Drum room in garage

redeye

redeye

redeye

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Joined
18 Oct 2002
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670
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UK
Hi all,

I've finally got what I wanted for the last 10-15 years - a detatched house with a single width garage built in. Next door is around 3 ft away on a completely seperate concrete slab. The house is rented however so what i'm designing fits around certain things in the garage that can't be moved (gas main), but also i'll build certain parts with screws so it can be disassembled.

My hobby/ main interest is drumming. I've always wanted a drum room to practice in with a proper acoustic kit rather than electric. So my project over the next month or so is to build a room within the garage. The garage itself is a typical breeze block construction with a single layer of brick on the outside.
I am limited with dimensions so it isn't as big as i'd like, but it's just enough. Noise wise it doesn't have to be silent (that's impossible) as my next door neighbour works during the day and said she's fine with a little noise early evening. There is nobody else nearby to hear.

I've started designing things in sketchup after looking through dozens of forums. The problem is, most of it is American - everyone has a slightly different opinion and use case and people just talk in inches. I'm a metric guy and buying everything, obviously in the UK.

Although I've done tons of DIY over the year and construction I've never built a wooden based frame, insulated with a floating floor. That's the goal.

Here's what i've done so far in sketchup:

drum-room.jpg



drum-room2.jpg


No noggins put in yet, no insulation shown yet.

Questions I hope someone could help me out with:

1/ Frames should be built with 4x2's. - 38x89mm CL16 CLS is right? https://www.lakesidetimber.co.uk/38x89--c16-cls-24m-x284x2x29-6852-p.asp Anyone found a cheaper source?
2/ Stud distance - I think 24" centers are ok. In the UK insulation seems to be sold in 60cm widths, so I should make the distance between the studs 60cm and not centers?
3/ Should the celing studs be closer than 60 or you think it's ok?
4/ I'm planning on using 18mm OSB on the floor, and perhaps 11 on the walls / celing. If it's not enough then I'd put on a second layer, different orientation. Internally obviously plasterboard is most people's choice but again I'm leaning towards OSB as it is easier to screw / remove.
5/ Insulation - rockwall as dense as possible all round. Floor - I'm planning to buy some foam spacers that the studs will sit on, existing concrete floor under that which is also already covered by carpet.
6/ Door - planning on FD30, but I'm height limited so not sure a standard sized height will work (1981mm). Looks like you can buy custom dimensioned doors so will have to look into that but so far they are 3 times the price of a standard one you can get at wickes etc.
7/ Electricity / lighting is sorted. Might buy a wall mounted aircon unit for ventilation.

Any thoughts comments welcome, really appreciate any help!

Happy to post some updates as I go if anyone is interested.
 
My first though is that it'll get baking hot in there in no time flat so really think about ventilation.

I used to rent a rehearsal space which was very similar construction to that in the corner of an industrial unit albeit a lot bigger about 3m x 10m and it got soooo hot and sweaty with just 3 of us in there when you're doing something energetic like drums/generally rocking out.

For the inside walls i'd not bother with plasterboard, i'd use something thin and cheap even hardboard or similar and then hang up curtains/any kind of fabric to dampen the sound especially if you're going to record in there, you want it as dead as possible.
 
Watch the Gosforth Handyman videos. Whilst his was purpose built for a music studio there may be some techniques you can learn from. He ended up needing a proper co2 system as the air quality got quite poor in there.
 
dlockers said:
Watch the Gosforth Handyman videos. Whilst his was purpose built for a music studio there may be some techniques you can learn from. He ended up needing a proper co2 system as the air quality got quite poor in there.
Click to expand...

That just means having fans blowing air in and out of the room. You don't necessarily need it to be fancy. If you're a musician, you get used to rehearsal rooms with appalling indoor air quality. One place we gig at easily achieves about 4,000 ppm...ambient is about 420 ppm and the maximum acceptable limit in most places is 1,500 ppm.
 
dirtychinchilla said:
That just means having fans blowing air in and out of the room. You don't necessarily need it to be fancy. If you're a musician, you get used to rehearsal rooms with appalling indoor air quality. One place we gig at easily achieves about 4,000 ppm...ambient is about 420 ppm and the maximum acceptable limit in most places is 1,500 ppm.
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Doesn't sounds nice. And is no excuse.
 
Diagro said:
I doubt you'll get enough sound deadening in to dampen it enough. I'd not like to be your neighbour lol
Click to expand...

luckily if you read what I wrote it's not the end of the world if it's not entirely quiet..

Noise wise it doesn't have to be silent (that's impossible) as my next door neighbour works during the day and said she's fine with a little noise early evening. There is nobody else nearby to hear.
Click to expand...

