New Home Theater Room...One Day

[kberg]

Well, my wife and I just decided that we are going to finish our basement within the next 2-3 years. The design plan will include a 13' x 25' home theater room, which will FINALLY allow me to place my TV and speakers where they need to go (i.e., meaning the TV/center channel will NOT be in the corner of the room). Currently, my fireplace is in the way of placing the TV/center channel along the center wall area).

Of course my wife has never been crazy about HT since the very beginning (I KNOW some you guys out there can relate to this!), but I really think she likes the idea of me ridding the speakers from the upstairs family room (as you all know how much space they can take up), as well as not walking into the house with the speakers blaring at her face point blank.

Like I said, it's perhaps 2-3 of years off, and because we are in no financial position to do it all at once, we are going to do it in phases: (1) installing electrical/plumbing, (2) building the framework, (3) putting up the drywall, and (4) installing the carpeting/recessed lighting. I also want to wall mount my surrounds and hide all wiring (nothing buried under the carpet this time around!), as well as use "acoustically sound" insulation and/or other materials.

Oh, and the 32" Toshiba that I currently have will eventually be replaced by a 50" plasma TV for the HT room soon after it is completed. Hopefully, prices will be lower and quality higher for these sets by then.

Sorry for all the blathering, but if any of you guys have any thoughts/ideas on what I should consider as I pursue this venture, please "sound off"! Thanks in advance.

KB

[Frank Z]

Before you strap on the tool belt get a couple of rolls of duct tape and layout the new HT on the floor. Put a chair in the spot designated as "Your Chair" and look all around. Check the location of the windows and how the will relate to the equipment/speakers/tv. Look at the mechanicals overhead and see if you can spot any possible problems with future conduit locations. Figure out where you want the supply and return ducts in the HT (I can help with that if you like). How about a junction box and a conduit for a future PJ? Got enough height to meet building code requirements? How about a riser for a second row of seats.

I would strongly recommend doing the framing first. It's a lot easier to work around the framing than it is to frame around the plumbing/electrical.

[spyderman]

kberg, before you commit to the plasma, check out the projectors. They can handle HDTV ($1,500-$4000) and you can get a pull down screen.

The Sony HS20 looks great!

Also might want to check out some decent inwall speakers too?

Might be a better compromise for you and your wife??

Regards,
Spyder

[Ron-P]

Please don't waste your money on a Plasma, go FP. You can go twice that of a 50" for half the cost and be much happier.

Congrats on getting the room.

[amulford]

I concur about not getting the plasma. The costs just don't justify, and the PQ on the FP can rival them.

I do have to say that your going about it the right way. Rome wasn't built in a day....

Good luck, and enjoy yourself!

[kberg]

Thanks everybody, for your suggestions/comments. All are welcome. I especially like the idea of framing first, then electrical - makes complete sense to me. Also, I definitely will consider a projector - excellent idea. Nice to know there are folks on this forum that can provide valuable and cost-effective input. Thanks again!

[Demiurge]

Sweet. Take pictures throughout the development if you would. Like to see the progress as slow as it may be. :)

I agree with going projector!

[Early B.]

Yeah, my wife has given me the thumbs up to put a HT room in the basement, as well. It will also be a DIYer. We got estimates and it was cost prohibitive for a contractor to do it. I'm hesitant to get started because my handyman skills ain't the greatest. Also, the water heater, dehumidifier and AC unit is in the basement and they're kinda loud. Hadn't figured out how to soundproof all of that stuff yet.

My advise -- the first step is to make sure your basement will not have moisture problems!!! That means you'll have to start on the outside of your home. Look at gutters, ground slope, water runoff, flooding issues, etc. Conduct some moisture tests to determine if you have water seeping into the walls or the floor. If your basement smells damp in any way, you'll need to fix the problem. If you don't fix these problems, you could end up with mildew growing on your brand new basement walls.

Keep us informed of your progress. I need two things to get started on my HT room in the basement -- money and inspiration. The former will fuel the latter.

[kberg]

Originally posted by Early B.
I'm hesitant to get started because my handyman skills ain't the greatest.

My advise -- the first step is to make sure your basement will not have moisture problems!!!

Yeah well, I'm known as Tim the Toolman Taylor at my house. Seems like anybody can do it better than me; however, I have a buddy in the mortgage business who also knows quite a bit about building things to code, so I'll be putting him to work for some free meals!

Regarding the moisture problem, well, that's one thing nice about my basement - it's always remained dry as a bone even in torential downpours.

[amulford]

Originally posted by Early B.
Also, the water heater, dehumidifier and AC unit is in the basement and they're kinda loud. Hadn't figured out how to soundproof all of that stuff yet.

Easy fix, Early. Frame up 2x4 walls around them (hope fully they're kinda grouped together and won't eat up too much space.) Then insulate the walls and put a double layer of 5/8 sheetrock on the inside w/ 1 layer on the outside. Make sure nothing touches the walls and you seal any openings. That should cure the noise AND hide it from view...

Sorry kberg, Not trying to hijack the thread...

