Converting my garage into a music studio and need advice!

[Mrroberto]

Hi,

I'm starting work on converting my garage into a music studio/home office.

The garage is separate from the house and is made from interlocking concrete panels which are bolted together. The roof is made of corrugated iron and the floor has been titled. Structurally it seems very study and there are no obvious signs of leaks or water damage.

My plan is:

1. Fix studwork battens direct to the concrete panels using rawl plugs. The panels are roughly 80mm thick where I'm inserting the rawl plugs. The panels also have a natural concave structure so even if ply was attached flush, there would still be a gap.

2. Insert Rockwool in between the studwork. I'll have to fix an 'L' shaped bracket to make sure the Rockwool doesn't fall back and touch the concrete panel.

3. Attach plywood sheets to the studwork battens.

4. Attach plasterboard to the plywood - not sure how to do this yet!

What I'm not sure about is should I fix a moisture barrier/membrane behind the battens first, but if so what about ventilation?

Also, as I've said, I'm not sure how to fix the plasterboard to the plywood, or even if I need to? Am I best to forget about the ply and attach plasterboard direct to the studwork battens?

A few questions there! Hopefully someone can help..

Thanks.

 

[loply]

No need for the plywood, fix plasterboard to the battens.

Might be better to attach foil backed insulation panels direct to the concrete rather than to the back of the plasterboard?

 

[maltaron]

Depending on where you live you may have to consider effective sound insulation for a music room. Also you state that you have a corrugated iron roof, this will need insulation as it will not only bleed heat but will also sweat.

 

[Deluks]

Music studio for harp practice or death metal drumming?
If it's gonna get loud then you need to build a freestanding stud wall just inside the concrete panels, the tin roof needs to go, replace with a couple of layers of plywood and felt.
I suspect you will revise your plans several times before making a start.

 

[thedeadzeds]

Deluks is correct; you need to build a free standing stud wall which is not touching the existing garage. You essentially need to build a room within the room. The roof needs to be replaced with a few layers of OSB, as thick as you can get it but you will need to check your existing ceiling joists in order to ensure they will support the weight. There are plenty of guys on this site who can help you with the correct ceiling joists needed. You essentially need as much mass a possible and the cheapest mass is plasterboard, preferably 15mm and at least 2 layers. Placement of the plasterboard is also essential; sometime the plasterboard only needs to be on the inside of the new room and not both sides. You will also need to consider air movement so you can have fresh air coming in and stale air sucked out.

Loads to plan…..trust me, I’ve been planning mine for months and months and I am only about to start my construction in the next few weeks. You may want to check out these sites, there are loads of experts on both sites, people who build studios for a living and there are plenty of examples.

Ensure you plan this before rushing into it or you could spend thousands of pounds and achieve nothing. Studio building is 80% planning and 20% construction.

http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/index.php

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/studio-building-acoustics/

Here is a link to an example of a shed to studio conversion

http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1589

Hope this helps