8's. this will be what you see in between each window. it looks amazing in person. then i caulked everything, not sure if i needed too, but i didn't wanna take any chances. acoustic caulk obviously. next i dry fit the window in the framing, but on the little shims that will be used. pretty close fit, i ended up bangin the left side of the frame a little to give me more space. next i took the window back down, applied the 1/8" black glazing tape (STICKY!!!!) to the entire edge of the 1x8. making sure there were no gaps in the corners!!! then i lifted the glass (alone! heavy and scary!) i placed it almost horizontally on the bottom frame and tilted it up being careful not to hit into the glazing tape yet. before the full tilt up, i made sure it was on the shims, then pressed that baby into place. i was so nervous.. . .but it ended nicely next i silicone caulked along the top of the glass and an inch down each side. then i put glazing tape on my precut top outer stop. the stops are 1x2's. i put the top stop in, pressed it hard against the glass and nail gunned it in. continued the same process with the bottom stop, and then onto the left and right. from the inside i didn't really like the look of the wood where it met in the corners, so i put 3/4" square stained pine pieces in each corner, the EXACT same width as the wood in between each piece of glass. i put little squares of glazing tape on the end touching the glass too. i'm not sure if you can see these in the pics, they don't really do anything, but i felt they were needed. i would guess if you didn't have a good seal with the glazing tape in the corners, you could make sure the tape is covering the whole end of the long squares of wood and put them in the corner to fully seal it up. afterward, i just did my rock next to the window, and all the trim as you can follow in the pics above. the second piece of glass will be put in soon. . . it was really humid here the last couple days, so i may stick a dehumidifier in the room before i put the second glass in. i'm really scared moisture will get trapped in there. the second glass will be installed exactly as the first, but from the other side. . .and the stops, instead of being 1x2's on the inside, it will be more 1x8's leaving a nice wide sill thanks for the comments guys, i guess some people ARE watchin. i'm doing all the building alone, so i'm takin out my chattiness here i guess

dynamike wrote:

weather grade exterior sheet of something (i have no idea what it is, but i found it at Lowes)

James Hardie Fiber/cement composite panel. Very dense and very durable for exterior applications.

sweet, thanks. the stuff had no name on it, and dusted like crazy when i cut it. i wonder how this stuff compares to sheetrock or MDF for sound purposes? though i'd rather not have to mess with that stuff inside.

i wonder how this stuff compares to sheetrock or MDF for sound purposes?

It is concrete based so is ideal for the purpose that you have used it. How it compares to the other things you suggested using inside a structure is beyond me..but it is dense so that is a good start:)

Very impressive build! Very, very nice! Thanks for the great window installation steps, I am just entering that phase of my build as well, and I most concerned about the windows. Keep at it, you are entering the home stretch now!

doesnt look much different, but i put the second piece of glass in. This one is 3/8 laminate. 8" in from the other piece. roxul'd the top of the super chunk too. ready for trim to cover the staples and some door seals now. maybe something to make that heater look a little sexier. . . we'll see what i can rig up.

Hey D, I just now stumbled across your build. Looks nice! I thought I'd just give you some encouragement! I don't know how long your build took but I just got through with mine about 2 weeks ago after a 2 year build time. I actually moved into the studio in April but had not finished the Vocal and Drum booths until just now. I am so thrilled with the initial sound of my recordings and mixes. The old place sounded good but looked really rough. The mix nook was horrid. But if I took my tracks elsewhere to mix they sounded good. Now I have the pleasure of doing it all right there! And it looks a heck of a lot better too. I am still getting used to the different sound of things and how to use the rooms to their best advantages, but I know it will be worth it once I get the kinks ironed out. I look forward to seeing the finished product and hearing some of the stuff you do there! If you want to check out my place it is here under T-Mix Studio / Construction Diary.

