John Sayers' Recording Studio Design Forum Archive

Hey guys,

I did a search on this topic and found a few things, but none of them seemed to really address my specific idea. (I also searched on homerecording.com, but I couldn't really find anything either.)

Here's my deal. My wife and I are moving into a new house, and I'd like to turn the garage into a rehearsal room. It's about 18x18, 8 ft ceiling, concrete floor, and the walls are brick.

There is no concern for sound leaking into the house; my wife is cool with me being loud on occasion. The only thing I want to do is make it quieter for the neighbors' sake.

My idea is to simply build one wall in front of the garage doors (or behind... inside the garage.). This would use the soundproof-aiding techniques that I've learned about here (the staggered studs, etc.) Would this provide a significant difference in the sound leakage if it were done properly? (I know that I would have a ventilation concern to take care of as well.)

If this would be a good idea, any ball park figures on what it would cost?

Thanks for any input.

Part of this would depend on what you mean by "brick walls" - are they solid brick, brick veneer over stud frame, concrete block, or something else?

Brick absorbs a lot of water, so there are normally "weep" holes along the base for this to drain, and a sloped drainage path allowed for in the construction - downside of this is, no HERMETIC SEAL so sound control isn't as good as it could be.

Building a wall in front of your garage door can be a major PITA - depending on whether you want to keep the door functional, whether it's an overhead door, segmented or one-piece, etc -

Material wise, assuming a double wide door and an 18' x 8' wall that's worth putting up (isolation-wise, that is) you'd be looking at either staggered or fully separate frames (separate costs just a bit more, but several dB better isolation and slightly wider footprint) -

framing, if your local material prices are similar to west coast, should run about $250-$300 for framing, then (if it's really only 8 feet high)

20 sheets of 5/8 gypsum (NOT fire code unless it's mandatory, costs more and less mass) at about $7.50 each($150)would do two layers each side -

insulation, unfaced fiberglass batts slightly compressed should run about $0.75 per square foot, so 144 sq ft should be about $100,

screws/nails maybe $60,

acoustic caulk at about $4 per tube, at least one case probably two, so around $100,

3-4 3-gal pails of joint compound @ $5-8 each,

couple rolls of paper tape, around $5,

Contractor size caulk gun, about $15 @ Home Depot if yours carries it,

Taping knife, $5-10, misc. other drywall tools around $25

Screw gun - for one wall, renting might be less (or buy, use, and sell it) about $80-100, or the "full auto" version (strip screws, really fast) for around $175, but only if you have a LOT of other projects in mind or will sell it after.

Visquene plastic vapor barrier for inner vapor barrier - about $15 - 6 mil is good weight, do NOT use CLEAR as it will disintegrate given half a chance and some sun.

Paint - depends on what you want, anywhere from $12 a gallon on the cheap, better stuff covers better and lasts longer. Do NOT use OIL base, it will act as another vapor barrier and cause rot/mold in the wall. Should take 1-2 gallons per side, you'll never get 400 sq ft coverage unless you roll it so thin you can see through it.

Probably forgot a couple of things, but looks like around $ 800 not including screw gun or paint... Steve

Great, thanks so much for all the info!

P.S. I don't have posession of the house yet (we close today!), so I'll have to get back to you on the brick issue.