His Studio Needed An Upgrade

When I first met Scott, he was recording out of a finished garage (see photo to the right) that was definitely ready for a facelift—and a ceiling lift!

Scott was also facing a serious problem: his wife could no longer tolerate the sound of drums filling the rest of the house.

That’s where I came in. Working alongside expert studio contractor Henry Thompson, we gave Scott’s studio a complete makeover—one that not only stopped the drum sounds from echoing through the entire home but also elevated the studio’s sound quality and appearance to a whole new level.

Project Challenges

Scott’s project came with a few unique challenges.

First, we needed to raise the ceiling within the existing hip roof to create a more open, acoustically balanced space.

Second, we had to fully isolate the drum sound to prevent it from traveling down the hallway and into the rest of the house.

Third, the studio was built on a wood deck above a crawlspace resting on a concrete slab. This added another layer of complexity, as sound could easily travel through the floor and into the rest of the home.

Project Solutions

Henry and his team raised the rafter ties to create the elevated hip roof you see in the final project photos. This not only gave the studio a more open feel but also significantly improved the acoustics by increasing the overall room volume.

To soundproof the studio, we installed Hush Frame Rafts on the walls and ceiling, then added two layers of 5/8” drywall throughout the room for maximum mass and isolation. We also installed an Iso Store HDFL door, which played a critical role in stopping sound from traveling from the studio into the rest of the house.

To address the floor, we added insulation beneath the wood deck and constructed a concrete wall between the studio’s crawlspace and the main house’s basement. This final step ensured that drum sounds wouldn’t travel under the house—and most importantly, that Scott’s wife wouldn’t hear them in the kitchen.