In the beginning:

I've started on my journey to my home theater/family room basement remodel. As many on here do, I will be doing most of the work by my self, or with the assistance of some friends in the HT and construction industries. Also, I am very cheap, so this whole basement must be done for less than $5000 (not including furniture or A/V equipment). I work for a retailer that sells furniture and electronics so I have the hook up there (Cost or dealer accommodations)

My room:
Is currently a partially finished 1200sqft basement (finished area is about 750 sqft) dressed in full 1970's decor. Dark walnut paneling, shaker shingles, faux ceiling beams, faux candle sconces. There is an unused brick wood burning fireplace. Wet bar. 1/2 bath that has paneling and shag carpet (Yes shag in a bathroom, it makes me sick thinking of it)

My plans:
Remove paneling and drywall behind paneling to install insulation and to run new electrical and low voltage wires. I will leave the ceiling drywall intact, however, I will be installing new drywall on top of it with new can lighting. Demo fireplace and build a screen wall that will have a AT screen with my LCR speakers placed behind the screen. Redo the wet bar with new cabinets sink and countertops. Gut the bathroom, install new floor, sink, toilet, and install a shower.

I do not plan on doing much for sound isolation, as this will be open to other parts of the house, and I've realized I don't listen to movies very loud. And for those off times that I do, the wife and kids will more than likely be down stairs too. I will however, try to focus some energy (time and money) on sound treatments.

I will plan on upgrading equipment as money allow, so I will spend the $$ on making the room upgradeable as possible with in my budget.

My equipment:
Most of my current equipment will transfer over to the new room, also most of it is a few years old. But as I said above, I am planning on making the room/area upgradeable so newer equipment can be added.

I currently have a Sony 1251q CRT projector that will be used initially for the theater. This may be switched over to a DLP or LCD projector, if I can find one that I like. I paid $50 for my 1251, so for a cost to performance rating it might take me a while to find a bulb projector I like as much as the CRT.

My receiver is a few year old denon avr 1705 that will stand in place until I decide to spend the coin on a new one.

Toshiba HD-DVD player- the format may be dead, but my player still works. :)

My speakers are something I've been kicking around replacing, but I love them: JBL HLS series 810's, center, and 410's for the rear. They sound fantastic, so we'll see if they get replaced, again I'm cheap.

I'll try to update this thread as I move along. Pictures will also follow.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2272/2160744210_c9d70992ed_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2110/2279643107_a4eaff373f_o.png

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2282/2279643109_5b406bf4a6_o.png

The start:
Yesterday I began the process of removing the paneling. This was easier than I had anticipated as the glue holding it on had disengaged and only a few nails were holding each piece of paneling in place. During this process, I discovered a few things some funny, others not so funny and may lead to other issues as I move along.

1: this space has the soul of a HT. I knew the previous owner (and builder of my house) had a projector screen in the basement just a few feet in front of where I plan on having mine. I accidentally ripped it down during our tour of the house (but that's another story). But what I didn't know was he had installed in ceiling speakers, and a remote volume control. Know, keep in mind this was about 30 years ago, so it's a little outdated and none of it can, nor will it be, reused. But, he knew that this basement had the soul of a theater! I can only hope to bring it to life.

2. Termites will eat the paper off of drywall.
http://www.pestrjim.com.au/Images/termpics/thingy.gif
(Just kidding! I tore down the drywall before I could get a pic.)
Termites were once living behind my walls. They are long gone now, but I'm not sure if they got to the studs or not. We'll see once I remove the drywall. They are messy creatures that's for sure.

I also was able to remove the shingles and the faux beams from the ceiling.

update: I've been under the weather for the last few days. I had hoped to have removed all the drywall by today. Unfortunatly, I was only able to get about 1/3 of it down. But we were able to get all of the nails removed from the rafters and the walls that we are keeping up. This week I'll have to get a dumpster for all the rubble I'm creating. You can see in the pics that there is currently a 4ft pile of trash that needs to be removed. That should be fun. :(

First plan change: Ceiling drywall removal, well, after thinking about it, I decided it might be wise for me to remove the ceiling drywall. Why? So I can trace the f-d up wiring that is going on in my basement. Also it will make it easier to run and install the whole house audio system I have yet to plan or figure out how to afford. :) So far we have found 3 dead mice... 3 dead mice....

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2333/2160744230_e25e99b535_o.jpg
As it was a week ago.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2413/2323107612_42ee735ec1_b.jpg
I think a dead mouse fell on me! (i'm on the left)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3176/2323119346_e362853716_b.jpg
This is how the pros do it, right?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3097/2322323867_5c083df0ec_o.png
What it will look like in about 5 years.... nah, about 6 months.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3174/2323107616_13bf7ca799_b.jpg
you can see where I removed the paneling, shingles, faux ceiling beams. I can't yet stomach the removal of the projector.... one more movie, then it will come down.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3014/2323107630_15877882f0_b.jpg
What's daddy doing? He's making a mess? Daddy's crazy!

hey buddy, it's been 5 months since we last met. Is that you in color red/maroon shirt?

yes it is. Has it been 5 months already? WOW. Well as you can see, my basement is going to look a little different that what it did when you were here.

How's the progress going on yours? I've been following your "fan mod" thread, and I'm very impressed. I'm sure I'll get to doing mine while the theater is under construction.

Take care

yes it is. Has it been 5 months already? WOW. Well as you can see, my basement is going to look a little different that what it did when you were here.

How's the progress going on yours? I've been following your "fan mod" thread, and I'm very impressed. I'm sure I'll get to doing mine while the theater is under construction.

Take care

Yep, we met sometime mid September last year. I haven't started my theater yet. I don't know if I should start this year. I have to check first how our company is doing. It's been going down and down lately. :(

I like the fan mod. I'm glad that the guys at CRT shared what needs to be added. The few first pic of my zener diode was incorrect. I got an incorrect information from jkrugger but he corrected it. The correct wiring: the dark side of the 5.1v zener diode should be away from the fan on the red wire.

I'm also having some fun with my 2 Autopatch 1YDM device. I stacked them together last night using serial cable. I am now able to reroute hd signals to my theater in the basement and at the same time to the family room(110ft). I got them both at $76 from ebay. Check this out. (http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/5987/htequipmentskx5.jpg) You will see the HDFury directly hooked to the Autopatch device. We don't need to buy that power supply anymore. With Autopatch, you can route it to your entire house.

I like your SketchUp plan!!! I'm glad that you've started. ;) Keep us posted! PICS PICS PICS :D

Well, I'm home from work sick today... Day 2 of that....

In my down time I have been working on my sketch up, making some changes. I figure it's easier to fix issues on the computer vs trying to rip apart drywall and 2x4's. Any way, I decided to block off the "theater/game/family room" from the rest of the house. For buget reasons, I will not be doing much of any sound isolation, other than insulation. Maybe next time.

I have labled some of the key features, and new features that I have added.
Feel free to post comments or suggestions.
Thanks

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3293/2327535452_0898c709f7_o.png

I know this is going to be a little off topic from an HT discussion, but have you had a ventless FP before? I have had several clients/homebuyers that we installed them for, and they have had a LOT of problems with them. I refuse to install them anymore and tell current buyers that if they have to have one, hire somebody else because I don't want to be responsible. If you are going to have one, please, please, PLEASE make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector installed close by.

I have not, but I don't plan on using it much, its there really to replace the fireplace that my screen wall will be taking up. I am fully aware of the issues and debate that surrounds the use of ventless fireplaces. I have been in houses with them, as has my wife and children, and neither of us (the kids didn't seem to mind either) had any issue with the smell (lack of smell) coming from it.

As for the carbon monoxide detector, in Illinois it is now the law to have one if you have gas coming into your house. (we have two one upstairs and one down).

Thanks for you suggestion.

okay an update. My plans are chaning daily now as my wife and I try to work out "agreements" on room lay out. She is getting excited and is happy to lend her input in to the room lay out and design. Google sketchup is perfect for this. We worked through a few things last night and she said, "draw it up on sketchup and let me see what it will look like."

Anyways, I've been busy this weekend with some demo. This is a much larger undertaking that I had anticipated. Being sick and trying to demo isn't fun though either.

Enjoy the pics:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2261/2338709109_37d6d78057_b.jpg
My entryway, looking down into the destruction zone.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2311/2338709119_3cfe09f6d7_b.jpg
2/3 of the drywall down. Just a little more to go. Oh, the fireplace has been the wife and my biggest dissagreement.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2149/2338709123_df6e2b81df_b.jpg
More demo. I'm really opening the place up!

Here is a new "redesign" that my wife and I worked through. What do you guys think?
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3196/2339681554_43e1c043d5_o.png

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3278/2339715986_2803f5dc0c_o.png

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3186/2338964945_7bcb36027e_o.png

Okay, I don't have any progress updates, I'm still in the demo mode. There is a lot of stuff to remove. But I have been looking over my design and I stumbled into the Accustical Treatment thread, i think that might have been a big mistake. :) I'm still not too concerned with sound isolation, but I am interested in reflection points. My "theater area" is essentially free standing in the room, with no real side walls to speak of. Based on this design is there any chance of incorporating any sound treatments? http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3196/2339681554_43e1c043d5_o.png

Thanks for the help.

Okay I ordered my Dumpster today, so all of the debris from my basement will be gone by the weekend, and construction should begin shortly. The wife and I are going out tonight to price building supplies. Drywall in our area just dropped in price, so it seems we are getting started at the right time. I priced carpet yesterday and I can't get over the price of installation. It will be about $1400 for the whole basement for just the install plus about another $1400 for carpet and pad, $2800 isn't in the budget for flooring. So a wood floor it shall be, i can do it for just over $1000.

I'll post pics once all of the garbage is gone and we are looking at a clean slate.

Update:
Nearly a month of deconstruction... Whew! There was alot of stuff down there. Almost 20yrds worth. I have removed all of the garbage and debris and in the process filled a 20 yrd dumpster. My wife and neighbors were impressed. :) Anyways here is the 90% clean slate pics. I still have to remove the fireplace hearth.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3193/2376201562_6da95f0cf8_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3254/2376201582_b737f9d69f_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3174/2376201588_d208f57e0e_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2045/2376201564_5f26872e5a_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2204/2376201570_a645763f62_b.jpg

More pics that (don't seem to be working.....)

