Did you DIY or hire a contractor?

[LupineSound]

So found a space that seems like it has a lot of potential. It's 20' by 40' with high ceilings. I think that's plenty of space to partition it between a control room and a live room. How big do you suppose I should make the control room vs. the live room? Did you guys build out and treat the rooms yourselves or is there someone you can hire for that sort of thing? I am not very handy. haha

[MoreSpaceEcho]

i DIY'd everything. because i am poor. it took a long time and was hard fucking work. i did end up with some amazing arm muscles though (now gone). if you can afford to hire contractors, then by all means put your feet up, write checks, and tell them what to do. if not, then start learning. buy 'build it like the pros' by rod gervais. read it over and over.

most of the stuff involved in building rooms is not really that difficult...you don't need to be a genius to frame up a wall or tape and mud sheetrock. but you do need to pay attention and make sure you do stuff right, and even more importantly, you need to do a ton of thinking BEFOREHAND to figure out exactly what you want to/can do.

certainly building your own place is an incredible learning experience. i wouldn't trade it for anything, even though i cursed like a sailor for 6 months straight and nearly fell off the ladder about 70 million times.

as for your rooms, i would say something like 23'x20' for the live room and 17'x20' for the control room.

[Snarl 12/8]

I just got that DVD that was reviewed in TapeOp. I was a little underwhelmed at the detail and coverage, but I think it was worth the price as a confidence builder. It lays out a fairly sane looking way to cover the basics of the room construction without going apeshit over all the tiny details that'll buy you a half db of iso here and there.

[goose134]

As some know, I do construction for a living, so it's pretty easy to make a go at DIY projects. A lot of your decision should go into how valuable your time is. DIY will take a dozen times longer than pros. My electrical skills are ninja caliber. Watch me try and mud drywall and hold back the tears of laughter.

I liken it to an old Columbo quote about murder. "You know, sir, I do this every day. Catch murderers, that is. Every day for 20 years. Most murderers do this once. So they tend to make mistakes."

The learning curve is steep, but it can be vastly rewarding especially if you have a very specific vision in mind. Construction can be expensive, but so can shitty neighbors who call the city and want to see a permit.

It's funny, but I built my brother in law's basement years ago. He subbed out the drywall because neither of us wanted to do it. The first guy said he wouldn't mud it unless he hung it. And he wouldn't hang it unless he framed it. Well, I already framed it. He used the second guy.

If you choose the DIY route, keep us posted. I'll do what I can to point you in the right electrical direction at least.

[JWL]

20x40 with high ceilings should be doable for 2 rooms, and possibly a decent-sized booth with it. This might be useful for you when you design different sized room combos: http://realtraps.com/modecalc.htm

If you hire contractors, you have to assume they won't know what is needed for soundproofing and acoustics, since these techniques are NOT the same as normal construction techniques.

For instance, walls and sound isolation. The following image is very instructive:



Note that STC40 and STC63 use the exact same materials, but one provides 23dB more isolation between rooms than the other. Things like this are not intuitive.

I agree with the earlier post that Rod Gervais' book is very useful, whether you DIY or hire a contractor, the drawings inside will be helpful.

Good luck with your build!

[GIK Acoustics]

without going apeshit over all the tiny details that'll buy you a half db of iso here and there.

Just to add a little light here - the point isn't going ape shit to add isolation - the details are what makes sure you are getting the dB reduction that you physically need. If something is improperly constructed, you can ruin the entire chain of it and negate any extra money you spent.

There have been many successful DIY studios I've seen built though, and Rod's book is fantastic for construction of studios.

The nice thing about hiring an acoustician is if noise reduction is an absolute must, then you will need a specific isolation level. You and the acoustician can agree on this beforehand so if it isn't met, it isn't going to cost you more money to do it right. Also, acoustics are pretty much taken care of from the get go so it certainly makes it worthwhile. But alas, if you have the time and skill, I'm sure it will be very fulfilling indeed!

[klangtone]

I'm not handy either so I hired a Contractor to do my room.
It's not cheap, so be prepared to pay (I've been saving for 10 years).
Since you are starting with a shell already, it won't be as bad as my situation.

When looking for a Contractor, try to find someone humble and really into the project. I don't think my guy is making too much off the project, but he is just really into it. Being humble is important because if you get someone that think they know what's best all the time, they will assume a lot of things that just don't work for studios.

Good luck!

Roy

[Nick Sevilla]

I did both.

Contractor for the heavy stuff, done under my supervision.

The lighter stuff, such as wiring and detail sound treatment, myself.

Cheers

[Smitty]

I am by no means an expert on proper studio design, but basic construction skills (framing, insulation, drywall, etc.) ain't exactly rocket surgery. I've learned a lot of them by doing them as I've remodeled my house for the past 3+ years.

If you're not on a rigid time schedule, round up some buddies or relatives (at least one that knows how to do the above things and one you can borrow good tools from) and learn as you go. You get the double bonus of saving money AND learning valuable life skills.

If it were me, I'd pay somebody to design a real space, and do as much of the basic construction work as I thought I could reasonably do without running afoul of building codes.

[banana brains]

I'm relatively handy, and I am in the process of building my project space. Here's the conclusion I've come to:

Hire a pro, unless you are looking for the experience. Here's why:

If you don't have all the tools already, you'll nickel and dime yourself the whole way through the project. Plus, what a pro can do in a week took me six months (because I just don't have the time).

Also, like others have said "its not rocket science", but it is NOT easy to get a professional finished product either. Anybody can mud and tape drywall seems, its true. But mine are not professional looking. They are uneven. If I did it again, it would be better. But that is what happens the whole way through. You learn how to do it after you are finished.

If you've got the money, hire a pro!

[GIK Acoustics]

I'm relatively handy, and I am in the process of building my project space. Here's the conclusion I've come to:

Hire a pro, unless you are looking for the experience. Here's why:

If you don't have all the tools already, you'll nickel and dime yourself the whole way through the project. Plus, what a pro can do in a week took me six months (because I just don't have the time).

Also, like others have said "its not rocket science", but it is NOT easy to get a professional finished product either. Anybody can mud and tape drywall seems, its true. But mine are not professional looking. They are uneven. If I did it again, it would be better. But that is what happens the whole way through. You learn how to do it after you are finished.

If you've got the money, hire a pro!

Bingo!

[digitaldrummer]

I also used a professional for the construction of the actual building, and then DIY'd the interior myself.

http://www.digitaldrummer.net/studiobuild/index.htm

Mike

[ott0bot]

This year I'm planning on building my garage into a one room music space/guest house and I'll be doing a DIY contractor combo like most people on here did.

luckily my dad, who is pretty build savvy and has tools will be assisting. we're tearing out the existing drywall, then getting the electric rewired with a new sub panel (each 4-gang plug will have it's own breaker, as will the lights and AC). then we'll insulate, brick over the garage door, replace the main entry door, and finish up with new drywall and wood panelling and build absorbers. not going apeshit on keeping it super tight sound proofed, but it'll be solid. going to do some cool wall customization for speaker placement, mic & stand storage, etc. I want to add a bathroom outside of the building along with a small storage space/machine room eventually. looking at ductless AC like digital drummer...just gotta make sure they don't jack up my nice wall! I'm sure I'm under thinking some aspects, but I've done a lot of research and will have my dad to bounce off ideas.

I'll try to post some pics, good luck on your construction!