TRC Rehearsal Room 2: build-out specification v1.0 (2026-09-26)

Download costs.csv (every line item, vendor and URL)

Site: The Recording Club, 2621 Colorado Ave, Santa Monica CA 90404. Room 298.86 sq ft, flat 102 in ceiling, windowless. Builds the approved concept shared/final-concept-2026-09-13.png and supersedes shared/BUILDER-SPEC-DRAFT-v0.1.md. Element ids match b-fable/elements.json; ids starting X- are items the 3D model does not draw. Coordinates: origin at the north-west corner, +x east, +z south, inches. Prices checked 2026-09-26; every URL in costs.csv was requested that day (68 answered 200; 22 are retailer bot-blocks: Home Depot, Reverb, CB2, Maiden Home, and were read by other means, listed in SOURCING.md).

Totals

Tax. Santa Monica is 10.75% through 2026-09-30 and 11.25% from 2026-10-01 (LA County Measure ER, CDTFA notice L-1037). Anything bought after October 1 pays 11.25%. The brief's 9.5% would understate tax by $1,274.

Against LA benchmarks. The expected total is $156,970, or $525/sq ft, but $42,704 of it is loose goods (a $7,900 piano, seating, gear, decor) that fit-out benchmarks leave out. Construction alone (contractor materials, labor, GC fee, permits) is $86,671, or $290/sq ft before contingency and tax. Cushman & Wakefield's 2026 guide puts an LA office fit-out at $198/sq ft hard cost; LA bar and lounge build-outs run $200-500/sq ft (NP Line Design 2026, econstruct); high-end LA residential remodels $300-500/sq ft (Romano Builders 2026). This room lands inside the bar/lounge band, above office fit-out, which fits a room with custom mirror, stone, millwork and 211 ft of LED. It is about double the 2026-05-28 brief's $58-82k turnkey band, which left out the piano, LA 2026 billed labor rates, GC markup, contingency and tax.

Biggest levers if the number is too high: used swivels and stools (-$4,800), used engineer chair (-$2,700), Caseta instead of RadioRA 3 (-$1,450), keep the oak floor (-$3,550 incl. labor), used NU1X (-$2,300 after freight), and the DIY path below (-$26,000).

1. Shell and floor

Walls (W-01). Strip the grey stretched fabric, its perimeter track and the chair rail. Seal any adhesive residue with Gardz, skim the wainscot and upper wall into one plane, then Portola Roman Clay in Anchor (base coat, two troweled coats, burnish, topcoat on the hand-contact zones). About 400 sq ft of clay once the arches, slat returns, three doors and the booth slider are netted out of the 609 sq ft of wall. The brief's "Piano Room" is a greige on Portola's own card; Anchor is the charcoal in the concept.

Floor (F-01). The concept's floor is dark and the existing floor is a floating light-oak LVP. NuCore's install guide rules out laying it over "any type of ... floating floor", so the oak comes up (salvage it: it is click-lock) and NuCore Midnight Cafe goes down on the same substrate, planks running north-south. Pull a sample first: Floor & Decor sells it as dark brown, not walnut. Cheaper alternate: keep the oak and let the two rugs carry the dark read. Saves about $1,380 in material and about $2,170 in labor, and the room will not match the concept image at the edges.

Ceiling. Stays matte black (Tricorn Black SW 6258). Patch the three troffer openings, which double as access holes for the ceiling-mirror blocking, then one coat overall.

2. Ceiling and lighting

All sources 2700K, 90+ CRI, on one Lutron RadioRA 3 system with 7 zones and a 4-button engraved keypad at door D-3 (Setup / Session / Hang / Meditate). RadioRA 3 over Caseta because the keypad engraves and scenes run from the processor with no internet; Caseta saves about $1,450 and is the value swap.

Every driver runs at 80% of rating or less. Before ordering all seven dimmers, bench-test one OMNIDRIVE + Sunnata PRO pair on camera at 5%, 20% and 50%: Diode does not list the Sunnata on its compatibility sheet, and video is shot here. Fallback is Lutron's own listed dimmer.

Downlight grid (E-02): x 36, 73, 110 in; z 154 and 216 in (6), plus two in the booth (10 x 8 ft). The z 30 and z 92 rows would land inside the 96 x 96 in ceiling mirror inset, so they are deleted: the inset's perimeter LED and the arch halos light the lounge end. DMF M Series remodel housings need a drywall ceiling with about 4 in of depth. If the ceiling is a slab, swap to 8 surface cylinders (high column, about +$315) on the same dimmer (about 200 W).

