New build small size high isolation project

[endorka]

Bummer!

You might be able to repaint behind the wall with a telescoping paint roller or wash brush.

Cheers,
Jennifer

[Purelythemusic]

Hi All,

Quite the week!

We decided where the masonry paint had failed, to apply cement mixed with sbr as a sealing slurry as this will cure in moist cool conditions, it worked a treat! The areas we had already covered up and got wet we tucked some plastic against the wall to try to create some sort of seal.

We got the rest of the internal walls up including the lintels for the doorway, scaff finally went up so we are once again protected from the rain a bit, though our plastic tarpaulin for the cover is a bit big so we’ve ended up raising it more than planned and creating drainage channels for the rain.

We got the internal walls tanked above the required height today and I’ve been looking into better render to apply rather than the recommended sand and cement with SBR as the gauging mix (the liquid added to the dry s+c is recommended to be 3:1 SBR to water). I’ve found a product made by Fassa called MS20 it’s basically s+c with lime for workability and other additives to aid adhesion (over the tanking) it’s about £6 a bag. The rep advised it’s suitability.

The roof beams didn’t arrive today, planned for Tuesday next week, then we can get the internal roof on.

Got a quote for liquid dense screed for the inner room and alleyway, they can also provide a pumped concrete for the roof which I’m waiting for a price on. Costs about 4 times the traditional screed but that includes labour...probably work out just over twice the price but without the 1mm a day drying time... and probably be more level than my screeding : )

Just waiting on some HVAC and other details so I can move forward in confidence...

By the way the room sounds awful now when we play music in it... even with a non existent ceiling.

The large beams for the outer roof I calculated to be just over 400kg each! I have a plan A for positioning them (delivery driver) but I need a plan B and C.

[Starlight]

By the way the room sounds awful now when we play music in it... even with a non existent ceiling.

Funny, isn't it, that the awful sound is actually a sign of a successful build.

[Purelythemusic]

Hi All,

Yes true Starlight, makes sense I suppose!

I've begun to realise the size of the silencers I knew they would be big but given the isolation goal, they'll be bigger still! I'm just waiting on the final spec, but have taken a punt on making the register sleeve holes as big as I think is feasible and allowing for the largest silencers I think will fit practically!

I'm also thinking about how they'll actually be installed...in between my ceilings/roofs...the first of which will be finished at the end of the week and the second is going on pronto afterwards, so I need a way to fit the silencers with both in place.

This, as well as craving more from my mezzanine in the hallway, leads me to scrap the parapet on the roof and I think I can do away with the concrete topping on the roof under the insulation, just have block and beam grouted, vapour membrane, PIR insulation (tapered possibly to create the fall, or I'll do with the concrete) and concrete topping (done at the same time as the floor screed below potentially.

Here's the new proposed design:

To do the concrete on the small roof (only 1.4m3) we have made some questionable alterations to the scaffolding and had as much delivered as possible onto it near where we're mixing by mixer on our platform, tomorrow...here's where we're at at the end of play...late one today...

[Purelythemusic]

[endorka]

Your build really is stunning. What will the inner dimensions of the studio be when finished?

Cheers,
Jennifer

[Soundman2020]

Your build really is stunning. What will the inner dimensions of the studio be when finished?

Right now, it's looking like roughly 570cm long by 350cm wide, but that was before the tanking coating went on, and not allowing for any variation from wall roughness. But somewhere close to that. (OK, so that's just a few mm we are talking about, but I do like to be accurate! ).

Tom, I'm nearly done with the silencer design. Hopefully I'll get that to you tomorrow. Please let me know the final locations and sizes of the holes you made in the inner-leaf ceiling, so I can adjust things if needed.

- Stuart -

[Soundman2020]

Funny, isn't it, that the awful sound is actually a sign of a successful build.

So true! And it's gonna get even worse, before it gets better....


- Stuart -

[endorka]

Right now, it's looking like roughly 570cm long by 350cm wide, but that was before the tanking coating went on, and not allowing for any variation from wall roughness. But somewhere close to that. (OK, so that's just a few mm we are talking about, but I do like to be accurate! ).

