Planning

The first chapter about building this studio comprises the planning of construction, sound isolation and acoustic treatment.

First of all start with the requirements and intended use of the room: this will be a typical mixing/mastering room, no live instrument/vocal recording intended so isolation requirements are to minimize sound transmission to- and from the outside world as much as possible. This is explicitly not a complete airtight construction.
The room should be as neutral as possible, therefore a low reverberation time (RT60) is required. Acoustics will be measured & handled once all the furniture & gear is in place.
Because the studio is a new floor on top of the current building I am able to design the construction from scratch, this is an advantage (at least it is to me).

For all of you who are planning a similar project, or are just interested I can recommend the following sources:

If these sources are talking rocket science from your point of view, hire an experienced professional!!!

Otherwise you might want to follow the DIY approach:

Read all (and possibly other/more) of these sources carefully and get an impression of what you might need.
Read them again, and again (yes it’s a lot) and decide on what you really need.
Make your construction-, electrical- & acoustic plan.
If possible, ask for 3rd party reviews (for instance Peek-A-Boo Labs 🙂 ) and adjust your plans accordingly.
Start the construction phase
Adjust your electrical- & acoustic plan according to the changes (yes, you will face changes) that were introduced during construction phase.
Start the electrical phase
Install all the furniture & gear
Do an initial acoustic (frequency- & impulse response) measurement to determine your problem categories & area’s
Add acoustic treatment to your room, (re)move furniture and gear.
Do the extended acoustic (frequency-, impulse- & psychoacoustic response, RT60, etc) measurement to verify the effects of your acoustic treatment
Adjust the acoustic treatment, move your stuff and repeat measurements until you’re satisfied
Start making music 🙂