Cove (E-01): Diode 45 Channel with diffusion lens, surface-applied with its top 3 in below the ceiling, painted Tricorn Black so the source never shows. Title 24 note in section 12.

3. Arch mirror wall and ceiling inset

Layout (W-NORTH, 146.28 in): five arches 24 in wide, graduated 80 / 86 / 92 / 86 / 80 in tall to match the concept, centres at x 13.5, 43.3, 73.14, 103.0, 132.8, sill at the floor, 12 in radius heads, 5.8 in gaps. Each glass sits on a routed 3/4 in MDF backer hung on a French cleat into the blocking line, set in LN-730 mastic beads, framed in brushed brass U-channel with rolled heads. The halo tape runs in the bendable Milano channel on the backer edge, 1 in behind the frame.

Glass: Middlefield Glass "Dark Cloud Gold Vein" is the closest stock match to the concept's black mirror with gold veins ($20-28/sq ft). Order a 12 x 12 sample before committing 135 sq ft (71 on the wall, 64 on the ceiling). The glass shop cuts the radius heads, polishes the edges and applies Category II safety backing (CPSC 16 CFR 1201) before crating. No ready-made 24 x 92 black gold-vein arch exists at Etsy, Wayfair, RH or Arhaus.

Ceiling inset (M-06), 96 x 96 in centred on x 73.14, z 62: sixteen 24 x 24 in tiles of the same pattern in 1/8 in (about 105 lb of glass, half the weight of 1/4 in), film-backed, butt-jointed with no brass between tiles (the inset reads as one plain gold-vein mirror field), on two 1/2 in ply panels screwed to joists or to blocking added through the troffer holes, with a small stainless clip at the tile corners (dots, not lines). Mastic alone is not rated overhead. The only brass is the perimeter channel, which carries the LED. If the ceiling is a slab, the panels go up on concrete anchors instead; the weight is the same.

4. Bar and back bar

Counter (B-01): 48 in along the west wall, south of the piano with an 8 in gap (z 83.1 to 131.1), 24 in deep because the 15 in fridge is 22.4 in deep, top at 42 in AFF. Black lacquer carcass; the fridge bay is the south 15 in, on the entry side, so restocking from door D-3 never crosses the piano bench. The north 33 in steps back to a 14 in deep smoked-glass front on brass standoffs, leaving a 10 in knee overhang for two stools. The third stool sits at the fridge end and faces the room. Nobody stands behind it, so no sink, no plumbing. A steel angle inside the carcass carries the overhang. Top in quartz (MSI Marquina Midnight) because citrus and wine etch real Nero Marquina within a month.

Back bar (B-03/B-04): two 48 x 10 x 1.5 in black oak shelves at 60 and 78 in AFF, on three concealed rods into studs each, 2700K Blaze 200 tape in a groove on the wall side so the bottles glow from behind. Shelves above a 24 in counter clear standing heads at the ends of the run.

Stools (S-04..S-06): Four Hands Benton in Sonoma Black leather, 30.3 in seat for a 42 in counter. It has a low back and a square seat where the concept shows a round backless seat with a foot ring. The low column (Industry West Album, $220) matches the concept better and is backless; sit on both.

5. Lounge seating

Sectional (S-01): Maiden Home Miles, three curved modules in Performance Velvet Slate, 98 in across the back, back to the mirror wall with 30 in clear behind it so the arches reflect it. No retailer sells a curved charcoal patterned performance velvet near 100 in. The Miles is plain velvet on a chrome base; the custom route (Trend Contract Furnishings, Carson, $6-12k, 4-10 weeks) gets the damask emboss and a dark plinth. Ask Maiden Home for swatches of Slate and the darker performance velvets before ordering.

Swivel chairs (S-02/S-03): Four Hands Olson swivel in Sonoma Black top-grain leather at x 53 / 97.28, z 144 (clear of the south bar stool; confirm after M-5), turned 35 degrees toward the sectional. One dealer shows it backordered; confirm a ship date before paying. CB2 Muir in Bello Black ($2,299) is the in-stock alternate at the CB2 Beverly Blvd store.

