Two Questions...How much? and How long?

S

smythology

New member
A question for everyone, how much has your building projects cost you so far (also, what will be your predicted cost at the end?) and how long has it taken you so far (and how much more time 'till the end?).

I know pondering over these questions may erk some of you but, hey, soul searching is healthy. Besides, I have every reason to be envious as well as curious.

Dobro asked the second question but everyone got off topic...

robin
 
Carriage House Recording is currently into its 16th month of construction (I'm doing most all the work myself).
My total budget for the project was $60K USD, and so far I've use about $48K.
It looks like mid July for move-in. So that will have been about 18 months of construction time for a "from the ground up" studio.
 
My current home studio (13x20') has a budget fo $10K, I'm at $7k right now, with the only "stuff" left to purchase are the materials for the steel console desk, paint, etc.

Steel for console desk $970
Mig wire $75
Argon gas $140
Primer/paint for desk $250
Primer/paint for room(s) $170
Moulding $350

So thats what, about another two grand?

I would have grossly been over budget had I not won various auctions on ebay. Got enough "Pergo" birch engineered flooring to do the studio plus 35%, for 20 cents a sq foot. Also won 16 Gentnor patch bays for $15 a pop or thereabouts, a pallet of 2gig SCA scsi drives for about 17 cents a pop (Yes, I bought an entire pallet of 'em), and finally, I also won a spool of 24-pair TRS snake cable (1500 feet) which was dirt cheap also (I paid more in shipping actually), and it turned out to be mogomi, which is decent cable.

Which means I don't have to move funds from my twin-turbo stroker crewcab fund into my studio fund, which means I can afford to finish that project as well. I'm running the two projects side by side which quite honestly, is why neither of them are done.
 
Including building the building itself, my 23 X 16 X12ish space has cost me $16,000, not including gear. That is incredibly cheap, since A) My builder built the shell for only $10,000 (he was building the big house anyway, plus he's a bass-playing nut himself who probably lost money to advance a cool cause) and B) I am incurable cheapskate who built all the internal fixtures/treatment/racks/surfaces/built-ins myself.

http://www.toddejones.com/hugebuilding.html

How long did it take? Oh God, it took a couple of months to plan, 10 months to build (as part of main house) and 2 years to outfit. I have a full time gig, plus many other new-house in the country projects that distracted me from the important task of building my dream space. I would estimate that my effort, after the builder completed the shell, was about 800 hours.

Now that it's done (insofar as a studio is EVER done), it's great. However, being studioless for 2.5 years was really horrible.
 
Todzilla said:
Now that it's done (insofar as a studio is EVER done), it's great. However, being studioless for 2.5 years was really horrible.
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You and me both.

Every time I hit the next major milestone, my wife finds me hiding behind the sofa and hands me the honey-do list. :D
 
Garage to decent studio

Last year I started the project in Sept. I have ran my budget up to $5,000. I did all the work myself while collecting from the state, but they don't need to know that. If you don't like it you can kiss my ass. I deserve that studio and you or no one else can take that away from me. ha Plus I am recovering from knee surgery and disability runs out fast. Sorry to come off that way. Idid look for a few jobs and even had one at a local Hardware store. I got a discout and used it to my advantage. So I guess it all worked out for the better.

As for the rest of you with wives. How much support do you really get when it comes to building the studio from your wife? I want to know. I need one.

I did have most of the tools needed and spent around $500 on that alone (drill bits levels straight edges augers wire stripers etc.). I could tallly it all up. But do you really care.

I've just finished the studio except for a book shelf that needs to be installed. That cant be more than $40. Every thing looks great and all I need is clients to pay of the construction price. Then I'll be even.

I'm outiee,

Case'n'Point

https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=119037
 
casenpoint said:
As for the rest of you with wives. How much support do you really get when it comes to building the studio from your wife? I want to know. I need one.
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I would consider my wife "reasonable" and fair.

Its very easy for me to spend 40 hours straight in my studio, or the same amount of time under my truck or in the garage on a car project, so she pokes me somewhat often to ensure that some of my attention is spent with her one on one, i.e. a movie, dinner, etc, and/or doing some of the house stuff I keep ignoring. Like mowing, fixing gutters, broken things, remodeling, etc.

As long as things are reasonably balanced, she's a darn good sport. She is actually more fond of my recording "hobby" than my car "hobby", simply because my studio when closed up, is quiet on the outside.

A few months ago I fired up a 600cid twin-turbo engine on a metal stand I made, and lets just say it was a little more than painfully loud without any exhaust on it. But I had to run it for 2 hours at 2500 RPM to break in the camshaft, so it was annoying I'm sure for quite a while :D
 
frederic said:
A few months ago I fired up a 600cid twin-turbo engine on a metal stand I made, and lets just say it was a little more than painfully loud without any exhaust on it. But I had to run it for 2 hours at 2500 RPM to break in the camshaft, so it was annoying I'm sure for quite a while :D
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I don't even want to open the hood on a car anymore. There's nothing under there for me.
But I wasn't always like that; I've rebuilt my share of big and small block Chevy's. (1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2) Its funny that I still remember that! (The firing order of a chevy) I think I learned that when I was about 14.
Anyway.... You ran an engine... for 2 hours at 2500 rpm... with no exhaust??
Wouldn't that... I dunno... burn up your valves or something?
 
I don't even want to open the hood on a car anymore. There's nothing under there for me.
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On newer cars, I would agree. You'd spend 3-4 hours digging out hoses, covers, spagetti wiring etc before you could actually *see* the engine.

Thats why I like my 93 crewcab, a lot. I can actually work on it. Well, everything but brakes and wheel bearings. I don't have a lift here, so I have nothing to lift the 7000lb truck.

You ran an engine... for 2 hours at 2500 rpm... with no exhaust??
Wouldn't that... I dunno... burn up your valves or something?
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Naaaah, doesn't hurt the valves at all... in fact, the opposite is true - too much back pressure can cause carbon deposits on the exhaust valve as well as significantly increase valve and stem temperatures and reduce overall engine efficiency.

Also, I have the engine on a homemade run stand, so there isn't a load at all. On the back of the engine is a flywheel and a starter, covered by an old bellhousing, and thats it. Its like revving it in neutral, so there is no load to speak of. Lack of load made it difficult at first to keep the speed constant... but thats another story.

When things get further down the assembly process, and I make better turbocharger manifolds, the final exhaust system will be:

manifold(s) --> turbo(s) --> "Y" pipe --> straight 5" pipe --> atmosphere

I'm going to be using the turbos, as mufflers. No cats, nothing fancy, just careful EFI tuning for emissions compliance.
 
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