 Re: Room build
Reflection control/damping will help you make better sounding recordings in the room.
Soundproofing/Leakage control will help keep the sound from disturbing others in the building.
These are related, but different topics. Obviously good studios address both subjects.
Lets be real, you are not making a major studio, and you don't have the budget to do so. With that in mind, adding some absorption will help most rooms. I'd consider doing some or all of the following: Carpet the floor, bring in a few nice big pieces of fluffy furniture, hang heavy curtains about 6 inches away from the walls covering all the hard surfaces. If you want real control and don't mind a bit of construction, instead of the curtains attach 1x6 boards to the wall making a 6" deep wall-frame. Fill these cavities with fiberglass (get the 8" thick rolls without any backing paper) and staple burlap or other acoustically transparent fabric in front. Cover at least two of the walls like this, and you'll notice a major difference in the control and quietness of the room.
The shape and size of the room also has a big impact, but I'm assuming this is probably not too adjustable.
Soundproofing is achieved by making the room essentially airtight, and decoupling all the wall/floor/ceiling surfaces from the rest of the building so that vibrations are not transmitted. This is usually NOT easy nor inexpensive. Even if you knock down the sound transmission 100:1, you'll still hear it. I would not make soundproofing a goal - unless you are willing to spend a lot of time & money, or unless you are embarking upon new construction - at which point it can be designed in (still expensive), rather than "retrofitted".
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