No new pics or really any updates, but I did want to bump this to ask a question.

My basement is not "that" big, what I am finishing is around 600 sqft. Every time I go to plan the switches for my lights I seem to have way too many, around 7 "zones". Does this seem like a lot?
I'll have:
2 6" cans at the base of the steps - switched
4 6" cans in the table/game area opposite the fireplace wall - dimmed
4 6" cans in the movie "zone" - dimmed
3 4" cans above the screen for accent lighting - dimmed
3 4" cans in the soffited area infront of the bar counter - dimmed
1 4 bulb hologen track above the fireplace - dimmed
Rope lights around the movie zone in crown molding - dimmed

That's 7 zones am I over doing it or does this seem about right?
Thanks for the help

No pics yet:
But framing began about 2 weeks ago. The wife and I decided to move back to a modified plan one with the screen wall where the fireplace is (used to be). We also decided to go ahead a build an office area while we have the basement torn apart. The office is where I have been focusing my time and energy. I nearly have the framing complete. I should be done this weekend and moving on to electical next week. It's been difficult getting work done with the nice weather lately. Luckily this weekend should bring some rain and some progress on the basement. :)

I'll post new pics later this weekend once I get the framing done and also post up new sketchup drawing.

Sketchup updates:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2088/2424644938_571d001cf8_o.png

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2398/2424644940_2e1ca79475_o.png

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3071/2424644944_6d1a2e7554_o.png

I'm getting closer to actually working on the theater area. I've been focusing my attention on the office/laundry room space. I have decided to use a double pocket door to close off the office area from the family/theater room, so this is causing me some headaches and design/build issues.

Working around work, two kids, spring time nice weather, and other basic family and house hold tasks is making this out to be much larger than what I had planned for. Oh well, it will be worth it in the end! I'll post more pics later.

Okay so I purchased a couple of pocket doors last night from Menards and attempted to install them. Long story short... I'm returning them and buying a 48" x 80" french door.

The wall that was going to have the double pocket doors would have been built entirely out of the pockets ( 8' 1/2" wide wall). I don't feel this would have been a good idea. Menards has a 48" wide French door on sale right now for $250. I think this will be a better option in the long run as I won't have to worry about the door falling off it's tracks, or coming out of alignment.

Again no pictures, but I thought I would update how things are going. I have, for the most part, completed framing. Just my bar and the base of my screen wall remain to be framed. I am only framing in the bottom plate of my screen wall because I'm not yet set on how I plan on setting up my speakers and screen. I'm not yet sure If I want to do an AT screen or a shadow box with my speakers below the screen. I have the space to go either way. I am however, leaning towards the AT screen so I can use taller speakers further apart.

Any thoughts or comments? I feel like I'm talking to myself. :)

I had the same debate... AT or not. Based on all the reading I did, I ended up taking the plunge for AT for a couple reasons. (1) More realism with sound coming through the screen (2) hides the speakers (3) cool factor (4) I am going 12' wide with the screen, so putting the speakers out wider wasn't appealing for me. my 2 cents...

I understand you lose some light output when going AT since the screen lets light through, but I am hoping it is worth it. It also costs more money than its equivalent (DIY or manufactured).

In about 3 weeks I will be able to tell you if it was the right call for me! I have the AT material and I am just waiting until we get past the painting stage. Can't wait!

btw, your Skechups look great. good work!!

Thanks! I've put a lot of time in to the sketchups. Before this project I had never even heard of it, but now I've build a rendering for my parent's whole house remodel. It really helps to get a perspective of what it "Might" look like.

I look forward to seeing your theater as it progresses and when it's done! It looks like it will be a great space.
Shaun

come on with the pictures already :D

I've been busy building a play set for my kids. Hopefully I'll get back to work on the basement this week. :)

oh I suppose that is a good excuse... :)

Since your design is more of a media room than a dedicated home theater, I really like your "redesigned" set-up since it makes it feel more like a multi-purpose room with a kick-ass theater set-up.

Looking at your photos, I just have to think how easy myself and others have it to be building a theater in a new house with an unfinished basement. You have been spending a lot time on tearing down and fixing the previous build.

GREAT pics so far!

My best advice...get your plan settled NOW or you'll be going back and doing things two or three times (trust me). Of course, I'D prefer you didn't get your plan settled so I can wipe the floor with you.

Good luck,
Tom

Yes! Consider yourself lucky to be able to start with a "Clean Slate." :) My biggest fear before we started this adventure was the clean up of the space. It has truely been the biggest obstical and progress staller. If we ever move it will be to a house with an unfinished basement. But that will have to be in about 10 years or so.

I'll try to get some udated pics soon, either tonight or later this week. But I was able to get permision two rows of seating! My first will be kind of close at 9 1/2 feet and the 2nd will be at 16 feet, but I think it will be fine. The only request the wife had was for them to be couches and not "home theater" recliners.

GREAT pics so far!

My best advice...get your plan settled NOW or you'll be going back and doing things two or three times (trust me). Of course, I'D prefer you didn't get your plan settled so I can wipe the floor with you.

Good luck,
Tom

The plan is set as far as the general layout goes. Obviously durring this construction phase it has needed to be modified as we progress to fit within the space, budget, and the "this looked good on paper but now that I see it..." reality.

No need to worry about me beating you, you should just relax and take the summer off. Go golfing or something. I'll still be here in the fall. ;)

congrats on the second row! That sounds like a good day's work.... You still doing the bar behind it? or is the second row in lieu of the bar?

Yeah there will be a bar behind it still, and it will be bar height now too. :)

Things are slowy moving along in my basement. We reworked our plans again but this is it. This is how it is going to be. I have framed up what will be the screen wall, busted up the fireplace hearth, finished the framing in the office and I have started on the electrical see the pictures below


Here are some updated pics:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2294/2492290668_4d0cc45890_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3171/2492290658_28294ef004_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2020/2492290644_3bb1149158_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2105/2492290642_ec08f12b6f_b.jpg

Plans have changed again.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2244/2491473147_79401a5a47_o.png
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2208/2491473151_65558ed3d4_o.png
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3117/2491473159_3166526655_o.png

Hey - great to see some pics of the progress... It is looking good! Are the electrical boxes all for switches or are other things going there? Are you doing any special lighting stuff?

Yeah, each of the peices of tape represents a light switch (7 total zones! :eek: ). For the time being I am going to use basic dimmers and upgrade to insteon later on. As I said early on in the project I'm working with a strict budget and the room must get "finished" first.

Last night I got the rest of the old electrial out of the old walls and I should be able to start on the new stuff throughout the weekend.

I also purchased 3/4 osb and 2/6's today to buid the screen wall, screen wall ceiling, and stage. Since the screen wall is against the stair well I figure I would build up a good thick backer to at least try to stop sound from coming upstairs, I doubt it will do anything but I'll at least feel a little better about it. :)

I need to get some sand for the kiddie's play set, so I'll just pick up an extra bag or 20 when I'm ready for the stage.

I am planning on Insteon too... just in the theater area though. Upgrade the rest later (much later)!

Cool - keep up that good work. When are you building the stage?

WATER IN MY BASEMENT! I just got a call from my wife. Apparently we have water in our storage room and laundry room. It wasn't there this morning but it's there now. We had a big storm roll through this morning and I think all of spring junk falling off of the trees has clogged my gutters. We'll see when I get home from work. uggg another weekend of backward progress. :(

OOoooo..that's gotta hurt. Doesn't help you in the LOGANATOR race either.

Good luck. Hope it's as simple as clogged gutters. Check the run-off from the gutter at ground level too...make sure it's running far enough away from the foundation. Anything other that is likely to be major.

well, the water issue is a confirmed gutter issue. They are packed full of helicoptiers, leaves, and other spring time junk. It was too dark to clean them out tonight by the time I got done emptying and wet-vacing the water out of the storage area. I'll get to that first thing in the morning. Hopefully, I'll get the floor dry enough tonight to start moving everything back in by tomorrow afternoon. I'd like to get the electrial going this weekend.

Yikes! Good luck to you! Better mp up that water before electrical :)

How'd the kids play set go?

Update:
I got the water all out of the basement and I got the gutters cleaned out. We've had several big rain storms since last friday and the basement has been dry, so I think I'll be okay. The water seemed to be coming in through an area that wasn't drylocked by the previous owner. That will be on my "to do" list.

I was able to get started on the electrical this weekend too. I was stuck at home with a couple of sick kids so I was able to get down in the basement while they were sleeping to get some work done. The office is is all wired up, all of the can lights are up, I made 4 home runs for new circuits, all of the electrial boxes are mounted. I now just need to finish up running the wire to the cans and the outlets then I will be able to get my uncle, an electrician, out to install my new service panel and breakers. I'm good at everything else, but the service panel scares the crap out of me! :eek:

I ran the 4 new circuits for the basement remodel and left the curent three circuits for a total of 6 circuits for the basement. I'm sure that will be enough. Here is what I have planned, let me know if you guys think I should change or add more:

new:
1 15amp circuit - 8 can lights, rope lights, 1 pendent light, and 3 puck lights
1 15amp circuit - 12 outlets
1 15amp circuit - Equipment rack, projector, and subs
1 15amp circuit - Office (4 can lights, 3 puck lights 6 outlets)

Existing:
1 15amp circuit - washer/dryer
1 20amp circuit - storage area with 10 outlets
1 unknown circuit that is not hooked to anything, just ran to a junction box through a 12-3 wire (I think this was intended for future expantion however when they finished the basement initially they didn't use it for anything)

Glad to hear the progress... Keep up the good work!

hey - how's it going? You have electricity flowing?

Not yet. I have all of the wires run, I just need to get my uncle over here to install the new panel.

I got my monoprice order in so all of the low voltage, less some speaker runs, are done.

I'm still on pace for my goal of September for football season. Your room is looking great BTW.

UPDATE:I'll try to get pics up tonight.
With the exception of 2 outlets and a few can lights all of the high voltage wireing in done, I ran out of wire. I contemplated using old wire that I had removed, (12/2 with ground) but I figured it would be dumb not to just buy a 50 ft roll of 12/2 and finish it the right way. So, all told, I ran or will run just shy of 800 ft of 12/2 wire. And I thought I could get away with 1 250ft roll. :)

Last night I purchased CAT5e and RG6quad cables. Here is my plan for running those, please correct me if I am wrong or if this doesnt make sense.