Nice, that is a really good size. My place is similar, and with a bit of planning it's possible to record a full band including drums in there. It will be interesting to see how the interior is developed.

Cheers,
Jennifer

[Purelythemusic]

Yes!

Yea so at the floor and ceiling we measured around 5720 long and 3550 wide but yes tanking then 10mm or so Render... height to the ceiling beams is around 2550 then to the blocks in between is around 2600 after 150mm floor makeup (pir insulation and screed).

Here’s the now dull interior with block and beam ceiling clips to hang batons to support ceiling fabric and Rockwool.

I’ll send this measurements to you Stuart to input into the silencer design thank you!

Here’s how we finished up yesterday...

We now have 470mm between top of inner room roof amd underside of outer shell roof beams... I’m planning to set them plumb with the inner room beams meaning that the ventilation openings will be inline with a block not a beam giving us an extra 150mm or so for the silencers...hopefully we’ll end up with at least 600mm space to fit them : )

[Purelythemusic]

Your build really is stunning. What will the inner dimensions of the studio be when finished?

Cheers,
Jennifer

Thank you! Once in a lifetime!

[endorka]

Indeed. I can't believe the speed you are constructing it too, so fast. I assume it's been in the planning for a couple of years?

Cheers

[Purelythemusic]

Indeed. I can't believe the speed you are constructing it too, so fast. I assume it's been in the planning for a couple of years?

Cheers

Well, I knew I had some funds available about a year and a half ago, but didn’t start planning until about a year ago... I’m on plan F with the help mainly of Stuart! I’m used to designing on the fly, which I know isn’t usually good for such important designs such as these, or indeed most building projects but it’s the environment I’ve been building in the past 3-4 years and I was happy when I started that I understood the important concepts and approaches to the build, just hope I’m right! Getting the ventilation and penetrations into the inner room right is the last major potential stumbling block as far as I can see, as long as they are looked after I can crack on with the construction.

[Soundman2020]

It's zooming along at break-neck speed, Tom! Wow.

I'm ready with the inner-leaf silencer design (all air flow calculations done, basic box design ready), and I just need to know the locations of the holes in the ceiling to finalize it. Right now, the sleeves are about 285mm wide, 345mm deep, and about 1980mm OC. It looks like your holes are separated more than 1980 OC, and they also seem to be larger, so I'll probably have to adjust the box design. However, making it bigger is going to make it heavier too, and harder to build, because it will be longer than typical standard dimensions for sheets of MDF, OSB or ply. I guess it's too late to adjust the hole sizes? But either way, please let me know what the current sizes/locations are.

- Stuart -

[Purelythemusic]

Hi Stuart!

I sent them end of last week! Ah so sorry you haven’t received the email! I also had another couple of questions about the roof makeup... Here is the text:

The outside of the holes measure 435 x 640mm

The free opening space is 345 x 550...

From the outside of one to the outside of the other it measures 3225.

I wonder if it is better to leave the shutter in place, plane the top nice and flat, then use the shutter as part of the sleeve... the silencer could be green glued and fixed to the shuttering, then extend the sleeve inside the shutter into the room?
It would make the installation of the silencers easier and I think the airtightness better... if we remove the shutter then we have a slightly tricky opening to seal...

The questions on structure:

Aside from the silencers which are of course very important, could you answer a specific question regarding the roof makeup...

I have a choice:

System A:
Block and beam (95mm concrete block), vapour membrane, pir insulation then concrete topping which I can liquid rubber finish.

System B:
Block and beam, concrete topping, vapour membrane, pir insulation, ply screwed through to the concrete, then liquid rubber roof.

System A is going to be cheaper and quicker, also no penetration through the insulation but my concern is the outer leaf becomes thinner at the roof level but also possibly more importantly a 3 system overall! It’s inner leaf is massive, middle leaf is medium massive and so is the outer leaf.

System B will be more weather dependant for finishing, cost more and be 3 leaf but probably not considered true 3 leaf. The roof will be more massive...

I’m tempted by System B at present!

My final thought of uncertainty is the sleeves through the outer wall... if they are anything other than 150mm round holes then I’ll need to lintel them (I realised only last night)... we have finished the outer walls now and the roof beams are coming tomorrow.