Something in the world of floating have you stumped?
Show Highlights
Is it better to plan out your center for one float tank and build out from there, or should you future-proof your design in case you want to expand? Graham and Ashkahn break down the logistical issues of planning out both and the reasons someone might decide to go one way over another. Construction costs, hiring specialists, and shipping costs are all things to consider when making a decision like this and it can be expensive either way. There are smart ways to build out a center while saving up to expand later, and Graham and Ashkahn make a point to give advice about that as well.
Listen to Just the Audio
Transcription of this episode… (in case you prefer reading)
Graham: Today’s question for us is, “did you begin with only one tank? Did you pick a location for multiple tanks? It seems as though the construction/moving process would make you lean towards a larger location if that’s what you’re going for.”
I say “multiple tanks” is what they mean by “if that’s what you’re going for”. Not like if you’re going for a larger location, then you should definitely get one, because that’s pretty self-evident.
Ashkahn: That’s pretty obvious. Hard not to do that.
Graham: So no.
Ashkahn: Did we start with one tank? No.
Graham: No, we started with four tanks.
Ashkahn: Yeah, but we do advise people to start with one tank. In their house, not build your center out for one tank.
Graham: I see, yeah. So we kind of advise the opposite in terms of actually building a designated float center.
Ashkahn: Yeah, yeah.
Graham: If someone says, “Should I have a one-tank center or four-tank center?” Usually we say four tanks.
Ashkahn: I’m thinking maybe that’s what they … Maybe they heard that we say stuff like, “Start out with a single float tank,” you know?
Graham: In your house.
Ashkahn: Right.
Graham: Just to bring some people in, learn the ropes, and then when you move to your bigger float center …
Ashkahn: An actual … Like when you’re leaving your house.
Graham: Then, you can use that tank in that center and add it to your three other units, or whatever it is.
Ashkahn: Or you could sell it.
Graham: And get out of the industry altogether, yes. And just leave.
Ashkahn: Move out of your house.
Graham: Once you realize how much salt cleaning there is, yeah. And that is one of the reasons I say people should get a float tank in their house when I’m pitching it. It’s like you may decide you hate this.
So, no we didn’t start with one tank, but the idea of launching a float center with fewer tanks and later expanding in that same location to more tanks is also something that we advise people to do.
Ashkahn: Yeah, basically, it’s expensive to start up a float center.
Graham: Yeah.
Ashkahn: And rather than cutting corners on all of your construction, we usually recommend people save money by maybe not launching with the full amount of tanks they want and saving money on, first of all, the purchasing of those extra float tanks. And there’s some of the room construction that you don’t really need to do until the point that you actually want to put float tanks in there. And there’s some that you want to do in your normal round of construction too.
Graham: Yep. So basically, what happens here is that as much construction as you can get done all at the same time, even if you’re not launching with all your float tank rooms … Let’s just say that you’re starting with two tanks, you have room for five rooms. In a totally ideal world, you’d actually build out the entirety of those five rooms and just not put the float tanks in, essentially. And that’s because every time you have a contractor come out, there’s a certain amount of money just to get them on the jobsite to get the contract signed, to start construction, and to do whatever work is going to be done.
So as much as you have done at one time, it’s going to make each room that much cheaper for every room that’s added on, right? In that sense, a single room is the most expensive thing to build, so if you build out a float tank room in your hypothetical five-tank center, and that’s all you do? Then next time you’re going to have to call in all the soundproofers, you’re going to have to call in the plumbers, you’re going to have to call in the waterproofers, and they’re going to have to build a second room. And the third time, repeat that process over and over. Every time you’re calling them out, you’re kinda paying a premium to get them out there to begin with.
So the more work you can get done all at once for any of your construction is, of course, better.
Ashkahn: Right. It goes with float tanks too. You’ll probably save on some shipping cost, and if someone’s coming out to install them and all that sort of stuff.
Graham: Yeah, for sure. Just getting all your float tanks at once is definitely the ideal.
Ashkahn: But it does scale back, so there’s certain things like, obviously, your float tanks would be the first thing to go if you were trying to consider not building a room out fully. You don’t want to just buy float tanks and then put them in storage. That would be really silly.
And then from there, it would probably be your waterproofing because all that is a layer that goes on top of stuff. So if you build a room out and then later you bring someone in to actually put in the kind of floors you’re looking for, or maybe you put the floors in already but you want to put up wall paneling, or something like that, that’s kind of a layer that can be just added on top of the existing construction you did.