Projector to equipment (left of fireplace) 2 cat5e
projector to router 1 cat5e Home Run
Projector to cable hub 1 rg6 Home Run
Equipment to router 2 cat5e Home Runs
Equipment to cable hub 1 rg6 home run
Equipment to remote hookup location next to couch 1 cat5e
Equipment to screen wall 1 cat5e
Equipment to screen wall 1 rg6

Cable and cat5e home runs to: Bar location, pub table location, Back wall for future TV location, Two office locations for tv and/or computer locations.

Update:
new:
1 15amp circuit - 8 can lights, rope lights, 1 pendent light, and 3 puck lights
1 15amp circuit - 12 outlets
1 15amp circuit - Equipment rack, projector, and subs
1 15amp circuit - Office (4 can lights, 3 puck lights 6 outlets)



You need to redo your outlets. Code allows for 12 fixtures per circuit and your 1st and last planned circuits have more than 12.

You can take divide the first 2 circuits between lights and outlets. This way all your lights aren't on 1 circuit, so if a breaker trips your are not totally dark.

That 12 on a cicuit is a Canadian code. In the US it would be a local code, so you might want ot check first. My understanding is that there is nothing in the US National Code that limits the number outlets on a circuit.

And I wouldn't put lights and outlets on the same circuit. Again, I don't think there's a code to prevent it, but I don't want the vacuum cleaner or a hair dryer dimming the lights.

Just my peference.

Looking good!
Tom

That 12 on a cicuit is a Canadian code. In the US it would be a local code, so you might want ot check first. My understanding is that there is nothing in the US National Code that limits the number outlets on a circuit.

And I wouldn't put lights and outlets on the same circuit. Again, I don't think there's a code to prevent it, but I don't want the vacuum cleaner or a hair dryer dimming the lights.

Just my peference.

Looking good!
Tom

Yeah wouldn't want the vacuum dimming the lights... but that's much cheaper than buying a graphic eye :D.

Thanks for the tips guys. Logan you are correct that there isn't a national code for the number of outlets on a 20 amp circuit. I actually ended up with 14 outlets on the one circuit. Most of them will never be used. The lighting circuit I'm not concerned about either since most of them will be dimmed or not on at the same time, and the total wattage of the circuit doesn't exceed the rated watage for the wire and circuit breaker.

My uncle should be coming by this weekend. If he sees something that needs changed we'll do it then.

Thanks for the tips guys. Logan you are correct that there isn't a national code for the number of outlets on a 20 amp circuit. I actually ended up with 14 outlets on the one circuit. Most of them will never be used. The lighting circuit I'm not concerned about either since most of them will be dimmed or not on at the same time, and the total wattage of the circuit doesn't exceed the rated watage for the wire and circuit breaker.

My uncle should be coming by this weekend. If he sees something that needs changed we'll do it then.

Actually NEC sect. 210.24 (and accompanying table) states 15A,20A and 30A circuits are allowed 14 taps.

well then we were all wrong. :)

Actually NEC sect. 210.24 (and accompanying table) states 15A,20A and 30A circuits are allowed 14 taps.

Is that new 2008 code, then? Not that I have more than that on any circuit (passed rough-in) but I know there were some changes made for 2008. Just thought others would be interested and I won't pass on bad advice any longer. But I have to admit...14 taps on one circuit....that's a LOT of taps.

I think I will run 2 more circuits down there. So it's another couple of trips into the attic for me! The good news it it is supposed to be 73 degrees tomorrow and low 50's at night.

The not so funny thing is that my basement prior to me re finishing it was all on one 15 amp circuit! :eek: That included washer/dryer, 15 outlets, and 8 lights. Now after remodeling there will be 8 circuits.

Is that new 2008 code, then? Not that I have more than that on any circuit (passed rough-in) but I know there were some changes made for 2008. Just thought others would be interested and I won't pass on bad advice any longer. But I have to admit...14 taps on one circuit....that's a LOT of taps.


I am not trying to sound arrogant (not trying to say its bad advice)or anything. Its just that I am an PE (electrical engineer) and I design power distribution for NYC. That is actually in the 2002 code. I guess they are trying to say if each tap has an 1 amp device plugged (and running)in you will not trip your circuit.

Hey imprez25, do you plan on covering that window with something. I am thinking of making some kind of panels for my windows as I don't think curtains will block the light.

Anyway Logan, I really need toget back in your thread as I haven't done a thing in my basement since I fixed that grandfather clock for the mother-in-law.

No pannels or anything supper tight. My plan was to use blinds and BOC curtains. I don't think we'll be down there watching movies durring the day. We'll have a tv on the wall opposite the fireplace and one in the Office/kids play room for just regular tv watching.

I am not trying to sound arrogant (not trying to say its bad advice)or anything. Its just that I am an PE (electrical engineer) and I design power distribution for NYC. That is actually in the 2002 code. I guess they are trying to say if each tap has an 1 amp device plugged (and running)in you will not trip your circuit.


I hope I wasn't giving you the impression that I WAS thinking you were being arrogant. It's just that I have seen over and over that in the US there was no code to limit the number of outlets but that there WAS in Canada. I just thought maybe it was a new code. I'm mazed that it is in the 2002 code as I've been picking this no limit advice across several different forums and websites, so I thought it was true. I'm glad to be set straight.

2 more circuits are done. Now here is the break down.
1- 20 amp breaker for the bar outlets (5 outlets)
1- 20 amp breaker for bar, fireplace, rack lights (6 lights)
1- 20 amp breaker for ht/family room outlets (11 outlets)
1- 20 amp breaker for HT/family room lights (11 lights)
1- 20 amp breaker for Projector/rack/subs (5 outlets)
1- 20 amp breaker for office/play room (6 outlets/5 lights)

Plus
1 existing 15 amp breaker for storage area
1 existing 15 amp breaker for Washer/dryer
1 existing unknown run on a 12/3 wire used for the washer dryer.

That's alot of circuits vs what was down there before! But it's done!!!! Now I get to move on to the next step....

Excellent progress! Looking forward to hearing about the next steps...

My uncle (the electrician) came by yesterday and said everything was good to go. I brought up the max number of outlets code and he agreed with sknyfs. However, he stated that since I would never be using all of the outlets at the same time it really wouldn't have mattered. It's a mute point now though since I have more than enough circuits. He will be over in two weeks to swap out the old breaker box for the new one. Now I can move on to insulation and dry wall!

I just got a quote for hanging the drywall for $7/sheet, does that sound like a alot or not. I figure I'll have around 60 sheets.

$7 a sheet isn't bad. i just started buying mine (26 sheets so far, sucks to get them in the basement though, a game of inches really. i will probably end up needing around 40 sheets), and i paid $5.50 a sheet from Menards. This is just basic 1/2". i got about 75% of my basement hung this weekend. thank god for mud though, my cutting abilities leave a lot to be desired.

I meant $7/sheet for hanging, plus the cost of the sheet. My local Menards has the 1/2" for $4.96 for a 4'x8' sheet and $8.96 for a 4'x12' sheet. I think I'll end up hanging it myself, but I wasn't sure if this was a good deal or not.

yea, i knew that is what you meant, that is why i said it was a good deal. oh, you peoria folks are cheaper than us up here in Huntley (mchenry county). still though, i would have paid $7 a sheet just to have someone drag it downstairs for me.

I'm not looking forward to draging 60+ sheets down into my basement. I might pay the $2/sheet for Menards to deliver it to my basement. That will probably be the best $120 I spend on the entire basement remodel.

oh i bet it would be. my dad came over and we got them down there, one at a time. go forward and inch, back in inch. it was like parking a car with a 25 point turn. my dry walling leaves a lot to be desired, some gaps, screw holes because my internal level isn't very good, and on some boards i realized i put in way too many screws... could have probably used about 1/2 of what i did on some sheets. oh well. so goes life.

i really need to start a build thread too. i did what you did and tore down the whole basement and started over from scratch.

I had to cut my 8ft sheets in half to get them in the basement. The 8ft sheets would've fit, but I would be doing more damage to the sheets (and adding way to much time)trying to squeeze them in the basement. Yeah I had more seams, but it was also lighter getting in downstairs.

How did you handle all those cut end butt joints? I seem (OK, pun inteneded) to recall that there are some tools for creating a V-shaped gap to make it easier to mud and tape the butt end.

i really need to start a build thread too. i did what you did and tore down the whole basement and started over from scratch.

Doesn't it stink to have to do all of this work just to get any progress? When we buy our next house it will have an unfinished basement. (as I type this I'm looking at Reator.com :o)

I had to cut my 8ft sheets in half to get them in the basement. The 8ft sheets would've fit, but I would be doing more damage to the sheets (and adding way to much time)trying to squeeze them in the basement. Yeah I had more seams, but it was also lighter getting in downstairs.

Forget that! Butt joints are a pain in the butt* to get smooth, I'd rather fix the nics and scratchs than have to finish 20-30 but joints.

How did you handle all those cut end butt joints? I seem (OK, pun inteneded) to recall that there are some tools for creating a V-shaped gap to make it easier to mud and tape the butt end.


I handle it with something called green:D ... Money. I pay an experienced drywall person to make the seams go away. I also try to not have the 2 butts go up against each other. In a since its 1 tapered each and 1 F@*ked edge.

I was cleaning up some wood peices behind my house and I found this "little" guy.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3190/2653960133_7282b61152_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3266/2654787174_a803e1ce2f_b.jpg

He's not with us any more. :(

Here is a quick shot of what I've been working on for the last few nights:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3106/2653977805_ae5109056f_b.jpg

Last night I purchased CAT5e and RG6quad cables. Here is my plan for running those, please correct me if I am wrong or if this doesnt make sense.

Projector to equipment (left of fireplace) 2 cat5e
projector to router 1 cat5e Home Run
Projector to cable hub 1 rg6 Home Run
Equipment to router 2 cat5e Home Runs
Equipment to cable hub 1 rg6 home run
Equipment to remote hookup location next to couch 1 cat5e
Equipment to screen wall 1 cat5e
Equipment to screen wall 1 rg6

Cable and cat5e home runs to: Bar location, pub table location, Back wall for future TV location, Two office locations for tv and/or computer locations.

