DIY Phone Booth

[Jensen Yancey]

Hey everyone,

We have an open plan coworking office, and the number one thing I get asked for (and also the number one reason prospective members don't join) is for a place to take calls. We have a conference room, but it's on the other side of the building and people don't really like to walk all the way over. What we do have is a 75 sq ft storage area that we dont use. It's not completely walled off (it has a door but no ceiling so it just opens up into the coworking area) and I've been wondering if there's a good DIY way to build a little phone booth in it so that people can take calls without the rest of the office hearing them. Has anyone done a project like that?

[Aaron Cruikshank]

Can you share some pictures of the storage area? It will help us come up with ideas.

Also - is there electrical in the room already?

Aaron Cruikshank

Principal, CRUIKSHANK

phone: 778.908.4560

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On Wed, Apr 15, 2015 at 12:53 PM, Jensen Yancey <jensen...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hey everyone,

We have an open plan coworking office, and the number one thing I get asked for (and also the number one reason prospective members don't join) is for a place to take calls. We have a conference room, but it's on the other side of the building and people don't really like to walk all the way over. What we do have is a 75 sq ft storage area that we dont use. It's not completely walled off (it has a door but no ceiling so it just opens up into the coworking area) and I've been wondering if there's a good DIY way to build a little phone booth in it so that people can take calls without the rest of the office hearing them. Has anyone done a project like that?

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[jaymes hines]

Here  are a few options to explore:

https://psproefrock.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/the-workantile-phone-booth/

http://workdesign.com/2012/09/coworking-is-smart-working-at-credit-suisse/

https://www.pinterest.com/Adequation/amenagement/

http://www.myoficio.com/coworking.htm

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=cowoking+phone+booths&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

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[Keith Yang]

Hi Jensen,

Our architects recommended this stand-alone product:  http://www.buzzispace.com/products/buzzibooth

It's made of an acoustical material and supposedly works great.  We haven't tried it yet and based on some quick searches, it seems pretty pricey (around $7k - $8k each?).

I'd be curious to know if anyone has tried a Buzzibooth or similar product.  Seems like a great solution though.

Keith

[Derek Neighbors]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c3gHx4GPZo

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[Alex Hillman]

Cool to see the Buzzibooth - without having ever seen it, we built something very similar ourselves!

We made them extra wide, too, so that if two people can stand next to each other comfortably on a Google Hangout call or something like it. They're just enough to keep most noise made on a call contained to the hood...and keep out enough of the nearby room noise, too...without feeling like you're trapped in a closet or dredging up memories of cubicles. 

One of our members is an architect, and she came up with the plans to re-use some of our old larger Ikea desks for this hooded standing desk area - https://www.dropbox.com/sc/5cky4t35qouqhyh/AAAAV4xRsCAeVWtBEKVYPcmXa

Our friends at a local fablab were able to cut the end pieces (the big pieces of heavy duty ply) to her design - and we only needed to manufacture those pieces. Everything else is the larger ~3' wide Ikea desks. We added some acoustic foam, table top lamps, power plugs, and ran ethernet into each booth to help people making internet-based calls have a stable internet connection. 

1 year later I can say that they get used SO much more than the other options we've had!

-Alex

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[Jensen Yancey]

Alex, that booth looks like EXACTLY what we need. I'm trying to figure out the design, though, what's that U shaped area behind the hood?

[Alex Hillman]

The U-shaped area serves 2 purposes:

1 - The booth is near one of our windows, and the "slot" keeps the big hood from blocking out a lot of valuable sunlight.

2 - it creates some space between the two hoods so sound is less likely to travel between the two areas that are back to back. Not soundproofing by any means, but avoiding the "my hotel had paper thin walls so I could hear EVERYTHING next door" effect. 

I can share plans, but the exact dimensions are based on a custom install that we did so I'm not sure how helpful they'd be. 

-Alex 

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[Angel Kwiatkowski]

We split an 8ft x 4ft closet into 2 phone rooms with glass doors. They're not sound-proof by any stretch of the imagination but people like them. Each has a small desk, chair and lamp. They get used most often for conference calls on skype or hangouts. Cost was $1,000 for the carpentry.

[Glen Ferguson]

We did something similar to Angel. We built a T-shaped wall with 2 doors to subdivide part of a small room. We added soundproofing the wall between the 2 phone rooms. Later we found out how much sound is transferred by the other plaster walls, so we added a foam insulation (Airkrete) as soundproofing to the wall shared with the adjacent meeting room. The rooms get used quite a bit and even with the glass doors, it works ok.

Glen Ferguson  

Phone: 301-732-5165 Email: gl...@coworkfrederick.com Website: http://coworkfrederick.com Address: 122 E Patrick St, Frederick, MD 21701

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[Stefanie McManus]

We were lucky that the space we are using already had phone booths built in - our space used to be a resource centre. 

