Building a Rehearsal Room

[FaintingGoat]

A few weeks ago I posted a new topic asking how to soundproof a room. Through responses on the board and people e-mailing me directly, I started a project to build a rehearsal room in my garage. Essentially it's a room within a room. It's still under construction, but I'm documenting the process and wanted to share it with you in case you have any suggestions or just happen to be interested. Here are my objectives:

 

1. CONTROL COSTS!

2. Build a self-contained room inside the garage--a room within a room with no common walls.

3. It's just a two car garage, I'd still like to park one car inside it.

4. Contain sound (for the sake of the neighbors)

5. Make the room sound good.

 

Some background information. The band I'm in, Fainting Goats, had been sharing rehearsal space in a converted garage that was 10' wide, 18' long. We lost access to that space due to a change in ownership. The room I'm constructing is slightly smaller, but we have it to ourselves. The new space is 9.3' wide, 14' long. Although the new studio is smaller than the old one, we net out with more space because we don't have equipment from a second band cluttering the sides of the room.

 

Here's what that side of the garage looked like prior to construction.

 

View from the kitchen door:

 

 

View from the driveway:

 

[FaintingGoat]

Phase 2: Framing the Room

 

There's a 1/2" gap between the side of the garage wall and the rehearsal room. In these photos you can see the frame and insulation (Johns Manville insulation and soundproofing material).

 

The view from the driveway:

 

 

The view coming out of the kitchen into the garage:

 

 

View walking into the studio:

 

[FaintingGoat]

Phase 3: Sheetrock!

 

I should note that between framing and sheetrocking that electrical work was also completed, but that makes for boring photos. But if you're interested, here are the details. There are sixteen outlets, two recessed 70w lights, and a ventilation fan. The fan is controlled by a switch on the wall and the exhaust goes through the garage's ceiling.

 

On to the sheetrock.

 

Here's the view from the driveway:

 

 

Here's the inside of the studio, the camera can't really capture the whole space:

 

 

This next shot gives you the sense of the "room within a room" concept. Above the studio's ceiling you can see the rafters above. I couldn't increase the height of the room because I needed clearance for the garage door.

 

 

Up next: door installation, paint, carpet, move in the music equipment!

[sean Patrick]

that looks great.

i wish i could do that. but i live in an apartment... oh darn.

great idea.

[a.miller]

Man, that is coming along really, really well!! Is there a good way to prevent sound from escaping via the fan "hole"? Or is it such a small amout that it wouldn't matter?

[Smokestack Joe]

wow impressive. id like to see a photo when all the gear is inside. I am looking do also do something like this in the future so im interested in your progess. thanks for sharing

[ianshaw]

2. Build a self-contained room inside the garage--a room within a room with no common walls.

 

Errr . . . Uhmmm . . . I've also thought about doing something like this with my garage. Someday. But in the meantime - I may have a dumb question (since it's a little late) but doesn't the room within a room concept also require a floating floor so that the bass doesn't transmit through the ground? I'm sure you're nuking the high end stuff (guitars and vox and snare) but what about the kick and the bass?

 

If you've succeeded at nuking those two, my hat is off to you, and my own concept of how to build this in my garage just got a lot simpler.

 

Ian

[bobbob1313]

Errr . . . Uhmmm . . . I've also thought about doing something like this with my garage. Someday. But in the meantime - I may have a dumb question (since it's a little late) but doesn't the room within a room concept also require a floating floor so that the bass doesn't transmit through the ground? I'm sure you're nuking the high end stuff (guitars and vox and snare) but what about the kick and the bass?

 

If you've succeeded at nuking those two, my hat is off to you, and my own concept of how to build this in my garage just got a lot simpler.

 

Ian

 

Wouldn't a carpet do a pretty good job with the bass and kick?

[FaintingGoat]

Man, that is coming along really, really well!! Is there a good way to prevent sound from escaping via the fan "hole"? Or is it such a small amout that it wouldn't matter?

 

This could be an issue. I figured there would be a trade-off, but I'm hoping the benefit of the fan will outweigh sound that escapes. If the hole lets out too much sound and we're too loud for the neighborhood, I may end up re-engineering this part. I'll let you know.

[FaintingGoat]

I may have a dumb question (since it's a little late) but doesn't the room within a room concept also require a floating floor so that the bass doesn't transmit through the ground? I'm sure you're nuking the high end stuff (guitars and vox and snare) but what about the kick and the bass?

 

(Edited to correct the studio design link)

 

Good point, and during the design phase I shared this concern. I wasn't opposed to having a floating floor, but my ceiling height was limited because I still need clearance to open and close the garage door. I started having visions of a raised floor, low ceiling, and hunched over musicians! As it ends up, the ceiling is low but at 7' 6" will be functional. I recessed the lights and fan so they won't get in the way.

