My New Studio Build (perhaps overly detailed)

[beans-on-toast]

Is the inner door going to be outswing as well? That would be better in terms of studio space efficiency, if you can swing it.

 

[silky smoove]

Is the inner door going to be outswing as well? That would be better in terms of studio space efficiency, if you can swing it.

This will allow me to have an out-swing door to the exterior, which will allow the interior sound isolation door to open into the vestibule rather than the studio space

 

[beans-on-toast]

I must have put my brain on pause, sorry for my confusion. The vestibule will have to be wider than the inner door. Assume that this won't be an issue, some studio doors are wider than standard.

 

[silky smoove]

I liked your "swing" pun, even if it was inadvertent

The vestibule will clear the door swing. I checked that a few hundred times, haha.

 

[Ulf_Hansson]

I liked your "swing" pun, even if it was inadvertent

The vestibule will clear the door swing. I checked that a few hundred times, haha.

Definitely an upgrade then. I have doors that swing the "wrong" way...

 

[beans-on-toast]

The vestibule will clear the door swing. I checked that a few hundred times, haha.

I always have to check carefully to make sure that I haven't got things backwards. It happens all the time.

 

[silky smoove]

Now I'm feeling nervous about the clearance again, haha. Thanks guys!
Time to go measure the clearance for the "few hundred and one'th" time, haha.

Where the wall studs landed (16" OC spacing) relative to the trusses (24" OC spacing) left me with two options to frame from the floor all the way to the peak of the vaulted ceiling. The one I went with allowed for the door swing to clear the opposite wall including trim and drywall by about 1.5". In reality that's pretty ideal since I want to maximize area inside the music space portion, and minimize it in the vestibule. It doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room. Basically none. If I went to the next truss I'd be bumping out another 24" into the music space, which is a non-starter for me. The only other option would be to frame the wall into the span between the two trusses. That feels like a bad idea to me given that the wall will be part of the support for a 200-300lbs sound isolation door and frame.

 

[beans-on-toast]

Perhaps the door contractor would be able to recommend the best solution. I wonder if would be best to wait till the outer door is installed, interior trim and wall board in place. Then you will know exactly what you are working with. The 1.5" might be reduced.

I assume that there may be an advantage for left swing vs right swing, depending on what will be in the vestibule such as the air handler or the electrical panel. More potential complications.

They make soundproof door installation look easy in the video on this page: Soundproof Doors, Sound Control Interior Door - Studio 3D.

 

[Gaolee]

Now I'm feeling nervous about the clearance again, haha. Thanks guys!
Time to go measure the clearance for the "few hundred and one'th" time, haha.

Where the wall studs landed (16" OC spacing) relative to the trusses (24" OC spacing) left me with two options to frame from the floor all the way to the peak of the vaulted ceiling. The one I went with allowed for the door swing to clear the opposite wall including trim and drywall by about 1.5". In reality that's pretty ideal since I want to maximize area inside the music space portion, and minimize it in the vestibule. It doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room. Basically none. If I went to the next truss I'd be bumping out another 24" into the music space, which is a non-starter for me. The only other option would be to frame the wall into the span between the two trusses. That feels like a bad idea to me given that the wall will be part of the support for a 200-300lbs sound isolation door and frame.

That's another one that's only constrained by how much you want to spend. Enough lumber and you can solve just about anything. As far as out-swinging doors, I'm not sure what the original guy was smoking. There are issues with out-swinging doors that have to be addressed. You have to use a different kind of hinge, since you don't want some miscreant getting in by popping a hinge pin. You have to make sure the top of the door is waterproof, since you will probably open the door when it's raining. An outswinging door will get rained on in a way that an inswinging door won't. Weatherproofing is similar either way, with the exception of the top of the door. It's a little more work, but that's about it. I have built frames and hung outswinging doors in the past, and if a hack sometime carpenter like me can do it successfully, it can't be that tough.

The sound isolation door is another story altogether. I haven't looked at one of those much, let alone installed one.

