Building A New Loft

[G McBride]

I am building a new pole barn garage and I am going to have a second floor that will have 13 feet by 44 feet open area to turn into a music room if I wish.

 

I am looking for suggestions on wall coatings and treatments to make it a good room that does not bounce the sound around. In the old days we would put carpeting on the walls to help absorb the sound, is there a better or more economical way of doing this?

 

Thanks for any ideas and suggestions.

 

Gill

[LPguitarman]

You definetly want to go with some kind of sound proofing material on the walls, but that could get expensive. At least hang plenty of pictures (preferrably of guitars) on the walls to negate any echo.

[milod]

Gill...

 

Given your location, I guess my personal first concern would be hvac, humidity, insulation and such for protection of the guitars.

 

If you drywall over any sort of insulation and have a "hard" flooring of some sort, it may do more echoing.

 

I've got a somewhat similar project going, but frankly with a lotta desks and bookcases and such I'm not all that concerned about the acoustics.

 

m

[G McBride]

I am thinking that I won't keep the equipment in that location, maybe amps but I am thinking i will keep guitars in the house in their cases protected. Planning on insulating the walls and ceilings well to make it easier to climate control but don't know if I will want the expense of doing that 24/7. Might just keep it at a low controlled temp and bring it up to a comfort level when being used.

 

What wall covering should I consider so that it does not echo?

[milod]

Dunno...

 

I've personally always had so much other "stuff" where I've played that sound reflection never was a problem since bookcases, desks, etc., absorbed enough.

 

Right now in the drywalled room I'm working on, I've two desks, a half dozen desk chairs and a frig - and a carpeted floor. When I am "moved in," it'll have a couch, four or five bookcases, another couple of desks, etc. Even now, though, there isn't that much reflected sound from a guitar amp at floor level.

 

I've always been more concerned about warming stuff up and letting it cool in winter mostly because it tends to bring at times some heavy condensation issues that aren't very good for almost any sort of wall treatment or anything else in the room, even if there's excellent overall ventilation.

 

Still... there are all sorts of fabric wall hangings that might suit your needs, from decorative quilts to a half decent looking bit of rug, even to curtains where there's no window. Odds are you already have some of that sort of thing. Weight then is kinda the concern, but...

 

m

[neilpanda]

Build a bathroom. They have the best acoustics in the house! except, dont build it with all the appliances n stuff.

unless of course you want a toilet in there

[TommyK]

Check the price of carpeting, curtains and bed covers, then compute cost per square foot. Factor in that curtains a bed covers probably should be hung like curtains with a certain amount of 'pleating', therefore will cover less territory. 13x44 covers a lot of real estate. You may want to partition off a sound deadened area for recording. This would reduce your wall covering expense. Maybe use movable panels or hang curtains on ceiling tracks. This area would probably have permanent ceiling covering. And a throw rug for the floor.

 

Yes, HVAC is a grave concern. While HVAC works most of the time, there are times where mechanical things fail. Just make sure you check the environment in there a couple times a day.

 

Insulate it like your house. In our area 4 - 8 " in the walls, as much as 30" in the ceiling. Don't forget the floor, if the area below it is not heated/cooled. This size demands 12" floor joists for 13' clear span underneath, so fill it with insulation. If there are to be windows and doors, make them exterior grade, triple pane windows and insulated doors. Running water is probably good if you intend to spend a lot time there. A bathroom is a good idea too.... regardless what TehBeast says, make it fully functional.

[G McBride]

Thanks TommyK, I agree with everything you said.

[brundaddy]

Just be good and sure that the garage ceiling is capable of load-bearing, or else reinforce as necessary. I wouldn't bother soundproofing unless you are dead set on cranking it after 9 or 10. You'd be surprised how nice neighbors can be about playing music as long as you don't suck.

[G McBride]

This is a Gambrel roof design with the Truss being designed to bear a floor load. Our zoning in this county is pretty strict and require plans to be submitted and approved for use. I appreciate all of the advice and suggestions, you guys have been a wealth of knowledge.

[EVOL!]

For sound insulation and dampening, I am going to recommend what my rehearsal space does: layered acoustic mineral wool/rockwool insulation in the walls with some air space in between layers and drywall over that.

 

Also, hanging curtains on the walls will help a lot to make the room dry (as opposed to wet with natural reverb) and be cheaper than Auralex foam pieces. Nice padded carpet on the floor and, depending on the ceiling, a drop ceiling with acoustic tiles and more acoustic mineral wool above it. This will do it right.

[G McBride]

Keep all these great ideas and suggestions coming. Poles are all in the ground and concreted in, gravel base on floor, and pipes and conduit in place for things to feed through the concrete floor. Should have concrete work done by Monday evening.

 

Once all this preliminary base construction work is completed the building will start moving along quickly. I expect Trusses to be completed and delivered by the middle of next week.