drums in a townhouse?

[psmurf]

Hi all,

Hoping someone can answer this question: is it possible to soundproof a townhouse basement well enough to play acoustic drums and not annoy the neighbors for a reasonable amount of money? Second question: what is a reasonable amount of money? ;-) I want the sound level to sound like music played at a reasonable volume from my neighbors perspective.

I have not yet bought a townhouse, but I would much rather live in a small townhouse than buy a single family home way out in the sticks just so I can bang on some things, so I'm trying to figure out what I can 'get away with' so to speak ..

I would be in heaven if I could manage to soundproof well enough to practice at 2am, but I don't think that's gonna happen .. I'm planning on playing more than drums (lots of loud bass and guitar), but I figure if I can control the sound of a kick drum the other stuff shouldn't be an issue.)

thanks!
psmurf

 

[T1ny]

My condo townhouse is fairly new which means it's made like garbage and the best solution I came up with was this.

Before I bought I talked to both neighbours and informed them I'm in a band and we are loud.

We stop playing by 9:30 at night and everyone is happy. The neighbours closest to the drums say if they are in the living room they dont hear anything, if they are in the basment it sounds like we're playing a loud cd.

The other neighbours dont hear a thing.

Good luck!

 

[knightfly]

Under the right circumstances, it's very possible to contain even kick drums - a higher than normal ceiling helps, as do larger than normal room sizes (so you can increase the air gap in walls)

Everybody's idea of budget is different - what would be your absolute maximum budget, what town is this in (or near) and are you (or a friend) experienced in construction techniques and have access to the necessary power tools?

If you're able to do a solid fully isolated room, you might even be able to play the drums at 2 AM, depending on what the rest of your existing construction is like... Steve

 

[psmurf]

Under the right circumstances, it's very possible to contain even kick drums - a higher than normal ceiling helps, as do larger than normal room sizes (so you can increase the air gap in walls)

Everybody's idea of budget is different - what would be your absolute maximum budget, what town is this in (or near) and are you (or a friend) experienced in construction techniques and have access to the necessary power tools?

If you're able to do a solid fully isolated room, you might even be able to play the drums at 2 AM, depending on what the rest of your existing construction is like... Steve

Hi knightfly, thanks for the reply.

I would definitely be creating an isolated room, but I can't give any details as to the existing structure since I'm just planning to buy a place at this time. This would be in Baltimore or thereabouts most likely, and I have experience in framing & carpentry (never done drywalling, but it can't be too hard). Tools should be no problem to get ahold of.

Let's say the room I was constructing was 10' x 10', any idea of what that would cost? Assume there are no columns in the way and brick or cinderblock basement walls. I guess I'll assume that I have 18 inches of space between basement ceiling and room ceiling.

absolute maximum budget would be $10k, but I would hope to spend nowhere near that much. :-\

psmurf

 

[psmurf]

My condo townhouse is fairly new which means it's made like garbage and the best solution I came up with was this.

Before I bought I talked to both neighbours and informed them I'm in a band and we are loud.

We stop playing by 9:30 at night and everyone is happy. The neighbours closest to the drums say if they are in the living room they dont hear anything, if they are in the basment it sounds like we're playing a loud cd.

The other neighbours dont hear a thing.

Good luck!

Hi T1ny-

does this mean you get away with band practice with no soundproofing ?? That is certainly encouraging.

psmurf

 

[knightfly]

First, I would NEVER build a room with any two dimensions the same - you're just begging to spend a small fortune on acoustic treatment just to get a marginal sound in such a room. Much better would be 13x11x9, or 11x9x7 - remember, a room has THREE dimensions and all three are important acoustically.

If you end up in a basement, the second of those room sizes might be the best you can do, because of ceiling height restrictions. Figuring $300 for a door and another $300 to get ventilation in and out (more if you want air conditioning) you could build that size room for under $2k material cost. You would likely exceed that a bit by the time you get the room to sound good inside - using the odd dimensions I listed would keep that part of the cost under control - you would still need some bass trapping and some spot treatment with absorption, as well as some corner treatment. Finished cost should stay under $3k and sound as good as a small room can. Keep in mind that this is MATERIALS cost ONLY - the minute you enlist paid help you can multiply this by 4 or 5 times, assuming you want it all to work - all construction needs to be air tight and as close to perfect as you can get it, and that doesn't come cheap when hiring it done... Steve

 

[T1ny]

psmurf: I only have very basic sound proofing around the furnace room to block all those noises. But nothing in the "big" part of the room where the band plays.