 

[silky smoove]

Perhaps the door contractor would be able to recommend the best solution. I wonder if would be best to wait till the outer door is installed, interior trim and wall board in place. Then you will know exactly what you are working with. The 1.5" might be reduced.

I know what all of the dimensions will be, so I'm confident in making a guess up front. I also planned everything with premium trim thickness (i.e. very thick), so there's some wiggle room. If this doesn't pan out the way I've planned I'll be very surprised. That said... I've certainly been surprised on this project already, haha.

I assume that there may be an advantage for left swing vs right swing, depending on what will be in the vestibule such as the air handler or the electrical panel. More potential complications.

Quite right. This is all dictated by the electrical panel and HRV locations. I want the door to swing towards them, which will allow easier access into the studio when carrying gear that's destined for the storage shelves on the non-mechanical side of the vestibule. For loading into the music space it won't make any difference. The sound door's swing will also go towards the mechanical and electrical components (i.e. away from the gear storage shelving). That way if I'm, for instance, tearing down my drums to bring in another player's kit I can just work with the door open and head straight to the shelves. If it were the other way I'd have to step through the door, back up, close it, load gear onto the shelves, step back, open the door again... lather, rinse, repeat. No good. I agonized over the swing direction of those doors, but I think what I've got planned will work nicely.

They make soundproof door installation look easy in the video on this page: Soundproof Doors, Sound Control Interior Door - Studio 3D.

I've heard from several studio builders that installing a sound door is actually a challenging affair given the weight of the door slab and hardware. They also talk about getting everything perfectly level so the seals work correctly. It's one of those things that I'm going to leave to a professional. I didn't ask the door contractor coming out to do the work on the exterior door if they've ever done one of these, but I'll bring it up the next time we speak. The sound door company that Rod Gervais recommends is Overly, and they don't have a licensed installer in Washington state unfortunately. Maybe I can work towards getting my contractor licensed by Overly. I've done that with an amp tech to be licensed by Gallien-Krueger.

As far as out-swinging doors, I'm not sure what the original guy was smoking.

You and me both brotha.

There are issues with out-swinging doors that have to be addressed. You have to use a different kind of hinge, since you don't want some miscreant getting in by popping a hinge pin.

Yep, I brought up NRP hinges before the contractor even mentioned them and he said that those would be worked into the quote. He also mentioned some differences in the threshold. Nothing major. Should work well.

You have to make sure the top of the door is waterproof, since you will probably open the door when it's raining. An outswinging door will get rained on in a way that an inswinging door won't. Weatherproofing is similar either way, with the exception of the top of the door. It's a little more work, but that's about it.

This whole thing has to do with the door being waterproof and the contractor is aware of that. He's confident that waterproofing the door won't be a problem, and given his past performance on my last house I think he'll be able to deliver.

The sound isolation door is another story altogether. I haven't looked at one of those much, let alone installed one.

See my post above... Yeah... Not looking forward to that, or the related expenses, haha.

 

[beans-on-toast]

I hope that you can work it out with Overly. Having to pay a contractor to travel to WA will get expensive fast. Without a certified installation, you may not have a warranty. You'll need to settle on the door in advance to ensure that the framing requirements are met.

When the soundproof door closes, a seal under the door seats itself against the finished flooring. Do they have requirements as to what finished flooring types are acceptable? Some must be more acceptable than others. You'd think that smooth and level wood wouldn't be a problem. I've seen frames with a metal inlay on the floor that the door seal mates into. I suppose that these type of features can make the cost skyrocket.

 

[Gaolee]

Well, the door saga sure seems to be a long one, but it also seems like it's on its way to being done. Without knowing the geometry of the framing, I can't say too much about the 300 lb sound door. What I can say is that there are all kinds of really heavy things in a building that we don't think about very much. There are also all kinds of forces that it has to handle without a problem, and it does without heroic structural efforts. In the grand scheme of things, a 300 lb door isn't that big a deal. Making sure it doesn't deflect is going to be a bit more work than just hanging a hollow core cheapo from Home Depot. As a point of comparison, a solid core front door like you would put on your house can weigh close to 200 lbs.

