Portable studio design in the process. Any advice?

G'day all My Dad, which also happens to be my boss, bought this site office off ebay. (We were planning on running the business from home to cut down overheads etc. ) but anyway plans fell through and I have the go ahead to build a studio out of the shed :) The shed is 6m x 2.4m, so it's a similar size to a 20ft container. At this stage I'm still tossing designs back and forward in my head. I'm probably most comfortable with a large CR and 1 studio room like the "Garage 2" design at the sae site. Rather than just one room, but I'm not realy sure. I will be mostly doing one man band stuff. Though I'm sure I'll be tracking my friends too. But have any similar "portabable" projects been covered from the desgin up on this forum?? Hopefully I can learn more from other peoples mistakes rather than my own. (my searches don't seem to be so fruitfull :cry: ) I've got the shed, cash and a some building experience (I worked for 1 year converting a double-decker bus into a motorhome). So basically I've just got to settle on a design. Any advice is most welcome.

you might want to check some of John's mobile and container designs: mobile http://www.johnlsayers.com/Studio/Pages/Clicktrack.htm container http://www.johnlsayers.com/Studio/Mainpage/MP-Mark.htm

Thanks Glenn for your reply. The studio in a container - obviously is the same one discussed in the "sticky" on this forum. I really like that design and have a few questions but I know John said

"the plan for the container studio is the property of the guy who put up the money for the design and plan - I am in no position to share it with you further than I've already done"

Anyway thanks for the fast reply. AJ

Aloha, Ash, what's the height of your unit and the wall/floor/ceiling construction, as well as your isolation requirements? Aloha 8)

Dah!! I just typed a big reply only to find that I had timed out and had to login only to find my reply had vanished!! Anyway The internal hieght is 2100mm width 2300mm length 5900mm Floor construction is 20mm chipboard on 4"x2" wooden joists which sit on two steel rails running the length of the building. Wall is 40mm wooden studs. Tin on the outside. Fake wood veneer panels nailed on the inside. Not sure about the roof. It's a thin melamine ceiling with glossy white veneer finish. There is about 100mm gap between the ceiling and the corrigated tin roof. Isolation requirements?? I live on a farm, no other houses in sight and about 1km to the nearest house on the other side of a big hill. However, I am considering some sort of decent isolation incase I move in the future?? Cheers Ashley

Ok I've finally started working on my studio (even though I'm only going backwards at the moment) I've pulled the vinyl floor matting up to see what condition the chippboard floor is in. also to see where the floor studs are. Water hasn't been a problem and the chipboard is in good nick. However as it is just 1 layer of 16mm chipboard sitting on wooden studs which are suspended on the 2 steel runners, it feels like walking on a drum - (not that I have walked on a drum before, but I imagine it would be similar :) ) What would you guys suggest for flooring. My intention is to put 12mm mixed hardwood floor boards down on the top layer ( I have some leftover from a recent renovation which came up really nice.) But as far as what goes between that and the existing chipboard, I havn't made my mind up. Height is a little bit of a concern however under no circumstances do I ever want to have to redo the floor. So I'd rather have a little bit of an overkill and have to raise the ceiling a bit higher (which I'm planning to do anyway) than have to go back and fix the floor later. I was thinking maybe lay new studs across the existing floor say 40mmx40mm (Should I lay them on neoprene pads?). Add rockwool in between the studs in the 40mm gap, then a 16mm flooring board and then the hardwood ontop?? I'll try and attach a diagram. Intrested to hear what do guys think?

I don't think you are going to want to add another set of joists, as that will create another leaf. What I would start with is adding mass to the floor that is there, probably by using MDF or chipboard or something, then adding a hardwood floor or whatever on top of that. I could be wrong, but my gut tells me that the added leaf is a bad idea....

Thanks jwl, for your fast reply. Adding mass to the existing floor would definantly be less work. :lol: Would conveyor belt be a good option?? I'm still curious to see what other members think. Cheers AJ

Ashley - your outer skin is pretty thin. Here's how I'd suggest you do it. It's the inside/out wall design we used in the container. ;) cheers john

Thanks John!!!! That one diagram answers alot of questions. :D

I finally put my head down and give sketch up a good go today. I managed to draw up my shed in the state it is currently in at the moment. Every thing is pretty much the exact measurements, so it gives a good idea of how much space I have to play with.

Hi, any updates on this project? I'm considering using these kinds of containers too. I'm thinking about what would be the best way to beef up the tin skin, without creating an additional leaf (could be tricky because of it's trapezoidal shape)? Maybe plaster on the inside and on the outside? Thanks & Regards!