Basement studio owners - need some opinionated assistance!

[pikingrin]

Wife and I just started talking with the builder that is going to start working on our house this coming summer. I get the basement and a pole barn, she gets the rest of the house...

I just want to make sure that I give the builder the best information possible so I have a usable space for recording - the room sizes and wall/ceiling treatment ("soundproofing") are already covered from info on other threads - I'm just trying to pick your brains as to whether or not I would want HVAC run to the space, if you have ever experienced any issues with excess humidity, ceiling heights, etc.

I would imagine that I won't need HVAC - my current basement stays between 56 and 65 degrees year round - comfortable enough (?) and it seems that an AC vent would both allow sound to escape to the rest of the house and also dry out the air too much when the furnace runs during the winter. Control room would possibly benefit from it but nowhere I'll be micing anything.

Humidity in my current basement (have had a hygrometer down there since last winter) sits between 35 and 55 percent, has anyone else kept track of their relative humidity? If it's too high, where do you put the dehumidifier (I haven't ever used one, no reason to here as there's nothing down there too sensitive to humidity levels)? If I have one outside the studio area and keep the door(s) to that area open would that be enough to keep it at an acceptable level?

They can give me up to an 8.5' ceiling height when all is said and done. Per the builder, and I agree, the deeper they make the basement the more issues could be had when it rains, when snow melts off, etc, and it could increase the chances of a flooded basement if the sump pumps can't keep up or the power goes out. What's your ceiling height and do you find it difficult to work with as far as treatment goes?

I've got time to work out all the details as the build is not going to start for at least 6 months, just trying to get a general consensus on the "small stuff" now. Thanks!

 

[Tadpui]

I hear ya on the HVAC...I was nervous about punching big holes in a wall that was supposed to be the main barrier between my studio and the rest of the basement. We put in a central HVAC vent but no return. So the room gets stuffy in a hurry when the doors are closed and the amps are cooking, but vents quickly once the doors are opened. If you have the cash, ask about a split system so you can have a dedicated HVAC for the otherwise airtight studio. That's the one thing I wish I'd just plunked down the cash for (it would have added about $5K to the bill...I was already shell-shocked by the esitmate so I declined the split system).

Humidity in my basement was pretty consistent at 55%-60%. I don't think that's a hazardous level of humidity, at least not for musical instruments. For electronics, it may be...I just don't know. I never had any issues with my equipment in that environment. I haven't measured since it was finished, but now you've got me curious.

Have a Zoeller sump pump installed, and maintain it regularly. It's the weakest link between ground water and your precious studio. In years past I'd used cheap Water Ace pumps from Lowes. Thankfully my basement wasn't finished at the time, or else I would have had 3 separate disasters down there due to those crappy pumps. The Zoeller has been trouble-free for several years now. But still plan on replacing it every 5-10 years "just in case". Compared to the cost of restoring a flooded basement, sump pumps are cheap.

My ceilings were 8 feet before the finish. With the isolated joists that are slightly lower than the existing ones, and 2 layers of drywall, I think the ceiling is right around 7'7". Even with a 4" cloud panel and a 2" air gap above that, it doesn't impede my headroom (I'm 6'0"). I do have to be aware when slinging/unslinging a guitar strap over my shoulder, but I haven't yet banged the cloud panels with a headstock.

 

[pikingrin]

You've got a nice looking space dude, I was just checking out the pictures in that thread you have going.

I'll have to make a note of that sump pump...I'm thinking going dual sump pits just to help keep up with big rain days as the water table is pretty high up there and I don't want to have to worry too much about it. Not sure if that will help anything or not, I've got 2 pits where I'm at now and haven't had any issues in the year and a half I've been here while a few of my neighbors have.

Still up in the air on the HVAC though. Does it make a lot of noise through the vent when the unit is running?

 

[DM60]

I knew a guy who instead of making his basement deeper, he raised the house by about two feet. That really made a difference. Standard basement forms but still get the higher ceilings. That was in Southern Indiana, where they talk different from you guys in Indy.

Even if you don't have vents in your basement, if the heater is going to be in the basement, your going to hear it. Add to that if it is gas since it requires a vent fan, water heater as well.

I think I would take the pole barn. Recording studio/man cave. If you get guys coming in to record, they don't have to go through the house, don't have to worry if you are playing amps or DI. I would use the basement as last resort. As a matter of fact, if you could make the pole barn two stories, record upstairs and store stuff down stairs. Unless you have those big ass combines that are three stories high.

 

[Tadpui]

Hey thanks man, I appreciate it. I'm still in the honeymoon phase with my new studio so I'm sure I'll start compiling complaints as the months and years move on

In my case, the HVAC is totally silent. If I put my ear right up against it, I can hear air moving but not any mechanical noise from the furnace fan. In the middle of the room, it's totally inaudible to me. They used a flexible duct for this one register, it kinda looks like a shiny silver sleeping bag. It's a pretty long run of ducting as well, so I'm well-distanced from the mechanical parts of the furnace fan. I'm not sure if my furnace is under-powered for the new square footage, or if that flexible ducting restricts the air flow (maybe both), but it doesn't move as much air as it did when it only had to heat/cool the upstairs. But the slower-moving air probably helps reduce the wind noise at the wall register. With both doors shut, my CPU cooler fan is the loudest thing in the room, and it's less than 50 dB right at the face of the computer case (my cheapie SPL meter only goes down to 50 dB). It's barely audible in the middle of the room. And it's otherwise dead-silent.

You might ask around, and hopefully one of the regular experts will happen by and have some suggestions for HVAC options. Since you'll have an airtight room, you're going to want air circulation somehow. Otherwise heat from lights, amps, and warm bodies will build up in a hurry, as I'm quickly finding out! My basement temps were similar to yours as well, nice and cool all year-round.

 

[bongoboy]

On the subject of sump pumps, invest in a 2nd battery back-up pump. Well worth the couple of hundred clams.

 

[pikingrin]

DM - That's not a bad idea to raise the house a little bit... The pole barn might not be a viable option; my brother-in-law just had one built that would be large enough for a small workshop and vehicle storage and it cost him $40k. Even if I built the exact same I wouldn't have enough room for a modest studio area (big enough for all my crap) and a decent workshop. To do a 2 story wouldn't be a bad idea but I don't even want to know what that would cost... I doubt I'd ever be recording anyone but myself so I thought the basement might be easier, especially during the winter months. And I'm from Texas originally, nobody up here talks the same way I do!

I'm hoping, as far as the mechanical noise from utilities is concerned, that I can either put them in their own room downstairs or that the doubled up drywall would dampen it enough to where it wouldn't be noticeable. I'm sure I can have them put all of that equipment in a separate area when they build.

Bongo - for sure with the battery backup pumps. The only time we would need them is if the power goes out though. My FIL sells those standby generators and he's going to hook us up with one, or so he says.