New studio space...considering my options.

Update...

Today was a milestone day... :guitar: ...the contractor and I got all the paper work submitted for the town ZBA to review, and to get on their schedule so I can go before them and plead my variance case...which should be on the 25th of this month, if all the paperwork is in order, which it was...and the clerk said she would call me if they needed anything else, so I don't expect any additional delay.

If we get on the schedule for the 25th...and even if they make me come back a second time with more info or whatever...things look good for breaking ground by the end of August...assuming my variance request is approved, but based on what the contractor is telling me and his past experience with this kind of stuff, he doesn't see that there is a justifiable reason for them to deny the variance.

We'll see.
I told the contractor I won't celebrate until I see him on an excavator in my back yard picking up the first scoop of dirt. :)
 
Another update...

Today I got over hurdle #2...my meeting with the town ZBA. :)
They asked a bunch of questions, nothing crazy, looked at some pictures and survey map...and then voted to allow me to go to the next phase, which is the public hearing.
If the ZBA was going to make any serious objections, then I wouldn't have gone to the next step...but they all appeared to be generally OK, and only asked if they could do a site visit of my property, to which I said, "Any time".

So a month from now, and after I notify every neighbor within 500' of my property of my variance request, any of them are able to come to the public hearing and ask questions or voice concerns...and then the ZBA will make the final decision, though any objections have to be justifiable. It's not like someone just objects without a clear reason why. Most of those neighbors are going to be the ones on my street, and I may catch 1-2 on the adjacent street...the ZBA will send me the list of people I need to notify. I don't really expect any serious objections by the neighbors...and I'm told that very often no one that was notified of the public hearing even shows up.

I'm more confident now that the project will get a green light. It was the initial meeting today with the ZBA that was the bigger hurdle, where they could have rejected my variance request if it didn't meet with their approval....and then I would have to go through an appeals process at the county level...
...but today was a good news day, even my contractor, who was there, was all smiles. :guitar:

In the mean time...the rest of my house facelift is under way.
I completed the striping, sanding and refinishing of my two decks (what a PITA)...I have some replacement windows ordered for my kitchen/bath...10 new doors are waiting to be hung...and I've got 1000 sq. ft. of Brazilian Cherry hardwood flooring arriving on Tuesday, which is for the house living areas.
:cool:
When my studio build is done, there will be another 1000 sq.ft. of the same Brazilian Cherry for the new studio floor, unless I decide to go with a different wood, but I really like how this stuff looks, and it's very hard and has like 8 coats of high quality hard-as-nails-glazed finish, so it's a great choice for the studio flooring. It's substantially harder than the standard reference, oak, which is anywhere between 1300-1800 (depending on which oak) on the Janka hardness scale...while the Brazilian Cherry is over 2800, and I think it looks way better, with natural cherry wood colors, and not stained.
 
Another update...

My public hearing notices went out a couple of days ago...so in a couple of weeks I'll be back at the town hall to see if anyone shows up with any concerns/objections. It was 23 notices for the properties within 500' of mine...mostly up/down my street and a few behind my property.

Other than that...the rest of my general house facelift project is well under way. Replaced 10 doors with some solid wood 6-panel versions...have them all mounted (we were waiting for some hinges), so now my contractor will just do the final "tweaks" on them for smooth operation, then it's on me to prime-n-paint them. The couple of windows I was replacing are hear, ready to go...probably in a couple of days they will go in (we got some rain coming tomorrow)...and I've got my kitchen cabinet doors down, stripped the ones that were near the stove (by the time any grease is removed, it's just easier to strip/sand them)...and I should be hitting them with primer, probably tomorrow when it's raining outside.
After that...my hardwood floor is going down. It's been sitting here for about 10 days now, getting acclimated to the interior environment.

I know my general house facelift doesn't technically have anything to do with the studio build...but it is actually one big project, and portions of the general house facelift are directly tied to the studio build, and the emptying out of my existing studio space, which will become my new master bedroom, and the adjoining room which was my bedroom will be converted to a large closet space/dressing area, and more closet space... :D ...because I'm 90% decided now that my original studio build plan to have include some storage space and a larger iso-booth, will not happen.

