James' Studio Build 2024

[BigRedX]

Are you doing anything about the existing garage door or will not matter once the inner structure is in place?

BTW those corners with the protruding bricks would do my head in. Just as well it's not my build!

[James Perrett]

What will the finished internal dimensions be? And are you going for a pitched roof?

It will be a flat roof very similar to the old one. I want to keep the visual impact from the street very similar to how it is now.

[James Perrett]

Are you doing anything about the existing garage door or will not matter once the inner structure is in place?

The door will stay but there will be a substantial stud/plasterboard panel behind it. There will then be a gap between that panel and the inner studio structure.

[ajay_m]

As far as I can see, the corners with the protruding bricks preserve the essential strength of the wall by offsetting each layer, as is normal for any bricklaying work.

You *could* I imagine trim the corners off but that's quite challenging to do and then you expose the internal more porous part of the brick to frost.

You can purchase special profile bricks but a quick look here reveals why you might not want to do that on a budget. £16 quid for one brick!

https://www.jewson.co.uk/building-mater ... ped-bricks

[Sam Spoons]

Not quite £16 a brick for the ones James would have needed at £3.43 but still around double a standard brick.

https://www.jewson.co.uk/p/wienerberger ... d-BRBGG921

[Folderol]

If you're painting the wall, you could infill with cement, so that once finished it looks like some form of buttress.

[Hugh Robjohns]

I like the sticky-out bricks... it's a visual feature to an otherwise boring brick box.

[James Perrett]

I like the sticky-out bricks... it's a visual feature to an otherwise boring brick box.

I've been toying with the idea of some kind of mural on it though I'm not sure what the neighbours would think...

[Sam Spoons]

Probably better to ask them first, particularly as (I assume) they are new neighbours but I imagine it will depend, at least in part, on what you choose to depict in the mural.

[Arpangel]

I like the sticky-out bricks... it's a visual feature to an otherwise boring brick box.

I've been toying with the idea of some kind of mural on it though I'm not sure what the neighbours would think...

Sounds good, but please avoid the sun, clouds , countryside, children playing, sail boats etc, as for the neighbours opinions?

[N i g e l]

sunflowers & soup is a popular theme this week.

but maybe keep the art thing hush hush, ya dont want to encourage Banksy, that can be a lot of hassle.

[James Perrett]

There's a whole celebration of street art in Portsmouth at the moment and I've been following some of the artists for a while.

https://www.lookup-portsmouth.co.uk/

Mind you, I suspect I know some artistic talent closer to home...

[ManFromGlass]

Maybe the paint they use on Stealth aircraft so neighbours will never be sure if something is there or not?

[James Perrett]

The roofing materials finally arrived over the first 3 days of the week so yesterday Marc was able to get the roof on with the membrane stuck down.



It still feels slightly larger than I was expecting inside



Now we have to add all the trim, guttering and reinstate the door before I get started on the internals.

[Arpangel]

I'm amazed by all this, by your sheer ability and ingenuity, I could never even attempt anything like this, it’s fascinating seeing it all take shape.

[James Perrett]

I'm amazed by all this, by your sheer ability and ingenuity, I could never even attempt anything like this, it’s fascinating seeing it all take shape.

It is Marc and his assistant, Lisa, who have been doing all the work so far. I tell him what I would like and he works out how to do it.

My work starts when he finishes in a few days time.

[OneWorld]

"It still feels slightly larger than I was expecting inside"

Yes but it's like if you fart in chapel, no matter how big the space, it'll fill it. Same with music tech gear, you'll be busting at the seams.

I had my attic converted, my rooftop music penthouse, I got everything in though, 'cept there's no room for me

Actually it looks great. When it's complete and you're working within those wonderwalls it'll seem just so am sure.

[ajay_m]

I propose a dedicated edition of SOS on 'building your own studio' which could include a fair chunk of detail on this project amongst other things. Everyone fantasises about doing this so even if there were sections on just projects for treating existing rooms, with some pics of the result, the whole thing would be very popular and it'd make a nice change from yet another review of yet another sodding LA2 compressor clone . Can't wait to see the final result, presumably with the gratuitous palm tree in a little pot, concealed colour-change lighting and of course a ginormous vintage mixer with a suitably expensive Aeron chair in front of it

[Telemaxis]

I propose a dedicated edition of SOS on 'building your own studio' which could include a fair chunk of detail on this project amongst other things.

I'll second this. There must be a wealth of experience out there which could provide the inspiration for the more tentative amongst us - eg me,

[N i g e l]

My work starts when he finishes in a few days time.

Can I request for you to make a quick recording of the inside of the building before & after you fit the accoustic treatments ? A clap or other impulse would be enough.

I am always amazed at the difference that stuff makes.

[James Perrett]

Can I request for you to make a quick recording of the inside of the building before & after you fit the accoustic treatments ? A clap or other impulse would be enough.

Yes, I will definitely do something like that over the next couple of days with the X-Y mics on the Zoom U-44. I want to see if I can create a studio reverb impulse. However, it won't be a fair comparison with the final room because that will be a somewhat different shape to the outer shell.

[N i g e l]

Thank you ,that would be great, but no worries if you are too busy getting things done in the available daylight or working thru the night etc

[Drew Stephenson]

Second the above if possible. The before and after difference in my place was huge.

[James Perrett]

The first stage is done! I now have a complete outer shell. You may have noticed that I became a bit reticent to share too many photos over the last few weeks - that's because we didn't have a door and sometimes had a few things lying around so we didn't want to advertise that.

Here's the entrance



From the road



and here are a few views of the inside...

From the door



From the garage door



and looking towards the garage door



The garage door will have a stud partition in front of it in addition to the complete room within a room that I'll be building.

[Drew Stephenson]

Looks like a bit of a tardis, and virtually invisible from the outside world (which is good for security!)