Table (T-01): nothing verifiable matched a 30-36 in smoked-glass top on a black steel base. The pick is grey glass on antique brass (37.5 in, 13 in high, clearance, final sale). If it reads too gold, buy the Uttermost Chadid base and order a 36 in grey tempered round top from Dulles Glass.

Rug (L-01): Lulu & Georgia Iverson Charcoal 7'9" x 9'10" with a felt pad. The model's 120 x 108 in is not a stock size; this one runs 118 in east-west under the sectional and both chairs.

6. Piano corner

K-01: the NU1X is discontinued; the NU1XA replaces it at 59.1 W x 18.2 D x 40.3 H in, 238 lb (the brief's 57.5 in is the old figure). First piece on the west wall from the north-west corner: z 16 to 75.1, then the 8 in gap, then the bar. Seen from the room facing the west wall, the piano is to the right of the bar, as in the approved concept and Greg's decision. Bench included. Kraft ships free to ground level; ask Keyboard Concepts Santa Monica to match so local white-glove crew handles any stairs. Plug into C3 (general), not the audio circuit, and run its line out to the rack as R-labelled balanced pair. A-01: a 30 x 40 in black-and-white print in a thin gold frame, centred at 58 in AFF over the piano (z 45.6), hung on two D-rings into studs (the mirror-wall blocking does not reach here).

7. Guitar wall

Layout: ten vertical hangers in one row at 88 in AFF: two on the north return (G-01, G-02), six on the bay face (G-03..G-07, G-10) and two on the south return (G-08, G-09). None hangs flat. Two rows of 40 in guitars do not fit under a 102 in ceiling above a 30 in desk. At 88 in the headstocks sit below the cove and the bodies end at about 48 in AFF, above the desk top; the display stands clear of the wall on its arm. Hangers on the slat returns screw through the slats into 2x blocking set during framing. Instruments: five owned (Strat, Jazz, Jaguar, Ibanez, Breedlove acoustic bass). Buy five used to match the concept's mix: a sunburst Les Paul, a Telecaster, a sunburst semi-hollow, a white Strat, a P-bass (live on Reverb 2026-09-26; used listings sell fast, so re-check before paying). Light: the E-03 track (section 2) runs north-south 30 in off the bay face, two spot and two flood heads.

8. Desk, control zone and keys

Desk (D-01): Zaor Miza Z FLEX, 72.2 x 33.5 in, centred on the 102 in bay face and bolted to the floor through the new LVP (the brief wants it fixed). The Argosy Halo has 16U built in but is 79.7 in wide, which leaves no room for the IB1 stands inside the bay. The Gator 12U rack sits under the desk and holds the owned Furman M-8x, Trinnov Nova, Crown XLS 1502 and the Apollos. Mains: PMC IB1 is 13.0 x 18.3 x 29.1 in and 79 lb. Sound Anchors ADJ2 stands, platform set so the tweeter lands at seated ear height (about 47 in AFF), toed in 25 degrees. The IB1 is 0.3 in deeper than the stand's rated maximum; ask Sound Anchors for a 13 x 18 in platform when ordering. Rules kept: Furman front outlet stays empty for member laptops (label it). Trinnov and the sub are on the always-on side of the Furman. Mac mini sleep disabled. TV on C3, never on C1 with the Apollos. Every cable labelled R-01.. with heat-shrink at both ends; laminated patch map inside the rack. Slat returns (W-02/W-03): WoodUpp Black Oak, two full panels per return, felt side to the wall, screwed through the felt channels; the 7.5 in top filler sits behind the cove channel line. Keys (K-03/K-04): owned Grandstage X on its stand at sitting height against the south wall at x 37 to 90, player facing north, on the band rug L-02, with the bench; permanently patched into the Apollo. x 37 starts clear of D-3's swing (x 0 to 36); its east end sits 2 in inside the slider opening's west reveal (x 88 to 146), leaving 56 in of clear opening for the walk path into the vestibule; final position taped on site (M-5). Keys plug into an orange IG duplex on C4 on the south wall at about x 64, 12 in AFF; the two amps (west wall, z 186 and 210) into a second C4 IG duplex at about z 198, 12 in AFF.

