They finished up installing the bamboo hardwood flooring today. They also put the carpet on the platforms. I had them put a felt-padding under the carpet on the rear platform, since people will be sitting there on the couch. Will be a little more comfy. Didn’t put it on the front platform because that’s just holding the LCDs and monitors.

The HVAC guys put the indoor units in yesterday. They’re hooked up to the linesets, but not the electrical yet (will happen tomorrow). Good thing it’s a warm beautiful day here in Skokie (63-degrees F).

Tomorrow the big Isolation Door is getting installed. Also, the electricians are coming to trim out everything (put in the outlets, switches, etc). We still have no word from ComEd as to when we’ll get our electricity hooked up!

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The studio is all painted and it’s looking really awesome! My small console desk is arriving tomorrow and the flooring is now getting installed Wednesday.

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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.

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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!

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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!

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!

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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!

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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.

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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!).

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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.

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