Building ~400 square foot backyard studio

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martybones420
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Location: USA Raleigh, NC

Building ~400 square foot backyard studio

#1

Postby martybones420 » Mon, 2021-Mar-08, 16:14

Does anyone have any examples of a roughly 400 square foot studio build? This will be a new build in my backyard. I'd like to have it be mostly one room, but with a small (roughly 8x11sqft) iso booth. And a small bathroom. Starting from scratch! And examples you can point me towards would be great! Need to figure out what HVAC system would be best to ventilate the main space and the booth. Building it on a slab. I don't have a massive budget, just need to keep out neighborhood noises and have it be functional. I'm a musician and do a lot of overdub work. I'm not an engineer, I just engineer myself and occasionally people come to me to help track extras.

Thanks!

-Matt



SoWhat
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Building ~400 square foot backyard studio

#2

Postby SoWhat » Mon, 2021-Mar-08, 17:43

Greetings martybones,

I don't have a massive budget


Can you be more specific? Because...

HVAC will add a significant expense ($1000s) and the small bathroom could add quite a bit too, particularly if you need to tap into the main drain. Search the forum for "HVAC" and "ventilation". There's loads of stuff.

If the slab is already there, that will help with your budget, otherwise see above.

All the best,

Paul



martybones420
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Building ~400 square foot backyard studio

#3

Postby martybones420 » Tue, 2021-Mar-09, 18:39

Thanks for responding, Paul! I know, it's a little vague. My wife and I are building a new house, and we are including in the plans a 400 square foot detached studio for my work. I have a 200 square foot detached space now that's just one room. Will be functioning about the same in the new place, but I want it to have a booth and a bathroom and slightly larger main space. I think the budget for the studio is somewhere between $50k-60k. So not enormous, but enough to at least get a good shell of a studio in place. I'd love to be able to connect with someone who has built a freestanding space from scratch this is about this size. But I realize that it's maybe an oddball request, because someone building a real studio wouldn't build something so small. Dimensions and an HVAC recommendation are my priorities right now.


Thanks again!

-Matt



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Soundman2020
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Building ~400 square foot backyard studio

#4

Postby Soundman2020 » Fri, 2021-Jun-25, 23:50

Hi Matt., and Welcome to the forum! :thu: :)

Does anyone have any examples of a roughly 400 square foot studio build?
I sure do! :D

I have done a few studios like that for various clients in various countries. But as Paul pointed out, there's a lot of range in your question! I could give you examples of 400 ft2 studios in the several-hundred-thousand dollar range, or in the tens-of-thousands range, or even down to the teens-range. It all depends on what you are aiming for, along with a few other factors. For example, what do you plan to do in there? Recording voice-overs is one thing, recording full rock bands is entirely different. Mixing is yet something else. Mastering is, once again, a different thing. Foley is very different. Mixing 2.1 is different from 5.1, and Dolby is yet again different. A commercial studio (one you charge other people for using) has one set of requirements, while a pure hobby studio has another. Etc. There might also be local restrictions that you would need to take into account, such as how high it can be, how close it can be to the property line, how loud you are permitted to be outside, etc. I would need a lot more info to be able to give you a realistic guesstimate on what your place could be like.

For example, here's one studio that is nearing completion: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=32 That's around 400 ft2, and is designed for very high isolation, for both mixing and recording. The main goal here is basically be totally silent outside, a few feet from the wall, even while playing loud drums inside. You could ask Tom how much that cost him, so far, and how it is working out for him. Also, just by looking through the thread that might help you get an idea of some of the challenges involved in building such a place. I'm not sure if that is what you have in mind, but it is one of many possibilities for a 400 ft2 studio.
I think the budget for the studio is somewhere between $50k-60k. So not enormous, but enough to at least get a good shell of a studio in place.
That works out to around US$ 150 per square foot. Probably doable, for a simple one-room studio with medium isolation needs.
I'd love to be able to connect with someone who has built a freestanding space from scratch this is about this size.
Talk to Tom! He's a really nice guy. :) :thu: I'm sure he'd be happy to share his experience.
But I realize that it's maybe an oddball request, because someone building a real studio wouldn't build something so small..
Not at all oddball, and not at all unusual in size! Many of my clients have built studios in that general range, several of them with budgets similar to yours. "Real" studios don't have to be huge: 400 ft2 is not uncommon at all for home studios, project studios, and even small pro studios. It is possible to go down to about 200 ft2 and still have a usable mixing/mastering room, but tracking rooms and rehearsal rooms generally need more space, and higher ceilings in particular. 400ft2 with a 12 ft ceiling could be a decent place for tracking/rehearsal. Lots of possibilities without 400 ft2! It really isn't too small, for most things.

Contact Tom! Send him a PM. And if you decide that you need a full design for your place, let me know.

- Stuart -




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