So, I have about 95% of the cat5e/rg6 runs done. I decided to have 3 Cat5e and 2 RG6 ran to each location as this seems to be the most common recomendation. I ran out of cables and had to buy more. My wife thinks I'm crazy for running all of these. When she asks what they are for I can't really tell her because I'm not quite sure. :o I was able to get my upstairs cable and network home runs made too. So we now have cable and network hookups in each room.

On another note, I ran 4 16/2 wires outside for my patio and deck speakers. I purchased some very inexpensive Musica "brand" speakers (I beleive they are made by or sold under the MTX brand name too). I hooked them up to an old HK AVR110 receiver I had sitting in the basement collecting dust. For $30 speakers they sound great. I'm not sure I would want to spend any more money on outdoor speakers, as these get the job done quite nicely. I will have two volume controls for these speakers. One on the upper deck and one on my lower patio. I aslo ran Cat5e cable to the volume control locations for future unknown use.

This weekend will be the start of insulation and the hookup of my new electrical panel. The next weekend we are off on a canoe trip, so the first weekend of August should be the start of drywall, should be :)

I was cleaning up some wood peices behind my house and I found this "little" guy.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3266/2654787174_a803e1ce2f_b.jpg
Good lord!!!!!

Yeah, he was a big mother f....r. About 3" round and he scared the crap out of me. I also found the female and she too is no longer with us. :o

I'm not looking forward to draging 60+ sheets down into my basement. I might pay the $2/sheet for Menards to deliver it to my basement. That will probably be the best $120 I spend on the entire basement remodel.

Just a thought
I actually called the gypsum supply place that most all the contractors use and it was cheaper than Menards stocked and thy show up on time and not with in a 4 hour window.

either way pay to have it stocked! As you say the best money you can spend!

So, I have about 95% of the cat5e/rg6 runs done. I decided to have 3 Cat5e and 2 RG6 ran to each location as this seems to be the most common recomendation. I ran out of cables and had to buy more. My wife thinks I'm crazy for running all of these. When she asks what they are for I can't really tell her because I'm not quite sure. :o I was able to get my upstairs cable and network home runs made too. So we now have cable and network hookups in each room.



This is what those 3Cat5 and 2 RG6 runs are for.
1 Cat5 voice, 1 for data and 1 spare.
1 RG6 for satellite TV,1 to send signal to main cabinet to be modulated and combined.

Thanks. I know what they can be used for. But at this time I don't really have a need for any of it. :) And my wife is really just ready to have the basement back, so to her it's just a waste of money and time. :o

Good Lord that's a BIG spider. What kind of spider is it?

It was a wolf spider.

Insulation is going up as of last night and tonight. All electrical runs are done, even though I still do not have power. Damn electricians holding stuff up! :) All low voltage runs are done and all framing is done. After the insullation goes up I can start the dry walling process! Yeah!

Anyways, While I was at THD this afternoon picking up a new paper mask (so I don't breath in the insullation), I found a single swing double french door with the built in blinds for $219. This door sells for $499 normally, so I'll be out this evening to pick that up.

We currenlty have a slider that is about to fall off it's track. It is a Pella wooden framed slider that appears to be about 25 years old and it is dry rotted around it's bottom and surrounding frame. It will be nice to have a swinging door, as I dislike sliders.

Once I finish up insullation I'll get some pics up. Right now it looks like a disaster zone and not very interesting.

It was a wolf spider.

LOL

Well since AVS had a memory loss I lost the recent pics I posted up. So here they are again.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3245/2730202855_ff0ee9fc70_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3271/2729779932_c8d9e2d329_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3218/2728946557_62a0817767_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3240/2728938825_bf1001ff46_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3230/2729772850_d8497d586f_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3101/2729767564_a9929feeb2_b.jpg
Screen wall
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3001/2729766344_1f182dfde0_b.jpg

I priced out my drywall the other day form the supply house. They were $7 more than Menards ($593 vs $600), but they used their own delivery crew. Menards would sub it out to a local crew. I trust a seasoned crew way more than some guys who are doing it for $8.50/hour when it comes to carrying large heavy items through my house.

I priced out my drywall the other day form the supply house. They were $7 more than Menards ($593 vs $600), but they used their own delivery crew. Menards would sub it out to a local crew. I trust a seasoned crew way more than some guys who are doing it for $8.50/hour when it comes to carrying large heavy items through my house.

About the same thing I found out and the Gypsum supply house scheduled a time and showed up versus a 4 hour window, which normally turns into 5 or 6. Don't forget about supplies, I had them bring the screws and a case of OSI Caulk as well. They probably have mud and tape too.

Yeah, I liked the idea of a scheduled time vs. the window. I already have a 25lb bucket of screws from other projects, few buckets of mud, and lots of paper tape. I also have a dry waller's banjo that puts the bed coat and tape in one motion. This cuts the initial mudding time in 1/2 and puts a perfect bed coat with the exact amount of mud for each seam.

What is the OSI caulk? (I guess i could google it :) )

I just clicked over here to see your theater build after talking with you over in the other thread. Nice build you have going here for sure. I'm always extremely impressed by what other people seem to be able to draw up in Sketchup and how absolutely pathetic I am at it lol.

That spider was freaking ridiculous!! They don't make 'em like that around here, that's for sure. :eek:

I just had the drywall delivered this afternoon. I called them at 10am and they delivered it at 2pm. Fast and cheep (or at least cheeper than what Menards would have charged for basement delivery.). I felt bad for having them deliver it on the hottest day in two months. But they were able to lower the boon down to about 10 feet from my back door. This made it really easy for them to unload. Now I should be able to get cracking on some DW this week and weekend!

obligitory delivery of Drywall pics:
This is just 1/2 of the drywall. All told I got 45 sheets.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3061/2821812877_f46953d49f_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2328/2822648782_fe02f1cf8a_b.jpg

Now the fun begins! :)

Cool. Now where is that "TOOLS" thread. That sure beats any tools I used on mine.:D

Good luck with the rock. Looking real good so far. Keep the updates coming.

Cool. Now where is that "TOOLS" thread. That sure beats any tools I used on mine.:D

Good luck with the rock. Looking real good so far. Keep the updates coming.

Definatly worth the money to have the rock delivered. That boom lift make quick work of getting it close to the back door. Though I don't think I would want to "own" one of them, they do come in handy. :)

I will update with pics hopefully by this weekend. My plan is to get the ceiling done on Saturday. Fingers crosses.

Drywall update:
I worked this weekend on getting the ceiling. I was able to get it done. I also have about 1/3rd of the walls done too. Hopefully by next weekend I will have all of the rock on the walls and ready for some mud.

Dammit! I was just looking at your update from today and of course I had to see that frikkin spider again RIGHT before bed.

Thanks dude.

mn- Sorry for scaring you with a little spider. You can sleep well knowing I killed it about 2 months ago. :)

I am soooo sore today. I don't think I'll get much drywalling done tonight. I might get some plumbing done, but I think the dry wall work will have to wait until tomorrow.

If that's what you call little, you'd think the ones around here are the size of ants then :)


I know what you mean about being sore. Even though I try to hit the gym several times a week, I still had a soreness for two days in my legs after putting in all of the baseboards. It's funny how your body lets you know that you have muscles all over the place that barely get used.

Your build is coming along nicely.

Thanks! I'll try to get some pics up as soon as the dust settles. Right now every picture I take shows bunch of "orbs".

Yea, I noticed that once I had my lights installed, they were a much better indicator of when the room was ready for picture. It's amazing how much dust you can see in the beam of a light.

Those orbs might not be dust blobs at all though. Perhaps they are the spirits of all of those HT souls that have walked the ground before you?? Just a thought. :)

These are not the best pictures, but they show some of the progress I have made:
Fireplace wall with rack and storage
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3039/2842962854_99aa2eb710_b.jpg

Screen Wall Ceiling
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3015/2842128339_4580080ef6_b.jpg

Family game area ceiling
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3292/2842130245_ae79a51448_b.jpg

Projector mount area
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3068/2842129799_b03830f6a6_b.jpg

Sketchup pic for good measure :)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3250/2842979102_e6a45a5f4d_o.png

DW update: This stuff is flying up on the walls. ;) I'm down to about 7 Sheets left to install. I got the stair well done last night as well as the bar area, top of the fireplace, and entrance to the Office/toy room. I should be able to finish the rest of the big peices tonight and I will work on the few small peices over the weekend. My goal now is to have all of the DW up by Saturday so I can start mudding on Sunday and start sanding by next weekend so I can get texture on the walls by the 27th.

Screen wall work:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3275/2869573216_d3dd0ed66c_b.jpg

Notice the obligitory "painter's tape screen mock up." I'm looking at possibly doing a 111" 2.40 screen. We'll see if that pans out. :)

Another Suby owner!

unfortunatly an EX-Suby owner. I sold it last Fall for a Nissan Frontier QC.

Here is a pic of the old subie...
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/206/442860037_a6dba65999_b.jpg

updated pics of the screen wall.http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3146/2874469820_1ef01574fd_b.jpg I ran out of lumber so it was stopping time. I should be able to finish it up tomorrow. Yes procrastination is my friend. Some day I'll start on mudding and taping. :)

Here you can see the curve of the stage:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/2873640423_f5ac28b8b6_b.jpg

I have decided to go with an AT screen. Now I just have to figure out which material to go with. SMX and the sheerweave look like good options, I would like to keep the cost of it down though. Any suggestions?
Thanks
Shaun

Weird, I used to have a PSM bugeye wagon as well.

I have a subaru as well, but only on GT5 on the ps3 :)

I have a subaru as well, but only on GT5 on the ps3 :)

I've yet to play that. How is it?

It's not bad. I definately think I'll get a wheel at some point.

You wouldn't be able to get the SMX material on its own now. It's either the whole sha-bang or nothing. You can obtain the phifer sheerweave from seymourav.com which is really reasonable with it's pricing. Sometimes some of the DIY screen crowd will get together and split off a 30yard roll which is the most cost effective method to get it.

a quick update with no pics.
I was able to get the basement cleaned out over the weekend. I removed all of the drywall scaps and extra peices of lumber.

