Timber cabin drum room

[Crunchy]

Hi, first time poster here. I hope you can give me some advise. I have a timber cabin I want to covert into a live room, mainly for recording drums. I'm picking up quite a bit of traffic noise etc. which I've measured to be within the 50 - 65 dB range (c rating). I'm considering going down the room within a room route obviously but not sure the best way to go about it. I've attached a basic plan of the cabin. My first thought is to build an internal wall (isolated stud/doorframe) to create a sound block to cut out noise from the main door and one of the windows ... please see plan (They are double glazed and good quality). My concern about this is that it might complicate the acoustics as regards standing waves ... a simple rectangular room might be better in which case I could build an internal wall the full width of the room as the expense of losing space. My second thought is to build an isolated rock wool filled stud along the internal perimeter walls and cover this with a double layer of plasterboard, maybe with green glue or other damping system between the plasterboard layers. The cabin is already lined with insulation backed plasterboard. So would my plan be good enough or do I have to consider those Genie clip/Isoclip supports for the two layers of plasterboard to be added?
As regards the ceiling, it is insulated and cover with tongued and grooved pine sheeting ... what is my best solution here?
As regards the floor which is also insulated, I am considering adding a layer damping material (Tecsound Mat) over the existing floor, adding an extra layer of plywood or OSB board and then adding new laminate floor cover. I hope this is making some sense and I'm attaching some photos to help. BTW The cabin is about 18 feet x 14 feet and the existing timber walls are about 4 inches thick plus insulation on the inside. Thanks in advance for any help!

[Gregwor]

Welcome to the forum. Please read the rules and fill out your profile completely as that is very important here.

My first thought is to build an internal wall (isolated stud/doorframe) to create a sound block to cut out noise from the main door and one of the windows ... please see plan (They are double glazed and good quality). My concern about this is that it might complicate the acoustics as regards standing waves ... a simple rectangular room might be better in which case I could build an internal wall the full width of the room as the expense of losing space. My second thought is to build an isolated rock wool filled stud along the internal perimeter walls and cover this with a double layer of plasterboard, maybe with green glue or other damping system between the plasterboard layers. The cabin is already lined with insulation backed plasterboard. So would my plan be good enough or do I have to consider those Genie clip/Isoclip supports for the two layers of plasterboard to be added?

The bigger the room, the better. You do not need to eat up a ton of space with the sound lock. Just build a simple rectangular room in your existing shell. Note, you need to remove the existing plasterboard as building another room in the existing room as is would result in a three leaf system and that is bad. You'll also probably have to add mass to your exterior sheathing in order to have enough surface density to make all of the effort and expense of your build worthwhile.

For your windows, I'm sure they're great thermally, but acoustically, regular residential windows will not work for what you need. You'll need one very thick piece of laminated glass in your outer leaf (replacing any windows that exist right now). Then you'll need another very thick piece for your inner room. Another option that will make your build cheaper would be to cover up the windows.

As regards the ceiling, it is insulated and cover with tongued and grooved pine sheeting ... what is my best solution here?

We need a detailed drawing here to comment. How high is your building and ceiling? Your "attic" area is a great place to place your HVAC silencer boxes. Speaking of which, how is the HVAC situated at the moment?

As regards the floor which is also insulated, I am considering adding a layer damping material (Tecsound Mat) over the existing floor, adding an extra layer of plywood or OSB board and then adding new laminate floor cover.

Like your ceiling, we need a detailed drawing here. Is your building sitting on a concrete slab or is the building floated off of the ground?

Greg

[Crunchy]

Hey Greg, great reply thanks. Just a few things ...

You'll also probably have to add mass to your exterior sheathing in order to have enough surface density to make all of the effort and expense of your build worthwhile.

The exterior is fairly solid as is (See photo). The existing plasterboard with insulated backing is attached directly to the timber frame with no air gap. Is this still two leafs or one thicker one?

Then you'll need another very thick piece for your inner room. Another option that will make your build cheaper would be to cover up the windows.

Could adding thick laminated glass to just the inner leaf possibly be enough. If that didn't work I could still replace the outer windows? The main door to the building would still remain an issue ... hence the sound lock idea

We need a detailed drawing here to comment. How high is your building and ceiling? Your "attic" area is a great place to place your HVAC silencer boxes. Speaking of which, how is the HVAC situated at the moment?

The internal walls are 226 cm/88.97 inch high and to the top of the ceiling apex is 283 cm/111.4 inch. There is no attic area. The only ventilation at the moment is the existing windows when opened.

Is your building sitting on a concrete slab or is the building floated off of the ground?

The building is currently supported on concrete blocks at each corner

Sorry I've no detailed drawings only photos and sketches I can do myself.

Just to add and for what it's worth, the cabin is based in the countryside. My main source of noise is traffic on a road about 50 yds to the front of the building. There is a high earth bank to the rear and the sides are also well sheltered by trees.

[Soundman2020]

Hi. Please read the forum rules for posting (click here). You seem to be missing a couple of things!

- Stuart -