R o o m C o n s t r u c t i o n
Different materials and construction techniques will influence the quality of the acoustics in the room. For example, typical residential wall construction (i.e. 1/2" sheetrock over 2x4 studs spaced 16" on center) resonates quite readily. These resonances will be imposed on the music from the speakers, and will "muddy" the sound, especially with respect to the bass frequencies, thus making individual instruments less distinct, etc.
There are many different levels of improvement that can be made to wall and ceilng construction. For instance, just switching to two staggered layers of 5/8" blueboard plus veneer plaster (otherwise known as "skimcoat") is an improvement over normal builder-grade walls. At the high end, your builder can incorporate special acoustic-grade materials into the wall and ceiling construction as well as employ more sophisticated construction techniques which can then further optimize the performance of walls and ceiling.
For acoustic reasons related to the effectiveness of in-room acoustic treatments at certain frequencies, we have found that very stiff, dense walls may or may not necessarily be better. It really depends on what kind of acoustic treatment is being designed for the room. It is sometimes desirable to allow some degree of very low bass energy to emanate from the room through the floors, walls and ceiling. Therefore, we carefully design wall and ceiling cross-sections so that they have the appropriate amount of mass, stiffness, and internal dampening. Essentially with respect to walls and ceilings, designing for either stiff room boundaries or some degree of controlled damped flexure should be done only after deciding on the type of acoustic treatment.
Tip: Worthwhile improvements in wall construction can be made for a relatively modest price. The penultimate may be much more expensive, but even that may be a minor part of the construction budget.
Doors and windows also affect the room's acoustics. By carefully choosing the location of these room openings, and by selecting special materials for their construction, we can minimize or eliminate their potential deleterious effects. Also, remember that a skylight is nothing more than a window in the ceiling so the same rules apply! Tip: Come to our listening facility and rap your knuckles against one of our soundroom walls and compare it to a regular wall outside the soundroom. You'll immediately hear a big difference. The same is true with the specially chosen glass utilzed in our custom made full-view soundroom doors.
The construction of the floor should be taken into consideration as well. If you are building a room on a concrete slab on grade, then you already have a partially soundproof, anti-resonant floor. If, more typically, your room is built of dimensional lumber (e.g. 2x10's floor joists) or LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber) which is a high-strength engineered wood (e.g. wooden I-beams), then we may recommend that you decrease the span, selectively increase the size of the lumber, and/or decrease the joist spacing. All of these techniques may also improve the isolation of your components (especially turntable if you have one) from structural borne resonances.) Note that if your sub-flooring, wall, or ceiling construction will be utilizing plywood you might wish to specify NAUF plywood. (NAUF = No Added Urea Formaldehyde). More on IAQ follows below.
In addition to building the room for good acoustics within it, you may wish to consider soundproofing it to some degree as well. For example, perhaps you wish to listen without disturbing others in your home ― maybe late at night. Or, perhaps you live on a busy street, and you wish to keep external noise out of your room. If so, then we think that you'll also find this article about soundproofing quite interesting. Another aspect to designing and building a room that you wish to take into consideration is Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). For instance, many manmade building materials will off-gas formaldehyde as well as a variety of VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds). For example many types of plywood, particle board, and MDF (medium density fiberboard) are made with urea formaldehyde based glue. In addition certain forms of insulation like urea formaldehyde foam are known to outgas formaldehyde. More recently other forms of manmade insulation has come under increased scrutiny. In addition some types of Fire Retardants may also be problematic. Fortunately there are some manmade building materials that either emit far less or maybe even off-gas nothing at all. Click here for a very informative webpage on the Columbia Forest Products website that goes into much greater detail. Note that you should click on the "Read More" button at the bottom of the article in order to read it in its entirety. For instance it differentiates between Urea Formaldehyde glue and Phenolic Formaldehyde glue, the latter of which only emits formaldehyde at a significantly lower level than urea formaldehyde glues. Although it doesn't mean that it is the best, one thing to look for is GreenGuard Gold certification for insulation, flooring, and other building materials. Another thing to look for are building products which meet CARB (California Air Resources Board) airborne toxic control measure (ATCM) Phase 2 emission limits. One example of a product that is superior in terms of IAQ is Medex, which has the added benefit of being moisture resistant, and can replace regular MDF (medium density fiberboard). Another example is Columbia PureBond Formaldehyde-free plywood which can be utilized instead of regular plywood for such things as cabinet and furniture construction. Note that Purebond can also be specified as FSC® certified upon request. FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council. For regular construction such as subflooring, etc. there is NAUF plywood. NAUF stands for No Added Urea Formaldehyde. There is also the similar abbreviation NAF (No Added Formaldehyde). For more info look at the California Air Resources Board CARB FAQ. When it comes to types of interior wall stud bay insulation there are several that claim they don't off-gas: For instance there is Isolena sheep wool insulation with a number of positive attributes listed on their site. Importantly the manufacturer of this wool insulation states that it incorporates long-lasting protection from moths. There is also Hemp Wool which their specs say consists of 92% hemp and 8% polyester fibers. Claimed non-toxic bonding agents and fire treatment make up the rest of this composite. In addition there is Mineral Wool batt insulation (R3-R3.3/inch) whose attributes include being vapor permeable, moisture & water repellant, flame resistance up to 2150 degrees Fahrenheit, mold-resistant and mildew-resistant. Mineral wool is denser than other common insulation materials such as fiberglass, spray foam and regular foam -- and thus has a higher sound transmission class (STC) rating. This means that it is good for sound attenuation--and batts can be put into stud wall bays and ceiling joist bays. Products available include: RockWool AFB EVO formaldehyde-free Green Guard Gold certified mineral wool batt insulation Thermafiber SAFB (sound attenuation fire blankets) formaldehyde-free mineral wool batt insulation
A word of possible caution here is that there is anedoctal evidence indicating that some older types of Mineral Wool insulation has been known to disintegrate into dust over a long period of time. Though the best modern Mineral Wool products now claim that they will last the lifetime of a building. With regard to a fiberglass type of insulation there is a validated formaldehyde-free product that is both GreenGuard Gold and LEED certified called Knauf EcoBatt Insulation. With an R-Value of 3.5/inch it is one of the most interesting products from this company. They have several other formaldehyde-free products as well. There is also an FSC-certified softwood chip R4/inch insulation made in Maine by TimberHP called TimberBatt. According to the manufacturer it is a flexible, semi-rigid, high density cavity insulation whose attributes include "wind-tight performance in wood-frame assemblies that can almost eliminate cavity airflow. TimberBatt’s vapor open technology also manages indoor humiditiy, preventing trapped moisture that can cause mold or rot". Furthermore the company says that "TimberBatt thermal and acoustical batt insulation creates calm, climate-controlled spaces using the natural sound-absorbing properties of wood." The company also makes TimberBoard exterior insulation and TimberFill blown-in insulation. For a bit of insight into the company an article about the company's background and founders is located here. These insulation products are factory-treated with Borate for additional protection against fire, mold, and insects. Borate is claimed by the company to be environmentally friendly. However not all sources agree, as evidenced here, as there are also claims that Borate is both somewhat toxic and does not provide long-lasting protection. Note: Different types of insulation have pros and cons with respect to how well they are with respect to water vapor, condensation, prevention of mold growth as well as whether they repel insects and other pests, etc. So for a particular application some types of insulation may be superior and also may need to be paired with an appropriate vapor barrier, smart vapor retarder or variable vapor barrier. Then there are paints, sealants, caulks, and adhesives many of which off-gas and some that claim to do very little outgassing of VOCs or maybe even emit nothing at all. For someone interested in non-offgassing products here are some links: AFM Sealcoat - Paints / Sealants / Caulks / Adhesives Real Milk Paint Co - Milk Paint / Wood Finishing Oils / Finishing Creams & Paste / Waxes If you are contemplating using green buidling materials then you could investigate the following: LEED-certified green buildings 475 High Performance Building Supply Green Building Supply If you are interested in energy efficiency then you could investigate Passive House building techniques: Passive House Principles and Design PHIUS Five Principles of Passive House Design and Construction Net Zero Energy Buildings Of course if you stick with natural materials like untreated wood, stone and adobe then it is extremely unlikely that there would be any sort of indoor air quality problem from utilizing them. As long as they aren't radioactive of course!
Your room's construction materials and techniques will influence its acoustics and noise isolation as well as the indoor air quality and comfort from a well-designed HVAC system. Even a modest amount of extra effort during the design process may prevent a significant remedial effort after the room is complete. We believe that there is no substitute for good design. Although you certainly can call us in at any stage of the design or building process, ideally from the perspective of superior room acoustics and noise isolation, you would contact us first before anyone else. Normally after site selection, the next step in residential building is to have an architect design the home or addition. But the more we can work with a clean sheet before any design attributes like roof lines or dimensions are set in stone, the less there will be the need for any compromises. There is a lot more to know about design, materials, and construction techniques. If you ever have an opportunity to build or modify a room, you are most welcome to engage us to consult on your room project.
