Looking for NYC post facility designer and contractor.

[Roy Harter]

I am currently in the process of designing another 3 audio / 1 video suite post-production facility, here in Times Square. I am now in the phase of talking to studio designers and contractors.
I have about 2900 sq feet to play with.

The space will need to be allocated in the following way.

AUDIO ROOMS:
2 large/ mid-size audio mix rooms. Large enough to comfortably house the ProTools workstations and up to 3-4 clients at a time. My clients prefer having a desk to house their laptops on. Perhaps even a couch to lounge on. One of these studios will be 5.1 ready. Yamaha DM2000 console.
1 smaller audio mix room. It will have the same equipment as the larger rooms, but will be scaled back with a smaller console etc. Yamaha DM1000 console.

VIDEO ROOM:
1 mid-size video suite. (this will remain unequipped until I find the right editor.) It will need to be large enough to house 2-3 clients at a time.

VOICE OVER BOOTH:
All 3 audio rooms will need to be situated around a centrally located voice-over/ live room. (Size of the live room has yet to be determined. But it should comfortably have room for 2 voice over artists at the same time. Ideally, it would be able to house a drum kit?). All 3 audio rooms will need to have direct access to it.

MACHINE ROOM:
There will also need to be a small machine room that will house all the video decks, and patchbays, with room for a desk and "final cut" video workstation.

RECEPTION/ LOUNGE AREA:
We'll need a small lounge for clients and talent to wait in. The current space I'm interested in already has a small kitchen/ sink.

OFFICE SPACE:
I'll need a private room that could comfortably house 2 desks, along with filing cabinets, copier/fax, etc. This will be used by my accountant and sceduler/ studio manager.

STORAGE CLOSET:
Small space that will enable me to house: backups, tape stock, snacks etc.

My main criteria for the 3 audio rooms, and video room are access to natural LIGHT! I realize this is an acoustic nightmare, but we have been working this way for 8 years now, and it makes our clients and mixers very comfortable. The space I'm looking at is a rectangular shape and has windows on 3 sides of the building.
I am not opposed to using pre-built desks (aka. Argosy consoles), but I want the studios to have a "high end" look and feel to them.
They obviously need to have some sort of acoustical isolation from each other, but we don't mix crazy loud anyway.

I have budgeted about $100,000 for the design and construction of the new facility build-out. This budget is for all design, demolition, HVAC rerouting, electrical, plumbing, framing, sheet rocking, finishing etc.
All the wiring, equipment, and studio furniture will come out of another budget. We do mainly cable promos and longform, (which is why our budget is so tight), but our clients have come to expect some comfort and "niceties". I just want the place to LOOK like we spent a million.

My time-frame is looking like beginning construction around mid September to November. I would like to have at least 1 audio room up and running within 5 weeks of construction. I know this is also tight.
I am looking to talk to any designers/ contractors located in the NYC area who would be interested in taking on a project like this.
I can be contacted at roy@eenyc.com to discuss further. Or via my mobile number. 917-209-0485.
Thanks in advance for any help or leads that could be suggested.

[jayfrigo]

I was about to make some suggestions, but I honestly don't know how you are going to accomplish all of that for your budget, especially in NYC. Materials alone, just to make the walls and put in the mechanical systems, will be more than that, never mind acoustics treatments, finishes, labor, and design costs. Could the project be done in stages? You might be able to get half of that work done now for your budget (even then it's tight) and do the other half in a year or two?

Originally Posted by Roy Harter

I am currently in the process of designing another 3 audio / 1 video suite post-production facility, here in Times Square. I am now in the phase of talking to studio designers and contractors.
I have about 2900 sq feet to play with.

The space will need to be allocated in the following way.

AUDIO ROOMS:
2 large/ mid-size audio mix rooms. Large enough to comfortably house the ProTools workstations and up to 3-4 clients at a time. My clients prefer having a desk to house their laptops on. Perhaps even a couch to lounge on. One of these studios will be 5.1 ready. Yamaha DM2000 console.
1 smaller audio mix room. It will have the same equipment as the larger rooms, but will be scaled back with a smaller console etc. Yamaha DM1000 console.

