Studio Build Documentation

ashcat_lt said:
I’m sure I mentioned something about that a while back. Not this thread, but you were there. IDK what you’d have to do to satisfy codes, but it’s gotta be possible cause people do it all the time. I suppose you’ve got plenty of space and money, though, so...
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If I recall...are you talking about the "no drywall" thing?
TBH...I really don't know where people "do it all the time"...unless you mean homeowner DIY projects, where someone finishes off their basement or garage, etc.

Here's the thing...to do any kind of addition, in most states where people are building within close proximity of civilization, and not somewhere deep in the backwoods...you can't do an addition without a permit. Heck, you can't even build a larger shed without a permit.
You can certainly go ahead and build it...but if the town finds out, you're gonna get cited, and you may even have to take it down.

Now...once you enter the world of needing/getting a building permit...all the building codes apply, and the building inspector will be around several times during the project to inspect. Not to mention...the licensed contractor doing the work is not going to build against code.
OK...so maybe you DIY the entire build, and figure to get your inspection and your C of O...and then you turn around and rip out the drywall (kinda dumb, but whatever)...and you're enjoying your no-drywall sonic bliss...well guess what, if you have any kind of fire, you're insurance will laugh at you when you file a claim, because you ripped out the fire-stop drywall.

So again...I don't know where or who these people are that "do it all the time"...but they are most likely not following approved building codes, and they risk their insurance being voided by that should they have a fire or some kind of damage.

AFA me having the space...well, now I will.
AFA as having plenty of money, well, enough to build with permit, following codes, fully insured...and the real point is, I'm protecting my audio investment by doing it properly. This ins't just a basement or spare bedroom conversion...already had that. I'm going for something a bit more involved.
Now AFA what other people do in their home studios...it's their choice, their risk.

I'm just not seeing your point...what's to be really gained...and you know, even if there was no permit needed or codes to follow, the thought of leaving the insulation exposed just doesn't appeal to me.
Of course, there's more to it than just that...the drywall acts as the leaf spring that helps control the sound coming in and going out of your space...especially with double 5/8" drywall. With just insulation, you would lose that.
 
I'm willing to defer to anybody else on the legal ramifications of all of this. I thought [MENTION=112380]jimmys69[/MENTION] had worked in this arena.

I never said anything about no drywall, though. My objection is to putting drywall over insulation just to put more insulation over the drywall. How is this helping anybody? I suppose if you sell insulation...
 
Yes Miroslav be especially wary of wood dust. There is a famous piece of medical research which found out why the chair makers of High Wycombe has such a high incidence of cancer. IIRC correctly even their families had a higher incidence due to them bringing the dust home!

Dave.
 
ashcat_lt said:
I never said anything about no drywall, though. My objection is to putting drywall over insulation just to put more insulation over the drywall. How is this helping anybody? I suppose if you sell insulation...
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OK...then how can you have drywall...but not have it cover the insulation...?


Look...first you build a proper structure...according to building codes. After that you deal with treatment to fine tune it.
The fact that insulation is used for both inside the walls and also in many acoustic traps that go outside the walls...is irrelevant. There is no short-cut where you can combine the two into one, and save some money and building effort.

I mean what's your way around that? You're objecting as though it's some conspiracy to sell more insulation...? :D
I can bet that most construction material outlets don't even realize the we audio guys use traps made with insulation.

AFA the legal stuff...it's pretty simple. You build without code, without inspections and a C of O...and your house burns down or just has some kind of issues related to the construction...your insurance won't cover it.
AFA the town...they can either make you bring it all up to code...or worse case, take it down. I'm sure in very small villages, in remote areas...things are much more relaxed with inspectors...but I think most insurance would use that in their favor if something happened.
 
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ecc83 said:
Yes Miroslav be especially wary of wood dust. There is a famous piece of medical research which found out why the chair makers of High Wycombe has such a high incidence of cancer. IIRC correctly even their families had a higher incidence due to them bringing the dust home!

Dave.
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If I was working at a lumber mill, OK...but the amount of it during this construction is mostly a temporary irritation...not a permanent thing.
 
miroslav said:
If I was working at a lumber mill, OK...but the amount of it during this construction is mostly a temporary irritation...not a permanent thing.
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Fairynuf. Re "code". We call it "planning permission" and yes, very silly not to stick to it. There was a TV doc' a year or so ago and several people had to pull down non-compliant structures and it cost them thousands.

