Alamo Sound Services - A Mixing Studio's building process

[Redsandblu]

Hello All,
We've received quite a few PM's and emails from people wanting to know when the website would be up and running. Well folks, HERE it is. Since the site is merely a snapshot picture taken on one fine day (in july I believe), and since it looks like a lot of people enjoy seeing 'the making of' as well, I'll try to paint a chronological picture of all construction works as of beginning 2004. However, there are not that many pictures available, cause we didn't know Gearslutz at the time (shame shame, I know).

Merry (mi)X-Mas & and a Masterous New Year,

Irina VS

[Redsandblu]

Welcome to the studio-to-be. This is the very beginning: demolition of the entrance.

[Redsandblu]

This used to be the bathroom. It will serve as the studio entrance now. We left most of the brick framework intact as the building was still rock solid (most walls are 2 feet thick).

[Redsandblu]

A bit zoomed out. What you see is part of the part of the building that was reserved for the house staff (from 1880 to 1980). It is that part that will serve as the control room.

[Redsandblu]

So we created some 'space' to build the side entrance to get to the lounges, to the machine room and to the room where we do basic maintenance and tape backups.

[Redsandblu]

One of our key features, the retractable control room floor

[Redsandblu]

This is right before we demolished the floor. It was not in the best of shape, and it would be impossible to make a proper concrete foundation for the control room room without first removing the hardwood floors and wooden crossbeams.

[Redsandblu]

We tore down the stairs going from the first floor to basement level (machine room). They had been exposed to too much moist over the last few decades. From the first all the way up to the third floor was still in great shape. We left those untouched, since they were beautifully painted.

[Redsandblu]

All the way in the back is the doorway to both the bathroom and a smaller room (11'x9') that will become the 'spares' room, with all kinds of spares (bulbs, switches, cables, fans...) for the studio. Also, there is another little room that may serve as a wine cellar!!!!

[Redsandblu]

On your right hand side in the previous picture, is the machine room. Or...will be, as you may have guessed.

[Redsandblu]

In the meantime, on the outside, the big ones are rolling in.

[Redsandblu]

Ready to demolish even more...the courtyard, the side entrance, the staircase on the control room level.

[Redsandblu]

They've been digging between 4 and 10 feet deep, in order to build solid concrete foundations afterwards.

[Redsandblu]

Sandblasting the outside of the control room.

[Ribbonmicguy]

Thanks for sharing with us!

This is great!

[Eric Greedy]

looks great..hope I book time there someday!

[Matthew Murray]

This is very cool indeed.
And the finished place looks amazing too. It's got one of the most unique vibes I've seen in a while....

[Redsandblu]

Thanks a lot guys. We've been working hard to get the vibe going. that was one of the prerequisites before we started building...the colors, and the mix of Mexican, Morrocan and Indian influences.
But anyway, we're not there yet in this series of pictures. We'll go back to the first signs of rebuilding, the outside foundations: placing border panels at the edges of the concrete foundation.

[Redsandblu]

Inside the metal dams you can see the rebar beam cage used as a component for the reinforced concrete.

[Redsandblu]

Similar structures were used for the control room floors. More on that later.

[Redsandblu]

This wall is bordering to the street on the studio front side. It is about 85 feet long by 10 or 11 feet tall. We really liked it alot, but over the years it started tilting over quite a bit. Enough to worry us anyway. So we were naive enough to take it apart brick by brick, label every single brick, clean every single one of them, and then put the wall back together. But again, based on a solid reinforced concrete foundation. Set us back by about four weeks.

[Redsandblu]

Concrete pouring with the elephant's trunk.

[Redsandblu]

Foundations finished, as well concrete layers that will serve as a basis for the courtyard.

[Redsandblu]

New concrete staircase from first floor to machine room.

[Redsandblu]

Studio entrance after concrete pouring. As you can see, the plastering has been done as well. I couldn't find any pictures pre plastering yet. The original ceilings have already been renovated too. Part of vaulting was missing. Fortunately, we still had enough spare bricks that we found in one of the basements.

[abit]

.....!!!!!.....
So much respect.
Completely thrilled with street wall refreshment..
And everything..

[Redsandblu]

Thanks Abit,
I found a picture of how the wall came together after a while. To the right you can see the bluestones have been put back on top of the wall before cleaning them. In the meantime the bluestones are sandblasted too. At this time we're getting the walls pointed. Rebuilding the pavement will be for early 2006.

[Redsandblu]

I found a picture from right after the concrete foundations and floors were made. We made a large opening in a supporting wall, in order to get the big wooden gate in. Subsequently we had to reinforce the wall with a hefty crossbeam. Most electrical lines you see, are going to the overdub room. Not a big hall, just a 10'x20' space where we can do some guitar, keyboard or vox overdubs. And since there are never enough power outlets, we wanted at least 20 sparate outlets inside the OD room.
Of the concrete pouring inside the CR, I have unfortunately no pictures, as we all had to help, and nobody was available to take pics. What I remember from it, is that there were two stages to it: first a layer of (some sort of) polystyrene foam on top of which cam the first layer of concrete (about a foot thick). Second came a second layer of foam (different foam, don't remember the exact name) on top of which came another layer of concrete. On top of this layer you can see the insulating 'jacket' on top of which came the power line cables. The door you see on the right hand side was removed, and the wall closed.

[Redsandblu]

This is what happened to the original floor...
First the pile...

[Redsandblu]

Then the fire...