If you’re running a business that requires a creative space like a photo studio, a recording studio, or an art atelier, the decision to invest in a new studio can be a pivotal point for your growth and success. However, it’s not a decision to take lightly. There are factors to consider and questions to ask yourself before taking the plunge. In this post, we’ll guide you through the essential things you need to know before deciding whether investing in a new studio space is the right move for you and your business.
So I was looking for an external studio space and found an awesome spot online, and it’s only a few miles from my house! Let’s go tour it…..
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What’s up guys i’m random frank p and uh We’re gonna go on a little date today Just me and you Pretty exciting potentially but i’m Gonna go check out and do a tour of Potentially a brand new dedicated studio Space Yes Emphasis on potentially i found a spot Looks great online i want to go toward In person and check it out so uh gonna Grab the vlog cam Let’s go Alright so I am on my way to check out a dedicated Youtube studio space That i could potentially Be moving into If it’s the perfect fit so as you guys Know the entire time that i’ve pretty Much been doing youtube i’ve done it out Of my current living space In 2015 and part of 2016 when i was living Back at home It was out of my you know parents home And my bedroom and it was a very small Space that’s where i got the channel Going in 2016 my wife and i who was then My girlfriend we moved to delaware and We had an apartment we were renting and Out of the spare bedroom is where i sort Of had my first dedicated space because I wasn’t sharing it as a bedroom it was
My own youtube space and that’s what This channel really grew and evolved i Gained a lot of my subscriber base There in that youtube studio or in that I call it a studio you know what i mean But even still it was still on the Smaller side because it was one bedroom And i quickly ran out of space And then in 2018 my wife and i bought a House and we’ve been living There and i’ve been working out of the Finished basement which has been Converted into my youtube studio which Is what you guys have seen ever since we Moved in in 2018 like i said Now one of the decisions that we sort of Made when we bought the house was Do we find a house that’s perfect for Our knees and i still get a dedicated External studio space so it’s not like One of the factors when we’re looking For a house And that was kind of what we’re leaning Towards but when we saw the house that We bought And Saw that it had a completely Finished downstairs basement that was Still above ground Tons of space and there was you know a Bunch of natural lighting and stuff Because of the windows It really was the perfect fit it was the First house that we toured and it had
Literally everything we wanted And working out of the downstairs studio Was obviously a bonus because it’s less Expensive you know i don’t have to still Rent a dedicated external space so i’ve Been working in the studio since 2018 And i’m kind of getting to the point not Where i’m outgrowing it But I think i think i need more To fully reach the like the the goals And the potential that i see and that i Want for the channel so You guys are probably familiar with the Layout i’ve done Three dedicated studio tours ever since And um there’s a lot of space for sure And i can admit i’m probably doing a Poor job at utilizing all that space uh You guys see it now as like what it is It’s pretty much like a Gaming space right you know i have the Crazy gaming setup behind me there’s Lots of rgb so it all looks good on Camera that’s 99 of What the studio is about is looking good On camera right because i use it for Different filming sets and stuff you Know we have the entertainment setup With the big tv that’s all made For youtube i don’t ever sit down there And like watch tv and stuff i’ll game There occasionally but it’s as a set for When i’m doing like headset stuff or you
Know console videos But again i could probably utilize the Space a lot better because i want Different dedicated sets that looks like A different Space pretty much i want different sets Out of the studio and like i said i’m Doing a poor job at utilizing that Because i just saw a video from the Youtubers becky and chris They did exactly what i want to do it is A hundred percent goals they converted Their basement into Uh a five different set studio and it Took them two years but it is absolutely Perfect in the way they have it designed Every single little thing and detail About their downstairs basement 5 studio Space is my aesthetic to a t like that Is exactly What i want okay the rgb and stuff like I said it looks good but it’s not really Me and how i want a youtube space to Look when it comes to design and Background aesthetic and stuff the way Becky and chris have theirs designed is Perfect that’s what i strive for So a few weeks ago i just did like a Dedicated you know search on google um Like spaces studio spaces uh near me and One came up And it is super close to my house in Fact i’ve been driving for seven minutes I’m gonna be there in about a minute or
