New practice room build!

MattyH · #1 03-14-2011, 03:41 PM

Hey all. So, it's nothing too exciting (outside of the band at least), but I thought I'd share because we're super proud of our work. After years of being in a CRAPPY rehearsal space, we decided to get the F out, and build our own in my garage. We're making it to our specs, with everything placed where we need it. We're even putting 2x6s in between studs on the wall so we know exactly where to hang a TV and our guitar wall hangers. Here are some pics. More to come after we progress. (This is about 2 days work)

Laying the floor

Insulation for cozy toes

Framing

Casey - Guitars / Backing Vox / Ghost Hunter

Dane - Drums / Lead Vox / Seal of approval

The pictures are deceiving. The room will be quite large. more comfortable than where we are now, rent free, and not full of loud crappy bands, with horrible working conditions. Up next is adding outlets, then insulation, sheetrock, hi hats, door installation, carpeting, t-111 panel on the exterior walls, and last but not least, interior painting completed with a giant wall mural of past and present Gods of Music.

Post your home made practice rooms! And stay tuned for updates. We plan on being finished in about 1-2 weeks.

Nomadskills · #2 03-14-2011, 03:43 PM

Looks great man! We're in a garage... *sigh*

Indiana Mike · #3 03-14-2011, 03:43 PM

AWESOME...

I know a drywaller who does great work ... If you can get him to show up

iamlowsound · #4 03-14-2011, 03:49 PM

I hope you used a vapour barrier on the floor, otherwise you are going to be dealing with some rot in a few years.

lowsound

JumboJack · #5 03-14-2011, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamlowsound

I hope you used a vapour barrier on the floor, otherwise you are going to be dealing with some rot in a few years.

lowsound

Should have used pressure treated lumber also...

iamlowsound · #6 03-14-2011, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JumboJack

Should have used pressure treated lumber also...

Only for the stuff touching the concrete.

lowsound

duff beer · #7 03-14-2011, 05:49 PM

You should buy sill gasket to keep wood from touching the concrete...it's super cheap, probably $4-$5 for 200 feet.

MattyH · #8 03-14-2011, 08:45 PM

The floor is floated, so it'll breath. Also, no water has gotten in past a certain point, for the past 20 years. So we're all set. Rot, dampness, need for pressure treated, aren't a problem. We're also sealing it up with T-111, and a bottom barrier. We used the T-111 to side cabanas at a beach club I worked at. It was on the water, and took a sever beating all year round. It would get replaced every 5-7 years. Also, not a problem here.

Our drummers dad is a (one of the best around here) contractor / engineer, and knows exactly what he's doing. No worries on this end. We've taken everything you guys have suggested, and 1,000 other things you haven't thought of into consideration while panning. Fully up to code, sound, and ready to rock! Well, it will be ready to rock soon.

PDGood · #9 03-14-2011, 09:02 PM

Looks great! Here's a tip I hope you'll find helpful. It will make a huge difference if you want to reduce the sound outside your rehearsal space. Before you put up the sheetrock, lay a soft substance on the studs so that the sheet rock is not touching the studs. When hard surfaces meet, they transfer sound. If there is something soft in between them it will prevent a large part of the sound from transferring and it will sound amazingly quiet outside of your practice space when you're rocking on the inside. I use that rubbery non - skid stuff they sell at computer stores (looks kind of like a mesh). I tried carpet backing first, but it's too thick and spongy and makes it hard to line up the edges of sheetrock. (Felt like they were on springs). The non-skid stuff is perfect.

MattyH · #10 03-14-2011, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PDGood

Looks great! Here's a tip I hope you'll find helpful. It will make a huge difference if you want to reduce the sound outside your rehearsal space. Before you put up the sheetrock, lay a soft substance on the studs so that the sheet rock is not touching the studs. When hard surfaces meet, they transfer sound. If there is something soft in between them it will prevent a large part of the sound from transferring and it will sound amazingly quiet outside of your practice space when you're rocking on the inside. I use that rubbery non - skid stuff they sell at computer stores (looks kind of like a mesh). I tried carpet backing first, but it's too thick and spongy and makes it hard to line up the edges of sheetrock. (Felt like they were on springs). The non-skid stuff is perfect.

Good suggestion thanks. I'll look into that tomorrow. We were going to double sheetrock but it'll take too long. I like your idea a lot. With the way it's going, it's not going to be too loud outside. My neighbors on one side are too far away to really notice if they're inside their house, and my closer neighbors are usually having their own band practice in their living room! But this sounds quick, easy, and helpful. Worth a shot for sure.

MattyH · #11 03-15-2011, 02:28 PM

Just laid down the electric! 7 outlets, with 3 mini hi hats on top, a dimmer switch, and an exterior switch for the storage area light on top. We're ready to insulate and sheet rock. Cant wait for this to be finished.

MattyH · #12 03-16-2011, 09:06 PM

Another update:

Electric went in yesterday, and we completed insulation today. Every time we work, we finish something. Saturday and Sunday will complete sheet rocking siding, and taping/spackle, and I'll be painting by Tuesday. By the end of the month we can lay our carpet, and move our stuff in! After that, I can start the wall mural. I can't wait! Here are some pics.

