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Soundproofing a Home Studio in a Garage
Most garages are too small to be much use for a car, which makes them perfect for something better. On this project we took an ordinary garage in a new build home and split it into a storage area and a unique multi purpose studio, a room where the whole family can make as much noise as they like without ever bothering the neighbours.
Soundproofing a home studio is one of the most rewarding projects we do at Quietco, because it hands people the freedom to play, record and rehearse at home. Here is how this garage became a genuinely silent space, and how we proved it works. You can see more of this kind of work on our studio soundproofing page.
The Features That Make It Silent
A garage looks like a simple conversion, but a studio that truly contains sound takes far more than lining the walls. These are the features that make the difference:
- A raised, floating floor that stops low frequency sound, the thump of a kick drum or a bassline, from travelling into the structure of the house
- A deep insulated ceiling system that traps sound inside and is specified to remove any risk of condensation forming above the room
- Air conditioning mounted on rubber pads on the floor rather than the wall, so its vibration is never felt through the building
- A double door system at the entrance, the weak point in almost every studio, to keep the sound sealed inside
- Our trademark floating room within a room, the heart of the build, which isolates the whole studio from the surrounding structure
One honest note: not every garage suits this. Because the floating floor raises the level and the ceiling system lowers it, you need enough head height to start with, which is one of the first things we check.
Taming the Echo Inside
Blocking sound from escaping is only half of a great studio. Inside the room, hard surfaces bounce sound around and create echo, which makes a space tiring and muddy to play or record in.
That is why we finish our drum rooms with acoustic absorption tiles that soak up the reverberation and leave the room sounding tight and controlled. Containing the sound and controlling the echo are two different jobs, and a proper studio needs both done well.
The Test, Silent Inside and Out
With the studio finished, we put it to the test while a live electric guitar played at full volume inside with backing track. First we listened in the room directly above, which in this new build is finished in dot and dab plasterboard, usually a recipe for noise travelling through, and even there the result was impressive.
Then we went outside to the old garage door and the alleyway that separates the two properties, exactly where a neighbour would stand. We could not hear a thing, even with the music in full swing in the room below.
Fill out the contact form to book your FREE noise diagnosis call and find out what your own space could become. Get in touch here.
A Studio Managed From Start to Finish
What makes a project like this succeed is that we manage the whole thing ourselves. We handled the blockwork, built our trademark floating room within a room, and took care of every fixture and fitting, following our four step soundproofing method so no path was left for sound to escape.
The client was left with a finished studio ready to use, a space where the family can play as loud as they like in the home they love. If you have a garage you think could become a studio, a consultation is the place to start.
Fill out the contact form to book your FREE noise diagnosis call and be one step closer to doing what you love at home. Contact us here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can any garage be soundproofed into a home studio?
Most can, but not all. You need enough head height to begin with, because a proper build raises the floor and lowers the ceiling, so we always assess that first.
Does soundproofing a home studio change the outside of my house?
No. As this project showed, the old garage door and the exterior stayed exactly as they were, with all of the work done on the inside.
Will I still hear echo inside the finished studio?
No. Alongside the soundproofing, we add acoustic absorption to control echo and reverberation, so the room sounds good to play and record in.
Can I really play guitar without upsetting the neighbours?
Yes. In this project an electric guitar was playing while we listened in the room above and outside, and the sound stayed contained inside the studio.