Graham: Though we do see some centers, it’s really funny going into a place … Just to back up slightly, a lot of people use these extra rooms for storage.
Ashkahn: Massage.
Graham: Yeah, practitioner rooms so they can rent it out in the meantime, and it’s really funny to go into a massage room that has fully waterproof floors, and drains, and an actual shower fixture. It’s really obvious it’s going to be a float tank room as soon as they can afford the tank to actually put in there, but in the meantime there’s a massage table, and some nice ambient lighting, and things like that. So that is a funny experience.
Ashkahn: And then soundproofing is way harder to not do at first because ideally … It’s not like soundproofing is just something you add on top of non-soundproof material. You’re usually either buying normal building material or soundproof building material when it comes to things like sheetrock, or doors, or stuff like that. So you could save money. You could build double-stud walls and then put normal sheetrock on top of them, and then tear that sheetrock out and replace it with soundproof sheet rock, but that starts to get more and more difficult. And you’re starting to spend more money on temporary things when you’re getting to that point.
Graham: Although extra layers can also be a place to cut corners, so if you could just put a single layer of soundproof drywall or of your soundproofing wall assembly and then later, before you’re adding on all the waterproofing, you know that you’re going to go on and add that whole second layer of walling? That’s doable. You are only wasting the money for mudding and painting and stuff like that.
Ashkahn: And then, pretty much plumbing is where I would really draw the line. You really don’t want to have to … In the middle of wanting to add more rooms bring out someone to cut trenches in your concrete and lay more plumbing lines. It just gets crazy from that point.
Graham: Absolutely, rough in the plumbing.
Ashkahn: And electrical, too.
Graham: So if you are planning to have five tanks, you’re building out two of your rooms totally, immediately, still plumb out the other three rooms. Rough it in. You know, you won’t have to cut in the concrete when you do install your next float tanks. All you have to do is get the plumbers back in there. They can install the fixtures and you are pretty much good to go on the plumbing side.
Ashkahn: Yeah, the stuff that’s really going into the infrastructure of your building: plumbing, electrical, that sort of stuff.
Graham: Even planning for HVAC because the entire system will be load balanced in an HVAC system as well. So knowing where your rooms are going and what you are planning is actually going to be a really important part of getting that accurate.
Ashkahn: That’d be the stuff that’d be really expensive and a huge headache to have to add that in after the fact.
Graham: And with electrical, we’ve done that before, too. Had to go back in and cut into our ceilings and run electrical lines all the way across the course of our entire center in order to tie back in to the electrical box to go into new rooms and add new circuits. That’s so much more expensive than doing the electrical work at the beginning when your space is gutted and you can just get inside the walls and inside the ceiling. Anytime you have to cut back into your construction to add something in is just so painful and more expensive.
Ashkahn: Yeah and not having a big enough breaker box or something. You didn’t really plan for anything sort of scenario. That stuff can really just start to add up.
Graham: Yep. That’s kinda the essentials. And you’re right, as a result of how crazy all this construction is and how expensive it is, this is still the preferred way to do it. The idea of getting a center, building out for two tanks and then later, moving to a place where you could fit all five tanks into means you are kinda losing all of the construction cost going into the rooms for those first two tanks. You can’t really bring the waterproofing or the soundproofing or the plumbing work with you at all into the next location. So that’s why you see so many centers building out – If they don’t have enough money to start with as many rooms as they want initially – you do see them adding those tanks on to the same existing center they’ve already built the first rooms in.
Ashkahn: Then, you just have extra rooms to play with. Turn them into a ball pit or …
Graham: An extra-large ball pit
Ashkahn: Tiny ball pit. There’s all sort of different variations on ball pit that you could use for those different rooms you have.
Graham: And Google is a great place to do more research on that.
Ashkahn: Maybe we should just have … There needs to be an episode about that, I think. Have to dive into it.
Graham: Yeah, I’ll make …
Ashkahn: You got that?
Graham: You got that written down? Yeah, our sound guy has that written down. We’re on top of that. Alright.
Ashkahn: I think that sounds like we have answered this question.
Graham: If you have anymore questions for us, go to FloatTankSolutions.com/podcast.
Recent Podcast Episodes
Should I Wire my Float Tanks into the Wall? – DSP 265
Ashkahn is currently recovering from his talk and the after-party last night, but Jake and Graham have gracefully taken the time to answer a construction question again today.
On the docket today is a question about wiring a float tank directly into the wall. Graham and Jake provide an overview of why some people may prefer this (it’s much easier to keep waterproof, e.g.), and why at Float On they use the twist lock for their outlets and how to properly utilize them.