Two So it’s very close a lot of room i’m Gonna go tour it now i’m gonna check it Out i have some questions about it it’s Not a dead you know given yes that i’m Gonna take this space But it’s very Close to what i definitely want and i Can see this being the perfect space if It looks as good as it does in the Pictures That’s why i’m gonna tour it we’re gonna Check this out all right of course it’s A rainy day whenever i do these vlogs Either snowy or rainy can’t do nice like Time lapses and stuff while i’m driving But i’m about to pull in i think it’s Right up here past this Stop light yep i can see it on the Corner um so like i said it’s probably Not even 10 minutes away from my house Now which is super convenient it’s not Far It’s in between a dunkin and a starbucks Also super convenient and it’s right Across the street from my son’s Pediatrician so lots of good stuff in The area i’m gonna be here a lot as it Is Let’s hope it uh looks good Okay so this would be the entrance here From when you walk in um this was Previously sort of like a A bank they were saying
Or they used it for some sort of banking Company and there’s a few different you Know it’s broken up so we have This main spot here uh which is not Really i guess i wouldn’t call it a main Spot but uh one of the wings we can say For now Big closet there this is more so The second entrance but as you can see It’s right on the highway So this spot really wouldn’t be Much of an entrance but this is a more Open room you see without the The wood For Nice wooden panels there on the side See it comes around here as well it’s Like i guess the former reception area Wraps around Uh not as big as i initially thought From the photos but there’s still Definitely enough space especially when It comes to like you know the different Sets and stuff A little bathroom down here Let me come over to where i was before Is there an entrance over there no So come back over here Most of the lighting is off right now So there’s that Uh over here we have a little kitchen Area which i said could be you know Renovated and taken out So it’s more open on this side
And this is another little spot Again it’s kind of dim right now because I know lighting Not in the best condition At the moment it is an older building it Was built in the 1800s so Definitely a bit older Another closet over here That light’s trying to work But it’s not All right so yeah that’s the downstairs Will go upstairs because there is an Upstairs This is pretty much broken up because i Believe before it was a bank it was also Used for like in a like it was an actual House it’s pretty much what it is so There are a bunch of spaces up here this Is a bedroom which would obviously be You know it’s on a smaller side so for Storage Up here could be like a dedicated you Know like an office space for like an Editing workstation but again the rooms Up here aren’t like that in the best Condition so depending on how much stuff We’d be using it could all just be Additional storage rooms but i mean Three bedrooms upstairs Bathroom Over here is just uh I guess this would be attic storage Because we’re up On the second floor but each of those
Have Or most of the rooms sorry i know this Is very Uh shaky for you guys i’m trying to give You a quick tour But yeah Little attic Drawer in there one of these little Creepy ass things ooh do not like that Never gonna open that go in there That look at the nightmares Uh but yes this is the upstairs Which again would probably just be Suited more for Uh storage Or other Uh other rooms like that there is a Basement Was this the basement yes i’m just gonna Check it out real quick Okay Okay so this is the the basement Probably about like six and a half feet So not Probably gonna be used for anything Probably not storage either but It is here And also wraps i guess over here on this Side yeah there’s a Washer dryer Storage over here That leads to outside Very dark And there’s also a room
Back there which i assume wraps around On the other side i’m not too sure Let’s see Huh I don’t know So this spot back there would most Likely be the the main I guess a set area uh with this big like The pillar the divider Uh this is both good and bad because i Like kind of how it breaks it up where We could have like the big like logo There Uh but again it’s like we’re just we Would be branding to the highway which Isn’t really A bonus because you know you don’t want Mainly people to be knowing what the Space is with all the gear and hardware Uh but again this has potential to be Broken up into the different spots Um There’s a lot of windows so in terms of Wall space Not ideal for like mounting and hanging Things But Uh i wish we could get all the lights on I can’t tell if these are actual Lights or if these are like lights that Were just covered up Not too sure i i assume they have to be Some sort of recessed lighting Um but there’s probably you can see it’s
Very bright in here with all the windows As it is So that’s not a big big deal But we do have the the hanging lights There that are mounted track lighting This would also be A pretty good space for stuff But yeah This is the spot All right so Very Very torn About that um We’ll break it all down we will break it All down i’ll go over more things with You guys Uh this is a one lane highway or a one Way so i have to do a ue like i said Starbucks and dunkin right here i could Just go to duncan i’m in more of a Starbucks mood so uh we’re gonna go to Starbucks Starbs And uh chit chat About my thoughts on that Let me just pull a ui once this Held and i just there’s a half a tree in The goddamn road didn’t even What is that yeah that’s a big log all Right i just ran that over So Let’s discuss That Studio space
