Lou's Studio - Construction Phase

:lol: WOW!!! Its true , the best one olinem lots of time in hands, lol, its like a contract, with a disclaimer and everything, lol, good one Lou Happy New Year everyone :yahoo: Kalet-Ensonix Studios

looking very good, i will be starting mine soon :shock: not on such a scale though i must say

Well, Happy New Year buddy! Just a friendly bump to get your thread back up on page 1, and see how you are doing. Hopefully all your "issues" are resolved, and you are back on track. Best, as always!

Happy New Year Lou! I'm joining the long list waiting for further updates :D Also, would you be able to provide a little more detail about your HVAC design wrt to Fresh Air intake and how you are managing the pressure build up within the room and how you plan to exhaust to balance this ? Totaly dig the fact that you have paid a substantial amount to get your guy to do the job and the sensitivity that may cause, but i'm still going to try and blag some info :wink: Even if you can provide some hints around what type of damping / size of vents duct to outsde etc and maybe some photos would be cool :oops: Anyway, all the best and its all good stuff you got going on there cheers John

Hi Lou Most excellent build I have been floating around the forum for a while and have now moved into new house and am in the starting blocks on a new studio. My Thread here http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=9627 The work that Glenn has done for me design wise rocks a big one. I intend to record local bands and try to up my library music work as well so the workspace needs to be right I alos play in a punk band that is a bit loud so I want to make sure its sound prroof as I go. I love the idea of how you have done the windows! did I get it right. paint on the window then drywall stright onto the window then MDF on top? does this make it one mass wall? Also I noticed the caulk what is this fella called? been hunting all over for acoustic caulk and I keep drawing real expensive studio spares type prices. I like the Building regs here as well talked to a man from the council and he said basically as long as it still looks like a garage your all right! My first job is to get the celing down to see what is under then drywall a few layers underneath then get the big door sealled of so I can reherse in the space.

For those of you watching at the moment and wishing me well, I thank you - big time! Still major shit to deal with and a proper update to follow soon, promise!.....................Man who'd build a F%£$*&G Studio anyway? Yeah,........OK,......... We would! Kindest regards dudes, Lou. 8) :oops: :oops: :wink: :wink: 8)

LOU.... UPDATE PLEASE :shock: I can't wait to see what's coming up for the next update... Hopefully something... SURPRISING :o Joining the waiting list.... Take care everyone Kalet Ensonix Studios

Hey Lou, I hope things are ok mate ? All the very best to you, your build thread has been an inspiration to me, and for that i thank you much

Hi Lou I hope your problem is improving. Hopefully we will hear from you soon and everything will work out for you. I think about your build everytime i log on. All the Best Alan Ps I hate to see such a great build not on page 1 so this is a bump

