need some input on a fun project

[daav]

I'm buying a house, and one of the big plusses for me is that there is a large basement with a high ceiling and plenty of open space that can be finished and much of it converted to studio space.

Right off the bat, I don't expect to get isolation, or even professional quality sound, but i want to have a good compromise between recording/playing space, and a nice livable area but i will not be moving away fromt he home recording status any time soon.

Challenges are:
1. Furnace and hot water heater are right in the middle and the blower on the furnace is pretty loud. i can dampen some of this with insulation, but i plan to frame up this area and turn it into the "utlity" room, which should make it a bit more bearable.

2. I live in Vermont, and it gets butt-ass cold in the winter, there is already a nice chimney with an outlet to put a small wood stove in, so I want to add one, and use it to heat the finished basement space. This means leaving some open area for the heat to move around to warm the entire basement area, which means less isolation for the studio space.

3. I want to use the non-studio space for my woodworking workshop and to have a laundry area etc iun there somewhere too. These should get heat form the wood stove as well.


My girlfriend and i came up with a very fun idea for this space that also fits with our desire to do somehting fairly unique, modern and interesting. We were thinking that it might be cool to finish the outside walls, creating some space for the window wells for light. Then frame up the utility space as a permant structure. add in a drop ceialing with insulation, noise treatment up there.
Then leave the rest of the space open, but build moblie walls partition-style that we can use to cordone off saoce as we choose. One day i could have a large "live" room, and use other partitions to create smaller vocal booth semi-isolation units. Some might be essentially permanent to keep the sawdust int he workshop, and others could be different materials, obviously i am voiting for some to be built for sound isolation, and she would like others to have built in shelving or to display art work, gallery-style. She envisions partys where some of our artistic friends (and us when the spirit hits) can have work displayed, and it can be shifted around from time to time as the mood hits us.

THis is a big project that might take a few years to put togehter, but at first it can be dine in some nice phases, finish the outside walls, do the ceiling, then worry about the partitions.

i'm intersted in some feedback from you all as to what you think of the idea, what materials need to be considered, etc. Attached are a couple paint drawing of the space, with some lame attempts to show what the interior walls (in green) might be like in a couple spots.

Thanks,
Daav

 

[notbradsohner]

sounds like a decent idea, but dont expect any isolation from movable walls. In order to achieve true soundproofing, you are going to need an incredibly massive, sealed set of walls and doors, which will involve permanent construction techniques. You can, however, get a semi isolated room with movable walls, but it will take some engineering. Im no help there, but I can lend a hand with the permanent stuff. Anyway, sounds like a great idea, keep us posted.

 

[Dani Pace]

The big problem is going to be dust from your woodworking shop area getting into your studio area. Dust is not only bad for you, it is bad for your gear. Wood heat can also be a problem, a constant temperature and humidity is cloce to impossible when you heat with a wood heater. You have a good idea in that you want to get the most use from the space you have to work with, I'm just trying to point out a couple of things which are likely to cause problems. Basement studios (like any area) have advantages and disadvantages.