All right so I don’t know where to begin i can Probably tell you more details Kind of In my head knowing i’m probably Not gonna take it Obviously when you’re looking up you Know realtor photos and all the stuff Online It looks fancy it looks nicer online Right they spice it up they use a nice Wide angle lens so it seems bigger it Appears bigger they photoshop it a bit Clean it up a bit that’s what you do in The real estate market Definitely A bit on the older side like i said this Was built in the 1800s so it’s an old Building it’s an old building where is The entrance to starbucks Is this guy gonna let me go in No all right it’s gonna be a I’ll just go around All right so like i said older building And uh seeing it in person definitely Reflects that uh there’s a decent amount Of work that would need to be done Inside Uh there was like some water damage in Some spots which they said that uh they Would take care of which is you know uh Good because i’m not in the business of Dealing with all that I want to do the least amount of work i
Want to focus on building the studio and The set Not having to Renovate a 130 year old building right but i guess That would be uh part of the process With that so Formally like i said a bank of some Sorts uh before that i believe it was a Residential space so as it was a house It was you know used for people to live In i think it was also like rented out After it was a house Um That’s why there’s the whole Upstairs and all the bedrooms up there Okay i’m just i’m just reciting what you Guys already know what i showed you what I don’t like about it is It’s on the main highway Which Is good and bad mainly bad let’s let’s Talk about why it’s bad a Lot of traffic like this is like one of The main highways here uh so like i said I have to do a The one way out because it’s a one lane Divided highway Um Not a big deal but if i’m building a Space where there’s going to be a ton of Tech and stuff i want the least amount Of Eyes and traffic in the area right
Because if people knew what the building Was they peeked inside and saw Monitors and tvs and all this stuff on Display you’d be like oh let’s rob This joint and i don’t want that um To the advantage slash disadvantage the Outside doesn’t look good like it’s Brown and it’s literally I don’t know what the zoning laws are But It is gotta be Four or five feet off the highway There’s no fence there’s no divider There’s no barrier It is right off the highway which is Where i showed you that second entrance Which was nicer with all that nice Natural lighting you saw that was right On the highway um so Right there lots of traffic A car could just crash into it because It’s so close But also since the outside is older and It’s brown and it doesn’t look good People are going to be less interested In checking it out you know what i mean Does that make sense Um So yeah that’s all stuff yeah One thing i was also concerned about Knowing it was so close to the highway Was how loud it was going to be like if I’m filming and doing voiceover stuff And just reviews for you guys
If there is that much traffic that many Cars tractor trailers probably would be Loud inside but it was actually pretty Well um Insulated you know with these really old Buildings are built a lot better a lot More insulation there is all like the Stone and stuff downstairs so the Foundation the roots of the building are Good uh which is a plus because it Wasn’t as loud as i thought it was going To be so audio wouldn’t be an issue But it’s a little bit more like i said It’s just smaller the photos make it Seem a lot bigger it’s a big space but There’s the walls there’s the kitchen There’s the divider there’s the closets There’s the bathrooms all breaking it up Into a bunch of different sections which Is good if i want to have different sets Like that but i want a more open floor Plan And that’s definitely not It it just looks so much bigger Online Which again that’s that’s the whole real Estate trick Right Um Let me go inside i’m gonna grab uh Something to drink and then we will i’ll Try to think of some more thoughts about It as i process this right now okay Okay okay yeah this is most likely gonna
Be a no Because it’s too much Of a project Uh the The monthly payment as well is more than What we’re paying on our mortgage Granted as you saw it’s pretty much a House so um They were saying that the owner of the Building Wants it to be less residential more Commercial which is why they’re in favor Of me potentially Knocking out the kitchen and making it More open but again that’s not something I want to do not something i have the Time to do Uh but again uh i was i’m so infatuated With what becky and chris did with their Basement that That is like what i have my mind set on And it’s probably what i’ll have to most Likely try to transform my studio now Into But it took them two years and i don’t Have two years um Man I wish it was as big and as an open Space as it appears in the photos It’s it’s on the nicer side for being a 120 year old building i like the all Wooden floors and the wooden Sort of Walls on that one side nice accent walls
I just don’t know the two entrances Isn’t a big deal Like i said the ones right on the Highway wouldn’t be utilized at all this Isn’t gonna be a commercial space so i Don’t care about you know having a lot Of you know eyes on the building which They see as a plus because it’ll be good For business like a big sign big Promotion people good to see the Business that’s not really what i’m Doing on youtube Uh basement was creepy didn’t like how There was that entrance in the basement And that little like side Thing where the window was but i don’t Know how to get to that Um It’s too big Of a project when There are tons of other spaces for lease That’s the thing right now with the Pandemic So many studio spaces and offices Cleared out obviously because of working From home but a lot of companies ever Returned to the places The offices a lot of companies went Under so there’s a lot of empty Spaces and offices And to kind of make up for all that lost Time over the past two years uh people Are just like charging ridiculous Amounts which isn’t gonna you know work
