Hi All,

After a bit of general advice.

I'm reasonably competent at building/joinery etc and we are moving to a new house in the new year. The plan is to build a freestanding studio building approx' 8m x 4m (external measurements). As part of the re-jigging of the garden space we also need to remove a large double garage build from block and brick.

The simplest things would be scrap the garage and build the studio all from timber 6x4 stud work for the external shell and 4x4 for the inner walls but with my 'green hat on' I'm thinking I could re-use the blocks from the garage and build the external walls from them. It will take a little longer as they will need cleaning up before they can me re-used and I'm better with wood than cement!

Two questions really:

1. is it worth doing this?

2. How would the sound insulation compare for the outer walls?

ie Blockwork, timber baterns, 100mm rock wool against

18mm ply skin, 6x4 studwork, 100mm rock wool

As far as I can tell the breeze blocks are just bog standing ones (i.e. not hi density) - also the block work will make the walls a little thicker too :-(

In both cases the external walls will be cedar clad.

Would welcome peeps thoughts.

Cheers,

JP

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Mac Pro, Logic Pro, lots of software and 17 hard drives!

PS> - to be built on a slab :-)

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Mac Pro, Logic Pro, lots of software and 17 hard drives!

I'd definitely go for blockwork as, even if they're lightweight blocks, they will still be heavier than the timber construction. Of course, high density blocks would be better. You also need to watch that size - 8 x 4m will mean you need building regs approval as it is over 30 sq metres.

James.

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JRP Music - Audio Mastering and Restoration.
http://www.jrpmusic.net

Thanks James - Might make it 4 x 7.25 then!

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Mac Pro, Logic Pro, lots of software and 17 hard drives!

Thinking about it the roof is going to be timber - so (as the weak link) I'm not sure it's worth building the walls from block.

Truth is I'm happier with timber and can't face building block-work in cold Feb - I'm getting too old for all that!

Out of interest what do people use for roofs - I'm thinking Rubber roof, 18mm Ply, 150mm Rockwood with 6x4 joists. Inner 'ceiling' from 2x4 with 100mm rockwwool and 2xlayers of plasterboard (obviously not touching external 'roof'.

Thoughts?

JP

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Mac Pro, Logic Pro, lots of software and 17 hard drives!

Can you not just build the studio into the existing garage? It seems much more cost and time efficient.

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Alexander Reynolds
GIK Acoustics USA (770) 986 2789 | GIK Acoustics Europe +44 (0) 20 7558 8976 (UK)

Not an option I 'm afraid as the garage ruins the garden. The studio is to be build in a different part of the garden

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Mac Pro, Logic Pro, lots of software and 17 hard drives!

Not an option I 'm afraid as the garage ruins the garden. The studio is to be build in a different part of it.

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Mac Pro, Logic Pro, lots of software and 17 hard drives!

Quote Jonnypopisical:

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Out of interest what do people use for roofs - I'm thinking Rubber roof, 18mm Ply, 150mm Rockwood with 6x4 joists. Inner 'ceiling' from 2x4 with 100mm rockwwool and 2xlayers of plasterboard (obviously not touching external 'roof'.

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I have a traditional tiled roof on mine (built by a local builder) with a separate inner roof using 8x2 joists across a 4.2m span with 19mm and 12mm acoustic plasterboard layers. While you might get away with 6x2 joists, the calculators I used seemed to suggest that 4x2 wouldn't be strong enough if you are using the right plasterboard (which is heavy).

James.

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JRP Music - Audio Mastering and Restoration.
http://www.jrpmusic.net

Thanks James - I'm looking at a flat roof (slight slope but not pitched) option. I'm thinking 6x2 timbers with a plywood skin and a rubber roof on top. Then I can infill the joists with plaster board to add mass and then fill the other 4 inches or so with Rockwool. The internal ceiling would then be supported from the inner walls and be the usual 6x4 joists with plasterboard and rock wool infill. So the would roof 'depth' would be about 15-16 inches or so.

I'm also considering having the floor sunk below ground level by about half a meter or so so I can gain extra ceiling height without getting into planning issues. Concrete slab. DMP etc.....High Density blockwork below ground (and maybe even for the whole outer walls)

What's the performance of your structure like in terms of soundproofing? Can you work late at night etc.

JP

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Mac Pro, Logic Pro, lots of software and 17 hard drives!

I'm mainly doing restoration and mastering so volume levels aren't particularly high but we're in a very quiet area and I can work at any time.

My wife's band has rehearsed in there (drums/bass/acoustic guitar) and you can just hear them if you stand outside the windows (should have used thicker glass!). I'd probably stick to a 10pm curfew for live drums as the area is almost silent after that time but we've not had any complaints so far. It probably helps that there's a trumpet player and a young drummer close by who make much more noise when they're practicing.

The levels of sound outside are much too low to register on my sound level meter.

One corner of my studio is sunk into the ground and the builders used grey engineering bricks rather than blocks for that bit.

James.

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JRP Music - Audio Mastering and Restoration.
http://www.jrpmusic.net

Very helpful James - much appreciated,

Regards,

JP

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Mac Pro, Logic Pro, lots of software and 17 hard drives!