Can I Keep My Old Ceiling With My Buildout? – DSP 264
Hopefully everyone had a lovely time at the Friday Activities and the after-party.
Ashkahn is still busy running the conference, but Graham and Jake have stepped in to talk about construction!
Today the guys talk about keeping a drop ceiling or T-bar ceiling in an existing space that you’re converting to a float center. The short answer is don’t keep it, as it can cause problems, but the guys do have some workarounds if your landlord is opposed to changing the ceiling.
What to Expect When Expanding from 1 to 3 Tanks? – DSP 263
Ashkahn is busy preparing for everything that happens tonight and tomorrow for the Conference, but that doesn’t mean Daily Solutions will stop being daily.
Graham and Jake talk construction and what to expect when you’re expecting… a giant expansion for your float center. What’s it look like when you go from one tank to three? How do the demands change? What needs to be put in place to make sure that you’re not hitting snags?
Fortunately, these guys know the score and are happy to share.
All About Floor Drains – DSP 262
As Ashkahn gets everything ready for the Start a Center Workshop (happening today) and the Float Conference this weekend, Graham and Jake tackle answering construction questions on the podcast.
Today they’re talking about floor drains. What to consider for drains and how they might pair with different types of flooring. Given the hefty price tag for these more advanced drains, having as much research before making a decision on these is essential. Luckily, the guys have done the hard part already and identified a lot of things to consider.
How to Deal with Float Room Humidity – DSP 261
Graham and Jake are at the helm again while Ashkahn puts the finishing touches on the Float Conference.
Today, the guys are talking all about humidity and how to deal with it when constructing your float rooms. They talk about all the little nuances that you (or your contractor) might not think about when it comes to humidity and how soundproofing and regular airflow may not always go hand in hand.
Latest Blog Posts
The Float Tour Blog – Issue #24
Alberta is often called the Texas of Canada. Part large oil industry, part cattle country.
Don’t Mess With Alberta!
At the base of the Rocky Mountains, replete with an Olympic Stadium, Calgary is a world-class destination for winter sports. The float community developed here similarly to Edmonton – there wasn’t anything nearby except for one or two residential float tanks, and then, in a short period of time, several centers opened all at once. Instead of competing, they’ve decided to work together and have developed one of the tightest knit float communities we’ve seen. They even have monthly Float Dinners, much like we do with the float centers in Portland. They don’t keep meeting minutes, so it’s hard to determine what they talk about at these dinners; my guess would be salt, the effects of salt on various substances, and how salty salt damage can make someone salty.
The Float Tour Blog – Issue #23
After Montana, we blazed our way back into Canada. The drive was long, but the scenery was beautiful. We followed the Rockies north, driving up to Edmonton. It’s a bit of a detour but, there are so many float centers in Edmonton, it seemed crazy not to stop by.
The city itself is primarily made up of workers from the oil fields – high risk, high income jobs that fuel the economy. At least until recently. Our visit was right in the middle of the Fort McMurray wildfire which has displaced a lot of the workforce, forcing 100,000 people to leave their homes. Many came to Edmonton, being the nearest metropolitan area to Fort McMurray. Some already split their time between the two cities, living in Edmonton and traveling to Fort McMurray for weeks or months at a time for work.
It’s understood that, in economic hardship, luxury commodities are typically the first thing people cut back on. Surprisingly, this doesn’t seem to be the case for floating. In fact, more people seem to be trying it to help alleviate the stress, many centers even offering free or discounted services to those displaced in an effort to help in a small way.
The Float Tour Blog – Issue #22
We’ve got two more stops in Colorado Springs before heading west. It’s a town known for its military base and long history of weapons testing. With such a large military presence, it comes as no surprise that the float center owners here are veterans, themselves.
After that, we shoot across to Salt Lake City. Utah is filled with gorgeous sights, from breathtaking lakes to stunning painted hills. With an international landmark famous for its effects on buoyancy, Salt Lake City should be pretty familiar with the concept of floating. With five different float centers, and the manufacturer of the Zen Tent out there, there could be some cause and effect.
After that, we head up into Idaho and Montana to close out the Central United States portion of our Tour. We’ll follow the Rocky Mountains north, taking in the scenery along the way.
The Float Tour Blog – Issue #21
Denver has been home to a vibrant float community for a long time. Some of the earliest commercial centers that started up in the ‘70s and ‘80s were out here. 30 years is a long time, and most of the old centers aren’t around anymore, but there’s a conscious community that has been floating since the old days and they love how much the industry has evolved and grown.