Hi Guys – I hope as always that you’re all doin’ fine, and that your respective 2008’s have kicked off in a manner that is keeping both you and yours happy!:wink: As I finally sit down to write this update, I assure you all, that, I truly don’t really know where to start, although I suppose once I get into it it’ll sort itself!:cry: Without then meandering too far, firstly the replies. DH – JohnP – Hogman – Ensonix – Medboyle, thank you so much for the kind comments and the bumps! Really uplifting. Hogman – Check out my thread a few pages back on how I did my windows. It was painted ¼” ply mounted on ½” MDF fixed with gripfill then ½” plasterboard etc to bring the glass effectively ‘back’ to meet the existing render, and then on to the overall ‘beefup’ thus avoiding any third leaf issues.:wink: OK here we go then, with a somewhat ‘diary-like’ account of what’s been going on! Back in December I received the terrific news that a colleague of mine and I had won a huge three year contract, and that ‘Studio 4’ was now needed more than ever to cope with the additional workload. OK great, except that meant that I was immediately put in the frustrating catch 22 situation of being too busy working to build a studio. In short I had to very quickly resign myself to the fact that I had to now employ people to finish it for me. :( Christmas came and went and the ‘chill-out’ area proved to be a roaring success – 4 parties in 11 days! Just before New Year, a professional studio builder (with over 30 yrs experience) came to see me. He travelled the 4 ½ hrs from Norfolk to spend nearly 2 ½ hrs talking through my plans and objectives. He looked at the drawing and said, “Yeah, no problem Lou, but if you don’t mind, I just want to have my acoustics expert check over your layout” He also let me know that I was looking at a three man crew, flat-out, for up to ten weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ouch, Ouch, and bloody Ouch!!!!!! :shock: :shock: It gets better! He also said, “Of course you know that AC ducting will have to come down, since we always use flexi because rigid is too noisy”, and we’ll have to float the floors to fully isolate the rooms, obviously”!! And “Blah blah blah etc!”:evil: I was a little surprised to say the least but thought I’d at least let him run with it and get his acoustics bloke to take a look. After all, this chap built my colleague’s studio in Surrey and it sounds great! Before I crack further into this, let me remind you of what we were working to. The plan that Kendale and I came up with, after a lot of debate and very creative input from Glenn and John. I’m sure you’d all agree chaps that, bearing in mind this was a few blokes chatting over the internet with time and services being willingly offered free of charge, this is a real result and I must thank you guys yet again – it’s what makes this site so great. :D :D Well, there I was waiting in anticipation of the acoustic guy’s approval, when I received an email from him with this attached as a proposed layout! At first glance, I thought that the situation hadn’t been explained properly. The toilet/kitchen areas were in completely the wrong place, as were all the rooms for that matter, given where my audio/electrical ducting and foul drainage were already positioned. :evil: I went back to the builder to explain my frustration, and he explained that the chap who’d come up with this layout, was fully aware of what stage I was at and, moreover, that he was the Director of this company: http://www.studiopeople.com Please feel free to check them out since rather interestingly, the builder that came to see me has carried out most of the construction work shown in the portfolio section. Dinemec Studios incidentally, is the largest live facility in Europe. Whilst all this gave me a chance to witness many examples of fine workmanship (very reassuring), it didn’t do much for my total despair at potentially how much time, effort, and money I’d wasted putting my foul drainage, studio electrics, and audio ducting runs in the wrong place!! :evil: :evil: :evil: I spent the best part of the first 10 days of the year going over and over the whole build in my head trying to come to terms with what I’d done. Bloody miserable I can tell you! :( :( Fortunately, Glenn and Ken, have both been in close contact, and have been totally brilliant! I even called Glenn on his mobile for a chat – a couple of really cool Dudes! Many thanks as always guys. :wink: :wink: It was time to speak to Studiopeople direct and air my concerns. Now one thing that really pisses me off when I’m working, is the now (thankfully) very rare situation, when someone employs me to do something, and then proceeds to tell me how to do it! The very scenario I was potentially about to create. Luckily, the boss at Studiopeople is a really down to earth bloke, very approachable, and totally receptive to clients who have a keen interest in construction techniques and the finer details of studio design. Most of his clients are more concerned with what colour fabrics are being proposed. Armed with all the knowledge I’ve gained from here, I have been able to basically hold my own and discuss things with him on a professional level. When I mentioned the positions of the toilet and kitchen for example, he simply said: “Lou, your main concern has to be your working environment; the toilet and kitchen are the least important areas. I just feel that this layout is a much better use of the space available to you. Any issues re drainage and wiring can be overcome; we do this all day everyday” When I mentioned about his use of Air 15’s instead of Air 20’s, he replied: “I’m a Dynaudio nut, I don’t install anything else if I can help it; they’re awesome, but, trust me, the Air 20’s would be far too big for your room,” A point that I hope Jon at Meowmix will appreciate! :D Anyway, to cut a bit more to the chase, after much discussion, we agreed a very competitive price for Studiopeople to provide full construction drawings of absolutely everything, so that Jeff (that’s the builder btw) and his guys know exactly what they’re working to. Now it was time for me to sit down and accurately work out the financial loss. To be honest, it isn’t as bad as it might seem, in that, I would have had to excavate the garage floor to get the Celotex in, and the fact that we replaced the main drainage is power for the cause. In essence whilst my ducting is redundant, it was free! My electrical wiring currently sat in conduit within the screed will also never