I was also able to get the corner peices installed last night as well as the first coat of mud on the outside corners and all of the screws. Tonight I hope to get the bed coat and tape installed on all of the joints. I'm on pace now to be ready for carpet before the holidays. Hopefully we'll be watching National Lampoons Christmas Vaction on the big screen. :)

another pictureless update:

The done list is slowly growing:
Drywall - done
Mudding/taping - done
Sanding - done
Texture - scheduled for 11/1/08
Electrical Service upgrade - Done
Paint - Scheduled to start on 11/2/08
Flooring - scheduled to start on 11/8/2008
hanging projector will begin after paint is done
building screen and screen wall frames will begin following paint

Here is my current dilema: Flooring.... Where to start? We initially wanted to do both carpet and a wood laminate. However, do to the recent economic issues, that seems to be out of the question at this time. So I'm thinking I will laminate the entire space and use a large rug in the "theater" area. This will save me over $1000 in labor costs as I can do the laminate install myself.

Another option would be to install the carpet myself. What are the general thoughts on pad backed carpets? Don't waist your money? Great? No opinion? Help a brother out.

Hey imprez... Long time no hear. Glad to hear you haven't fallen off the map and are still making progress.

Laying carpet yourself... That is one that I would avoid but that is just me.
Seams and proper stretching could drive you nutz. When they install (as long as you are not looking when they do it) seams disappear. If I were to install it, I am sure SOMETHING would be wrong and it would drive me crazy.

I don't have any experience with pad backed carpet so I can't help you there.

I am reaching the end of my budget as well (unfortunately faster than I am finishing) so tough decisions may be in my future as well. I am sure someone will chime in on the acoustic properties of the carpet and pad (and even the potential glare off the floor from the screen) but if it is bare concrete or laminate due to the financials, I would vote laminate and a rug.

Those picture-less updates are a bummer, aren't they... Drywall is just no fun.

Yeah, Drywall was no fun indeed.

Well over the last few days the wife and I have looked at almost every flooring store in Peoria, IL and all of our surrounding areas. I think we have settled on a dark cherry laminate from Lowes and a large area rug (a 12x9 frize for $169) from Columbia Carpet One with a nice under pad for both comfort and sound obsorbtion. Laminate may not be official "theater" flooring, but we'll have to deal with it. :) I think with the large rug, cloth couches, a carpeted stage (which I will carpet myself), and sound treatments on the stage area and at the first reflection points I should be good to go with little or no real negatives induced by the laminate. Or so I hope.

This should be my last pictureless update for awhile, as we are starting to move along with this project. We got the texture on the walls Saturday morning. We decided on a knocked down texture (Spatter/drag). Overall it think it turned out great. All of the little inprerfections I had been fretting about were covered by the textue. Granted there are a few spots that I should have spent a little more time sanding, but if I don't point them out, you can't see them. :)

Then yesterday we got all of the priming done. We decided on colors, went to Menards to pick them up, and then we changed our minds and went a different direction (Which is what we always seem to do. :) ) We decided to go a few shades darker on the walls and ceilings.

I should have updates with pictures by tomorrow afternoon/evening with color on the walls. My goal it to have all of the painting done by tomorrow (except for trim). Then my goal for this weekend is to install my french doors and start working on cleaning the floors for the laminate and tile install.

okay I lied another pictureless update.

Exciting news... I bought a projector. A Sanyo plv-z60. For the price it offers great placement flexibility and from the reviews a great picture. I plan on running a poorman's CIH set up with zoom. My 2.40:1 image will be 109x46 and the 1.85:1 will be 86x46.

Painting is done on the walls. I still obviously have trim to paint after the floor is installed.

Oh, I also bought my flooring. We went with a dark hickory floating laminate from Menards. We'll see if I get around to posting pictures up this week.

I just took some pictures so ignore the mess:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3181/3015650503_79f17b62bb_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3181/3015649537_e6b5aaa99a_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3006/3016482900_5beae2e065_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3061/3015647727_e9dc4f8145_b.jpg
Ignore the very small screen this was just to test my CRT projector. After seeing the crt in the room, we decided to go with a much smaller projector. I will miss the CRT.

Last night I went through and got all of my outlets hooked up. I think 26 outlets in just under 700sq/ft will be enough. :) My fingers are sore from turning all of those wire nuts.

imprez25, nice to see you again! It's just today that I saw your theater. It is very nice! ;)

V1rtu0s1ty- thanks. It's a very slow progress. But now I'm on the home stretch with a goal of being done (or at least usable) by the Holidays.

My fingers are sore from turning all of those wire nuts.

TMI!!! TMI Dude!!

Some things are best left unsaid :)

Last night I went through and got all of my outlets hooked up. I think 26 outlets in just under 700sq/ft will be enough. :) My fingers are sore from turning all of those wire nuts.

I've been using In-Sure quick connects instead of wire nuts:
http://www.idealindustries.com/media/img/products/oem/product/in-sure.jpg

Yeah, now you come in here with your suggestions! :)

last night I started framing up the screen wall. I've designed it for a 109" wide 2.40:1screen. now I just have to decide on screen material. Do I do a quick and cheap BOC screen, a Wilson DW screen, or an AT screen. I think I might go with the DW screen. For the price and duability it really can't be beat. My daughters are still very young and they will more than likely want to touch the screen. The DW can be washed like a countertop. However, a weave AT screen might be a bit more difficult to clean. The BOC could be replaced several times before I reached the price of the DW or AT screen tough.

Suggestions, thoughts, comments?

okay so I've been busy for the last few days.
Fire place:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3269/3042831573_87ebeb9ab9_b.jpg

bar area:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3272/3042831921_0170c78828_b.jpg

seating area w/ projector hung, speakers hung oh yeah and FLOORING INSTALLED!!!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3019/3042830567_864807f983_b.jpg

my "little" 2.40:1 screen :) 111" wide by 46.5 high. When the wife first saw it she said "I really feel like I'm at a movie theater."
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3047/3043668754_60dd17a70f_b.jpg

looking back towards the bar and fireplace. Still a lot of trim to install!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3070/3043669548_5974011210_b.jpg

I watched a couple of movies down there since installing the screen on Saturday and let me say WOW CIH is amazing!

Looking good. That room looks super cozy with winter right around the corner.

It's funny how the wives react differently to the screen. I was worried when I masked off 128", but my wife's first reaction was "looks about right to me". :)

thanks, Cozy is right. It has a definite warm feeling to it. I cant wait to get all of the trim installed, that will really pull it together.

Slow progress update.
I've been working on installing the board and batten wainscotting coming down the stairs. I've only had a chance to work on it for about 4 hours so I'm not that far into it. But, I think you'll get the point from the pictures. My plan is to install battens every 24". Currently I have them spaced at 48" or at the end of a sheet of ply wood.

looking down the stairs.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3146/3076599801_d0533479e7_b.jpg

looking up the stairs
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3140/3077430334_f77080c49b_b.jpg

base of stairs, here you can see that I need to install battens in the middle of the panels.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3058/3076600011_25fc432b20_b.jpg

screen wall progress:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3219/3099624291_e9bf5db29a_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3091/3100457880_a06524a297_b.jpg

Very nice. Do you have any pictures showing the progress of the panels around the screen?

looking good, how did you come up with the stage arc?

mn_hokie- Unfortunatly I do not have any progress pics. Though I will say the fabric is just stapled to the walls. I used a hidden seam. I ripped a piece of 4x8 3/4" plywood into 1x3/4" strips and then cut a 45degree angle to give the edges some detail. I placed 1 peice at each of the front corners and brad nailed it to the wall. Then I took another piece and used it for the hidden rear seem with the fabric wrapped arount the wood to hide the staples. I then pulled and stretched the fabric thight across the front peice that was brad nailed to the wall. I then stapled the fabric directly to the wall into the corner stud. This edge will be covered by trim. Both sides are extremely tight. I will eventually build sound absorbtion panels that will mount ontop of these pannels. I'm at this point just trying to get the basement usable for our family's christmas gathering.

JeffC- The arc was really simple. I took and build a rectangular shapped stage using 2x6's, I then took and measured out the distance I wanted to curve of the stage to extend past the side walls. I cut a 2x6 to fit that distance, and nailed it in the center of the stage. I then cut a 1/2 4x8 sheet of plywood (that I actually found in my garage from the previous owner :) ) into 5" wide strips. I attached one end of the plywood to the front right corner of the stage and to the center 2x6 that I had installed. I then took another 5" piece of plywood and attached it to the front left side of the stage and to the center support. I did this 2 times so I have 1" of plywood. The tension of the plywood actually creates the smooth arc. I then came back through and installed back blocks of 2x6 to support the arc. I then cut the 3/4" plywood subfloor to fit. The stage is filled with sand and is not tuching any of the surrounding walls.

Oh, I forgot to add that I purchased a "new" receiver a Marantz SR5001 from accessories4less.com, it is "out for delivery" as we speak.

Really I couldn't pass up the deal of $250. I don't need alot of bells and whistles, but I
wanted a good quality amp with flexibility. I looked at some of the other options in this price range and I kept coming back to the Marantz. This will easily replace my 8 year old Harmon Kardon AVR110 that hum and pops when its in any surround mode. That HK will now be dedicated to my garage. So, for $250 I also got a garage amp too! :)

I got my "new" receiver and all I can say is WOW, what a difference. Sending the pcm from my hd-dvd player via hdmi the sound is amazing. I'm very happy with my purchase.

I love your theater! Did you go with the Wilson DW screen and if so, where did you buy it? Plus could you please go into more detail on how you hung the screen and made the border?

SatelliteGuy- Thanks for the compliment. We are enjoying it. I still have ALOT of trim left to install and a few more "finishing" details.

As for the screen it is just BOC for now. I want to eventually get an AT screen, but cost kept me from doing it at this time. The screen is the one area that I'm not pleased with at all. But it works, so it will have to wait to be replaced.

As for how it's hung, I made a french cleat. It's just a 1x3 ripped in half at a 45 degree angle and installed so tension would hold the screen up. I also am using magnets to get the screen to sit flush with the screen wall. Without them the screen wants to bow out.

No updates, just enjoying my basement and waiting to start on trim... However, I do have a comment about Monoprice cables.
I used two 20ft 22awg HDMI cables from monoprice.com. One goes from my equipment rack to the projector and another goes from a wall plate to the equipment rack (for hooking up laptops, or game systems that others bring over). On Sunday night my brother brought over his HTPC to see how it looked on my projector. This was the first time I had used the wall plate so I was a little concerned that the distance might be too long to support a 1080p signal. The distance of cables are: 20' from wall plate to receiver; then 20' form receiver to projector, plus the 12' HDMI cable we used to conned the HTPC to the wall plate (i'm not sure of the guage but it was thin, really thin). After a few moments of head scratching trying to figure out how to get the Marantz 5001 to switch digital audio assignments we had a picture and sound. A quick menu check on the Sanyo z60 projector showed that it was receiving a 1080p60 signal. We also sent it a 1080p24 signal, though I really couldn't tell a difference. Nor could I tell a diference between 1080p and 720p.