Also luckily since i'm not an arse I talked to my neighbour.. and they are happy to work with me. I.e I will go round there and check the noise level. If its too high or they have any problems at all, I will do some more work on it. I don't want any issues with anyone.
Won't be playing late or early either.


dlockers said:
Watch the Gosforth Handyman videos. Whilst his was purpose built for a music studio there may be some techniques you can learn from. He ended up needing a proper co2 system as the air quality got quite poor in there.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that. I had a look. Some useful tips in terms of building structure and layers etc. Regarding air quality.. I was going to put in some ventilation and I have an aircon unit I could plumb in, if it really needs it. Want to avoid too many holes as obviously that will have an effect on soundproofing. Need to build a box baffle.
 
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sovietspybob said:
My first though is that it'll get baking hot in there in no time flat so really think about ventilation.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I'd be making sure you have plenty of in/out ventilation with fans at a minimum. There are some nice AC kits you can fit yourself which don't break the bank if you have some spare cash, and will make less holes than fans to keep some sound deadening.
 
radderfire said:
Just a random thought but what about build a temporary building in the garden, as then you could take it with you when you move.
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Would be the prefered option. Unfortunately the garden is too small and there is no electricity outside of the house. I'd also then lose the brickwork of the garage which provides a lot of sound deadening.

I've consulted a professional studio room builder who has built many drum / studios inside garage's and he has answered almost all my questions.

Creating a shopping list now and I'll start the build in a couple of weeks.
 
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redeye said:
4/ I'm planning on using 18mm OSB on the floor, and perhaps 11 on the walls / celing. If it's not enough then I'd put on a second layer, different orientation. Internally obviously plasterboard is most people's choice but again I'm leaning towards OSB as it is easier to screw / remove.
5/ Insulation - rockwall as dense as possible all round. Floor - I'm planning to buy some foam spacers that the studs will sit on, existing concrete floor under that which is also already covered by carpet.

Any thoughts comments welcome, really appreciate any help!

Happy to post some updates as I go if anyone is interested.
Click to expand...
Are you not using specific plasterboard designed for soundproofing?
 
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You will need ventilation- a garage is hot in summer and drumming is physical. Unless you’re prince andrew, you sweat, and you don’t want that getting dank or affecting the kit.
 
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Yup as per my first post I will install an airconditioner unit I have to take care of temps. I'm also going to put in an in and out vent. The garage due to it's position actually stays suprisingly cool even during 30 degree days, but still after some effort you'll quickly warm up playing in this smaller room.


sigma said:
Are you not using specific plasterboard designed for soundproofing?
Click to expand...

From what I've been told and found myself you pay an awful lot more for certain "acoustic plasterboard" and the decrease in noise levels isn't always that noticeable. But at the moment the most dense I can find at a sensible price is soundbloc - it's not hilariously heavy but is still 12.5kg/m2. So I will likely start with a single layer of that on the inside, test and see how we go. If it needs something more.. then I can add additional layers with different densities / materials if needs be.
 
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redeye said:
Yup as per my first post I will install an airconditioner unit I have to take care of temps. I'm also going to put in an in and out vent. The garage due to it's position actually stays suprisingly cool even during 30 degree days, but still after some effort you'll quickly warm up playing in this smaller room.




From what I've been told and found myself you pay an awful lot more for certain "acoustic plasterboard" and the decrease in noise levels isn't always that noticeable. But at the moment the most dense I can find at a sensible price is soundbloc - it's not hilariously heavy but is still 12.5kg/m2. So I will likely start with a single layer of that on the inside, test and see how we go. If it needs something more.. then I can add additional layers with different densities / materials if needs be.
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I think the noise reduction depends on the type of noise (air or vibration) you want to prevent and the method you use.
 
I do think you need to work more sound proofing into your design. Not just sound proofing but room acoustics too.

Not that I know anything about actually doing either.
 
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Also there is reducing sound by absorption, and reducing transmission. The dense boards absorb sound, but are fixed tight. You also want to reduce transmission by decoupling layers/inside and outside. I think the Gosforth Handyman video covers it - there is a green goop adhesive in a silicone tube that offers cushioning and separation. You can double up on boards using this to decouple them. Floors you can use a layer of similar absorbing rubber/foam.
 
redeye said:
dirtychinchilla said:
Air condition is not ventilation....

You're likely to get condensation if you're sat inside a sealed box, regardless of how poor the air quality will be.
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Yup as per my first post I will install an airconditioner unit I have to take care of temps. I'm also going to put in an in and out vent. The garage due to it's position actually stays suprisingly cool even during 30 degree days, but still after some effort you'll quickly warm up playing in this smaller room.
Click to expand...
 
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