We had to re-build the wall that was between, but just a little decoration made it all seem kind of homey. 

https://www.facebook.com/thecleveroffice/photos/pb.588548787932286.-2207520000.1429991304./760840214036475/?type=3&theater

Kinda cute, and with a white noise system in place it will help immensely with more privacy throughout our space. 

[Craig Baute - Creative Density Coworking]

Alex,

Is your phone just that without anything behind it? People talk into the enclosure of phone and I'm guessing that dampens it enough not to be private but for the sound to be dimmed enough not to disturb overs.

We enclosed an entryway that we weren't using by building a wall. It's not soundproof by any means but it gives people enough privacy.

Craig

[Alex Hillman]

Is your phone just that without anything behind it? People talk into the enclosure of phone and I'm guessing that dampens it enough not to be private but for the sound to be dimmed enough not to disturb overs.

Yep, exactly. I wouldn't usually record a podcast there (though I have), but it's perfect for phone & Skype calls.

-Alex

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[Craig Baute - Creative Density Coworking]

I love appreciate the simplicity. If you have any plans laying around I would love to make it happen but if not I can get a good idea from the pictures.

[Alex Hillman]

I attached the designs for the end pieces, though again, they're designed specifically to fit on top of a rail that was already built and in place. 

-Alex

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The #1 mistake in community building is doing it by yourself.

Join the list: http://coworkingweekly.com

Listen to the podcast: http://dangerouslyawesome.com/podcast

On Tue, Apr 28, 2015 at 3:16 PM, Craig Baute - Creative Density Coworking <bau...@gmail.com> wrote:

I love appreciate the simplicity. If you have any plans laying around I would love to make it happen but if not I can get a good idea from the pictures.

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[Craig Baute - Creative Density Coworking]

We are looking for fully enclosed phone booths that can be moved around. We found some interesting models on Alibaba for $1300 + $875 for shipping that we really like. It costs me about $1750 to hire a contractor come out and build a few walls with a door so it's comparable to that.

Link to one of the Alibaba products: https://wholesaler.alibaba.com/product-detail/2016-custom-office-phone-booth-as_60418372557.html

I would love to have something made in the US. It doesn't need to be made completely soundproof like the ones that are $5000 from Framery. I think there could be a market for a $2000 or less model that is 80% soundproof that gives the person privacy but blocks enough noise that doesn't disturb others.

If anyone has any plans I would love to have one made? If you have an industrial designer in your space that would be interested in this product then I would love to chat with them.

[Ryan Rodenbeck]

Hi Craig, did you ever order one of these?  Wondering how they are.

[Craig Baute - Creative Density Coworking]

Hey Ryan,

Yes, I did order a phone booth off of Alibaba. After all expenses of shipping, tarrifs, fees, etc. it costs under $3000. This is overall a good deal.

https://hxscaffolding.en.alibaba.com/product/60707662526-805136774/Customized_phone_booth_acoustic_office_phone_booth_as_privacy_pods_with_good_quality.html

Here is the real thing: 

They look good. They look like a knock-off of Framry. You would be proud to have them in the space but it doesn't have the perfect touches of a $8000 phone booth. Sound performance needs to be improved. I am going to order one from the manufacturer that I listed above with the hard edges versus the rounded ones.

If anyone wants to go in together on a bulk around they costs a total of $2700 to get them to Denver, plus about $500 for shipping to your location.

[Alex Hillman]

Damn, even if it looks good, $3k is a lot to spend on something that “needs sound performance improvements.”

Can you say more about what it needs?

Alex

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[Ryan Rodenbeck]

I’ve heard that even the expensive ones aren’t really sound proof but do the job

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[Craig Baute - Creative Density Coworking]

I agree but it also costs me over $5000 to build two phone booths that have just as good of soundproofing and that's when I already had half of the walls built by including the room walls. It did take about 3 weeks for the contractors to finally complete the job and I can't move them. This is where the phone booths have a big advantage. Plus, they do look cooler.

Phone booths don't need to be sound-proof but distraction resistant. None of our phone rooms are sound proof but they do dampen the sound enough to make it comfortable for people to work next to them. I think that's the general idea and they do work based on that measure.

That being said, I do wish they were sound proof.

[Jerome Chang]

Hi all. I recently stumbled upon this ‘affordable’ option for I was told ~$3k, with Lego-like easy assembly.

https://emagispace.com/solutions/privacy-pods/

JEROME CHANG

talk to us: (323) 330-9505

chat w/ us: http://www.BLANKSPACES.com/chat

WEST: Santa Monica | 1450 2nd St (@Broadway)

CENTRAL: Mid-Wilshire | 5405 Wilshire Blvd (2 blocks west of La Brea)

EAST: Downtown | 529 S. Broadway, Ste 4000 (@Pershing Square)

NORTH: Pasadena | 680 E. Colorado, Ste 180 (b/w Lake and Los Robles)

[Craig Baute - Creative Density Coworking]

I talked to a rep and they told me the phone booth kit costs around $7,000.