The more I looked at it, I felt I wanted a HUGE studio space...and I will find/create storage elsewhere. AFA the iso-booth...the adjoining foyer the sits between the new studio and the rest of my house, that will provide an pretty good "iso-booth" or even a drum room, because it has a 12' high vaulted ceiling, slate tile floor, and all wood walls, including the ceiling. All I need to do is add a few traps on the walls to adjust the sound a bit...and it will be perfect for that.

I am pretty tired, lots of work every day...way more than imagined when initially considering the house facelift plans...and there will be even more when the studio build starts. I know I will be pretty actively involved with that contractor too. They will do the heavy stuff...but I will be there every day to lend a hand when the framing starts...and I will most likely do the resilient sound clip installation on all the studs...because I want that done right, and these guys don't deal with that stuff normally. After that, they will just "pop in" the metal furring/hat channels, and attach the double drywall to them.
Then when they basically finish with that, and prime/paint the drywall...my other contractor comes back, and he and I will then put in the sub-floor and the hardwood floor...all glued-n-screwed, 2"x4" framing, double layer of 1/2" plywood, and then the underlayment and 3'4" hardwood. Should be "pro basketball court" grade when it's done. :)
 
Major update!

I got my variance from the town zoning board! :guitar:
It took like 10 minutes...no one showed up for the public hearing from the people I had to notify. Well, I had to wait my turn, so I was actually there for a little over an hour. The people before me were also there for a variance...and their issue was much more involved. So when they got theirs approved, I was pretty sure they weren't going to deny mine. :)

My studio build contractor said we should be breaking ground in 3-4 weeks tops...all depends on when the mason is available, since they are working another addition, but that one smaller than my project. Bottom line...we are looking very good for completing the build before the cold weather, and then I'll just have the inside finishing...mainly the sub-floor and then the hardwood floor, but that will only take about 1-2 weeks, since it will be an empty room with no weird angles or closets...etc.
Unlike the hardwood flooring that is right now going into my living room, dining room, kitchen...basically the entire top floor of my house. It's quite bit more work considering the layout and the individual spaces. We been going at it for 4 days now, it's about 75% done, but we still have half the kitchen, the 1/2 bath and the dining room. It should be done by next Tue-Wed. It looks beautiful...can't wait to see the same floor in the studio when it's done. :cool:
 
Since you're building from the ground-up, did you consider hydronic heating?

No, i'm not a commercial - just thought it'd be a great idea for a studio.
 
Since you're building from the ground-up, did you consider hydronic heating?

No, i'm not a commercial - just thought it'd be a great idea for a studio.

It's not completely from the ground up...it's an extension/addition to an existing space...so there's no way to run piping throughout the whole floor.
Also, it's going to be a thick floor...double 1/2" ply on a 2'x4' frame on the flat, and then underlayment and 3/4" hardwood...so not a situation where I would want the heat in the floor.
Additionally...the A/C will be a mini-split w/heat pump...and then I'm going to also add hot water baseboard along one wall, tied into my existing furnace as a 3rd zone. That way I'll have the heat pump for mild-cold days...and the baseboard for the dead of winter cold days.
 
I'm getting a greater appreciation for hardwood floor since I started tearing up the wall to wall carpeting my parents put in 40 plus years ago. Hey, it was the '70s, it was the fashion at the time. At least we never had shag carpet although I did campaign for it but was denied. Thankfully.
 
Nothing to update other than to say...I'm still waiting. :facepalm:

My other house facelift projects are ongoing...but my studio project has yet to break ground because we are waiting on the town to give us the permit.
The Building Department is waiting on the lawyer for the ZBA to provide the official letter that my variance was approved...and he's apparently waiting on someone to transcribe the minutes of the ZBA public hearing session where they verbally approved my variance.
Don't you just love small-town government!? :rolleyes:

They were ALL there at that ZBA session....the lawyer, the Building Department, the ZBA people who voted to approve the variance...and me...but the formality of the official letter is now holding up the issuance of the permit! :cursing:

My contractor just laughs about it all and tells me to be patient. I tell him it's been 5 months since we first started...how much more patient can I be. :D
That said...he has confirmed that even with a mid-late October start, he will be able to get the foundation in, frame and seal it before we get into the colder winter...and then after that it's all inside work.


