Private studio in Slovakia

#151

#152

Greetings Starlight,

feel free to show us what is happening with your wife's half of the building.

I think I mentioned her studio is now a garage conversion. It's nearly done: Windows went in last week; drywall mud, tape, and sand starting on 24 May (my rotator cuff tear and my wife's wrist issues prevent us from doing those steps ourselves). Then paint and connection of the light fixtures. I'll post some pictures soon.

Given the increased costs of lumber right now, I will hold off on my own studio for just a bit. Prices are ridiculous. Thankfully, the permit issues seem to have been sorted.

All the best,

Paul

#153

Thanks, Paul, your news is appreciated.

#154

For what feels like a lot of work I have little to show for it.

Working out where all the hooks that will hold the cloud need to be and putting them in place meant I could finally finish the drop ceiling - hurrah! The 4 boards that will be part of the cloud and will enable it to hang from the ceiling hooks are temporarily up there so that I could double check measurements and positioning.

80 holes make up the perimeter of the cloud.

Next will be getting the cloud finished, starting with the lights.

#155

Nice work with the perimeter holes. Presumably for acoustic purposes, so the cloud will be effective for modes along the length and breadth of the room as well as up and down?

#156

Exactly; they open the sides of the cloud to increase the effective absorbant area.

#157

Greeting Starlight,

Beautiful work on the cloud frame.

I know this sounds like the opening of a joke, but how many people does it take to hang the cloud? My arms and shoulders hurt just from thinking about the prospect.

All the best,

Paul

#158

SoWhat wrote:Source of the postI know this sounds like the opening of a joke, but how many people does it take to hang the cloud?

Hi Paul, that is a good question. I came to realise that the answer I was looking for is to repeat what I did with the hexagons. I started with a central core of three hexagons, like this:

Then I added two wings (that is how I think of them), each comprising two hexagons. They are supported from the ceiling but also attached to the central three to keep the gaps between them exact. Have a look at the second photo and the comment above it in post 147 to see how I plan to do that with the cloud. I am working towards a lift list: centre panel, left panel, right panel, the long front edge which will attach to all three panels, the rear panel (ditto), the little rear removable panel and then the space couplers will attach to the underside of the centre panel, which is why it has 10 mounting points while the wings which have 3 each.

I am also swayed to do it my way because my plasterboard (drywall) lift is not big enough for an almost 4 metre (13 feet) span. The answer to your question is it will take two people and a plasterboard lift to get the cloud in four sections into place doing it my way.

I will show you as I progress. Now all I need is a good answer to the joke question.

#159

Greetings Starlight,

I am also swayed to do it my way because my plasterboard (drywall) lift is not big enough for an almost 4 metre (13 feet) span.

I'm not sure if it's available in Europe, but here in the States there are lifts that can accommodate 16-foot drywall sheets. If so, perhaps you can rent one (this is one case where I'd never consider purchasing).

Your method does seems to be workable though.

As far as an answer for the joke: "None. It's a cloud. It floats."

All the best,

Paul

#160

Eventually I finished the 3.8 metre (12'6") wide cloud.

I made it in sections so that I could lift it with my plasterboard lift. The centre section holds the space couplers.

It looks like this in situ.

Then the right hand section.

The left hand section on its way up.

All three sections together look like this.

Finally, the perimeter with all those holes clips into place. The cloud hangs just beneath the drop ceiling and together with the space couplers weighs almost 70kg.

I just finished this today and feel exhausted so I have kept the descriptions short. If anyone wants the small details, such as how they link together, how they are held up, what would I do different (better) next time, etc., just ask.

In other news, two doors arrived this week from Spain so hanging them will be the next job. I decided early on that making doors would take me right to or beyond the limit of my ability given the tools and skills I have so I decided to buy the doors to guarantee good isolation.

#161

That is incredible, excellent job. Surprisingly lightweight at 70kg too.

Are the fabric covers backed with the wadding you have mentioned before?

#162

endorka wrote:Source of the postAre the fabric covers backed with the wadding you have mentioned before?

They are. I have mentioned them but not shown them so let me explain as I learned this when making the drop ceiling tiles. My first tiles had the fabric at the bottom with polyester batting laying on it. You can see that the pressure of the insulation bulged each tile to make it look like a cushion.

I prefer flat tiles so I started again, this time stapling some chicken wire across the tile, making it as taut as possible.

Then I stapled the polyester batting on top of the chicken wire ...

... which looks like this from the underside.

A test shows that the taut chicken wire is strong enough to support the insulation.

So I then stapled the breathable fabric to the frame ...

... and now that looks like what I wanted.

I thought of the three cloud sections as three massive drop ceiling tiles. I worked in a slightly different order: first I stapled the breathable fabric to the underside, then the chicken wire to the upper side (you can see a few ends in the photo below) which means the chicken wire has the thickness of the wood in which it can bow under the weight of the insulation and not been seen as a bulge from below. The polyester batting was laid on top of the chicken wire and then the insulation on top of that. The polyester batting is part of John Brandt's design so I had no choice; it was on the drop ceiling tiles and the cloud and will be on the front edge of the wall traps too.

endorka wrote:Source of the post... this is only a temporary setup until I build the soffits and cloud.

Something to look forward to!

#163

SoWhat wrote:Source of the post... here in the States there are lifts that can accommodate 16-foot drywall sheets.

Thanks for the suggestion, Paul. I appreciate that my method is unusual but it all came together fine and works for me.

#164

Thanks for posting the detailed photos.

Essentially, you've made box springs as the ceiling tiles (and cloud parts), which, if you think about it, is designed to hold the weight of a mattress plus an adult, so your construction should be quite solid indeed.

#165

This is for Gareth, replying to his question (see post 188 in his build topic).

Gareth, I have just finished my cloud, my first cloud, so don't count me as a professional but I am happy with it. In addition to the photos above of my cloud here is one (below) that shows more of how I did it. If you look closer you will see some staples reflecting in the light. Because I stretched the fabric as much as I could so there was absolutely no slack I then stapled as if I was sewing, using approximately 2,000 staples on the 3 sections that make up my cloud. You can also see in the photo of the naked cloud (in post 154 further up this page) I added some extra bits of wood with holes for the lights. In the photo below you can see that I pierced the fabric in the centre of each hole and the cut 12 slices, as if preparing a clock. I then pulled on each of those ends as hard as I could and stapled them down to retain the tension in the cloth.

I would do a wall panel likewise, with a square hole for the electric socket. Does that make sense?

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