Building a Home Dungeon — The Construct

 
 

For years, it’s been on my wishlist to convert our detached, two-car garage into a commercial photography studio. Saccharine Purr got on board with the idea earlier this year, especially once I floated my concept for a mixed-use home dungeon, photography studio, entertainment room, and content creation space. After almost two years of not running any international corporate events myself, I was itching to build something shiny to entertain people.

Saccharine Purr also decided that she wanted to start an OnlyFans, not necessarily to turn a profit (although that would be nice), but to document every penny that it costs to create content. She wanted to start publishing Total Project Cost (TPC) spreadsheets to show just how much time and money content creators have to spend in order to create quality content.

This is our documentation of the costs involved in building a modern home dungeon and content creation space. Some of the renovations were completed years ago as part of our vanilla lifestyle, so those costs have been omitted. Ongoing costs will be added to this page.

 

Estimated Cost of The Construct
as of December 2021: $18,391.00

 

 

The Studio/Dungeon

The most extensive renovation of The Construct was converting the first floor of the two-car garage into a weather-sealed, year-round concept space. Unfortunately, the previous owners of the property never finished the garage. The ground floor was uninsulated with no vapor barrier, and utilized syp plywood panel siding nailed directly to the 2x4 studs.

To optimize and maintain resale value of the property, all construction was modular in nature. The garage bay flooring is removable in sections, the garage door insulation is only tacked into place, and all wall panels and trim are lightly tacked with decorative screws. If needed, the studio/dungeon can be stripped to bare studs in an afternoon.

Studio/Dungeon Estimated Cost: $14,934.37

 

Studio/Dungeon Flooring — $3,142.70

There was about 600 square feet of concrete slab to work with, and decided that the floor would be the most expensive centerpiece of the build, which influenced the look and feel of the rest of the space. Commercial-grade Pergo restaurant flooring was chosen for its durability, water resistance, and rigidity. And there was even an hour-long discussion between Reify Joie, Saccharine Purr, and Creepy Skinny PG to decide which flooring would provide the best non-slip surface for high heels, stilettos, and boots to make those wonderful click-clack sounds on.

Additionally, an insulated, moisture-barrier subfloor was chosen to create a toasty-warm surface for bare feet, and to prevent moisture and condensation from wicking through the concrete slab to the floor.

 

Studio/Dungeon Audiovisual, Lighting, and Electrical — $1,551.32

Reify Joie spent over 20 years planning corporate events, building convention booths, and implementing office, hotel, and convention center audiovisual, lighting, and electrical systems. So it made perfect sense for The Construct to utilize the same DMX-compatible audiovisual equipment used in convention centers!

 

Studio/Dungeon Suspension Rig — $1,637.26

Suspension is a dangerous activity, and reports of unsafe practices spread quickly within the community. And rightfully so. Instead of attempting to build a suspension rig from scratch, or ordering a portable suspension rig from Etsy, a stage-quality commercial truss solution was chosen. Reify Joie has been working with truss rigs in hotels and convention centers for decades, and trusts them implicitly.

Stage Right truss is center-load rated for at least 500 pounds per two-meter horizontal section, with a maximum evenly-distributed load of 740 pounds per two-meter horizontal section. Oversized base plates ensure minimal deflection, so straps and cinch buckles aren’t required to secure the bases.

 

Studio Furniture, Toys, Implements, and Consumables — $2,579.15

Everything that makes the dungeon a dungeon! Initially, only larger furniture is included, but this section will be expanded to include everything available for use at The Construct.

 

Studio/Dungeon Medical and Fire Suppression — $714.94

Reify Joie has first responder training, and takes safety quite seriously. Between candles for lighting and wax play, and larger open flames for fire play and photography, commercial fire suppression solutions were chosen. Surgical-grade cleaners and antiseptic hand sanitizers were also chosen.

 

Studio/Dungeon Walls, Trim, and Insulation — $2,938.54

April Wilkerson has a phenomenal YouTube channel documenting her workshop and DIY homesteading projects. Cues were taken from April to create a natural, wooden space using stained, sanded-plywood wall panels with upcycled pallet slats for trim.

Wood was chosen to finish all visible walls, while less-expensive MDF was chosen to finish the wall hidden by shelving and photographic backgrounds.

 

Studio/Dungeon HVAC — $1,616.70

Humans are disgusting. Gloriously, lustfully, sensually, amazingly disgusting. The Construct was built with airflow, air filtering, and heating and cooling in mind. Clean air is healthy air! Additional HEPA and MERV 17+ filtering solutions are currently being researched.

 
 

 
 

The Aftercare Lounge

Reify Joie’s home office above the studio/dungeon doubles as The Construct’s Aftercare Lounge, and was renovated in 2007. Previous renovation costs aren’t included, but ongoing kink-specific, entertainment, and support costs will be added to this page.

Aftercare Lounge Estimated Cost: $3,086.00

 

Aftercare Lounge Security and Network — $2,536.00

The most overt security measure implemented by The Construct, compared to other dungeons, is the addition of enterprise security cameras that monitor the property, living spaces, the Deck, Aftercare Lounge, and Studio/Dungeon itself. The Construct is transparent and up front about this fact, and The Construct’s Security, Safety, and Screening statement is attached to all event invites.

 

Aftercare Lounge HVAC — $550.00

The Aftercare Lounge is uniquely heated by cryptocurrency mining. Whenever Reify Joie’s rack of servers is not in use for vanilla gigs, they’re cranking out heat by mining Monero. Air filtration is achieved by retrofitting filters in the air conditioner, as well as filtered register boosters in the Studio/Dungeon ceiling. Additional HEPA and MERV 17+ filtering solutions that are capable of filtering Flu and COVID-19 viral loads are currently being researched, but are costly.

 

 
 

The Deck and Rocktagon

The Deck is where most folks congregate between scenes, as it’s attached to the kitchen, and was initially a three-season porch that was added to the house shortly after moving in. To make The Deck usable year round, crawlspace insulation was added as part of construction of The Construct. The centerpiece of the backyard is The Rocktagon, a nine-foot rock fire pit with a 21-foot octagon-shaped stone apron.

Deck and Rocktagon Estimated Cost: $370.63