updated and moved to construction. Feedback?

Hello All: I've decided to post my plans in the construction forum after having them in the design forum for a while now. Since I first posted, I've been enlightened on a few topics so I'll post a link to the design thread, update you on my progress and highlight what questions I'm still looking for answers to. Design thread: http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=8614 I have also created a PDF document in order share the design with friends and family that can be found here: http://home.cogeco.ca/~sjager/studio.pdf You may wish to check that out for more pictures and additional details. Where I'm At in the Process: - I've removed the plumbing that was run below the floor joists (see pics below) - I've moved the sheet metal duct arm that was sticking out of the big rectangular run coming out of the furnace (and protruding a foot into my proposed studio space). It is now a non-factor. (see pics below) - I've got a home inspector friend of mine looking into how much weight my floor joists can support. Or he's looking for a contact who is capable of evaluating the situation for me. I hope to hear from him early this week - I'm contemplating going through the town of Oakville for a building permit and routine inspections. - I've ordered the lumber to arrive tomorrow morning and I'm anxious to start framing. - NOTE Gullfo's comments. The angled walls in my control room will not have monitors built in. I've only angled them to avoid the sewer drains. As per Gullfo's advice I will put sound absorbing material on the them. How to Proceed with Construction: (see design post for details) 1. Frame walls 2. Wire Electrical (leaving space for drywall and 2x2 in between floor joists as well as any additional ducting. 3. Put up drywall in ceiling cavities. Apply caulking and support with 2x2. 4. Install Additional Ductwork and Silencer boxes 5. Install insulation, vapor barrier, and resilient channel. Finish ceiling and Finish walls with drywall. New and Outstanding Questions: Outstanding: 1. What is the ideal angle to splay my window glass at to keep down image reflection? 2. How much room to room sound and furnace noise attenuation have folks achieved with their “silencers” ? 3. All if all my duct is sheet metal, is extending the duct length and adding 1 more 90 degree turn going to make much difference after the silencer is employed? What if I use insulated ducting for the feeders out of my main run (the rectangular one)? New Questions: 1. Will Dietrichs Resilient Channel deluxe support 3 layers of drywall or do I need to go with 2 legged RC? 2. If I tack tar paper to the back of my wall frame to stop my insulation from falling out of the wall cavities when I put my vapor barrier, being breathable, it shouldn't act as a third leaf. Does anyone see any problems with this? 3. Anyone know a Canadian vendor of backer rod? Do they have a location in southern Ontario? Home depot didn't know what I was talking about. Cheers, Sam.

Hi Sam, Although I'm a rookie, I thought I might offer any possible help that I can... I'm looking at doing two layers of 5/8" sheetrock off my ceiling using RC and have been trying to figure out whether to use RC-1 or RC-2. It appears most folks recommend RC-2 for this application on the ceiling for safety reasons. If you're asking about the ceiling, then my guess would be you'd want to use RC-2, and may possibly want to consider spacing it slightly closer than 24" (I think I read about this somewhere on the forum) for the increased weight (and to keep the RC more toward the middle of it's spring travel). Personally I'd still consider going with RC-1 on the walls even with 3 layers. You probably know this already, but I'll mention it anyway. The normal (non-sound-world) use for backer rod is to fill a cavity to be sealed so that it doesn't take so much caulk to fill and seal the cavity. Look for backer rod in the section of the stores where weatherstripping is, as it's made of poly foam and has similar applications. The stuff that I've been using is from a company called W. J. Dennis (www.wjdennis-rcr.com) and says it's made in Canada, but unfortunately that's all it says about the manufacture of it. On the package it also references the registered trademark of "Caulksav'r" if that helps. On the package it also says "Save on caulking materials, Great for sealing foundation bases, Insulates pipe and vent openings and ductwork". I know how frustrating it is not to be able to track down the common items we're supposed to be using to build this stuff. Good luck!! One question for you on your project:

- I've moved the sheet metal duct arm that was sticking out of the big rectangular run coming out of the furnace (and protruding a foot into my proposed studio space). It is now a non-factor. (see pics below)

I don't see (or am missing) any difference between your pictures here in regard to ductwork than what you had on your design thread. Am I supposed to be seeing the ductwork changes you made? I have some ductwork issues myself and was wondering how you dealt with them.

Well its been awhile, I've now started construction and will post some pics after I reply to Bill's post. Thinks are moving along slowly but surely and I don't have any new outstanding questions at the moment. Bill:

If you're asking about the ceiling, then my guess would be you'd want to use RC-2, and may possibly want to consider spacing it slightly closer than 24"

I will go with Dietrich RC deluxe, as it seems to be popular here. I will space it as necessary, although I forget what that spacing is off hand. Someone (likely Knightfly) mentioned the appropriate spacing for 3 layers of 5/8 drywall somewhere. THere is a Dietrich plant in nearby Mississauga. http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=5491&highlight=deluxe#5491 Thank you for your advice on backer rod. I found a really good deal (in comparision to Home Depot or other generic building supply stores) at CDS (Construction Distribution Supply), also in Mississauga Ontario. 1050 ft of 3/8" backer rod for $25.