There are many different levels of improvement that can be made to wall and ceilng construction. For instance, just switching to two staggered layers of 5/8" blueboard plus veneer plaster (otherwise known as "skimcoat") is an improvement over normal builder-grade walls. At the high end, your builder can incorporate special acoustic-grade materials into the wall and ceiling construction as well as employ more sophisticated construction techniques which can then further optimize the performance of walls and ceiling.
For acoustic reasons related to the effectiveness of in-room acoustic treatments at certain frequencies, we have found that very stiff, dense walls may or may not necessarily be better. It really depends on what kind of acoustic treatment is being designed for the room. It is sometimes desirable to allow some degree of very low bass energy to emanate from the room through the floors, walls and ceiling. Therefore, we carefully design wall and ceiling cross-sections so that they have the appropriate amount of mass, stiffness, and internal dampening. Essentially with respect to walls and ceilings, designing for either stiff room boundaries or some degree of controlled damped flexure should be done only after deciding on the type of acoustic treatment.
Tip: Worthwhile improvements in wall construction can be made for a relatively modest price. The penultimate may be much more expensive, but even that may be a minor part of the construction budget.
Doors and windows also affect the room's acoustics. By carefully choosing the location of these room openings, and by selecting special materials for their construction, we can minimize or eliminate their potential deleterious effects. Also, remember that a skylight is nothing more than a window in the ceiling so the same rules apply! Tip: Come to our listening facility and rap your knuckles against one of our soundroom walls and compare it to a regular wall outside the soundroom. You'll immediately hear a big difference. The same is true with the specially chosen glass utilzed in our custom made full-view soundroom doors.
The construction of the floor should be taken into consideration as well. If you are building a room on a concrete slab on grade, then you already have a partially soundproof, anti-resonant floor. If, more typically, your room is built of dimensional lumber (e.g. 2x10's floor joists) or LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber) which is a high-strength engineered wood (e.g. wooden I-beams), then we may recommend that you decrease the span, selectively increase the size of the lumber, and/or decrease the joist spacing. All of these techniques may also improve the isolation of your components (especially turntable if you have one) from structural borne resonances.) Note that if your sub-flooring, wall, or ceiling construction will be utilizing plywood you might wish to specify NAUF plywood. (NAUF = No Added Urea Formaldehyde). More on IAQ follows below.
In addition to building the room for good acoustics within it, you may wish to consider soundproofing it to some degree as well. For example, perhaps you wish to listen without disturbing others in your home ― maybe late at night. Or, perhaps you live on a busy street, and you wish to keep external noise out of your room. If so, then we think that you'll also find this article about soundproofing quite interesting. Another aspect to designing and building a room that you wish to take into consideration is Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). For instance, many manmade building materials will off-gas formaldehyde as well as a variety of VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds). For example many types of plywood, particle board, and MDF (medium density fiberboard) are made with urea formaldehyde based glue. In addition certain forms of insulation like urea formaldehyde foam are known to outgas formaldehyde. More recently other forms of manmade insulation has come under increased scrutiny. In addition some types of Fire Retardants may also be problematic. Fortunately there are some manmade building materials that either emit far less or maybe even off-gas nothing at all. Click here for a very informative webpage on the Columbia Forest Products website that goes into much greater detail. Note that you should click on the "Read More" button at the bottom of the article in order to read it in its entirety. For instance it differentiates between Urea Formaldehyde glue and Phenolic Formaldehyde glue, the latter of which only emits formaldehyde at a significantly lower level than urea formaldehyde glues. Although it doesn't mean that it is the best, one thing to look for is GreenGuard Gold certification for insulation, flooring, and other building materials. Another thing to look for are building products which meet CARB (California Air Resources Board) airborne toxic control measure (ATCM) Phase 2 emission limits. One example of a product that is superior in terms of IAQ is Medex, which has the added benefit of being moisture resistant, and can replace regular MDF (medium density fiberboard). Another example is Columbia PureBond Formaldehyde-free plywood which can be utilized instead of regular plywood for such things as cabinet and furniture construction. Note that Purebond can also be specified as FSC® certified upon request. FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council. For regular construction such as subflooring, etc. there is NAUF plywood. NAUF stands for No Added Urea Formaldehyde. There is also the similar abbreviation NAF (No Added