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
Fairynuf. Re "code". We call it "planning permission" and yes, very silly not to stick to it. There was a TV doc' a year or so ago and several people had to pull down non-compliant structures and it cost them thousands.

Dave.
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It's really pretty simple for me.
When I started the project I let my homeowner's insurance know...and they immediately added the new structure to the policy, even though construction had not yet begun...because in the even of any fire or damage during construction, it would be still covered for the full amount.

That policy hinges on me having a permit, passing the inspections, and following codes...not just the drywall, but structural integrity, electric, insulation, plumbing and any egress codes, etc.

I wouldn't jeopardize the cost of the construction in any way by bypassing some codes. Even the power distro I ran for the audio gear...I made sure the electric inspector noted them and approved the installation.
 
Build sounds like it's going great. As to " It's funny...before the drywall, the room sounded real nice with just the insulation..." . Many years ago I met an ancient local guy that had once been the only guy recording anything in our area. He began pre-8track tapes! Lots of great stories from him. He had several studio locations and eventually built his basement into a full tracking studio. I don't have all the details but he had the outer walls fully insulated as well as the inside dividing walls and covered with pegboard. It worked like a huge bass trap and absorbed everything. It was quite dead but that was what he needed. I've often wondered how a couple of panels would work out. Don't know about codes with pegboard as a covering. And I wondered where he got 4x8 sheets of wood look pegboard paneling.
 
ronhar said:
And I wondered where he got 4x8 sheets of wood look pegboard paneling.
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Do you mean hardwood pegboard instead of the white stuff? Or what looks like wood paneling?

maybe he was handy with a drill and very patient. I couldn't imagine doing a 4x8 sheet by hand. something like 4464 holes
 
ronhar said:
Don't know about codes with pegboard as a covering. And I wondered where he got 4x8 sheets of wood look pegboard paneling.
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I've used pegboard...and I think it's available in 4'x8'sheets....but not as the only wall covering.
Again...it wouldn't pass code...but I can see using it for a secondary wall. So like, if you did a room-in-room...only the outer, main wall would need to follow drywall code. It's mostly to do with fire control...though TBH, houses burn down real easy even with drywall, but this is what the industry has agreed on.

Another use for pegboard (which I will probably employ) is for gobos...where can build more sturdier units with pegboard on one side, and something solid on the other.


ecc83 said:
Bit OT Miroslav but this: SOS Forum • Interpreting audio measurement data - suggestion for an article might be of interest to you?

The articles have been delayed so the post is not as old as you might at first think?

I also understand the magazine is now available as a .pdf download but I am yet to try that, I like the actual paper!

Dave.
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TBH...I don't use that stuff to make major decisions. It's nice to get a reading, and some idea of what is going on...but at the end of day, I get more mileage with just listening to the room. I've seen people chasing their tails with REW readings...endlessly adding more and more traps, and not seeing any real improvement...until they end up with a padded room, and it's still almost as bad as it was.
This is often the case with small rooms...so measuring is kinda pointless...just stuff the shit out of it and go for dead.

In my new space, I will definitely run it to see how the bigger space responds...and I will pay some attention to the readings, but I don't plan to use them ad nauseam as my treatment guide.
 
DAY 85

OK...it's been several days now without an update...but it doesn't mean nothing has been going on. :)

Yesterday the drywall tape-n-mud process began...and it should take a few days to complete. They basically do 3 passes...but they have to wait for each layer to dry before they do the next one, so it's down to how fast it dries. Then the final step is the sanding.
So for the drying to take place...this past weekend my baseboard heat was installed and hooked up to my furnace. Not the new studio has heat, along with the foyer and new bathroom. The plumbers spent about 4 hours on Sunday cutting the new lines into the existing system...also adding a 3rd zone (studio).

Today also my last window was finally installed, and I expect the back door will be installed in the next day or two, and they will then finish that siding around the back door. My front door came in wrong...so it's been reordered, and I should get that in a couple of weeks...in the meantime, I hoping to see the tile work kick in as soon as the drywall work is finished....unless my contractor decides to first paint the walls, and save the tile for last.

