The acoustic specification of this garden music studio by Garden Spaces has been enhanced with the addition of an acoustic porch. The porch, combined with a high spec acoustic construction, has achieved sound reduction levels of approximately 60dB, which is impressive!
There has been a surge of interest in soundproof garden studios over the last few months. While most people tell us they want to create a place where they can play music without disturbing the neighbours, others are looking for a quiet workspace for video conferencing etc., as they become remote workers.
The specification of soundproof garden studios varies vastly between companies. Some designers add a layer of acoustic plasterboard and market their range as soundproof. In contrast, others have developed multi-layer build-ups with the aim of achieving specific sound reduction levels. Garden Spaces fall into this latter bracket, having developed four different acoustic specifications, offering soundproofing from 39dB through to 56dB. They also offer design features to enhance this performance further, such as acoustic porches which bring the noise reduction to approximately 60dB.
Room in the garden to play instruments
Garden Spaces client wanted to create a quiet space away from the house to play their instruments. They wanted this to be as soundproof as possible, so that neighbouring properties would not be disturbed by their endeavour. They also wanted their new building to incorporate a storage room.
They decided on a 4.08m wide by 2.78m deep garden studio that is 2.5 meters high. This has created a music studio of 7.5m² and a storage shed of 3.1m².
They chose Garden Spaces Platinum Acoustic Package, which enhances the standard SIP's core structure with several extra layers of acoustic insulation in the floor, wall and roof structure. The build-up offers approximately 56dB of sound reduction.
In addition to the Platinum specification, they also chose to add an acoustic porch which increases the acoustic performance to approximately 60dB.
Doors and windows can leak sound. One way to overcome this is to create a vestibule with double door system - an acoustic porch.
In this case, a high-spec glass door has been used on the exterior of the building. On the inner side of the porch, a solid acoustic door has been fitted. This is a clever combination because when music is not being played, the inner door can be left open so that you can benefit from light entering through the glass door.
As we say, doors and windows leak sound. Therefore, you want to minimise the number and size of doors and windows used in a soundproof garden studio. Garden Spaces client liked the idea of having a round porthole style window, so the Garden Spaces team sourced a high-spec powder-coated aluminium version with performance glazing. It is a clever choice, as it is not too big but lets in a good amount of light into the room - it looks cool too!
Even with minimal glazing, we can see that inside, the studio has a light and airy feeling thanks to the plastered and decorated interior. Garden Spaces customer sourced their own light fittings, and the Garden Spaces team installed them along with the other electrics.
Externally, the studio has been clad in Western Red Cedar. Garden Spaces client chose to have a UV-oil applied as it was installed. This oil stops the Cedar losing its reddish-brown colour and turning silver.
The Cedar cladding has been mixed with powder-coated aluminium door and window. These and the roof kerbs have been finished in Grey RAL7016 shade.