The rough construction phase delivers nearly immediate gratification. Things move fast. A
sawdust-filled mess quickly becomes a space you can actually picture.

Most walls were up by the end of 2013. The whole place smelled of fresh Douglas Fir. That smell alone made the work feel worth it.

This studio contains enough 5/8″ drywall to cover a small apartment complex. Every wall and ceiling carries two layers. Each layer is independently taped and separated by green acoustic glue. The angles and crevices made sanding slow and expensive.

The plumbing changes were straightforward. We added a water heater, moved the lavatory, and
raised the waste line to meet the new floor height.

The subfloor runs on 2×6 lumber. Rubber “uboats” isolate it from the cement shop floor below.  About a mile of conduit runs through the assembly to carry audio cables. Two layers of 3/4″ plywood cap the whole thing, separated by green acoustic glue.

By this point a few friends knew what I was building. They kept asking the same question — “When do you think you’ll finish?” I never had a straight answer. Fortunately, I come from a family of building contractors. Going in, I already knew the two universal truths of construction. First — it takes longer than you think. Second — it costs more than you think. Both turned out to be true.