I am releived that my HDMI cables work, and I am releived that I didn't spend big money on them like people at work were trying to get me to do.

Nice build, Imprez. I really like the look and feel of your room. My wife saw your thread too, and really liked how you constructed your curved stage. So, looks like we are getting a curved staged too.

Nice build, Imprez. I really like the look and feel of your room. My wife saw your thread too, and really liked how you constructed your curved stage. So, looks like we are getting a curved staged too.

Great! I'm glad my design helped you. I started this project by looking at about 1000 of the different build threads here on avs and just hijacking idea after idea. :)

I'm still slowly working on the rooms. I still need to install trim, I still need to carpet my stage, I still need to build shelves, I still need to start on the bar. The one thing I have accomplished is watching lots and lots of movies! :)

I'm still slowly working on the rooms. I still need to install trim, I still need to carpet my stage, I still need to build shelves, I still need to start on the bar. The one thing I have accomplished is watching lots and lots of movies! :)

All right... "Spideman" (as I recall from earlier in this thread). We both seem to be stuck in the same spot. The projector is up and the progress is down. The trim isn't going to put itself up. Spring is just around the corner and so is a whole list of excuses not to work on the basement. Basement is a Winter project and it is Winter...

Let's go... Oh, I guess that means I need to get up too???:)

All right... "Spideman" (as I recall from earlier in this thread). We both seem to be stuck in the same spot. The projector is up and the progress is down. The trim isn't going to put itself up. Spring is just around the corner and so is a whole list of excuses not to work on the basement. Basement is a Winter project and it is Winter...

Let's go... Oh, I guess that means I need to get up too???:)

Yeah "Spiderman"! That spider was about the size of a man! It still gives me the creeps 6 months later!

The projector has been the most amount of work for me in recent weeks. I bought a Sanyo z60 and 2 months later realized I didn't like it (Gray blacks and flat colors compared to my previous Sony CRT). So I brought the CRT back out from storage and have been tweeking it for the last two weeks. In the next couple of weeks I should be able to get the CRT on the ceiling.

Thanks for the pep talk. I know it's winter and that's kind of why I stopped working. I can't paint trim in my garage when it's below 50 degrees. It should start getting warmer here in the next few weeks to really get moving on it though.

Here are some shots of my recent "work":
300 hd dvd 1080i
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3485/3270517211_bfd9426500_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3480/3271364310_4c33912c81_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3447/3271351470_086fb709d0_b.jpg

Big Lebowski HD DVD 1080i
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3444/3271376700_5ae6376204_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3479/3271333340_f3a3e0c22b_b.jpg

Did some work this weekend:
stage is carpeted!!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3418/3286289145_b15d10d9d4_b.jpg

That's it. :)

More screen shots....
casino hd dvd 1080i
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3521/3287105568_0d9b53cb04_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3355/3287105682_ddafdb4818_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3386/3286289745_89eeae0735_b.jpg

Looking good. Did you carpet it yourself?

Yes I did. It's pre pad backed carpet from Menards in a "slate" color. I stappled it down around the perimiter and used carpet tape to hold it down on the floor of the stage. I then stretched it around the curved 3/4" osb and stapled it from the underside, then stretched it around the front vertical curved face and stappled it at the bottom. I also wrapped the edge of the stage on both the left and right sides. It is all done as one peice. The staples I used were 1/4" crown and are not visible through the carpet. The wife was impressed with my carpeting skills (as was I). It cleans the stage up so much.

Nice job. Don't know if I'll try mine or not. That may be one thing to sub out.

there have only been two things that I have subed out; electrical panel swap and drywall deivery. Everything else I have done myself, with a little help from some friends, but not much.

This was fairly easy and only took me about 50 minutes from start to finish.

Nice, nice work. I love it.. But for some reason I want to go home now and watch the big lebowski?

Nice, nice work. I love it.. But for some reason I want to go home now and watch the big lebowski?

Yeah, a lot of great quotes come from that movie. The Cohen Bro.s did a great job there.

So, I ordered some new "stuff" for my HT: PS3 80gb, HDfury and Box1040. I received the PS3 on friday and the HDfury on Saturday but I'm still waiting for the box1040. I didn't have any BluRay movies for the PS3, but my brother brought over 300, which I have on HD DVD, so I thought it would be nice to compare image quality between the two. Guess what.... They look the same! :) To my eyes I didn't see any differences, both looked good on my setup.

The PS3 is very nice. I have only used one at my Bro's house before I bought mine. I have it connected wirelessly to my network, so all of my music is now available in my HT, wich is nice. However, I don't really forsee myself playing alot of games on it, but I will have the options if I ever want to.

The HDFury is taking alittle bit to figure out. Maybe it's because I didn't buy the advance kit so I don't have the power supply. I'm trying to run HDMI from the PS3 and HD DVD player through my Marantz 5001 receiver out HDMI to DVI to the HDfury, which is attached directly to my old x2vga 2 transcoder, still there for my wii and cable, (Soon to be replaced by the BOX1040 to add gamma adjustment), out via vga breakout to RGBHV in to the projector. When I do this I get nothing, but if I remove the receiver from the mix, it works fine. With or without the receiver in the mix the HDfury turns on, indicated by the blue led inside of the unit.

Right now I'm not to concerned about it, I will wait until I get the box1040 to really mess with it. It "works" right now, just not as smoothly as I would like.

Oh... I did some work in the basement this weekend too! (unfortunatly, no pictures at this time though. :) )

I installed my fireplace cover. I actually reused the old fireplace cover and had to modify it to fit. It looks nice (take my word on it).

I also started on the shelves and equipment rack. Well actually all I did was cut the wood for the shelves. I still have to paint and install them. It's a start though, right?

No pictures to show updates as of yet. However, I was able to get my CRT projector hung this weekend. Which is a major accomplishment for the basement.

Can you hope to see the higher quality of the bluerays with a CRT projector? I really don't know, I'm not trying to be a butt.

Um, it's not hope, its reality. The difference between the too was a night and day when viewing HD-DVDs (I now have a PS3 for BD playback). To me and everyone who saw the two in action said the CRT was clearly better. The sanyo had horrible black levels and I could never get the colors to be quite right. Obviously the sanyo was sharper, but then to me it seemed overly sharp, SDE was also clearly visible too, not a good thing for picture quality. I will be the first to admit that the Sony 1251 is not the best crt, and my experience with LCD's was not on the high end. So, I'm sure there are better options on both sides. However, in my case, dollar for dollar, the CRT was the better choice.

The screen shots above (300, Big Lebowski, and Casino) were from the CRT, and were taken prior to the HDFury and BOX1040 with gamma boost. So the image is even better now. Yes, I can see a major improvement between SD DVD and HD DVD/BluRay.

I guess you would notice a difference in quality between SD and BD...I think I have a difficult time wrapping my mind around having such a beautiful room and screen but being able to be satisfied with the lower quality image.

The intent of my question was more around the fact that the whole point of blu-ray would be to have an incredible picture quality....

It seems wasted on a few hundred dollar projector when you've worked so hard and put so much into your theatre...

When I saw your '300' screenshot I thought it looked like one of those old Ben Hur type movies...and it's a shame because you have such a beautiful theatre.

Do you plan on upgrading to a more quality projector in the future?

I love what you did with the fireplace - the tile all the way up! Great job.

jdholmes- Thank you for your comments about the appearence of my theater. I still have a lot of work left to do. I broke the first rule of theater building.... Don't install the projector. Progress has all but stopped since then.

Now on to your comments about your perception that a CRT projector is inable to produce an incredible image: My first responce is that you should view the Front Projector CRT forum in the Display Devices area or go to www.curtpalme.com. There you can get schooled on FP CRT's. You'll also learn why they are not only able to produce an incredible image, but are able to do it for years and years with out ever having to change a bulb. ;)

Do I plan on upgrading projectors? Not anytime soon. Again, trust me when I say that the image quality from the CRT projector far surpasses the quality of the (albeit, a budget quality Sanyo z60) LCD projector. The only way I might upgrade is to a better CRT, something with EM focus. But for the time being my 1251q will stay in service.

Next, screen shots: They do little to portray the true image quality. They are limited by not only the quality of the camera, but then the quality of the image you are viewing is a function of the display that you are viewing the image on. How I have my display set up is completly different than how your is set up. When I view the images on my work computer, they are much darker than when viewed on my home computer. I only posted those to show that I was viewing a movie, or that I did "work". Besides that, I don't think they are too bad. Not sharp as they could be, but for the pics of 300 they were taken without a tripod, and I used a point and shoot with no manual adjustments. The pictures of Casino, were taken again without a tripod, but I used a different camera with manual adjustment, however, it is a lower resolution and about 5 years old.

Now that I have added low end gamma boost with the box1040 and hdmi inputs with the hdfury, the picture quality has increased substantially beyond what is seen in all of the above screen shots.

I'm adding an edit to my post after rereading your comments. It seems as though you might think quality is direclty related to $$. If that is the case, you'll be happy to know my projector retailed for around $20,000 when new, 15 years ago. It still is able to display a great picture (1080i)and is on the original tubes. Show me a digital that will last 15 years and is user servicable, then we will discuss quailty. :)

I finally took a picture of the projector mounted. I still need to build a hush box to dampen some of the sound, at least the sound directly over my head. I also need to paint the casing black, so ignore the scuffs on it. Otherwise, the picture on the screen is amazing.