Apart form that...with all this time to think...I've been wondering about the floor for the studio. Having gotten the hardwood floor installed in my house on the entire top floor...it's beautiful, and I can imagine how it would look in a single, huge room like my studio will be....but I also wonder if it will hold up in a studio setting?
I see a lot of studios with similar hardwood flooring...so I guess it is what is...over time, the small dings and nicks will happen, and that's how it goes...but I was thinking if there was some alternative that was going to be much more durable, especially to things like mic stands, drums and heavier gear getting moved about...but also something that would be as appealing as the hardwood flooring...?
I don't want a polished cement floor, no matter how pretty it can be made...it's just too...industrial or shopping mall looking. Then there's either the vinyl products, the stuff that looks like fake wood, which I'm not crazy about...or the old-school linoleum tile. I can't think of anything else.
TBH...I've seen some studios with the old-school linoleum...in a balck-n-white checkered pattern...and does look nice. Very '50s R&R...but it would be pretty cold going down on the cement slab.

I dunno...I'll probably stay with the hardwood floor plan...and then just do the "oriental throw rugs" like every other studio does when they set up gear. :)
 
I have read more than once Miroslav that drum kits sound better setup on a "diaz" a plinth made of 3/4 ply and timber about 6-8" high?

The top can be covered with HD carpet tiles and the underside with tough rubber. Heck! you could incorporate wind down castors!

And, me being me, I would install floor boxes for mic XLRs and heaphone jacks on top. These could output at the rear and keep cable rats nests to a minimum.
All my (3!) mic stands have PVC caps on their legs.

Dave.
 
What's the reclaimed wood/lumber industry like in the area?

G

This being NY State, and the Hudson Valley area here being close to NYC/NJ metro area...everything old and beat up is "chic" and hipster retro cool...so antiques and reclaimed wood fetch a high price. :p

I was checking out the availability of large beams from old barns, etc...that I could use across the top of the walls as supplemental collar ties for the roof, and for some esthetic purpose. I found an entire industry to reclaimed wood. It would be very expensive to get (4) 25' 6"x6" or 8"x8" barn beams...but they have them, for sure.
So I'm going with basic 2"x 8" doubled pine beams, and then I will just cap them all the way around with some cheap pine planks that I can either stain, paint or apply one of the several "aging" treatments that are on the market (the price of reclaimed wood created a new need, and new products)...though there are also some "homegrown" methods for aging the wood...but I think it will be too much of a mess, and I'll just stain it. I may try one it on one plank and see how it comes out...I just don't need to spend time on that.

I have read more than once Miroslav that drum kits sound better setup on a "diaz" a plinth made of 3/4 ply and timber about 6-8" high?

The top can be covered with HD carpet tiles and the underside with tough rubber. Heck! you could incorporate wind down castors!

And, me being me, I would install floor boxes for mic XLRs and heaphone jacks on top. These could output at the rear and keep cable rats nests to a minimum.
All my (3!) mic stands have PVC caps on their legs.

Dave.

Yeah, I could do a drum riser...but I don't think I will bother with that.
AFA floor plates...if go with the hardwood, I decided I didn't want to have plates in the floor that if ever removed would leave holes that needed to be patched.
I'm going to go the long way and run some cable through the walls, and put plates in a couple of spots on them...and the rest will be just dropped cable.
I mean...a simple 16-channel snake box is a single cable, not a rat's nest...and it's easy to place where you need it, rather than relying on wall/floor plates, and then you still have to run cables from them.

This is mainly *my* studio space...so I don't need to approach some of this stuff as though there will be daily sessions coming and going, and I have to cover all possibilities and angles.
Yeah, the hardwood floor will require a bit more care during use...but it will look like a million bucks in a huge, open space room. ;)
 
This being NY State, ...Yeah, the hardwood floor will require a bit more care during use...but it will look like a million bucks in a huge, open space room. ;)

Just curious here, are you planning on doing parquet or basketball court style flooring? And i was curious also if you looked into any of the "renewable" flooring wood options like bamboo?
 
Just curious here, are you planning on doing parquet or basketball court style flooring? And i was curious also if you looked into any of the "renewable" flooring wood options like bamboo?

By parquet, I assume you mean the 12" squares of small wood strips, etc...?
No...not parquet.