[HBombToo]

HT centric details are cool but make sure you design the room to handle the furniture for the BOSS. WAF:D decreases as her goals are not considered.

Twin

[kberg]

Originally posted by amulford


Sorry kberg, Not trying to hijack the thread...

Not at all...sounds like great advice! Thanks.

[Early B.]

Easy fix, Early. Frame up 2x4 walls around them (hope fully they're kinda grouped together and won't eat up too much space.) Then insulate the walls and put a double layer of 5/8 sheetrock on the inside w/ 1 layer on the outside. Make sure nothing touches the walls and you seal any openings. That should cure the noise AND hide it from view...

Wish it was that easy. According to code, the walls have to be a certain distance from the HVAC system to enclose it. When the basement was designed, they put the HVAC right smack dab in the middle of the basement!!! On top of that, this stuff is right next to the plumbing for a full bath. So if I enclose it, it will take up valuable real estate. It also limits the size and configuration of a future HT room. Luckily, I already have the basement framed, so that will save me time and money.

Anyone have any ideas on how to save money on getting the electrical done? It's gotta be done professionally, but many electricians in my area can cost over $100 bucks an hour.

[Frank Z]

Originally posted by Early B.
Wish it was that easy. According to code, the walls have to be a certain distance from the HVAC system to enclose it. When the basement was designed, they put the HVAC right smack dab in the middle of the basement!!! On top of that, this stuff is right next to the plumbing for a full bath. So if I enclose it, it will take up valuable real estate. It also limits the size and configuration of a future HT room. Luckily, I already have the basement framed, so that will save me time and money.

Anyone have any ideas on how to save money on getting the electrical done? It's gotta be done professionally, but many electricians in my area can cost over $100 bucks an hour.

The distance required for a Category I Gas Burning Aplliance is 1". The best location for proper heating and cooling equipment is right in the middle of the house.

The electrical has to be done by a licensed electrician? Where do you live? The building codes in my area are very simple, any home owner can do anything he/she wants to their own home or in their own home, as long as he/she obtains the required permits, which means that all of the work has to be inspected. No mandate to use a licensed contractor for anything other than refrigeration work, that requires an EPA Certification.

[Early B.]

The electrical has to be done by a licensed electrician? Where do you live? The building codes in my area are very simple, any home owner can do anything he/she wants to their own home or in their own home, as long as he/she obtains the required permits, which means that all of the work has to be inspected. No mandate to use a licensed contractor for anything other than refrigeration work, that requires an EPA Certification.

No, there's no mandate in my area to get a licensed electrician, but I just want it done professionally. I've been screwed too many times by bootleg contractors, and I'm certainly not going to try and do it myself. I don't know the first thing about electrical work. What I need is not complicated -- a few outlets and a couple of light switches. I don't even plan to use in-wall speaker wire.

[Frank Z]

Perhaps you misunderstood my post. I would never advocate using a sub-standard contractor for anything. I would recommend DIY whenever possible, simply for the satisfaction of being able to say "Yep, I did it."

[amulford]

residential Electric is actually quite simple. Pick up one of those DIY books and read up on it.

If you are uncomfortable with it, don't be. Just be sure to take the proper precautions, and follow the guidelines. In no time at all you'll be wanting to rewire the whole house:D

[burdette]

Or split the baby.... do the wiring yourself.. drill the holes in the studs, run the wire, get the outlets and switches and all that.. and hire an electrician to do the finish work, hook into the breaker box, and fire it up for you.

And you might as well run speaker wire while you're at it... at least for the surrounds... a terminal in the wall up front as input and one (double) or two singles in the rear for output.

[Early B.]

Thanks, Burdette -- sounds like an excellent compromise!

Hell, I'm ready to get started. Anyone seen my hammer...

[kberg]

As recommended earlier in the thread, I was just checking out the Sony projector, and I remembered that I need to consider lamp replacement costs as part of the projector option over a plasma TV, which at like $280 after every 3,000 hours of use is nothing to sneeze at. Are you folks out there with projectors getting the full life out of your lamps? I know it depends on average daily use, but does 3,000 hours typically get people three years of lamp life? More? Less?

Btw, looks like Spring 2002 is the time we expect to have the basement/HT finished. Quite a while off but hey, something to plan and look forward to!

[AsSiMiLaTeD]

Originally posted by kberg
Btw, looks like Spring 2002 is the time we expect to have the basement/HT finished.

Looks like someone's been watching too much "Back to the Future? :) :D

[Shizelbs]

Originally posted by kberg

Btw, looks like Spring 2002 is the time we expect to have the basement/HT finished.

Thats amazing. Hey, if you do get the projector, when it burns out, just go back in time to when it works. Problem solved!

[AsSiMiLaTeD]

Originally posted by Shizelbs
Thats amazing. Hey, if you do get the projector, when it burns out, just go back in time to when it works. Problem solved!

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!:)

I knew I wouldn't be the only one to catch that :D

[kberg]

Ok, ok, have your laughs - I deserve it. :)

SPRING 2006!