be used. You’ll recall that due to the great lengths we went to constructing the studio floor, there is now no way we can run the restroom drainage inside, so instead, Phil is going to bring it straight out the bottom of the plan and run along the outside of the house under the new patio, and tap into the manhole in the driveway. All in all, the total waste of time, labour and materials amounts to around £1,000.00, which can be recovered by going for the cheaper monitoring. :roll: :roll: For my part, I think the new layout provides better visual communication between the rooms, and I love the fact that movement between the rooms doesn’t intrude on the mix position. I also had to have a satirical laugh with Ken at the fact that they’d positioned the toilet exactly where he put it in one of his first ideas! :roll: :roll: :roll: Another week went past and then this little lot came through. Floorplan Detail. Dimensions Detail. HVAC Detail. Lighting Detail. Sectional Elevations Detail. There are several details in these drawings that I’m aware totally contradict some of what I’ve learned here, and we are in discussion about these so I’ll try and keep you informed. A few more days passed and then the ‘sweeteners’ A selection of render images of what Studio 4 will finally look like. Iso booth window/toilet door. Iso booth to control room. Control room to iso booth. Control room front. Control room rear. Live room. I was naturally very impressed with the service when you bear in mind this lot is only the first draft! Next, more bad news I’m afraid. Jeff and Peter (boss at Studiopeople) advised that I had to get a front door on the studio, re jig the electrics to make the place look finished, and get Building Control up here to sign the place off. Well, there is now a front door to the studio, and Graham’s been back to re-run all the electrical wiring he can reach, but I can’t call Building control yet since all the steels still visible have to be fire rated! This means that all the rockwool on the ceiling has to come down as does all the air-con that the other Peter installed before Christmas! :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: UK BUILDERS NOTE: If you have any steel work in your structure, it must be fire rated. Please don’t attempt to hide it with ordinary plasterboard-it won’t get passed. I basically still have the worry of my build not being passed before the project continues. What all this means in reality is that I’ve now decided to stand back from the build, get on with what I’m supposed to be good at, and let the ‘Pros – Build it Like the Pro’s’. I still have the ‘Air-Con war’ to adjudicate since the other Peter insists he’s right on the issue of rigid ducting, and Jeff can’t wait to replace it with flexi throughout, not to mention custom made bespoke silencers. :roll: :roll: Oh and I nearly forgot to tell you that Jeff’s expert crew are Latvian, so will of course be working (like him) away from home, so naturally, I have to provide them with accommodation for the duration of the build! No shit! :evil: :evil: Also, to keep costs down, they won’t be doing the toilet or the kitchen or any of the audio wiring up, so all of that will still need to be sorted! Luckily I have good mates who do such things for a living and have offered to help in anyway they can. This in turn means that my budget has been totally thrown out of the water, and I now face the very real possibility of ending up with a lovely selection of rooms, and no money left to equip any of them. Labour costs and accommodation, plus all the materials are not going to be cheap! In short, my worst case scenario, is that the studio gets built and I take out a hefty loan to provide the gear, or I have the studio built and just move my existing kit in there and add to it as I can. Bet you can guess which one I’ll probably go for! In any event, I feel like I’ve almost sold my soul to the devil on this one, and that my time up here is now almost redundant. I say this because the whole ethos of this site is to save money and get great results, by learning from others as well as the experts like Rod, John and Glenn and building it yourself. I’ve taken this project as far as I can, and I’m stacked out with work, so I simply have no choice. If you guys feel it’s appropriate, I’ll post whatever I can to let you know how it’s going, I just don’t want to come across as a pretentious git since any fool can employ an expert. Music is my living though, not my hobby. :wink: :wink: I’ve been as low as I can go with this project, Phil, for example, has been here for the past three weeks building our patio and I’ve not taken a single photo! It looks great btw, and before you say “Why are you spending money on a patio?” I’m not – Sarah is handling this part of the project in preparation for the wedding. Yes folks, whilst we are getting married in a beautifully picturesque rural village church, our reception will be held at the house, so it would be nice for it not to look like a building site! :roll: To close on hopefully some positives, Jeff and the Latvians start here next Tuesday. I’ve found some great accommodation for them for just £80.00 per week (via a good mate of my Dad’s). Their first job is getting the place ready for Building Control, however, Trev and I have already removed the rockwool that we put on the ceiling. :roll: I now, at least, have peace of mind that Studio 4 will get finished to my requirements, or the guys don’t get paid. Once finished, the rooms will be professionally treated and tuned, and most importantly, any problems will now be dealt with by other people rather than me. I’ve also finally decided on my equipment list after the last month of researching, just not sure how I’m gonna pay for it all yet! :cry: :cry: Well chaps, I think that’s about it for now, I have a bit of time this week, so I need to organise materials for Jeff and the crew to be on site next Monday afternoon, 2 packs of plasterboard, and 100 4.2 m lengths of 4”x2” and 2”x2” for starters! :roll: :roll: :roll: Brad – James – Cram – Dynamike – Tim – Dan – Keith – Johnp – Joey – Medboyle and all the others I haven’t mentioned, your build’s are a credit to you. I take my hat off my friends. :wink: :wink: :wink: Thanks for reading, and the many words of support. Just one final thank you to Glenn and Ken, guys as I’ve already told you in person I owe you, and one day I sincerely hope I’ll be able to do something to help you. Kind regards as always people, Lou. 8) Edited by me with Johns approval.

