Second Floor Garage Studio Design

[SeaweedChampion]

Hey everyone,

I've been lurking the forum for a while now and I've spent a lot of time reading up on everyone's studio builds, trying to absorb as much information on the subject as possible. The time has finally come for me to start finalizing the designs on my own studio and I was told you guys are the best people to ask about all of my questions and concerns.

Just a disclaimer before I get started: I've been putting a lot of thought into this for the past two months, trying to read as much as I can and making sure I spent a lot of time figuring out the pros and cons of my various design attempts. A lot of this information feels like it's over my head. I know that some of you do this professionally and that you're essentially donating your time and talents for this, so I've tried to do as much legwork as I can before hand. This is probably going to be a really long post, because the more research I've done the more questions I have. I apologize if this is too much info.

My space needs to serve three functions: provide a space to record loud instruments, provide a space that is acoustically treated for mixing, and provide a general hangout space with a couch, TV and a few storage solutions. The third requirement has created a lot of unique issues in my designs. I accept that my space is limited and I will have to make compromises on the design, but having been mixing in an closet for the past month or so, anything will be an upgrade.

As far as budget goes, I am a poor college student, but I am committed to doing this the right way. I'm going to be doing all of the work myself with the help of a few skilled family members. If there are ways to save money, that's excellent, but I don't want to spend $100 on something that I'm just going to have to upgrade in a year. I don't have a set number that I'd like to spend, because honestly, I have no idea how much this is going to cost. But I am prepared to have to put things on hold while I save up some funds. In short, I am willing to dedicate funds to this project but I am not a millionaire. As the process goes on, hopefully I'll be able to give more concrete answers in regard to budget.

My initial designs featured three separate rooms, but I'm concerned that I will end up with three rooms that are too cramped to live with. Lately, I've been considering merging the hangout room and the control room, but I'm unsure of how that will affect acoustic treatment, and how much of a comprise I'd be making versus a discrete control room.

I feel like I should take some time out to explain some of the designs. I'll admit I'm not the best SketchUp user yet, but I think the layouts are good enough to get my ideas across.

Layout 1: This layout was my first complete design. I am concerned that the mixing room is too small, especially if I want to fit a person or two for tracking purposes. I also ran into an issue with where to put the door into the hangout room, since I can figure out how to work them in with the sloped ceilings. The issue with having the live room on this side is the window and half wall.

Layout 2: This was my attempt to make a live booth big enough to fit a drum set in. It's hard to say how this would work out in real life with the ceiling. I'd probably try to work my mixing desk into the space between the booth and the hangout room, but I'm not sure how that would work out acoustically.

Layout 3: This design is the simplest and least elegant of the three room designs. This really compromises on the hangout space in favor of a bigger mixing room in the center. Realistically, its going to be mostly me in the mix room and I will probably be spending almost all of my free time in the hangout space, so this design isn't my favorite. I have thought about making the live area smaller, but that half wall for the staircase makes me think it wouldn't be ideal.

Layout 4: This is my attempt at flipping the rooms and making the hangout room the first room. It seems to me the couch would be an issue, and I wouldn't have a ton of places to put bookshelves for video game storage.

Layout 5: This modifies the simple three room design, making the mixing room the first room and the live room the middle room. My concern here is that there wouldn't be enough room behind my desk and the wall as far as acoustics go, as well as a door. This might work if I could find a way to accommodate a door that wasn't directly center in the tallest part of the ceiling.

Layout 6: This is my simple two room design, merging the control room with the hangout space. This gives me the most space but I am concerned how the couch/tv/bookshelves will affect things. I've considered having the desk on the opposite side, but that might interfere with the door. Another consideration I've made was putting the desk in the corner and building a small seperate cubby that was still open to room. I don't know if this would work out well, because it would force my monitors into small corners and create a lot of headaches.

By far. my favorite design is Layout 6, but I've avoided becoming too attached to any one layout, because I'm sure there are many flaws to each of them that must be considered. There is a potential that I might be able to use some space on the ground floor to build a live room, but since it's an uncertainty right now, I decided to stick with what I know I have.

On to some of the general issues I've thought of.

I've read that the best technique is to use double-leaf design for the walls, but I encountered a slight issue with that on the outside walls, due to the way the studs are supported. The studs have supports that move away from them at an angle until they meet the ceiling. I'll post some pictures that show this in better detail than I can describe. How would I go about putting the other leaf of drywall up?

One of my main issues is with flooring. I was pretty set on installing hardwood floors, as my brother installed floors for 6 years and offered to help me installing my own. With temperatures in Coastal Carolina ranging from 30 to 90 degrees, I am concerned about the wood warping. I had one person tell me that it would be impossible, but everyone else I have asked suggested that it would be no issue. If hardwood floors aren't possible, what would be a better solution?

I was thinking about installing some cabinet doors on the walls to access the crawlspace behind the walls, but there is a gap between the floor and the crawlspace floor. Does this serve a purpose, or would I be able to bridge this where I access the crawlspace?

As for HVAC, I was thinking that a ductless air conditioning unit would be ideal for my application, but I haven't considered much for heating. There is a pellet stove installed on the first floor, and with the second floor naturally being much warmer than the first, I figured that this might suffice for my needs, but I won't really know for sure until I try it out. If the pellet stove doesn't work out, what are some cheap heating alternatives?

These are all of the questions and concerns that I can think of at this moment. Hopefully I've provided you with enough information to help me out, and if I have left anything important out, please let me know and I'll address that immediately. I really appreciate everyone who takes time out of their lives to help a stranger on the internet out. Thank you!

Here is an album with pictures of the actual space for reference. http://www.imgur.com/a/Lckos