Shed Construction

Hi, I'm building a 14' x 20' (from outside walls) shed with a concrete slab. The shed has an attic with a good amount of space. I'm looking into soundproofing this shed. I put up staggered stud construction because I heard it was second best to double wall construction, and I need the space. It has vinyl siding with a layer of 7/16" OSB. As of now, this shed is nowhere near being soundproof, so I was wondering how I should do this. Just a couple of questions: -Do I have to do anything to the floor (since it has a concrete foundation)? -Does resilient channel help when used with staggered studs? -What kind of ventilation would I need when used with, I don't know, say a mini-split system? -What do I do to the ceiling? Here's some pictures:

I've done a lot of searching, but still haven't found the best way to do this. :(

andyroo, Greetings and Welcome to the forum! I like to look at this forum as a giant encyclopedia with tech support! If you approach it that way, you'll be alot happier... what that means is alot of questions have been answered already, its just a matter of searching for them.... might be frustrating at first, but your in good hands here, if you get stuck with something, then ask! I hate to answer a question with a question, but I think you'll have much more luck if you help us with a few things: please read this http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3231 and look for a few of your answers will be found in the Reference Section here http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2125 Try and also review some of the forum moderators own build diaries, they cover many things you'll need to know! (I know it's A LOT of reading, but it's good info if your serious about learning how to sound proof.) http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5842 Just to get you started, heres a few of my humble comments... again, i'm sure more people will chime in here once you get some specific questions going :) Probably not. I'm not sure in your case. Need to know your planned useage.... will probably get treated similarly to the walls. I might be crazy for suggesting this, but this might require something drastic for your desired isolation... like removing the siding and adding some layers of drywall or cement board on the exterior walls of your shed... but... i don't know what i'm talking about~! Cheers! Kevin

Sorry, I just edited my location. I could've sworn that I wrote that in before. :? I should have wrote a more detailed post the first time. I'm going to use this shed for a band practice/semi-recording studio. So loud volumes can be expected. My goal is an STC of about 60. To go back to my original questions: -Do I have to do anything to the floor (since it has a concrete foundation)? I keep finding mixed answers around the forum. -Does resilient channel help when used with staggered studs? I'm not finding much on staggered studs here. Is it only possible to get an STC of 60 with a double wall construction? -What kind of ventilation would I need when used with, I don't know, say a mini-split system? I did find a lot on AC, but most of it is way out of my budget. Whats the cheapest way to go here? -What do I do to the ceiling? Haven't found much on this.

Kevin's advice and observations are "spot on." Thanks, Kev. Andy, I hate to say this, but your "hearing" about staggered stud construction isn't good enough. Forget everything you "heard." Forget everything you think you know. It took weeks (months?) of unlearning here before I could move forward with many design iterations before I finally settled on the right one. If you haven't seen my "forget STC as it's meaningless in studio construction context" remarks before, you need to spend more time studying project threads here. I've written that and linked to content that supports it many times. Stop building. Buy Rod's book. Study here. Keep asking questions but try your best to apply the knowledge available here first. :-) --Keith :mrgreen:

Well if staggered studs are no good, then what am I supposed to do? :? If I build a double wall in front of the staggered studs, the studs that are staggered will serve no purpose at all, possibly even making matters worst. Darn you soundproofing.org! :x

Just to update on how things are going, I've decided that staggered studs are good enough in my case. I live in a fairly spread out neighborhood with houses about 100 ft. away from the shed. I know that a double frame would be better, but I guess I will have to pay for my mistakes by only being able to play in the daytime. Anyway, the rock wool that I ordered (fibrex) arrived today and a friend helped install it. I put 2 layers of 2-inch rock wool between the studs, like in the diagram below (not perfect, but you get the idea :lol:). I'm planning on putting two layers of 5/8" drywall over the studs next. For the ceiling I'm thinking of putting resilient channel over the rafters, then two layers of 5/8" over those, and then possibly another layer of OSB up in the attic area. Does this sound good? Also, would R.C. add any benefit when used in conjunction with staggered studs? I'm trying to get the best possible results with the staggered studs I'm stuck with. One more question: do I need to put some kind of vapor barrier over the insulation? I'll post pictures of the shed later.

Any idea how I should install the second door? Here's pictures:

Any help would be appreciated. :(