I’m looking to build a detached 2 story garage with 2nd floor finished studio behind my house in an older neighborhood in Dallas TX. Garage will probably be 2 car + storage/shop space, (700 sf or so). My house is only 1800 sf and values in my area are $110-$130 psf. I don’t have a garage currently so I have flexibility with size and orientation, but the design and proportion will have to be consistent with the historic architecture in the neighborhood.
My primary goal is to create a 2nd floor studio above the garage for both practice/rehearsal, and audio recording. Soundproofing will be very important because I live in a fairly noisy neighborhood, and therefore need to keep outside noise outside, besides keeping drums/guitars/bass/etc from driving the neighbors crazy. The space will also need to be adaptable into an apartment or “mother-in-law” quarters for future resale (bathroom and kitchenette must be roughed in).
I have done a fair amount of reading on building techniques for soundproofing and am familiar with the typical approaches (e.g. room within a room, raised floor over rubber, etc). A friend in town did exactly what I am looking to do, using conventional 2×4 framing and typical sound reduction treatments. His studio is very quiet inside, but more noise gets out than would work for me in my neighborhood (particularly from bass). I don’t want anyone to know what’s there.
My question at this point is what is the best way to build this type of structure, to deliver the maximum level of sound reduction for the lowest cost? I am intrigued by insulated concrete forms (ICF), given the inherent noise reducing properties. Has anyone had any experience using ICFs specifically for building a soundproof room? It seems to me that the advantages of ICF over conventional framing seem perfect for my application and is probably more cost efficient given the level of soundproofing I am aiming for.
Any thoughts or insight would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Andy
Replies
I'm a complete fan of ICF construction. I think it is very cost effective in almost any instance you would choose to use it. I do believe that with you looking for a soundproof structure it would be better than stick building but not as sound proof as the idea may sound on first glance because you will probably have windows. If you want to kill sound perhaps a garage with a basement over it would give you more soundproofing than building up to a second story.
I've used rolled plastic impregnated with lead on several home recording studios but the have all been inside 'sealed' interior walls and the best in underground portions of the home. They do end up soundproof enough to hide a gun shot but at quite an expense. I did one in home studio last year that cost 250k just for the construction and some very basic electric work. I think just over 4 million went into all the bells and whistles to make the finished product you hear on his cds
I have thought about going down instead of up, but basements are rare in this area and I think the cost would be quite a bit higher. I have also heard that it is very difficult to mitigate bass transmission below grade, although I don't know whether this is true. The other issue is resale value, if I can market that space as a garage apartment when I sell my house eventually, hopefully I will lose less money on this idea!
ThanksAndy
Isn't life all about losing money ??? ;-) Can't be selling one's self too short
For the ICF to have much affect on sound you need a full 2 story structure. Is that what you where planing on.
Typically when I think of a room over a garage it is typically 1 1/2 story.
Yes, full 2 story structure is what I'm going for. I want to maximize the cubic air space of the studio.... within applicable zoning/building envelope requirements.