 

Fortunately, another Via Chicago member with the ID "Rufer" directed me to a great site on studio design. It's at:

 

John Sayers Studio Design

 

After reading through the posts and recommendations, I learned that a floating floor for my type of use wasn't necessary. My home is raised a few feet off the ground, only the garage is on the concrete slab. Also, I'll be installing a 3/4" foam mat and commercial grade carpet on top of that.

 

I hope I gambled correctly, I'll let you know if it works or not.

[FaintingGoat]

There's still a lot of work to be done, but I wanted to update you on my progress. I really appreciate all the posted comments and direct e-mails.

 

In this shot you can see that the door has been installed, the exhaust from the fan is directed toward an existing vent (I had originally intended to poke a hole through the roof). You might also notice some supporting beams going from the roof to the existing rafters.

 

 

This shot is similar to the last, but the door is open. From this angle you can see the recessed lighting, fan, and concrete slab. On Monday I'll have a pad and commercial grade carpet installed.

 

 

I spent several hours today painting the walls and ceiling. New drywall absorbs paint like a sponge, so I had to apply several coats.

 

 

One more view from the kitchen door. You can see the exhaust vent and into the (lights out) studio.

 

 

Up next:

 

1. Carpet

2. Install wall mounted guitar hangers

3. Move in the gear

4. Convince my wife that it didn't really cost that much. Besides, with all the money I saved during construction I should reward myself with a new guitar!

 

Steps 1-3 will happen. Step 4 is a long shot!

[jff]

I spent several hours today painting the walls and ceiling. New drywall absorbs paint like a sponge, so I had to apply several coats.

 

For some reason my previous reply did not get posted.

 

If you have any more new drywall to paint you might consider sealing it with a product made by Zinsser called "Gardz". It seals the drywall so it'll hold paint. I'm currently using Gardz to seal up some drywall damage from a wallpaper removal project. I haven't painted the walls yet, but it's supposed to accept paint just like a typical primer would.

 

Your project looks good, by the way.

[FaintingGoat]

Okay, the project is just about done. I still need to put some more Auralex studio foam, but it's to the point we could load the equipment in and try to dial in our sound.

 

The following photos include several of my guitars, generally only a few will be there when the band rehearses.

 

Here's a view from the entrance. There's two feet of Auralex foam along the walls just below the ceiling:

 

 

If you're curious about the drums, he uses a maple Ludwig kit with Zildjian cymbals.

 

This is the bass corner:

 

 

Here's my corner:

 

 

A closer look at the amps/effects:

 

 

Just another view 'cause I'm a gear head:

 

[FaintingGoat]

Here are my objectives:

 

1. CONTROL COSTS!

2. Build a self-contained room inside the garage--a room within a room with no common walls.

3. It's just a two car garage, I'd still like to park one car inside it.

4. Contain sound (for the sake of the neighbors)

5. Make the room sound good.

 

So here's how I did:

 

1. CONTROL COSTS!

 

Results:

 

$2950 - Materials and labor

$ 400 - Carpet, pad, and installation

$ 480 - Second hand 400w PA w/stands and monitors

$ 300 - 96 SqFt Auralex Sound Foam

$ 80 - 4 Wall mounted guitar hangers

$ 60 - Paint

______________

 

$4,270 Total

 

My goal was to keep it under $5,000 so I met that one.

 

2. Build a self-contained room inside the garage - a room within a room with no common walls.

 

Results:

 

Achieved, although the rehearsal room shares the same floor as the garage. However, I installed a pad and carpet on top of it. Also, the house is raised and doesn't touch the concrete pad. This way sound doesn't transfer to the house through the floor.

 

3. It's just a two car garage, I'd still like to park one car inside it.

 

Results:

 

To be determined. If you measure the remaining space there's still plenty of room to park another car. However, since I lost storage room there's some clutter I have to get rid of before my wife can park inside the garage.

 

4. Contain sound (for the sake of the neighbors).

 

Results:

 

Mixed. The room certainly does a good job suppressing sound. However, it's far from soundproof. The garage has several vents and soffets where sound can escape. You can barely hear anything from the rehearsal room on the second floor of the house, while on the ground floor it sounds like someone is playing a loud stereo. From the street it also sounds like there's a loud stereo playing.

 

I could shut the vents, but I hate to do that. As long as the neighbors don't complain I'll leave things as they are.

 

5. Make the room sound good.

 

Results:

 

As you can imagine, the room was an echo chamber before the carpet was installed. After that, noise still bounced around like crazy. The Auralex studiofoam made a huge difference. In the photos above there's 64 sqft installed, there's still 32 sqft to go. Right now the room sounds great, although I feel like I need to put some studio foam above the drum kit. I'm resisting that just because the ceiling is only 7' high (six inches lower than my original design), I'd hate to reduce the clearance. All in all, the room sounds very good and it certainly sounds better than where we used to rehearse. I consider this goal achieved.

 

So that's the project so far. I want to thank everyone who sent me their suggestions and advice. It's really made a difference in how the room was constructed.

[Basil II]

wow........this was a real fun read....and great education,Thanks!!!

 

 

 

-Robert.