I don't see (or am missing) any difference between your pictures here in regard to ductwork than what you had on your design thread. Am I supposed to be seeing the ductwork changes you made? I have some ductwork issues myself and was wondering how you dealt with them.

The picture I was pointing to was the old pic where nothing had changed. Here's the picture showing how I dealt with the situation: I just took the arm off and patched the old hole with a piece of sheet metal and shiney duct tape. I cut a hole in the top of the rectangular duct with a rotary tool and used a sheet metal adapter to connect back to the existing duct run (again sealing it with shiney duct tape). NEWS & PICS: - Right now I'm putting the first layer of 5/8 drywall in between all of my floor joists within the vicinity of studio. - Where the areas between my floor joists exceed the dimensions of the studio rooms, I will block off the air space with pieces of 2x8 and fasten drywall against them. - I've also tried out both LePage Acousti-seal and GE Silicone II caulking. Caulk Used: LePage Acousti-seal $/300mL - $3.49 (home depot) Someone here had a bad experience with this stuff. They complained the smell lingered for a long period of time and that it was really messy to work with. My pic here shows the messiest spot of my work. I found the smell lingered for about 2 days. I didn't find the smell overly strong but it was pretty sticky stuff. Caulk Used: GE Silicone II - price / 300mL -> $5.34 (home depot) I had heard this stuff was the cadilliac of caulk. I had also read that although it isn't branded an acoustic-caulk, it does stay flexible forever and can be substituted. It was less messy than the LePage and the stink was gone in 1 day instead of 2, but this stuff is almost double the price. I can find 800mL LePage tubes for 5.49 but no big tubes of GE products. I also noticed that the LePage product is a bit heavier. I Before I run out and get a bundle of my choice brand, I'll closely inspect how well each one cured. Anyone find any better products in Ontario ? Canada? I did buy some Tremco Acoustic Sealent but it sounded pretty deadly. The GE product has a simliar warning tho. I was given some NIOSH respirator filters that are able to block out most of the bad vapors. I'll use them when I'm caulking for long durations. Cheers, Sam.

Hi Sam, Looking good! I’m interested that you are planning to use RC Deluxe on your ceiling. I am planning to use RC Deluxe on my walls, but had gotten the impression that single legged RC (as opposed to two legged RC, also available from Dietrich) on the ceiling with two layers of sheetrock may not be structurally sound (I’m using two layers of sheetrock all around where you are using three). If you are safe with RC-1 with three layers on the ceiling, I should be safe with two! We are at similar stages in our projects. I’m working on getting finished up on my beef-up strips between the joists. I have been using Grabber Acoustical Sealant (caulk) and have been very happy with it. I’ve been getting it for just under $4 a tube (in 12 tube case quantities) from a drywall supplier. I don’t know if it’s available in Canada. Wow, that IS a good deal on backer rod! I’ve been paying 10 cents a foot, and as you say, that was cheaper than home depot. I need to see if I can find a deal like that!

Well, it's been awhile but both layers of drywall are in between all the joists within the area the studio encompasses; for the old design anyways. Both layers have been caulked and i've used 4" - 6" pieces of 2x2 to secure the drywall tight to the plywood above. Here's a pic of some of the handy work. These 3 runs were done by my brother-in-law, he was a little more generous with sealant than I was, I told him not to be short. He did a very good job. The drywall you see hanging down between the joists to the far left is part of the way I had first contemplated finishing where the wall meets the ceiling structure. This is not the way I'm going to do it anymore, instead i will make the joint as per the way Rod does them for the inside wall - ceiling connection. See pic below The connection between the drywall in between the joists against the deck and ones sealing the joist cavity will be staggered just like the others i've shown here. Here are the pictures of the new layout. The reasons why i chose to change it to what you see below: - Door into LIVE room is no longer underneath the I-beam. This avoids a small door and the outer frame can now be connected to the ceiling for added support. I've never framed a door before, so if you think the old way (directly underneath the beam) was easily possible let me know. - Door into LIVE room will now not interfere with musicians equipment set up. I've created a dead zone in the door opening for two reasons; the reason i just mentioned and to keep the live rooms length and width from sharing the same dimension as much as possible while still allowing someone to enter the room. That is what the single framed short walls are for. - Ducting done via soffit along the wall. I realized I do not have much diameter available for air flow down a duct if i want to add both a lining inside the duct and insulation outside. The duct with sufficient diameter for airflow will not fit between the joists as I had planned. With a soffit i will be able to keep my air velocity low, make a few 90 degree turns, and put a nice thick sound attenuating lining inside the ducts. - Control Room is bigger. - Control Room door is no longer blocked by a low hanging duct and i-beam. Please let me know what you think of the new layout. I will be starting to frame the outside walls adjacent to the foundation very soon. Questions: How do HVAC guys determine the maximum length and volume that your duct runs can be? How do they determine how many branches you can install? Should I had a soffit to the soffit-less wall in the control room to keep the room as close to symmetrical as I can? Anyone see anybody's build pics that show framing and drywall detail of how the duct go through the wall into the studio rooms? I will list some more questions soon as they come to me. Cheers, Sam.