The mount is just 1 1/2" unistrut from THD mounted to the ceiling joists with 3/8" lags. I then attached 3- 24" sections of unitstrut to the top of the projector using the factory mounting locations. The ceiling section is attached to the projector section by 6 1/2" allthread bars with double fender washers on the top and bottom. With this set up I am able to ajust the projector about +/- 10" front to back of center and about +/- 20" left to right of center. All told the mount only cost about $60 in parts, only took about 1/2 hour to build and about 2 minutes for 4 people to lift and slide the projector in to place. I could have made the ceiling mounts slightly smaller, however, I wanted plenty of play for adjustablility.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3584/3360937861_aebc371ea3_b.jpg
above the projector is the HDfury and the box1040.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3550/3360938145_a7a716323c_b.jpg
ignore the scuffs and writing on the case, it will soon be black and then covered by a hush box. (even now with the lights down and the projector on, you can't see the case anyways :) ) Oh yeah, for those of you familar with the 12xx series Sony's notice the remote cover door. Yup, it still works. :)

On the "Trim" front, I am picking up my 1x6, 1x4, and 1x2 square stock trim this weekend, so I should be done running trim in the next couple of weeks. Once that is done, I'm going to call the basement "done" for a while. I have alot of outside projects that are going to need my attention and pocketbook this summer.

My bar will more than likely have to wait until next year. :(

Trim... Trim... Trim... Trim... Where is my trim? Oh, it still isn't installed, even 6 months later. :)

Actually, I think I'm going to purchase the material needed to build my bar this weekend. So, I should get cracking on that here rather quickly.

Looks like you have a really nice build in (dare I say?) progress (:)) Seriously though, the fireplace is awesome, the screen looks nice. I also got a kick out of the projector comments. I have a DIY projector that I love and get similar comments about why not just buy a cheap LCD. They just don't get it :) By the way, since it has been a couple months, how do you like the ventless fireplace?

The fireplace is the original woodburning unit that was there before the build started.... and we never use it. :(

Thanks for the comment on the look of the fireplace. We still need to grout and seal the tiles.

imprez25, I love the way you did your basement project! I like the modern style. :D I don't know when I will be able to start mine, maybe next year when I find a new job. :(

IT IS AWESOME! :) I also love your fireplace! It is so beautiful! How much did you spend to finish the basement excluding the electronics?

imprez25, I love the way you did your basement project! I like the modern style. :D I don't know when I will be able to start mine, maybe next year when I find a new job. :(

IT IS AWESOME! :) I also love your fireplace! It is so beautiful! How much did you spend to finish the basement excluding the electronics?

Hey, thanks for the compliments. Sorry to hear about your job. This whole economy being in the tank really sucks. It's also the reason why my basement is moving at a snail's pace.

As for a total price I'd say I'm currently around $6000 with about another $2000 left to spend on trim, bar, and bathroom. Luckily for me I work for a home furnishings store, so when the time comes to wrap up with decorations, I'll have the hook up.

Thanks again for the comments!

Awesome. And I agree that the pics quality of a CRT FP is awesome. If you are having trouble with your HD fury, look up ecrabb here on AVS. He runs one on his Sony CRT and know the ins-and-outs of them. He maybe able to help you.

The issue with the HDfury isn't the fury's fault, it's my av receiver. It doen't see the fury as being a compliant deivce. I need to either get a HDMI switcher, Alter the EDID, or buy the fury2.


Oh yeah, long live CRT's!

The issue with the HDfury isn't the fury's fault, it's my av receiver. It doen't see the fury as being a compliant deivce. I need to either get a HDMI switcher, Alter the EDID, or buy the fury2.


Oh yeah, long live CRT's!


I have a Radiient HDMI switcher sitting in a box I'll sell you...if that's the way you decide to go.

So, I've been getting some work done on the basement... not a lot, but some. :)
Finishing up the wainscoting: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2437/3953182323_d44a1041e0_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2568/3953954060_2251dc1383_b.jpg

It's just primed and sanded, but it's ready for paint. Trim... Well it will be here sometime. Possibly in the next few weeks. Fall is really the best time to do this kind of work. :)

Nice work! Fall is the best time to do that stuff. I was staining doors and installing trim last night myself.

Just a long term update. Yeah, still no trim.. It's a joke at this point. ;) Maybe someday [dreaming] But I took some pics today...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2512/4162993125_c65d33783c_b.jpg
looking at the screen.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2653/4163753360_956d31a1b5_b.jpg
look when you first walk into the basement.

Really like the look of what you've done so far. The fireplace is a winner.

Floor looks great. What kind of floor is that?

Floor looks great. What kind of floor is that?

I was thinking the same thing. Bamboo or cherry?

you guys are going to laugh.... it's cheap Tarkett Laminate from Menards. It's a hickory "style" and it cost around $.99/sqft. :)

you guys are going to laugh.... it's cheap Tarkett Laminate from Menards. It's a hickory "style" and it cost around $.99/sqft. :)

Wow bought the same stuff, it was a good deal, Looks like the same double buck doors as well. Very nice theater room. I like the looks of a living room stile theater over a dedicated

http://www.madsystem.net/gal/crt.JPG

I love this room. Great, great work

Thanks guys! I can't wait to finally get it finished up. I will definatly suggest to those out there that are considering adding a theater/media area to not, I repeat NOT TO ,install your projector prior to being 100% complete with the project. This one thing will cause your project to grind to a hault. Trust me. :)

Thanks guys! I can't wait to finally get it finished up. I will definatly suggest to those out there that are considering adding a theater/media area to not, I repeat NOT TO ,install your projector prior to being 100% complete with the project. This one thing will cause your project to grind to a hault. Trust me. :)

If memory serves me correct....didn't you install 2 projectors in this room since the build? Maybe that was your downfall? If you still had the first one hanging on the ceiling you would probably be done with it by now!!! :D

Um, yeah. I did. A LCD projector and then the crt projector, if I had kept the LCD projector, it would need a bulb replacement by now, and I would be forced to replace it or work on the basement. With the CRT I just get to keep watching movies and playing Call of Duty. :)

Um, yeah. I did. A LCD projector and then the crt projector, if I had kept the LCD projector, it would need a bulb replacement by now, and I would befoced to replace it or work on the basement. With the CRT I just get to keep watching movies and play Call of Duty. :)

I think you made the wise choice.

Wow bought the same stuff, it was a good deal, Looks like the same double buck doors as well. Very nice theater room. I like the looks of a living room stile theater over a dedicated

http://www.madsystem.net/gal/crt.JPG

I didn't comment on this earlier, I couldn't see the picture at work. Yup, that's the same stuff, and more than likely the same door. :)

Floor looks great but that fireplace is the bomb. Really cool look with the tile!

Not at all inspiring build thread, do not click here!

Are you kidding by this sig ? I just had to "click here" This project/theater came out awsome, great job ! I love the change on the fireplace.

We all know, it's the last 10% that never gets done (aka, trim ! lol)

DavidinCT.... Yeah it was a joke when I typed it...almost two years ago. I thought the "DO NOT CLICK HERE" would draw a few more people to the project. ;) It has. I'm just glad that I found this site and all of the helpful people here. The CRT guys are great and really know their stuff and the DIY folks are some creative people, without either of them this project would not be where it is today (well if I hadn't met the CRT guys I would probably be working on the basement and not on my projector. doh!)

I did some "tweaking" on the projector and thought I'd post up some screen shots over here in the build thread. These are also posted in the CRT screen shot thread.
This is Fifth Element Superbit Standard Def DVD at 1080i though my sony 1251q.
Images are untouched and only re-sized per flickr's user agreement.
Enjoy :)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2541/4207242487_600f4d42f4_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2771/4208003766_ab61b1c9a6_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2520/4208004460_e564988218_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2668/4207243853_5c20e10b01_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2742/4207244415_d70481efdc_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2704/4208005928_095a0dbefe_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2701/4208006418_13d0d7235e_b.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4025/4208006860_ef0af26cf6_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2656/4207246249_3a48a0fa48_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2658/4208016968_8e626576f3_b.jpg

You are rocking those screen shots. There are very impressive.

I just hope they don't look like one of "those old Ben Hur type movies". ;)

Okay, so Hell has Frozen over! I have started on trim. I have most of my doors cased out and I have begun working on triming out the fireplace/bookcases. Next up will be baseboards. I'm still stuck on either a 1x6 with a base cap, for a thicker more upscale look or just using speed base with the cap built in. I'm torn. The first option will be more time consuming, however, it will look nicer and cost a little less. The second option will be quick and I could knock it out in a matter of about 3 hours, but it will look like speed base.

I think I will go for the 1x6 with a base cap for a more custom look. Any suggestions?

great thread! i just looked through the whole thing, and i am very impressed. you gave that space tons of character!

i also noticed that you had a similar wrx! heres mine!

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii52/jdubya301/IMG_1913.jpg

I see the similarities. LOL!
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/206/442860037_a6dba65999_b.jpg

I see the similarities. LOL!
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/206/442860037_a6dba65999_b.jpg

Your car is screaming for a headlight retrofit. Looks good though.


For your basement I would use a tall baseboard trim. I would stick with the trim with the cap built in. It will cost a little more but it will go up a lot quicker. Im actually working on the trim for my whole basement as well right now. I cased the doors and will paint next, then the baseboard. Good luck.

Your car is screaming for a headlight retrofit. Looks good though.


For your basement I would use a tall baseboard trim. I would stick with the trim with the cap built in. It will cost a little more but it will go up a lot quicker. Im actually working on the trim for my whole basement as well right now. I cased the doors and will paint next, then the baseboard. Good luck.

I haven't owned the car in two years... I miss it though, and yeah, edm headlights were in the works when I got rid of it. :( Though I was more of a speed guy. So they kept getting shelved until one day. That day never happened and I needed to sell the car.

Yeah, the more I think about it, the speed base make the most sense. I will more than likely go that route.

nice what size screen is that?

111" wide 2.40:1 DIY BOC

That laminate flooring looks great. How has it help up so far? What did you put it over the top of? I found it on sale right now at my local Menards for .99 a sq foot plus you get free underlayment right now. Was it easy to install? Sorry for all the question but trying to figure out what way to go. Thanks in advance

it's holding up fine, though we aren't sure we are going to keep it. We installed it over the blue mid grade underlayment on top of concrete, so it is rather cold in the winter. We really wanted carpet when we put it in, but financial reason at the time prohibited us from doing so. We would like to replace it in the next year or so with a nice frize carpet in the theater/family area, we will keep the laminate in by the bar and in the kids play area.

Sounds like the same situation. Want it in the bar area but for that price may do the entire area. I figure if she doesn't like it we can always buy a big area rug for around the seating. Was it easy to install?