hey Tom! thanks for the words. my build has been a year this October. with 3 months off in the summer because my work (tent/party rental company) is mostly a summer thing. it was, however 3 years of research, saving $$$, and timing (got married. have a stepson and had another kid too) before the build started. i can't wait to finish. i made some decent soundin stuff in my old crappy basement, so i really look forward to how things sound here. anyway, your room looks great!! it's no wonder it sounds good. i'm sure the transition is always weird, and takes some getting used too, but i bet its nothing to complain about!?!?! you have a lot of room in there, thats the #1 setback of my spot. . . a little cramped. the room that was originally to be my live room is now the kids playroom. compromise :? i'd like to say that i really appreciate everyone checkin out my build, and the encouraging words are a nice bonus. rock and roll baby, lay down break down.

well, i'm nearing the end of my build, getting my computer upgrades in order. . . and now big things are brewing. i may be forced to move, due to extenuating circumstances. for a closer look: http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewt ... 8289#68289 otherwise, i'm gonna finish, and do what i can. . . cuz it might not happen for a while.

D, Sorry to hear of your dilemma. I can only encourage you to not panic, but patiently seek out a good answer. Your family comes first. You know where to seek.

seemed like i left for a bit, but i've been working. just too busy to post. here we go.

Vocal booth/closet flooring is in. . . and gorgeous. still have 1 box left too! the kids playroom closet will no longer be plywood!

roxul'd the closet door in the vocal booth. (you love how i make roxul a verb don't you?) . . . and started the trim everywhere. the vocal booth sounds amazing now. all the treatment is done. i can't wait get my U87 in there!

This must not be your first time running a nail gun. The door, step by step photos, shows how easy it can be to build these type of things. Thanks for that!

since buying my home a couple years ago, i've actually found a hidden 'talent' within myself. i knew i was good with my hands, but i've never attempted to actually build anything. i had barely used a nail gun before i bought mine for the studio build. they're kinda fun, and easy. haha. it's all about thinkin it out first, and that's still the hardest part for me. i just wanna start cutting and nailing and glueing and i end up wishing i did it differently afterwards. so far i'm happy with how everything is coming. my biggest regret so far is the time i wasted on the soffits. i could have done it waaayyyy easier. oh well, lesson learned. they still ended up okay. thanks for looking.

this is a very exciting day today. i have officially FINISHED CONSTRUCTION. i did all the trim in all rooms, painted back corner and door black to match fabric, put screen and heater cover in back wall, and probably more stuff i forgot that i did. i still have a few little things besides bringin in my gear. . . like mount my lcd in the vocal booth and clean up a little more.

some more pics of trim and the finished front/back walls.

WOW! You do some real nice work. That space looks great. Be proud! :wink:

i finally hooked up my speakers and the room SOUNDS UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i'm sooooo excited. it makes my monitors sound like completely different speakers than the ones i used for years in my parents basement, yet they're the same exact pair! the room really makes such a huge difference. people need to stop racing to by the latest gear and spend that money on treating their room properly. it's one of those things i've heard for years, but until i "heard" it first hand i never knew how serious it was. here's a pic of my computer being totally ripped apart to install a Verax silencing kit, and swap out some hard drives. i'm going from my ancient 'sawtooth' G4 400Mhz to a kindof old Mirror Door Drive 1.25Mhz. also a pic of the monitors flush mounted and the room as it stands during the computer swap and Pro Tools reinstall. I'm right at the end of all this, I haven't felt like this since last year when my 2nd son was born. The anticipation is crazy!!!!!!! i can't wait to record some tracks!!!

Congratulations!!! What a great job! You have really done some fantastic work, and as has been mentioned, you really have a talent for this stuff!!! I am very glad to hear that all the hard work paid off in the acoustics department. Like you said, it is the single biggest upgrade you can make to your studio, but it is one that is often overlooked in favor of more gear! Once again... great job, and congratulations!!! :)

I like those walls! All that wood, man, that's great looking. If there where just a way to bottle up that anticipation. Just a whiff or two when the going gets trying;) It is cool, to me, how the many projects here all look so distinctly different. Even when they have much of the same parts!