For them which is why a lot of these Spaces have been cleared since the Pandemic started Um so there’s a lot of spaces but They’re just still costing a lot of Money and this spot is on the lower side Which is why i was interested in it But man there is a lot in the area which Is good but again some of them are a bit Further away this one’s so convenient It’s right by the house Oh Well I’ll still give you a quick baby uh Title though to make you watch the video So starbucks i got a uh vanilla cold Brew now the vanilla cream nitro brew But uh starbucks does nitro brew right Man it’s so velvety smooth Yeah that’s good Yeah i don’t know i’m definitely bummed Out [Music] Well That uh Didn’t go as planned definitely bummed Out But oh well i guess that means i could Focus more currently on the studio space That we have here down here And maybe put Everything else on pause in terms of an External space and like i said just Take all the inspiration i can from
Becky and chris and try to transform This into the most usable space Instead of the way i currently have it Configured now Uh but don’t worry i i’ve been getting Questions almost daily about when i’m Dropping the 2022 studio tour Very soon uh the big the big thing of Holding it up was a lot of companies you Know on chinese new year were you know On break so they weren’t sending some Things out until they got back uh so i Was doing some upgrades still middle of Those right now so it should be out Within a few weeks i know you’re going To want to see it And again if i’m putting this much Effort into adding more things to the Studio I don’t know do i get an external space Do i stay here and renovate it more I don’t know but uh Yeah bummed it’s not a uh as nice as i Thought it was gonna be but oh well oh Well Guys Let me hear your thoughts down below What did you think Of that 130 year old building Yeah all right uh if you like this video Give it a thumbs up show your support Feel free to follow me on twitter at Randomfrankp at last if you haven’t Already hit that subscribe button
Hope you enjoyed I didn’t have a good day
Introduction
As a creative professional, it’s essential to have a workspace that inspires you and facilitates your work. A studio space is an excellent option for those who need a dedicated area to create, but the decision to invest in one isn’t always simple. Consider these factors before you decide whether to invest in a new studio space.
Location, Location, Location
One of the most crucial considerations when choosing a studio space is location. Before investing in a new studio space, consider how convenient the location is for you and your clients. This includes the proximity to public transportation, parking options, and the surrounding amenities such as cafes and shops. If you’re planning on hosting clients and events in your studio, it’s essential to ensure that the location can accommodate them comfortably.
Size and Layout
The size and layout of your studio space are vital in determining how conducive it is to your work. Consider factors such as ceiling height, natural lighting, and storage space. It’s also important to ensure that the layout of the studio flows well and allows for efficient work processes. You should consider the equipment you need for your work and make sure that the size of the studio is adequate to accommodate it. In cases where you have employees or interns, it is also critical to ensure that the layout of the studio caters to their needs adequately.
Leasing vs Buying
Before investing in a new studio space, you should also consider the financial implications of leasing versus buying. Leasing a studio space can be an excellent option for those who prefer flexibility and don’t want the long-term commitment of buying a property. However, leasing can also involve paying rent, which can be a significant expense over time. If you’re in the financial position to invest in a studio space, buying can be a better long-term investment. Purchasing a studio space can also provide you with greater creative freedom and the opportunity to customize the space according to your needs.
Budgeting and Cost
Determining the cost of investing in a new studio space is essential in making an informed decision. The cost of investment includes the purchase or lease price, taxes, maintenance fees, utility bills, and additional expenses. Before making a final decision, you should conduct thorough market research to determine the average cost of studio spaces in your area and ensure that your budget is realistic and sustainable in the long-term. You should also seek advice from a financial advisor before taking the first step.
Conclusion
Investing in a new studio space is an exciting decision that can positively impact your work and creativity. However, it’s crucial to weigh all the factors before making a final decision. Consider location, size, layout, financial implications, and budgeting. Seek advice before committing to leasing or buying, and ensure that the space is conducive to your work. As a creative professional, investing in the right studio space can be a long-term investment in yourself and your future.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- What is the market rate for studio spaces in my area?
- Should I buy or lease a studio space?
- Does the location of the studio space impact its value?
- What is the ideal size for a studio space?
- Are there any additional costs that I should consider when investing in a new studio space?