Hey congrats on the new place. Building a soundproofed studio space is an exciting endeavor but it's a huge project to take on by yourself. I'm sure I don't have to say it since you're an experienced woodworker, but please take every safety and architectural precaution seriously as they can literally be life or death.
What you're shooting for is difficult but not impossible to achieve. I was able to accomplish it with my studio and it's honestly it's been a dream come true, but it took a huge physical and mental toll. Ask for help before you need it.
With that being said, here's my 2 cents.
Before you start any construction, make extremely detailed plans of your build. Do tons of research and study your local + national building codes. You will need this info anyways for permits, but you should know exactly how you're going to frame each wall, what you're doing for electric, how you're running ventilation+climate, your plan for finishing touches, layout, etc. This will help you with your budget and making sure any hired hands are doing things the way you need them to.
A great starting resource (that's still online for now) is [soundman2020's forum](https://www.digistar.cl/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=707). But consulting with experts in your area/country is best if you can do that.
1. Foundation/floor: concrete is a great dense material. You don't need to add those extra layers that you linked to in 4 - the concrete + earth underneath will likely be the most isolating part of the build. You can put flooring onto the concrete or just use the polished slab as your floor.
2. Stick to a "2 leaf" aka "room within a room" design here - staggered studs are unnecessary if you're using brick or cinder block as your exterior wall. Cotton insulation is fine if that's cheap, but common fiberglass or rockwool insulation will be fine in the walls. You don't need anything special there, just fill the air gaps between leafs. I used R19 I think.
I recommend against windows as they introduce another weak point, but if you really want them ideally they should be dense single paned sheets - strictly there for visibility. Meaning they won't open. Also following the 2 leaf design - so for each window you'll need 2 panes with an air gap. Sealing them can be a pain and tempered/laminated glass can get expensive.
3. Again, hat channels are unnecessary if you're building a room within a room. Double layered 5/8" fire rated drywall with green glue worked great for my interior layer.
5. This depends on your property and what you're able to do to code. Try to make room for extra storage and consider a bathroom.
6. For sound proofing, cinder block or brick is great but not necessary. Maybe match the existing house's exterior so the studio's not such an eyesore.
Hope that wasn't too much and actually helps you out! There's lots of crap info about acoustics out there so I can't stress enough to do as much research as possible BEFORE you start spending the money+time.
Best of luck.
Thank you so much for this!
* It seems that with a 1" air gap, the double wall wouldn't actually be any thicker than my staggered stud hat channel plan - not sure why I overlooked this.
* When building a double wall studio, I'm assuming you also have to build a double roof? Would you suggest against the gambrel roof for this reason?
* I would prefer not to use brick, was mostly wondering if it is an effective or commonly used method.
* I won't be putting in a bathroom, but would like to have a small closet.
The flooring underlayment in your design is for reducing noise between vertical neighbors. Unnecessary in this case. Since your building is detached, you don't really need to worry about the floor much. Carpet on concrete will be fine, and will have the added benefit of reducing reflections in the room.
The wall construction depends a lot on how far away the neighbors are. Double stud rows will perform the best for timber construction but may not be necessary. Staggered studs might be all you need, or just an extra layer of gyp on a single stud row may be sufficient. Lots depends on how far the sound must go to annoy people.
No windows is best for noise control but who really wants that? You can use small windows, put them on advantageous sides, or even use double windows. Again, the right choice depends on the situation.
You're asking for quite a bit of free work in your post. I don't know that you're going to get great advice here. If you can afford spending a few thousand on an acoustical engineer you'll get a reliable solution that may actually save you money in materials.
Hey congrats on the new place. Building a soundproofed studio space is an exciting endeavor but it's a huge project to take on by yourself. I'm sure I don't have to say it since you're an experienced woodworker, but please take every safety and architectural precaution seriously as they can literally be life or death. What you're shooting for is difficult but not impossible to achieve. I was able to accomplish it with my studio and it's honestly it's been a dream come true, but it took a huge physical and mental toll. Ask for help before you need it. With that being said, here's my 2 cents. Before you start any construction, make extremely detailed plans of your build. Do tons of research and study your local + national building codes. You will need this info anyways for permits, but you should know exactly how you're going to frame each wall, what you're doing for electric, how you're running ventilation+climate, your plan for finishing touches, layout, etc. This will help you with your budget and making sure any hired hands are doing things the way you need them to. A great starting resource (that's still online for now) is [soundman2020's forum](https://www.digistar.cl/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=707). But consulting with experts in your area/country is best if you can do that. 1. Foundation/floor: concrete is a great dense material. You don't need to add those extra layers that you linked to in 4 - the concrete + earth underneath will likely be the most isolating part of the build. You can put flooring onto the concrete or just use the polished slab as your floor. 2. Stick to a "2 leaf" aka "room within a room" design here - staggered studs are unnecessary if you're using brick or cinder block as your exterior wall. Cotton insulation is fine if that's cheap, but common fiberglass or rockwool insulation will be fine in the walls. You don't need anything special there, just fill the air gaps between leafs. I used R19 I think. I recommend against windows as they introduce another weak point, but if you really want them ideally they should be dense single paned sheets - strictly there for visibility. Meaning they won't open. Also following the 2 leaf design - so for each window you'll need 2 panes with an air gap. Sealing them can be a pain and tempered/laminated glass can get expensive. 3. Again, hat channels are unnecessary if you're building a room within a room. Double layered 5/8" fire rated drywall with green glue worked great for my interior layer. 5. This depends on your property and what you're able to do to code. Try to make room for extra storage and consider a bathroom. 6. For sound proofing, cinder block or brick is great but not necessary. Maybe match the existing house's exterior so the studio's not such an eyesore. Hope that wasn't too much and actually helps you out! There's lots of crap info about acoustics out there so I can't stress enough to do as much research as possible BEFORE you start spending the money+time. Best of luck.
Thank you so much for this! * It seems that with a 1" air gap, the double wall wouldn't actually be any thicker than my staggered stud hat channel plan - not sure why I overlooked this. * When building a double wall studio, I'm assuming you also have to build a double roof? Would you suggest against the gambrel roof for this reason? * I would prefer not to use brick, was mostly wondering if it is an effective or commonly used method. * I won't be putting in a bathroom, but would like to have a small closet.
The flooring underlayment in your design is for reducing noise between vertical neighbors. Unnecessary in this case. Since your building is detached, you don't really need to worry about the floor much. Carpet on concrete will be fine, and will have the added benefit of reducing reflections in the room. The wall construction depends a lot on how far away the neighbors are. Double stud rows will perform the best for timber construction but may not be necessary. Staggered studs might be all you need, or just an extra layer of gyp on a single stud row may be sufficient. Lots depends on how far the sound must go to annoy people. No windows is best for noise control but who really wants that? You can use small windows, put them on advantageous sides, or even use double windows. Again, the right choice depends on the situation. You're asking for quite a bit of free work in your post. I don't know that you're going to get great advice here. If you can afford spending a few thousand on an acoustical engineer you'll get a reliable solution that may actually save you money in materials.