So I'm thinking maybe 2-3 weeks it will be done...with only the hardwood flooring left to do (2-3 days work), and some finish trim around windows and the baseboard, plus the 4 large "beams" that run across the room. I'm hoping that end of Feb, all that will be finished...which gives my two months to do my gear move and installation, and final touches, etc...and I hope May 1 it will ALL be done!



Day85A.jpg



Day85B.jpg
 
bluesfordan said:
those pictures look like what I see when I wear sunglasses indoors :D
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It's the crappy LED lights the electrician put in temporarily...they're low-wattage, and give off that ugly blue/gray light, and since the room is large, my camera flash isn't bright enough to fill the room.
It's better when I take them during the day, and then I get the additional sunlight in the room.
 
probably the same kind of light as the bathroom at the storage facility. The light is so dim it's practically like not being able to see. Jeez, LED use so little power, put a freaking brighter one so I can see where the damn toilet is, ya cheapskates.
 
bluesfordan said:
probably the same kind of light as the bathroom at the storage facility. The light is so dim it's practically like not being able to see. Jeez, LED use so little power, put a freaking brighter one so I can see where the damn toilet is, ya cheapskates.
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I have bulbs ready to go into all the fixtures...non-LED...I'm just waiting for them to finish the work.

It's like the refrigerator I bought last year when one of mine died, and I had to get it sorted out quickly, and was looking for a similar model.
Well..it's pretty close to what I had, except it came with LED lights inside...and I can hardly see what is in the fridge unless the kitchen lights are also on. It gives off that dull blue-gray light, which makes everything look weird, because the color temp is not very natural/normal...so when you look inside, all the food looks like its in black & white, which makes it harder to see what you have without taking a long look.

We are too efficiency conscious at the expense of our eyes and our visual experience.
Have you noticed the cars at night that have that same ugly blue-gray white light...? You can hardly see anything when they are coming at you...because they create a weird haze in the dark...and there is science that says that color of light is bad on the eyes.

I'll take incandescent or halogen over the blue-gray light any day. I hate it in commercial buildings, it's makes everything look cold.
 
I've got some LEDs that are warm color, more like incandescent. I have some others that are that bright blueish light. About a month ago, I bought an LED 4ft fixture at Harbor Freight to put in the basement where I had a Fluorescent fixture go bad. WOW! Its about 5000 lumens. It lights up EVERYTHING.

Just like regular bulbs, you need to find out what color temp you like and go with that.
 
TalismanRich said:
I've got some LEDs that are warm color, more like incandescent. I have some others that are that bright blueish light. About a month ago, I bought an LED 4ft fixture at Harbor Freight to put in the basement where I had a Fluorescent fixture go bad. WOW! Its about 5000 lumens. It lights up EVERYTHING.

Just like regular bulbs, you need to find out what color temp you like and go with that.
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Yeah, there are LED that try to look like incandescent bulbs...but there's more to it than just the color. All LED bulbs (even the ones that screw into standard sockets) have built in transformers, and I've found that they can dirty up your electricity with EMF emissions, same area of concern that people have about WiFi, cell phones, etc...and when you consider that these days, it's not one or two devices, but people are literally surrounding themselves in their homes and workplaces than ever before...there are many who have health concerns, and not just the fact that your electricity is made dirty...which by the way lowers the efficiency of your electric system.

IOW, the dirtier the electricity, the more power your appliances need to run...so you end up using more electricity than before.
So much for efficiency and being "green" by using LEDs, and "smart" device technology...including all the "smart" electric meters being installed nationwide...they introduce substantial "dirt" into your home electric, and they transmit 24/7 via WiFi technology...which emits high levels if EMF.


Not to go off on some political twist or conspiracy theory thing here in my own thread...but people should read about this stuff and make informative decisions rather than just giving in to convenience and what someone else is selling. It would not be surprising that in 50 years, we'll be getting rid of as all these devices once the magnitude of their effect on health is documented over time.

I don't use WiFi (I'm able to, but I just leave it off and use hard lines), rarely turn on my cell phone at home since I have a landline, and there are only incandescent bulbs throughout, except for my shed, which has fluorescent bulbs, but they were there when I bought the house, and they only get turned on when I need to go in the shed. :)

Here's some basic info on EMF radiation...but folks should do their own deeper research and make then their decisions.

LEDs and EMFs: What you Need to Know - Green Living Ideas
 
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