New Dedicated Listening Room

[Lee]

Well, it's finally coming true. My wife has 'Re-purposed" her life from the corporate grind. That means the anchor of the city no longer holds us. With our new freedom we bought a 5 acre propery that has a main house with semi detached 2 car garage and living space above.

The property also has a 3 bay RV garage and 2 bedroom guest house. We have lots of options.

I'm also excited it has a large organic garden. I have a strong passion for personal food production. I want not only egg chickens but meat chicken. I'm not raising other animals. Although I can legally harvest deer on the land.

But back to audio. I am going to design my room with an exposed back wall to allow electrical modifications as I go along. I will lean towards Robert Harleys design. No built in treatments. Probably RSC channel and 2 layers of drywall. From there I will add treatments as the room and gear ask. I will also have a chance to add subs.

In the short term, Kingrex is a little stalled. I have to mail a panel that is built. But I won't have access to a shop for about 4 months. Once in the home I have a lot of remodeling to do. My wife's comfort comes first. Mine too. The last guy won no design awards. I'm basically gutting the house. There is even a wall that needs to move back 3 feet. That requires a beam to pocket in the ceiling. Thats going to require some help. Otherwise I'm tackling most all the rest. That all means I can make a panel for someone as needed. But I just don't have time for all the hand holding. I can't do the normal 30 to 50 email. 3 to 10 phone calls. Custom specs. Custom marked up drawings. Its too time consuming. Just making a panel takes me 10 to 12 hours. I can provide a generic spec and drawing set for the contractor.

Once we take possession which is May 1st, I will start taking pictures. The listening room itself will probably be a year or more out. I won't have much of a stereo for a while. I have some Bose 803 and an integrated amp. That will have to do.

Last bit about the land. We are about a block and a half to a coffee shop, pizza joint, and the main art and performance venue on the island. Pretty famous names come to town. It's a very art - and music friendly community. There are a lot of bands on the island too. The way the land sits I could probably host 100 or more people for live outdoor events. Nothing like getting to kow the community by hosting a band and pit roasting a pig
As for audiophiles, it has a great 600 foot space in the semi detached garage above where I plan the media room to be. A good place for friends and family to stay. The other guest house is currently a rental and will probably stay that way.

Thanks all for reading
Rex

Rex, Congratulations on the new land and the ability to build a dream listening room!

 

[Kingrex]

Technically the records were sent to King County this morning. Today is truely the day we own the land. Were celebrating tonight

Oddly my father retired and bought 138 acres in VA when he turned 58. Same as me making this move to Vashon. Add to that my parents are crossing the country with friends as they just sold that farm. They left today. They spent 30 years there. In a couple weeks they will be at my brothers about 20 miles from my house. Similar chapters opening and closing and starting a new. Fortunately I learned from them. 138 acres is way to much. 5 is just fine.

 

[PeterA]

Technically the records were sent to King County this morning. Today is truely the day we own the land. Were celebrating tonight

Oddly my father retired and bought 138 acres in VA when he turned 58. Same as me making this move to Vashon. Add to that my parents are crossing the country with friends as they just sold that farm. They left today. They spent 30 years there. In a couple weeks they will be at my brothers about 20 miles from my house. Similar chapters opening and closing and starting a new. Fortunately I learned from them. 138 acres is way to much. 5 is just fine.

Driving across the country with friends at 88 is impressive. My parents and grandparents stopped driving around that age.

 

[Kingrex]

Yes. Their friends are a little younger and drive well. Their friends sold their 5th wheel last year but still like to travel. My mom and dad are passengers. My dad should not drive. My mom is very allert and physically together. She won't drive at night.
My mom is invaluable when it comes to remodeling. She loves it. Its where I got my start. Dad would buy a old fixer in NY or NJ. My brother and I were labor to strip rooms of lath and plaster, then help hanging new drywall, painting and wall papering.

 

[John T]

Technically the records were sent to King County this morning. Today is truely the day we own the land. Were celebrating tonight

Oddly my father retired and bought 138 acres in VA when he turned 58. Same as me making this move to Vashon. Add to that my parents are crossing the country with friends as they just sold that farm. They left today. They spent 30 years there. In a couple weeks they will be at my brothers about 20 miles from my house. Similar chapters opening and closing and starting a new. Fortunately I learned from them. 138 acres is way to much. 5 is just fine.

Where in VA? I'm about 45 miles from Danville Va, in NC...In the sticks, very rural...

 

[Kingrex]

Where in VA? I'm about 45 miles from Danville Va, in NC...In the sticks, very rural...

Middlebrook. Near Stanton.

 

[Cellcbern]

Well, it's finally coming true. My wife has 'Re-purposed" her life from the corporate grind. That means the anchor of the city no longer holds us. With our new freedom we bought a 5 acre propery that has a main house with semi detached 2 car garage and living space above.

The property also has a 3 bay RV garage and 2 bedroom guest house. We have lots of options.

I'm also excited it has a large organic garden. I have a strong passion for personal food production. I want not only egg chickens but meat chicken. I'm not raising other animals. Although I can legally harvest deer on the land.

But back to audio. I am going to design my room with an exposed back wall to allow electrical modifications as I go along. I will lean towards Robert Harleys design. No built in treatments. Probably RSC channel and 2 layers of drywall. From there I will add treatments as the room and gear ask. I will also have a chance to add subs.