 

[silky smoove]

I hope that you can work it out with Overly. Having to pay a contractor to travel to WA will get expensive fast. Without a certified installation, you may not have a warranty. You'll need to settle on the door in advance to ensure that the framing requirements are met.

I agree. That said, there are other isolation door manufacturers out there, so it's likely that I'll be able to find an arrangement that works while not breaking the bank... well... anymore than it's already broken at this point, haha.

When the soundproof door closes, a seal under the door seats itself against the finished flooring. Do they have requirements as to what finished flooring types are acceptable? Some must be more acceptable than others. You'd think that smooth and level wood wouldn't be a problem. I've seen frames with a metal inlay on the floor that the door seal mates into. I suppose that these type of features can make the cost skyrocket.

The Overly doors I've seen have a threshold integrated into the jamb, and as such don't really allow the finished flooring to continue under them. My understanding is that you take the door all the way down to the subflooring. I could be wrong on that. The door will be sorted out ahead of doing the floors, so I'll know more before it becomes a problem.

Well, the door saga sure seems to be a long one, but it also seems like it's on its way to being done.

I appreciate your optimism!

In the grand scheme of things, a 300 lb door isn't that big a deal.

I agree. Having never built anything like this before I'm always most worried about things that I've framed (i.e. the partition and John Sayers walls) having to support any weight. Once it's up I'll breathe a sigh of relief.

 

[beans-on-toast]

Taking the door down to the sub-flooring as an integrated unit is nice because there is less of a bump up at the bottom that you have to step over. Good if it enhances isolation, bad if it's so high that you're tripping over it. Some doors look just like regular door with nothing visibly noticeable such as a track on the bottom. A seal at the bottom pops out and pushes on the floor. They seem to work very well.

I suppose that you don't want to go overboard and have a door with better soundproofing specs than the wall next to it.

 

[silky smoove]

Stepping over a threshold isn't desirable, but if it's a cost savings as well as a means of simplifying construction I would likely go that route and just put up a sign that says "watch your step." Ultimately this is all just speculation until I start having conversations with Overly.

 

[silky smoove]

Door quote is in, and better than I'd hoped. Still WAY more expensive than the cost of the door that's being removed, but at least this one should function properly.

I want a keypad for entry to the structure. I don't want to have to grab a key ring every time inspiration strikes. The hardware I've selected has a separate deadbolt and handset, so now I have to decide which keypad/touchscreen I want on the deadbolt. I think this one (in aged bronze finish to match the rest of my house) will be the winner since it incorporates a secondary local alarm (in addition to the security system I have for my house that will be extended out to the studio upon completion): Link Removed

Should be pretty slick.

 

[peterpalmieri]

Door quote is in, and better than I'd hoped. Still WAY more expensive than the cost of the door that's being removed, but at least this one should function properly.

I want a keypad for entry to the structure. I don't want to have to grab a key ring every time inspiration strikes. The hardware I've selected has a separate deadbolt and handset, so now I have to decide which keypad/touchscreen I want on the deadbolt. I think this one (in aged bronze finish to match the rest of my house) will be the winner since it incorporates a secondary local alarm (in addition to the security system I have for my house that will be extended out to the studio upon completion): Link Removed

Should be pretty slick.

We've had a schlage (older keypad version) on our side door for 7 or 8 years. I can't ever imagine using a key.

 

[Marial]

Yep, we have a keypad for our Air BnB access. It is wonderful. Also a Schlage, I believe.

 

[beans-on-toast]

I saw a Schlage that used a bluetooth app to unlock the door.

The first one is interesting.: 5 Best Smart Locks for Your Home

I used to have a mechanical keypad lock. You could set it up to use single or multiple simultaneous key presses. It was a very handy lock to use.

 

[silky smoove]

I saw a Schlage that used a bluetooth app to unlock the door.

The one I linked above can be ordered with Bluetooth or wifi connectivity. Pretty slick.