How do you "basketball court style"...? I always told my contractor that I wanted it to be as solid as a pro basketball court, but that was more about the sub-floor installation.
It's a typical hardwood floor installation...not sure how that compares to basketball court flooring. These are 3.25" strips that come in various lengths, from 12" up to 6'-7' long...tongue-n-groove, 3/4" thick solid wood, which is the floor I just installed in my main house floor (LR, DR, KIT, BTH) and it is Brazillian Cherry.
Technically "exotic" wood, but AFAIK, it is renewable, though I doubt as fast as bamboo. It's a natural colored wood, that is not stained, but it comes in a variety of cherry/brown/blond colors and also a variety of grains. It is almost 3X harder than your standard oak flooring.

So that's what I am planning to put in the studio also. It will be on a cement slab, then 2"x4" on the flat frame, 16" on center, so really only like 12" spaces between the boards. There will be solid insulation of some type in the spaces between the boards. Then 3/4" sub-floor on top...and then the 3/4" hardwood floor.
I will most likely glue the 2"x4" frame to the slab, using the same glue they use for gluing hardwood floor...it's dries to a rubbery consistency, but once it dries, it's not going to let go...so that will help also decouple the wood framing from the slab somewhat, and/or at least dampen any transmission to the slab,

Oh...there will also be some kind of thick poly between the slab and frame to act as a moisture barrier...I'm just not sure how to put it down and then also glue the wood frame. I will probably just cut some slits in the poly for the glue down the middle of the boards. We did that with the rubberized underlayment that was used in the hardwood installation that we already did...in spots where you couldn't get the floor nail gun in place because of the walls or what have you, that way we avoided face-nailing the flooring as much as possible, and just cut some slits in the underlayment and glued the hardwood right to the subfloor, but left enough underlayment to maintain the level and the "seal"....if that makes any sense.

Yeah...as quick as I started thinking about something other than a hardwood floor for the studio...I quickly put those thoughts aside. I want the hardwood floor, it will be quite spectacular if I may say so myself...and I'm going to just get a bunch of smaller rugs for under the amps, the drums, the racks...and a few on the side for when needed. Some smaller 6' x 4' rugs...and a couple of bigger ones...and that should look nice and also save the floor.

My other thoughts are now about the walls. Since I'm doing the RSIC clips on the studs, and then running hat-channel through them for the two layers of drywall...I need to find out how much weight the clips/hat channel will support, so I have some idea what I can add on the walls/ceiling as treatment without overburdening the clips & drywall installation. Apparently with the staggered clip layout and the 4-5 horizontal rows of hat channel per 8' height of wall...they can support quite a lot of weight per sq inch...but I want to be sure. I would like to have some bigger panels in the walls that are maybe hinged, with hard surface on one side, absorbent on the other...that way I can change the sound of the room.

Of course...this is all just shit running through my head at this point...and when we get down to it, and I have the finished room and actually start laying things out and considering what will both work well and look good...I may end up with something totally different for inside treatment...and I hope not to have to do a lot of it. I'll have to try and get the decay as good as possible with a slight wet vibe, but without flutter. Just that nice sound, like when you talk in the middle of the room, and your voice really fills it without echo or weird acoustic interactions from the walls/ceiling.
I want to optimize for mixing/listening...which I think will allow also for a pretty good tracking environment. Add some gobos, etc...some heavy curtains for the 4 windows that can be opened or closed. It should be pretty good...so far I'm not seeing any substantial issues...and worst case, I add a bit more treatment than expected. :)
 
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Small update...but a major one.
Today I'm finally getting the official permit from the town! :guitar:
Boy...I was really starting to worry this thing was going to drag out too long into cold weather...the town took 6 weeks just to get the official variance letter (formality) from their lawyer before they would issue the permit...but it's all good now...we are still within the planned build window.

I think my contractor should be here sometime next week to start the project. :)
 
Small update...but a major one.
Today I'm finally getting the official permit from the town! :guitar:
Boy...I was really starting to worry this thing was going to drag out too long into cold weather...the town took 6 weeks just to get the official variance letter (formality) from their lawyer before they would issue the permit...but it's all good now...we are still within the planned build window.

I think my contractor should be here sometime next week to start the project. :)

Awesome! Hope that contractor is honest! :)
 
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