Need help with home DIY/mancave stuff

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stratotone

stratotone

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So I have an attic mancave. That's filling with gear and I want to reclaim some area.

here's an older pic of the room - on the left and right walls are access panels/hinged doors to get to the attic above the garage on the left, and just a few usable feet on the right because of the angle of the roof:

14764_1197938547817_5314570_n.jpg


Ok, here's a pic of what I have to work with on the right with an access panel/door open:

6445406_orig.jpg


What I'd like to do is use the above space to store cabs, possibly even using the space as a sort of iso booth to record guitar cabs later on. Or gear storage. It's going to need some work. Questions below:

1) the insulation isn't wet, I was going to just restaple it and then put up plywood to hold it in place. Or should I replace the insulation? Most of it's fallen.

2) There is partial floor, but it's uneven with the edge you see closest to the room. I was going to just screw plywood sheets over the top, possibly carpet them for a little more sound absorbtion if I mic cabs in there. Really cool thing about this side of my house is it faces a school's soccer field. :D

3) If I had a plywood 'ceiling' put in, and plywood flooring and carpeted it, would it be a an ok place to store cabs? I probably wouldn't put amplifiers in there or guitars, just cabs and probably guitar cases.

Any other ideas or comments? I just hate all this space going to waste. I'd do it over the garage but already have a lot of stuff up there, and it will be much harder on cabs cold and hot temp wise since I already have a huge hole for a ladder from the garage to get into the attic on that side.
 
wished you lived closer-this kinda shit is my specialty.
 
Bro, as airtight as you can make it, the better off you're going to be. If you can afford to replace the insulation, I would. I'd think about drywalling it if possible. Long term storage for cabs and guitar cases shouldn't be a problem if its insulated correctly.

If none of this is feasible, then at least check the cases once every couple weeks or so; dark places that aren't insulated is where nasty shit likes to grow; you don't want to leave your cases in there for a year and go up to grab one and find mold or whatever. The drier you can have it, the better.
 
Pete,
Be careful of sealing it up too much as it can cause other circulation issues in the home. Do you see light when you look into the left and right areas toward where the floor and roof line meet? The soffits might have vents that you don't want to block.

Good article - http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/maho/y ... qu_009.cfm

I would certainly get the insulation back up and probably use some good thick plywood. I also keep those damp rid 1/2 gallon plastic buckets around to remove any moisture.
 
Using that crawl space is a good idea but having gear that close to the elements would make me nervous. Definitely replace the insulation and consider double-boarding with either sheet rock or better yet, wet-board. Just in case you get a leak.
 
Thanks guys, you brought up some good points that I need to consider. As always, measure twice and cut once is the best thing to do. I just hate having space wasted in my house - it's not a small house, but it's amazing how quickly you can run out of space. I'd rather upgrade my house a little bit for better use than the other option, which is sell off a lot of gear :)
 
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