9. Iso booth refresh

Keep the booth as the drum/vocal booth with the owned Gretsch kit facing the glass sliders. Remove the 2x2 troffer; two DMF 4 in downlights (BO-08, counted in E-02) and a 10 ft Blaze 100 strip on the north header (counted in E-01) on dimmer #7. Twelve GIK 2 in panels in charcoal over the existing grey fabric: four on the east wall around the TV, four on the north wall either side of the sliders, four on the curved south-west wall at ear height (the curve takes 24 in panels as a faceted run). Existing rug, desk, TV, mic boom stay.

10. Closet and doors

D-3 entry (west wall, z 223 to 259): perimeter seal and automatic door bottom kit, brushed brass lever, black enamel both faces. Swing zone x 0 to 36 stays clear. D-2 closet (HVAC chase, south-east): black enamel, brushed brass lever, no seal (it covers the HVAC chase and must breathe). Its 36 in swing into the room stays clear; the band rug sits west of x 101, clear of it and of the slider opening. Sliders BO-02: the 2024 plan shows a vestibule about 29 in deep between the lounge and the booth (booth z 288.5 to 384), closed by two layers of sliding glass: one in the room's south wall and one in the booth's north wall, each with its own track and header, opening x 88 to 146. Both are existing. Touch up both frames black, check both sets of rollers and brush seals, and run the new floor through the vestibule to the booth slider (about 12 sq ft, inside the floor order's waste allowance). Dimensions to confirm: OPEN-QUESTIONS M-10.

11. Decor and plants

Plants are faux: the room has no window and runs dark. The 6 ft fiddle-leaf (P-01, counted in section 8) stands in the south bay corner; two trailing pothos drape from the top bottle shelf; two small agaves sit on the desk and the bar. Candles are LED pillars on remotes: no open flame in a room full of fabric and instruments. The decanter, glasses and brass tray are in section 5.

12. Acoustics, electrical, permits

Acoustics. Removing the stretched fabric removes most of the room's absorption; plaster, 135 sq ft of mirror and glass will make it louder and brighter. Give it back with six 4 in GIK panels (two on W-EAST-A, two side by side above the amps on W-WEST between the bar and D-3, z 160 to 208 with their bottoms 30 in AFF, two as ceiling clouds over the desk), four corner traps whose positions come from a sweep, the slat returns, the rug and the upholstery. Measure first: one REW sweep with a UMIK-1 before the fabric comes off and one after the furniture is in. If the after RT60 is more than about 0.1 s longer at 250-500 Hz, add panels before calling it done.

Electrical. Four new 20A circuits: C1 isolated-ground audio feeding the Furman only, C2 architectural lighting, C3 general receptacles + fridge + TV + piano, C4 second isolated-ground for the amps and keys. Eight orange IG receptacles. The hum logged since 2025 is a grounding problem; single-point grounding on C1/C4 and moving the TV off the Apollo's circuit come first. West wall outlets on C3: a duplex for the piano at z 30, 12 in AFF, hidden behind the instrument (its balanced out runs to the rack as an R-labelled pair), and a dedicated simplex for the fridge inside the carcass's fridge bay at z 124, 12 in AFF, with the bar and shelf tape driver in a J-box in the same bay. Both sit north of D-3's swing (z 223). The isolation transformer is priced as optional ($0 in expected, $2,500 high) and is fitted only if the hum survives.

Permits. Santa Monica requires an electrical permit for new circuits and fixtures (SMMC 8.08.050), and replacing 100% of the luminaires triggers Title 24 Part 6 section 141.0(b)2I: lighting power density, controls, and an NRCC-LTI-E form. Installed load is about 1.67 W/sq ft (about 500 W). The 2022 area category row for a lounge allows 0.55 W/sq ft general plus 0.25 decorative, about 239 W for this room, so the design is roughly twice the prescriptive allowance. Dropping the downlights to 8 W modules alone does not close that gap. The energy consultant (X-FEE-04) has to settle the space type, any exclusion for filmed sessions, and which runs are cut or put on a separate control before the fixtures are ordered: see OPEN-QUESTIONS.md, item T-1. Paint and finish work are exempt. Commercial properties are not eligible for Santa Monica's express permits. Electrical work must be done by a C-10 contractor with certified electricians.

Labor

Task-by-task hours, rates, crew, sequence and both calendars: LABOR.md. Phasing: SCHEDULE.md. Vendors and alternates: SOURCING.md. Unknowns: OPEN-QUESTIONS.md.

Regenerate every table and total from one source: python3 spec/tools/build_costs.py && python3 spec/tools/build_spec_md.py.