New Project Studio Build

[stealth_prod]

Hey everyone, I just recently purchased a house and have been planning on getting a little project studio built in the basement. Unfortunately its not going to be huge but I have to make it work. The size of the room is 8' x 12.5'. The previous owner had built what looked to be a spare bedroom there and did a horrible walling job so I tore it all down. Hopefully I attached the picture right but that is basically the layout as it is right now. There is still a partial wall in the middle.

The plan for the studio is to make beats and record some local artists. I dont know about a vocal booth at this point but I would like to have one some day.

I am going to be documenting my progress as we get it done. I would like to invite and ask for knowledgeable people to give me some pointers on building in a basement and some soundproofing advice would be great. I have researched tons of stuff but I always like to hear it in English. Thanks again and I will posting some pics of what it looks like soon.

 

[BushmasterM4]

Are you planning on putting up drywall all the way around ? If you do any typle of wall system, make sure the bottom plate is treated lumber. I believe most state codes require a treated base plate when its put on cement.

 

[stealth_prod]

Ya the previous owner had made the walls with paneling. I tore down the paneling and there were signs of moisture so all the walling system is coming down and being redone. I planned on doing a double wall system on 2 sides. Oh I guess I should have stated that the left wall and top wall in that picture are concrete brick. So I planned on doing a double wall on the 2 sides that are not and then drywalling those 2 sides and leaving the others exposed. I am trying to eliminate the moisture in the basement and will be sealing the exposed walls to try and prevent it as much as possible.

 

[BushmasterM4]

A treated bottom plate gives you some protection against moisture. Also make sure you do not sit the drywall against the floor. Raise it up about 3/4 to 1 " from the floor. The treated lumber can withstand moisture or a small water problem on the floor. Drywall will suck it up. Also be sure to use alot of screws when fastening to the concrete. I built a big garage and 30x30 of it is my studio. I used 2x4 for the inner wall construction, but moved it 8" away from the exterior wall. I put in 6" insulation into the walls and that left 2" of dead air space between the insulation and outer garage wall. Worked out very nice. I can record at very high levels and the outside sound is nominal. With a basement, water is the problem. Is there any type of sump pump involved ?

 

[stealth_prod]

Yeah we have a sump pump in the basement. Thanks for the extra info with the drywall. I planned on just leaving the concrete parts open as to not trap any moisture. Yeah I read that the bottom plate should be treated and Ill probably go the 2x6 route for the 2 walls I need to build. Im still debating whether to do I double wall or staggered type of wall. I will have some pics of the space tommorow.

My biggest concern is the corner of the basement that this will be has mold in the corner already and Im doing my best to treat the outside of the house, but I would like to get that whole area sealed up pretty tight.

 

[KineticSound]

My biggest concern is the corner of the basement that this will be has mold in the corner already and Im doing my best to treat the outside of the house, but I would like to get that whole area sealed up pretty tight.

Egad. Bleach it. Immediately. The wife and I ran into this in our last house, a 40's Cape Cod that had a stone foundation - mold started from a corner baseboard. Mix some bleach with water in a spray bottle and spray down everywhere you see mold; that will stop the spread. Gotta get rid of all that before you spend any amount of time holed up in that room!

 

[stealth_prod]

That was actually my plan for tommorow. After that is done, im going to be testing for leaks in that area to see if I can narrow down the leaks. There hasnt really been a big build up of water down there but I did see the paint on the floor (didnt know why they painted the floor til now) was starting to peel and it was moist. I went down during a recent storm and I did not see any major leakage coming in so I am hoping that the moisture that is down there is just that. We just recently got the dehumidifier down there so im hoping to see some kind of improvement on the moisture really soon.

Note* The electrical down there is going to have to be redone because the previous owner decided to do his own electrical work and it is very shady craftsmanship. Dont worry all power going to the outlets have been shut off and tested.

 

[stealth_prod]

Hey everyone, its been a while since I updated this but im back at it. Work has been crazy.

So here is some updates. The attached pictures show I got all the old paneling off the walls. Though still laying around in there because I have yet to haul it out. My main goal this last weekend was to get it all down though. After taking down the paneling I wanted to examine the existing wall that was there. Well its sort of a wall. It looked like it was thrown together with wood laying around the house and very poorly done. It isnt as bad as I predicted so im just going to add some support to the existing wall and build a new wall right in front of it. My plan was for a double wall there anyway so it may help a bit. I planned on putting in a vocal booth on one side but have now opted against it as there is already lack of space. It may come later but for now I will concentrate on soundproofing and treatments.

It wasnt as bad as I initially thought it would be but I have some work ahead of me. Stay tuned.