VIDEO ROOM:
1 mid-size video suite. (this will remain unequipped until I find the right editor.) It will need to be large enough to house 2-3 clients at a time.

VOICE OVER BOOTH:
All 3 audio rooms will need to be situated around a centrally located voice-over/ live room. (Size of the live room has yet to be determined. But it should comfortably have room for 2 voice over artists at the same time. Ideally, it would be able to house a drum kit?). All 3 audio rooms will need to have direct access to it.

MACHINE ROOM:
There will also need to be a small machine room that will house all the video decks, and patchbays, with room for a desk and "final cut" video workstation.

RECEPTION/ LOUNGE AREA:
We'll need a small lounge for clients and talent to wait in. The current space I'm interested in already has a small kitchen/ sink.

OFFICE SPACE:
I'll need a private room that could comfortably house 2 desks, along with filing cabinets, copier/fax, etc. This will be used by my accountant and sceduler/ studio manager.

STORAGE CLOSET:
Small space that will enable me to house: backups, tape stock, snacks etc.

My main criteria for the 3 audio rooms, and video room are access to natural LIGHT! I realize this is an acoustic nightmare, but we have been working this way for 8 years now, and it makes our clients and mixers very comfortable. The space I'm looking at is a rectangular shape and has windows on 3 sides of the building.
I am not opposed to using pre-built desks (aka. Argosy consoles), but I want the studios to have a "high end" look and feel to them.
They obviously need to have some sort of acoustical isolation from each other, but we don't mix crazy loud anyway.

I have budgeted about $100,000 for the design and construction of the new facility build-out. This budget is for all design, demolition, HVAC rerouting, electrical, plumbing, framing, sheet rocking, finishing etc.
All the wiring, equipment, and studio furniture will come out of another budget. We do mainly cable promos and longform, (which is why our budget is so tight), but our clients have come to expect some comfort and "niceties". I just want the place to LOOK like we spent a million.

My time-frame is looking like beginning construction around mid September to November. I would like to have at least 1 audio room up and running within 5 weeks of construction. I know this is also tight.
I am looking to talk to any designers/ contractors located in the NYC area who would be interested in taking on a project like this.
I can be contacted at roy@eenyc.com to discuss further. Or via my mobile number. 917-209-0485.
Thanks in advance for any help or leads that could be suggested.

[Roy Harter]

I am very aware of the limited budget. Yes, it could totally be done in stages.
The main things that will need to happen within that budget are:

1. Facility Design
2. Construction
a. Demolition of existing space.
b. Framing.
c. Hanging of all sheetrock/ insulation
d. Painting / trim
e. Flooring (laminate)
f. Hanging of all doors
g. Rerouting all the existing ductwork.
h. Electrical

All the audio equipment, furniture, wiring will be done out of another budget. I know it can be done. Just looking for the right person. I know that it rules out the big facility designers.
Thanks again for any help.

[andrebrito]

Can't you build the studio with some friends

b. Framing.
c. Hanging of all sheetrock/ insulation
d. Painting / trim
e. Flooring (laminate)


and hire someone to make the design and the HVAC/electricity installation ?

[jayfrigo]

Originally Posted by andrebrito

Can't you build the studio with some friends

b. Framing.
c. Hanging of all sheetrock/ insulation
d. Painting / trim
e. Flooring (laminate)


and hire someone to make the design and the HVAC/electricity installation ?

Yeah, doing some of the work yourself could help. You could get a framing crew in there to run through that part fast and make sure the critical stuff is all done right, and then put up the insulation and sheetrock yourself, and maybe then have a real sheetrock guy come and do the seams so they're all pretty. Mixing up pros for the tough stuff and yourself and friends for some of the plain old lifting work could really help.

If you are OK with the designer keeping it simple, in other words, not full sets of construction plans and engineering seals, that will save plenty as well. However, there will need to be some kind of person working as general contractor to pull plans, keep to code, and babysit city inspectors.

[andrebrito]

You can also use MDF, wood agglomerate or other cheap wood with a nice foil for the latest element in your wall and skip the seam process used in sheetrock.. it will look like this..