Formaldehyde). For more info look at the California Air Resources Board CARB FAQ. When it comes to types of interior wall stud bay insulation there are several that claim they don't off-gas: For instance there is Isolena sheep wool insulation with a number of positive attributes listed on their site. Importantly the manufacturer of this wool insulation states that it incorporates long-lasting protection from moths. There is also Hemp Wool which their specs say consists of 92% hemp and 8% polyester fibers. Claimed non-toxic bonding agents and fire treatment make up the rest of this composite. In addition there is Mineral Wool batt insulation (R3-R3.3/inch) whose attributes include being vapor permeable, moisture & water repellant, flame resistance up to 2150 degrees Fahrenheit, mold-resistant and mildew-resistant. Mineral wool is denser than other common insulation materials such as fiberglass, spray foam and regular foam -- and thus has a higher sound transmission class (STC) rating. This means that it is good for sound attenuation--and batts can be put into stud wall bays and ceiling joist bays. Products available include: RockWool AFB EVO formaldehyde-free Green Guard Gold certified mineral wool batt insulation Thermafiber SAFB (sound attenuation fire blankets) formaldehyde-free mineral wool batt insulation
A word of possible caution here is that there is anedoctal evidence indicating that some older types of Mineral Wool insulation has been known to disintegrate into dust over a long period of time. Though the best modern Mineral Wool products now claim that they will last the lifetime of a building. With regard to a fiberglass type of insulation there is a validated formaldehyde-free product that is both GreenGuard Gold and LEED certified called Knauf EcoBatt Insulation. With an R-Value of 3.5/inch it is one of the most interesting products from this company. They have several other formaldehyde-free products as well. There is also an FSC-certified softwood chip R4/inch insulation made in Maine by TimberHP called TimberBatt. According to the manufacturer it is a flexible, semi-rigid, high density cavity insulation whose attributes include "wind-tight performance in wood-frame assemblies that can almost eliminate cavity airflow. TimberBatt’s vapor open technology also manages indoor humiditiy, preventing trapped moisture that can cause mold or rot". Furthermore the company says that "TimberBatt thermal and acoustical batt insulation creates calm, climate-controlled spaces using the natural sound-absorbing properties of wood." The company also makes TimberBoard exterior insulation and TimberFill blown-in insulation. For a bit of insight into the company an article about the company's background and founders is located here. These insulation products are factory-treated with Borate for additional protection against fire, mold, and insects. Borate is claimed by the company to be environmentally friendly. However not all sources agree, as evidenced here, as there are also claims that Borate is both somewhat toxic and does not provide long-lasting protection. Note: Different types of insulation have pros and cons with respect to how well they are with respect to water vapor, condensation, prevention of mold growth as well as whether they repel insects and other pests, etc. So for a particular application some types of insulation may be superior and also may need to be paired with an appropriate vapor barrier, smart vapor retarder or variable vapor barrier. Then there are paints, sealants, caulks, and adhesives many of which off-gas and some that claim to do very little outgassing of VOCs or maybe even emit nothing at all. For someone interested in non-offgassing products here are some links: AFM Sealcoat - Paints / Sealants / Caulks / Adhesives Real Milk Paint Co - Milk Paint / Wood Finishing Oils / Finishing Creams & Paste / Waxes If you are contemplating using green buidling materials then you could investigate the following: LEED-certified green buildings 475 High Performance Building Supply Green Building Supply If you are interested in energy efficiency then you could investigate Passive House building techniques: Passive House Principles and Design PHIUS Five Principles of Passive House Design and Construction Net Zero Energy Buildings Of course if you stick with natural materials like untreated wood, stone and adobe then it is extremely unlikely that there would be any sort of indoor air quality problem from utilizing them. As long as they aren't radioactive of course!
Your room's construction materials and techniques will influence its acoustics and noise isolation as well as the indoor air quality and comfort from a well-designed HVAC system. Even a modest amount of extra effort during the design process may prevent a significant remedial effort after the room is complete. We believe that there is no substitute for good design. Although you certainly can call us in at any stage of the design or building process, ideally from the perspective of superior room acoustics and noise isolation, you would contact us first before anyone else. Normally after site selection, the next step in residential building is to have an architect design the home or addition. But the more we can work with a clean sheet before any design attributes like roof lines or dimensions are set in stone, the less there will be the need for any compromises. There is a lot more to know about design, materials, and construction techniques. If you ever have an opportunity to build or modify a room, you are most welcome to engage us to consult on your room project.