If you look closely, you can see we have set in scrap 2x6 pieces in the studs, so we can attach a flat screen TV, along with a row of our guitar wall hangers. We wont have to look for a stud. We'll have a solid 2x6 backing, and we'll know exactly where they are.

Tigger Bangdang · #13 03-17-2011, 06:58 AM

Mike Holmes would be proud.

iamlowsound · #14 03-17-2011, 07:08 AM

I hate to break it to you, but taping/mudding will take longer than 2 days to do it correctly and have it look good. You need a full 24 hours in between coats and you need 3 coats. Three days minimum for a good mud job.

lowsound

MattyH · #15 03-17-2011, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamlowsound

I hate to break it to you, but taping/mudding will take longer than 2 days to do it correctly and have it look good. You need a full 24 hours in between coats and you need 3 coats. Three days minimum for a good mud job.

lowsound

Yea yea thats what I meant. We'll be taping and mudding Sunday, and we were gonna shoot for painting Tuesday. But you're right it'll probably get pushed to Wednesday. Although we're crown molding the top. So that'll cut down on some mud time. We may be able to get painting by Tuesday.

We have a large team helping out, and our sheet rock guy is nothing short of a pro. We start early, and end late. So mudding may begin Saturday also. While a coat dries, we'll side the outer wall.

chokeslam512 · #16 03-17-2011, 07:42 AM

Very cool! Where's the beer during all of this? What are you going to use for floor finishing?

Low Sound Love · #17 03-17-2011, 07:54 AM

I wish I had a big garage and a contractor friend ... I rehearse in a gigantic hall with one band and in a tiny basement room with the other

Good of you to take the initiative, I hope it works out great!

JumboJack · #18 03-17-2011, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattyH

The floor is floated, so it'll breath. Also, no water has gotten in past a certain point, for the past 20 years. So we're all set. Rot, dampness, need for pressure treated, aren't a problem. We're also sealing it up with T-111, and a bottom barrier. We used the T-111 to side cabanas at a beach club I worked at. It was on the water, and took a sever beating all year round. It would get replaced every 5-7 years. Also, not a problem here.

Our drummers dad is a (one of the best around here) contractor / engineer, and knows exactly what he's doing. No worries on this end. We've taken everything you guys have suggested, and 1,000 other things you haven't thought of into consideration while panning. Fully up to code, sound, and ready to rock! Well, it will be ready to rock soon.

The floor joists on the left side of the pics are touching concrete and the rest are resting on wood shims (that in turn are under the untreated lumber).
Also the un-faced side of the insulation bats that are in the floor will absord/hold moisture and cause mold.The reason you need treated wood when it touches concrete is because wood will leech the water that's in/under the concrete.I'm not trying to be a jerk,just telling you how it is.It won't rot away in a couple years.But it will rot...

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamlowsound

I hate to break it to you, but taping/mudding will take longer than 2 days to do it correctly and have it look good. You need a full 24 hours in between coats and you need 3 coats. Three days minimum for a good mud job.
lowsound

That is just 110% untrue.Every one on the drywall contractors I use (I'm a general contractor) could do that room in one day.First coat is 40/90 min. hot mud.Second 20/40 min. hot mud.Finish with topping compound.This is not an opinion,it's fact.It is standard operating procedure for a professional.A pro would lose his shirt if he had to make three trips out to do a small job like that (Or have to charge an arm and a leg).

iamlowsound · #19 03-17-2011, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JumboJack

That is just 110% untrue.Every one on the drywall contractors I use (I'm a general contractor) could do that room in one day.First coat is 40/90 min. hot mud.Second 20/40 min. hot mud.Finish with topping compound.This is not an opinion,it's fact.It is standard operating procedure for a professional.A pro would lose his shirt if he had to make three trips out to do a small job like that (Or have to charge an arm and a leg).

True, kinda. It depends on the compound used. If you are using something like compound 90, which has a chemical drying agent in it, then you could get away with doing it in a day, but that is extremely hard to work with. Plus, I am assuming these guys will be doing it by hand, which will take longer as well. If you want the best finish, you don't want to use anything with a chemical drying agent. I am a licensed carpenter and before I quit to go back to school, I was working exclusively on houses that were a million plus, mainly doing renovations.

lowsound

JumboJack · #20 03-17-2011, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamlowsound

True, kinda. It depends on the compound used. If you are using something like compound 90, which has a chemical drying agent in it, then you could get away with doing it in a day, but that is extremely hard to work with. Plus, I am assuming these guys will be doing it by hand, which will take longer as well. If you want the best finish, you don't want to use anything with a chemical drying agent. I am a licensed carpenter and before I quit to go back to school, I was working exclusively on houses that were a million plus, mainly doing renovations.

lowsound

This is not true either.PROFESSIONAL drywall contractors use hot mud for the first coat pretty much exclusively.Hot mud is hard to work with only because it sets up faster than all purpose and it has to be mixed insted of being ready to use right out of the box/bucket.But is sets up and drys without being subject to the current conditions ie:temp. and humidity.

A lot of DIY'rs will make the mistake of using all purpose as the first coat.That is the thickest coat and if it is hot and humid it can take more than 24 hours to dry.

When doing a big job a pro will use all purpose as a second coat because it gives them more time to work with it and get it on the wall before it stars to set up.

Then the last,thin finish coat is topping compound.THAT is the key to getting a nice,smooth finish.