A Space To Create

UPDATE JULY 2025: Scroll down to "Updates" to see my latest video update showing progress thus far! Work on soundproofing the roof has started, so now would be a really good time to make a donation (or top up one you’ve already made) if you’re able .... And here's the full story I posted back in February when I first launched this crowdfunder:

For those of you who don’t already know me, I’m Sarah McQuaid, a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in Cornwall, in the far southwest of England.

I’m in the process of writing what will become my seventh solo album — and the first album of new material that I’ll have released in over seven years. The three newly-written songs that I’m playing in my current tour set are the first ones I’ve completed since we recorded the Dig Any Deeper album back in 2017, and it feels amazing to be finally getting back to creative work after such a long dry spell … but I’m still facing the challenges I always face when I write new material: how to get it gig-ready before I go out and play it live, and how to get it recorded so that I can share it with the world. Recording studios are expensive, and it’s difficult to make an album the best it can possibly be when the clock is ticking.

Which is why I’ve embarked on the process of converting the derelict garage that adjoins my house into a home studio. Not only will I be able to record ALL my future albums there — so no more pressure around paying for and making maximum use of studio time — but it’ll also be a space where I can rehearse with a full PA setup, film music and tutorial videos, livestream concerts, work on admin tasks, and store all my merchandise and PA gear. Simply having enough room to keep all my instruments and equipment permanently set up and ready to use, rather than put away in cases, will make it so much easier for me to create new music, and I expect my output to increase exponentially!

The total cost of the structural work needed – which includes repairing the roof and fitting acoustic insulation to it, tanking the exterior walls to keep out damp, blocking off part of the gap where the existing garage door is and fitting a new door in the remaining space, replacing the other two doors and the back window, fitting two radiators and extending the central heating pipework to them from inside the house, and finally putting in new electrical wiring and mains boards with surge protectors and RCBO circuit breakers – comes to just over £26,000 pounds sterling. Once that work is done, we’ll still need to paint and furnish the studio, but my wonderful manager/sound engineer Martin and I will keep those costs down by buying secondhand and doing the decorative work ourselves.

Thanks to a very generous gift from my wonderful aunt, I’ve already got a head start on covering the cost of the structural work, and I’m also planning to take out a home improvement loan for a good chunk of it, but I’m going to have to raise the remainder through crowdfunding. I’ve set an ambitious target of £13,000 – half the total cost – for this crowdfunder. I’m using the GoFundMe platform because it takes a lower percentage than others, and because it allows me to keep your donations even if I don't reach my goal. If I raise more than my target, I’ll be thrilled, as that way I’ll need to borrow less; if I don’t hit the target I’ll still push on with the project, however long it takes.

I said earlier that I expect my creative output to increase exponentially once the studio is completed. To show my gratitude for your help in making this happen, I’ve put together an exponentially increasing list of thank-you gifts for my funders:

A contribution of £25 or more will give you ...

A signed CD of the first album I record in the new studio, including postage anywhere in the world, plus a download link as soon as it’s released.

A contribution of £50 or more will give you ...

A signed LP of the first album I record in the new studio, including postage anywhere in the world, plus a download link as soon as it’s released.

A contribution of £100 or more will give you ...

A signed CD or LP of the first album I record in the new studio, including postage anywhere in the world, plus FREE DOWNLOADS FOR LIFE of all my future recorded output (including an immediate download of my May 2025 Bandcamp-only release Walking Into White Live In Rapid City).

A contribution of £200 or more will give you ...

All of the above, plus handwritten and illustrated lyrics to a song of your choice on quality A4 (UK letter size) paper.

A contribution of £400 or more will give you ...

All of the above, plus a 40-minute one-on-one guitar or songwriting tutorial via Zoom from the new studio when it’s finished.

A contribution of £800 or more will give you ...

All of the above, plus your very own concert livestreamed from the new studio, in two 40-minute sets with a 20-minute break between them.

Thank you so, so much for any support you can give me, either by donating or by sharing this with your friends, or just by leaving a comment to let me know you’re rooting for me. I can’t express how grateful I am.

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