In the short term, Kingrex is a little stalled. I have to mail a panel that is built. But I won't have access to a shop for about 4 months. Once in the home I have a lot of remodeling to do. My wife's comfort comes first. Mine too. The last guy won no design awards. I'm basically gutting the house. There is even a wall that needs to move back 3 feet. That requires a beam to pocket in the ceiling. Thats going to require some help. Otherwise I'm tackling most all the rest. That all means I can make a panel for someone as needed. But I just don't have time for all the hand holding. I can't do the normal 30 to 50 email. 3 to 10 phone calls. Custom specs. Custom marked up drawings. Its too time consuming. Just making a panel takes me 10 to 12 hours. I can provide a generic spec and drawing set for the contractor.

Once we take possession which is May 1st, I will start taking pictures. The listening room itself will probably be a year or more out. I won't have much of a stereo for a while. I have some Bose 803 and an integrated amp. That will have to do.

Last bit about the land. We are about a block and a half to a coffee shop, pizza joint, and the main art and performance venue on the island. Pretty famous names come to town. It's a very art - and music friendly community. There are a lot of bands on the island too. The way the land sits I could probably host 100 or more people for live outdoor events. Nothing like getting to know the community by hosting a band and pit roasting a pig
As for audiophiles, it has a great 600 foot space in the semi detached garage above where I plan the media room to be. A good place for friends and family to stay. The other guest house is currently a rental and will probably stay that way.

Thanks all for reading
Rex

That's great. Congratulations. As I've posted, I had the opportunity when I moved into my current home to have my first built from scratch dedicated listening room. Its not a large space, but it is giving me the most satisfying sound I have experienced. Enjoy!

 

[adyc]

Congrats. Since you have a large land, why don’t you build a new room on the land? In this case, you can choose whatever dimension you like.

 

[christoph]

Congrats. Since you have a large land, why don’t you build a new room on the land? In this case, you can choose whatever dimension you like.

And Rex obviously has the skillset to do something like that

 

[Kingrex]

Thats a lot more money. Building codes are crazy restricted. I don't want to get into it as its a highly charged political conversation. Its a big part of why I wanted out of Seattle in the first place.

Here is another reason. Our celebratory dinner last night was over $200 for 2 of us. And that was pasta. Not even meat.

 

[Kingrex]

And, I have a lot of house there. I have a 3 bay RV garage that could have a room in a room.

I personally want my room more a part of the house. A place to share with Nancy. I don't want a remote room that separates me from her. That room will also be our TV room. I am designing towards the room in the garage and if I need, a non permited carport in front of the garage.

 

[thedudeabides]

What island if may ask so the rest of us can be jealous?

 

[Kingrex]

What island if may ask so the rest of us can be jealous?

Vashon Island WA. There is a walk on commuter ferry that goes to downtown Seattle every day. I'm putting my salmon boat at Elliot Bay Marina. An easy 2 mile ride from the ferry. That put me about 2 miles from the bottom of my salmon holes. Vashon only had a launch at the bottom of the island which is about 20 miles from my fishing spots. Its gonna be interesting packing my fish back on a bike.

 

[thedudeabides]

One of the premier places to live the NW. Less rain than Seattle? Always wanted to retire in Victoria, BC. Unfortunately, could not do it. You are one very lucky person. Congrats on your new home and best of luck with all your future endeavors, musically and otherwise. Gordon

 

[Kingrex]

Vashon is north of the San Juans. I love the San Juans too. I tried to get a vacation propery on Lopez Island. It just never worked out.

There is a rain shadow a little further south on Vashon island, but its dirty from a copper smelter down there. Our land is clean.

I do feel blessed. It has taken some purposefull designing to make it happen. And there is a lot of work in the house to bring it together. The foundation is in place.

 

[Kingrex]

Wifes are so funny. When I say I am Re-purposing the garage to a media room, she thinks this is a discussion.

 

[mtemur]

Probably RSC channel and 2 layers of drywall.

Congratulations, I hope you'll be very happy in your new home.

IMHO drywall is the worst sounding solution even glass sounds better. I highly recommend brick or concrete wall instead. Just my two cents.

 

[Kingrex]

Congratulations, I hope you'll be very happy in your new home.

IMHO drywall is the worst sounding solution even glass sounds better. I highly recommend brick or concrete wall instead. Just my two cents.

Budget is a concern. The building is what it is. I have never seen a stone room outside the little chappel room. My friend Joe Pitman had a concrete room and fought it for years. But I'm no expert on rooms. I don't know.

In all truth, I have some garage doors at my current house that have 3 of 4 panels made of glass for light. And have a man door to walk in and out. I really like them. I wouldn't mind putting them at the new place. I hate to so change a garage I impact the sellability in the future. I have a lot of time to decide what to do.

 

[Kingrex]

Congratulations, I hope you'll be very happy in your new home.

IMHO drywall is the worst sounding solution even glass sounds better. I highly recommend brick or concrete wall instead. Just my two cents.

Who do you know who is designing with a hard surface such as concrete or say Mason blocks?

 

[mtemur]

Who do you know who is designing with a hard surface such as concrete or say Mason blocks?

I don't know anybody designing and building a listening room in the U.S.

It is impossible to do a comparison of building materials in the same room because you need to build the walls with one material, listen, tear it down and build with the other, but I heard almost identical setups in drywall, concrete and mostly glass rooms. I din't like the room with drywall which also measures worst in terms of RT60. It wasn't just one occasion BTW.