VOCOMOTION New Studio Construction Diary

Archive for February, 2009

Primed Walls and Plywood

Saturday, February 28th, 2009

We filled the platforms and soffits with insulation and got the plywood installed, 2 layers of 3/4″ on platforms and 1/4″ finish-grade plywood on the soffits. Then we finished priming the walls, ceiling, and soffits. Tomorrow, we’ll get the ceilings painted and start painting the walls.

The Electrician Is Back

Thursday, February 26th, 2009

The electrician was here today to install the recessed can lights in the soffits and the electrical boxes & conduit in the platforms. The front platform has some crazy conduit running through it now. We’ll be closing that up with two layers of 3/4″ plywood this weekend.

I primed the Iso-Booth last night too (ceiling and walls). Took about two hours for that small room. Now that the electrician is gone for the day, I’m going to prime the ceiling in the Control Room tonight.

The new Sound Anchors monitor stands arrived today. They’re friggin’ heavy! They’re letting us use an office next door to the studio to store construction “stuff” like the LCD, LCD stand, monitor stands, couch, HVAC units, all the hardwood flooring, and extra scrap wood. It’s getting seriously insane in that small room now and I can barely get into it!

Schedule Update

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

We’re chugging along towards the finish-line!

Here’s where things stand for the next couple of weeks:

Feb 25 (today) - 52″ LCD arrived! Priming walls and ceiling.

Feb 26 - Electrician comes to rough-out the soffits and platforms. Paint ceilings flat black.

Feb 27 - Electrician wires up outlets. Pull low voltage wiring through conduit. New Focal Twin6 monitors arrive!

Feb 28 - Install plywood on platforms and soffits. Paint walls.

Mar 3 - Install hardwood flooring. Custom-built rack/Producers Desk arrives.

Mar 4 - Install carpet on platforms. Acoustic panels, diffusor pieces,  and isolation door arrive. MOVE GEAR IN FROM THE TEMPORARY STUDIO!!!

Mar 15 - John Storyk comes for site visit.

Mar 16 - Freddie’s birthday!

Of course, more photos of all these days to come!

Soffits and Platforms

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

We got the soffits and platforms framed up today. There are two soffits in the Control Room, one that runs down either side of the room. There are also two platforms in the CR, one in the front (for display and monitors) and one in the back (Producer’s Platform).

The electrician will be in this week to rough out the electrical in the soffits and platforms. Then we’ll close them up!

In The Home-Stretch!

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

Things are really coming together and we’re finally able to see a “schedule” of sorts, for the opening of the new studio.

Feb 20 - Finish sanding the walls/ceiling. Install doors for closet and exterior double-door.
Feb 21 - Frame soffits and platforms
Feb 25
- Prime the walls.
Feb 26
- Paint ceilings flat-black. Electrician do rough-in for soffits/platforms.
Feb 25
- Paint walls.
Feb 28 - Close up soffits/platforms with plywood. Paint soffits.
Mar 3 - Install bamboo hardwood flooring.
Mar 4 - Install Isolation-Door. Racks/Producers Desk should arrive (approx).

BTW, we just calculated we have put in FIVE TONS of drywall into this studio! Holy crap!

More Ceiling

Monday, February 16th, 2009

They stuffed the ceiling in the Iso-Booth with a huge amount of the denim insulation, then put up the three layers of drywall in there. The noise from that old duct that is up there has completely disappeared! It’s amazing how quiet the booth is now! Once they caulk the edges of the ceiling and the put the big isolation-door on it, it’s going to be awesome!

They’ll probably get the three layers of drywall up on the ceiling of the Control Room tomorrow and get everything taped by the end of the week. Then they’ll caulk and prime the walls early next week.

Ceiling Insulation

Friday, February 13th, 2009

They finished the ceiling supports and started putting up the insulation on the ceiling. There’s a layer of 6″ denim insulation up there and it looks pretty tasty. Maybe we should just keep it like that! The blue ceiling looks so nice and fluffy (and non-carcinogenic!).

Strength Test

Friday, February 13th, 2009

The contractors decided to test the strength of the ceiling supports this morning…by having one of the guys hang from it. He weighs about 200lbs and the ceiling seemed to hold him up just fine.

More Ceiling…

Thursday, February 12th, 2009

The ceiling supports are now done in the front of the CR. They also finished the second layer of mud on the drywall. Tomorrow they’ll do the supports for the ceiling in the back of the CR and the Iso-Booth.

Found out today that the architect can get me the RPG Modex Plates faster than this other distributor (whom I won’t name). WOO HOO!

Ceiling Channel Going Up

Wednesday, February 11th, 2009

They made some great progress today getting the threaded rods cut and put into all the springs and also put all of the C-channel up in the front of the Control Room. They thought leveling it would be difficult, but with their scaffolding in place, it was fairly quick to run back and forth, adjusting the level of the channel. Next, they have to criss-cross that C-channel with hat-channel, then hang drywall.

We ran into an issue today getting the RPG Modex Plates for the ceiling. We need three plates (two Type-2 and one Type-1) and they hang from the finished drywall ceiling. I just found out today that there is a 4-6 week lead-time in getting these plates. WHAT?? Great. So we’re looking to see if we can get them sooner (or if there’s a suitable replacement product). If not, I guess I’ll order them tomorrow and hope they come in closer to 4 weeks, rather than 6.