The blue underlayment was the hight end of the three options at my Menards....$50 something a roll?

ease of install: very easy. I had to go through two rooms, around my stage, behind the stage, around my stair landing area and around my fireplace. It only took me about 16 hours for the ~800sqft. Not to bad, I've installed worse. :)

I don't quite remember (it was over a year ago when we purchased it) what the price was, the $50/roll sounds about right. They had a more expensive type of underlayment, that was more, but the person at Menards said it wasn't worth the money. So we went with the middle grade.

Thanks again for your time and help.

Guess I need to bite the bullet and go get it.

Ya Saturdays! Got a little bit of work done on the fireplace/bookshelf/rack done today.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2781/4374493232_4a74deb5ac_b.jpg
The crown molding is just pressure fit and is not in it's final stage. :)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4024/4374493008_692710d08d_b.jpg
This will all be painted black.

Lookin' good!

Gotta be one of the best on this forum...looking great!

Lookin' good!

Thanks!

Gotta be one of the best on this forum...looking great!

I wouldn't go that far, but thanks for the compliment!
:)

Okay, some more pics of this weekend's progress in trim land!

Here is my fireplace/bookcase/rack about 90% finished. I still have a piece of crown to install at the top, and the mantel to build/install. (sorry for the crappy pics, my main camera was down)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2785/4378270228_c7d5878a4a_b.jpg

Here is the support column. This will have over 72 pieces when complete (I counted that that is about 200 cuts!) It still needs the cap/crown and base boards installed before it is ready for paint. You can see on this pic how I brought the top of the book case all the way up to the ceiling. Before there would have been a gap of about two inches between the book case and the crown. Now it looks completely built in.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4007/4378270142_5655284c0e_b.jpg

This is just a different angle. The light fixture will be replaced eventually. It was never intended to be in the basement. Look at that crown molding! (I spent the better part of an hour just patting myself on my back for that!)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2729/4378270036_853e13dc60_b.jpg

In other trim related news.... Menards has the base trim I planed on using on clearance (read dirt cheap!), so I purchased all of the 16 and 12 ft boards they had in stock. Problem is my truck only has a 4.5ft bed. (works for 8 ft boards, 10 is pushing it, and 12 ft is dangerous (ask how I know :) )). I'm going out with a friend who has an extended van this thursday to pic them up! I'll be trimmed out in no time.

Looking forward to seeing the final product!

Great trim work. As someone who is struggling to do crown for the first in my office I completely understand your comment "spent the better part of an hour just patting myself on my back for that"!

That's some great work right there folks!

Thanks guys! It was alot of fun this weekend working on this project. To think, I didn't even really have a plan for it either! I just went "Well let's build a box for the column.... Okay, that's done. Now what?" about 24hours of labor and about 60 board feet later. you have the above.

I wish I could do this for a living. :)

To think, I didn't even really have a plan for it either!

That must be one of those "Man Laws" ;)

lol

You could look it up in that red book just to make sure. :cool:

You could look it up in that red book just to make sure. :cool:

I just got what you said. :) "Man Laws/Women rules" It's a game... That has been sitting on that shelf for at least a year, and never has been played.

Last night I got a little more detail trim done on this thing. I put a small bull nose trim under the 1x6 that the crown is nailed to. It added just enough detail to finish the top off. Tonight I'm going to try to wrap up the colum. I'd like to get at least one coat of paint on it by the weekend.

So, I was able to get the baseboards down yesterday. No pics, but they are baseboards, so use your imagination. :) Next up is crown and board and batten on soffits.

Looking forward to seeing it finished....great build!!!

you and me both! :)

Ya, missed the sale at Menards on the flooring but from the sounds of it they put it on sale for that price several times a year.

Yeah, I think they have it usually for around $.99/sqft.

That was the sale price but it also included free underlayment. Regular price is 1.49sq/ft

So any updates or pics soon?

still slowly chipping away at the trim. I have all of the baseboards done in the family/theater section. I just tonight finished up the pole trim, and the fireplace (except for the mantel, which I just got a 6"x9"X7' section of raw red ceder that will get cut down, sanded, smoothed, and sealed for that). I also bought cabinets to build a "built-in desk" for my girls' toy room. So, I will have to get cracking on that now too. It doesn't seem like it is ever going to end.

One area that I'm now mentally working on is the curve of the screen wall. This has been a major concern of mine since I put it up. I'm not sure how to do the trim along the bottom of it. I've been looking at some others with curved screen wall soffits and I'm not getting any better sense of what to do. I'll figure it out once I start working on it though. :) No plan usually is the best plan for me. :) I'll update with pics when I get a chance.

imprez,

Congrats on your theater it is lookin' really really nice. I dig the look at feel. I wish I had a spare room to build my theater in...For now its the living room :o nothing special really, except maybe for the sound system...a pair of Altec A7's ;) I'm originally a Hi-fi dude, and recently just made the jump to playing around with CRT's. I've currently got a 1270q and I'm in the process of buying all the needed gear to project 1080i. So far I'm just using a pc with powerDVD to get 1080i....gives me one hella of picture compared to my old LCD projector.

Could you be a real great guy and maybe post some screenshots of what it looks like with blue ray? I'm patiently waiting for the funds to come in and in the mean time, I'm looking for some screenshots from a similar projector to see what my result will be. I've seen your screenshots of standard upscaled dvd's, just wondering if you had any for blue ray...

The pics of Casino on the the previous page (non newb setting) are HD DVD at 1080i, and the pics of 300 are HD DVD too. Here are some from The Fifth Element BR, but the color is off on the camera.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2651/4305303661_c44d68e57b_b.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4055/4306047404_19a7bb15e8_b.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4050/4305302743_2985887a41_b.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4004/4306046526_2a13307c5d_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2710/4306046098_1c3c6a74f4_b.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4069/4306045608_b3aa200b80_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2721/4305300293_2b6aa13c8e_b.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4027/4305299839_da7ce44975_b.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4022/4306043426_74a301dfca_b.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4027/4305298671_c4f2dc5eaa_b.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4040/4305298129_e0243117ef_b.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4042/4306041776_0112f3f6d1_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2712/4306040670_ed2f975474_b.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4005/4306040236_f311e2c06b_b.jpg

Time to dust off the camera and snap some more shots of the room for us. :-)

Oh, it's spring time... Time for lawn work and cookouts. No time for basement stuff. :) But yeah, I need to get to work down there. We are thinking about selling. :(

Those shots look great! Thanks for posting them. I recently just got my HDfury and I'm loving how 1080i looks! I noticed in some earlier posts you mention you also ordered a box 1040. Hows it working for you? I plan on ordering one myself, to fix the left shift issue i'm getting. And the shots above, are these from using the box 1040 and HDfury?

ldv33- Yeah, I have the box1040 (I think :) It could be the box 1020 I don't remember). the images above were taken using the hdfury and box1040 for gamma. As for how is it working for me? Fine. I don't even realize it's there other than the increase in gamma. So I'm guessing that is good, right?

So any room pic updates???

would love to see finished project

me too! I've got some work done on the bar, but it's not done yet. And I still need to paint.... I hate painting. :)

i missed this one. what a neat looking space. very relaxed and comfortable. great job.

greg

indygreg- I followed yours when I first started out working on mine. I really liked your curved stage and was part of the decision why I built mine with a curve. :)

okay, so I cleaned up a bit and took some quick shots of my "progress." :)
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4057/4716097616_7db2ce21c9_b.jpg
Big Black Pole. :) It needs repainted a different "shade" of black.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4064/4716098576_2d21b7a0a5_b.jpg
All that is white needs to be painted black. :( too much painting.... too much other stuff to do. :(

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4064/4716099344_57b435b155_b.jpg
Stock cabinets from Lowes, finished in glossy black Minwax All-in-one stain/polly with a couple of coats of tung oil. I think they look good. I still need to put up a couple of trim pieces on the ceiling and under the cabinets for lights.... it will never get done.... :(

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4014/4715458075_ca650ebe50_b.jpg
The "black" paint is very gray, It will need to be switched over to a 'true" black. But here you can see how tight the crown's corners are.

Looks great and I still love that floor!!

Thanks... We would like to switch it over to carpeting in a few years or so. It's too cold on our feet in the winter. But that will have to wait. :)

6 months later.....

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5162/5260036504_396fef2a0d_b.jpg
Un-painted trim, about 95% done.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5203/5260038252_b241c0db81_b.jpg
Side shot. I still have to install the lowered crown molding around the theater area that will have rope lighting.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5008/5260037626_7474ab6ca5_b.jpg
Toy room... and the reason why I haven't finished the theater. :)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5283/5259428587_434591b769_b.jpg
Just thought it was a good shot. :)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5009/5260038716_474b8a15e3_b.jpg
Straight on from couch. If you look close enough you can see some wrinkles in the bottom of the screen wall material. Yeah, thats from my girls putting on plays and falling into the wall. That will be redone.


So not alot of updates, but I'm still working on it. Maybe some day I'll be done... Or maybe not.

looking good! Nothing ever happens fast lol

looking good! Nothing ever happens fast lol

Thanks, and you are right. My wife is getting "antsy" about finally getting the basement finished. My goal now is to get trim done and painted before our family Christmas gathering at our house on December 23rd. We'll see how that works out. :)

So, how'd it go?!

Looking for pictures here.. :D

So, how'd it go?!

Looking for pictures here.. :D

well.... Not too good. :) I only got a few more trim details settled and then Christmas was upon us. No new pics for the time being.

Everything still needs paint, and as I have said several times through out this build... I hate painting. I am actually thinking of repainting the room a completly different color. So until we decide on a color, the trim will stay uppainted. :( Oh well, it will never get done.

This is a great looking build. I'll definitely be "borrowing" a few ideas for my own build that is starting soon. Thanks!

no problem. Post a link to your build thread in your signature so we can all check it out when you start.

I lost track of this tread. I remember when you just got the carpet done on the stage and haven't seen your thread since. Great job. Even my wife likes it.

Thanks! i'm glad you found it again. Look for more updates in the comming weeks.... I might get the trim painted! :)

Still one of my favorites

Still one of my favorites

Absolutely. Always a treat to see what you've done here!

Congrats on the build. I'm in the planning stages of mine as well. You did a great job and great inspiration. Keep up the great work...

Absolutely. Always a treat to see what you've done here!

Your's is great too, so much fun just to flip through all of the photos of ramdomness.
Thanks for the complements and I'll try to update with more frequency.