The good thing about EmagiSpace is that you could repurpose the walls and materials if you wanted to switch it up in the future.

Jerome, as an architect, I would love hear your thoughts about Emagispace. This could probably be a new thread. For example, if I was doing a new build out in an open space would this be a good option? Would it lower my risk of sprinkler regulation? Since there is a construction worker shortage, do you think is a good viable option?

[Jerome Chang]

I’m actively seeking to deploy eMagispace across a few projects right now.

What you have to recognize in the world of construction is that eMagispace’s sweet spot is partial height walls, whether that’s 5’ for cubicles or 20’ for warehouse spaces and for production sets. Partial height walls do not trigger a spate of building codes.

Once you build full-height walls and enclose the envelope by attaching this wall to the ceiling, is where I’m testing how all of this would work:

how does HVAC service each room?

how do sprinklers service each room? Or do they even need to?

how does egress, ADA, etc. get affected?

The dilemma becomes more critical for licensed architects:

would an architect be bound to submit to a building department for a permit if a product like eMagispace may not require getting a permit…but the architect may realize that the use of eMagispace may cause issues like egress, ADA, etc. to become critical?

would a regular person (typical coworkiing owners) who builds with eMagispace without a building permit be ethically concerned if he doesn’t know these critical issues might have come up in the first place?

So the safe thing is to get a building permit. But I anticipate that the building department will get more confused at the product and its impact than the effort to do the [potentially] right thing.

Stand by as I navigate this process. :-)

The answer will likely be some hybrid: selective application of the eMagispace product and selective submittal thru the building dept.

JEROME CHANG

talk to us: (323) 330-9505

chat w/ us: http://www.BLANKSPACES.com/chat

WEST: Santa Monica | 1450 2nd St (@Broadway)

CENTRAL: Mid-Wilshire | 5405 Wilshire Blvd (2 blocks west of La Brea)

EAST: Downtown | 529 S. Broadway, Ste 4000 (@Pershing Square)

NORTH: Pasadena | 680 E. Colorado, Ste 180 (b/w Lake and Los Robles)

[Marc Bacayon]

Hello,

I am.alos looking for a DIY solution for a office booth/pod. I also have been considering going the alibaba route but I think I can build one myself for much less. I did come accross this company www.phonebooths.com that is offering a single booth for less than $3000 including free shipping. I emailed them asking if they make a double occupancy configuration and they stated they do not. Id like to have at least one singe and one double unit. Of anyone comes across any DIY plans please share.

Marc

[Wendy]

Hello,

I have an eclectic space.  A mix of modern and retro furnishings.  I’m planning to repurpose some doors as walls and use an old wooden school desk or a gossip bench to go inside. 

Wendy

 

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

--

[Wangmo Dixey]

Hi 

Does anyone know of where to purchase a contemporary phone booth sign for the coworking phone station?

thanks

[Brad Attig]

I'm building a stand alone booth. It would qualify as furniture so you don't have to worry about code. It will bolt together (actually lag screws). I expect the entire cost to be around $500 - $600. 

I'll have it done by the end of the month and will toss up pictures and some blueprints when we've got it working and tested. 

Brad

Brad Attig CEO at Foundry Collective Phone  541.812.1911     Email  br...@corvallisfoundry.com   Website  www.corvallisfoundry.com   Learn about the Foundry Startup Resource Fair Sept 13th 4 - 7 PM Corvallis Odd Fellows

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[Ryan Rodenbeck]

Brad,

Are you planning on selling these?  I may have some interest if so.  

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[Wangmo Dixey]

Dear Brad

What about a sign above the door and any suggestions for noise cancellation for the phone booth?

Thanks in advance

Wangmo Dixey

Executive Director

www.lbdfi.org
                  

Executive Director, 

Dharma College

www. dharma-college.com

2222 Harold Way, Berkeley CA 94704

Mob No. +510 847 2966

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[Brad Attig]

No, shipping would be too much. We're just looking for an affordable way to make a phone booth for coworking locations on a shoe string.

Brad Attig CEO at Foundry Collective Phone  541.812.1911     Email  br...@corvallisfoundry.com   Website  www.corvallisfoundry.com   Learn about the Foundry Startup Resource Fair Sept 13th 4 - 7 PM Corvallis Odd Fellows

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[Brad Attig]

Etsy is always good for funky signs.

Brad Attig CEO at Foundry Collective Phone  541.812.1911     Email  br...@corvallisfoundry.com   Website  www.corvallisfoundry.com   Learn about the Foundry Startup Resource Fair Sept 13th 4 - 7 PM Corvallis Odd Fellows

On Mon, Sep 17, 2018 at 10:04 AM, Wangmo Dixey <lbdf...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[Craig Baute - Creative Density Coworking]

Brad,

You could sell the designs to a lot of us as well if you don't want to ship them.

[Thomas Anselmino]

Anyone in the UK here? You can get an office phone booth for £1,400 on meavo.com

[Marc Bacayon]

I've seen different phone booth options on alibaba.

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