P.S. This'll create a storm! :roll: :roll: :roll: Lou. 8) which I'm going to prevent hopefully. Those plans are copyright Lou and you have no right to post them. cheers john All Sorted Gentlemen! 8) 8) 8)

Hi Lou, I'm glad you are now able to ge things going again. As far as i'm concerned i'd love to see pictures of the studio being built by "The Pro's" everything which is posted on the site i consider to be an education. The main thing is that the studio gets built and you are happy with it and then you can get on with what you do best and the whole point of this. Making great Music. Hats off for all the work you done yourself (even if you have had to remove some) it was flying along for a while there but we are all slave to the £'s and work in which ever shape it takes must come first. I think you have taken the most logical step possible to get the studio finished and to the standard which you set. My hats off to you for all your efforts. All the best for the rest of the Build and for the Upcoming Wedding. Best Wishes Alan PS £80 a week for digs? Any chance i can send my younger brother down :lol:

PPS I know that the images are just a draft but wouldn't the Computer screens block the sound from the center speaker? I could just be me being daft. Cheers Alan

Hi Alan – Many thanks for the kind words of encouragement, much appreciated. :wink: You Wrote:

PS £80 a week for digs? Any chance i can send my younger brother down

The best bit, is that it’s £80.00 per week for the room and there are two beds in it, plus the Latvians are used to sharing when they’re away from there families. Jeff will stay at a local travel lodge, and will only be here occasionally once the build out is properly underway! :D :D You also asked:

I know that the images are just a draft but wouldn't the Computer screens block the sound from the center speaker?

That’s not being daft at all mate. Peter at studiopeople has already pointed this out and is suggesting a custom console purpose built to house my two Tascam DM 4800’s (when I buy them), and the screens so that they are angled low enough to avoid obstructing the monitors, but still clearly visible. He’s even asked for the gear list, my height, my chair height, and the height of my ears when I’m currently sat working comfortably! :o :o Pretty thorough so far! :wink: All the best Dude, and thanks again, Lou. 8)

wow lou what happened there then :shock: if i had the money to have it done by an expert i would. if you do decide to change ducting and silencers ill take the old ones lol :D :D please keep us updated on how it goes. and when its all finished ill pop in and check it out if thats cool joey

Lou... All I can say is "wow". Stunned into silence my friend. That is quite an amazing story, that will hopefully come out with a happy ending. The plans and mock ups look great, and as mentioned already, I wish I could just say "sod it all" and have a pro build my place as well. After all the crap, you are going to have one awesome place that you can be proud of. All the best...

Hi Lou I just read the update and picked myself from the floor :shock: All the very best mate and just one tip if I may...make damn sure you dont pay until the job is to your utmost satisfaction. By day i'm an Architect in the IT sector, and am used to specifiying the n'th degree how our friends from somewhere else should build our software...and i mean an almost step by step guide...and it still gets interpreted incorrectly. One guess what I didn't do when the builder came to put up the shell and the patio guy came to lay the patio...we had a differing views of what was the final deliverable :evil: Just do your best, from the info you've gleaned here and from your friends/colleagues that have helped you before, to get the detail spec defined and agreed upon. I'm sure the guys he has got to do the job are good craftsmen, but they are going to be cheaper than your local craftsmen and at the end of the day, you dont want to comprimise on anything now especially since you are going to be too busy to keep a close eye on the job. Anyway, rant over :D, I wish you all the best Lou and as I said before, reading your thread has been a joy John

Lou, I have had to sit on this all day......... I read it this morn but couldn't believe what I was reading. Only you can make the right choice for yourself. In the past I have had to make hard decisions about finances and the path I had set out for myself. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger Much Love T

Two Tascam DM 4800's !??!? :shock: With or without meter bridges? I'll be watching with interest to see how you set these up with LCD monitors and a centre speaker!

Hope you will keep the updates coming. Great thread with a lot of knowledge. Keep up the good work.

Lou: Great Job! I am about 2-3 weeks away from being complete on my studio build. Can you PM me with your equipment list??? Where are all your goodies and the computer hidden? Not a cable in sight? Have a nice weekend. Jon

I'd have to say that I would like to see the updates (and the artsy and packed jean photos) even if a professional is doing the work. The whole point is education and sharing. Keep 'em coming buddy!

Lou - I've edited your previous page. Mate - you have no right to post copyright plans - the plans were given to you by StudioPeople in confidence. cheers john

John Sayers wrote:

Lou - I've edited your previous page. Mate - you have no right to post copyright plans - the plans were given to you by StudioPeople in confidence. cheers john

A totally valid point John. I am, as a composer, fully aware of the fundamental principles concerning copyright law. However, I can assure you that Studio People gave me their express permission to post the images, and the storm I mentioned was only in reference to some of the contrary construction techniques. If you still feel that it is inappropriate to have the plans here on the forum, I totally understand and please accept my apologies, since it has never been my intention to upset or offend. :oops: All the best, Lou. 8)

Lou - if they have given you permission then I have no problem with you posting their plans. Just thought I should check. ;) cheers john