Garage to Studio conversions - things to consider... (UK)

[sayyousayme]

Hi all

I'm hoping to move house soon and am currently trawling Rightmove etc looking for a suitable property. Some properties have a decent enough sized room in the house, but others would mean setting up in a garage...

I don't plan to record drums or have rehearsals, so soundproofing is not an issue. It will be more a case of me writing and recording my own stuff. It will also double as a listening room, etc.

What kind of things should I be looking for and thinking about when viewing? If it is single brick I presume I might have to look into insulation, adding a second skin... What other options? And - as silly as it might sound - do garages tend to be as structurally sound as houses? Heating is something else I will have to think about. Ideally I would have it on the same system as the house.

I'm guessing there must be a load of other things to consider but I can't think what.

I know acoustic treatment will be essential, so that's already covered. And I know the dimensions will also play a big part in that.

Many thanks for any help

Max

[Gregwor]

soundproofing is not an issue. It will be more a case of me writing and recording my own stuff. It will also double as a listening room, etc.

So you don't care if lawn mowers, storm noise, cars, dogs barking, kids playing, etc sounds get into your recordings or disturb your listening? If this is the case, set up in a bed room and save your money and time.

What kind of things should I be looking for and thinking about when viewing?

Size. High ceilings. Just bigger is better, period.

do garage tend to be as structurally sound as houses?

Kind of..... They hold themselves together.

Heating is something else I will have to think about. Ideally I would have it on the same system as the house.

It might be different where you live, but where I live, it's illegal to have a garage heating/cooling system tied into your dwelling system.
You'll most likely have to have a separate system. Plus, if you're going to get a place with a big garage *wink*, chances are, your house system will not be able to handle the extra load. Most systems in homes are spec'd out to supply JUST enough for the home. That way they are running efficiently.

I'm guessing there must be a load of other things to consider but I can't think what.

Power. Layout. Permits. The best way to find out other issues is to draw it all in SketchUp with as much detail as possible. You'll determine and then solve problems left right and center.
What sort of control room do you want to have? It will be tricky to have a control room that you can record in as well.

I know acoustic treatment will be essential, so that's already covered.

Without even knowing what your place will look like, how can you already have acoustic treatment covered? You own all the supplies or something?

Finding a place is hard. I looked for a few years and decided to just build a place from scratch. Good luck out there!

Greg

[sayyousayme]

Thanks for the answers Greg.

We are planning to move to somewhere rural and isolated, so external noise will hopefully be to the minimum. Sure, the odd aeroplane or dog bark might come up, but I shouldn't imagine often. Plus, I use SW for drums, digital amps, etc. So the vast majority of what I do does not require mic'ing up. And I also make electronic music where the same applies. When I do mic up, I'll just have to keep fingers crossed and gag the dogs

Good points RE: heating. I'll bear than in mind and check what the situation/law is here in the UK. And I'll check the spec of the boiler to see if it could handle an additional radiator.

Control room - as above, I would only have the space and finances for a single room, but most of what I do is fine in a single room set up. If at some point in the future I needed a "live room" I guess I could always set someone up in the house and wire back into the main studio room.

Acoustic treatment - that wasn't quite what I meant! I was just trying to say that I understand the importance of it and will address it as best I can. I didn't want a whole load of answers saying that I would need to treat the room. I've treated bedrooms in the last two houses I've lived in; in both cases using homemade traps and panels (superchunks, etc).

Many thanks for the help, much appreciated. I'm sure I'll be back with more questions, especially in a few months time when I find a place and it's all systems go

Cheers