Hey guys,

long time lurker, finally getting around to starting my build. I'm 25 years old and purchased my first house last year and finally getting the chance to build my home theater. Bought the house with a nice big basement with the theater in mind :D Use of the theater will be for mostly games and movies. 2.35 CIH is still up in the air at this point. I will be doing this almost 100% DIY to save on $$, but will take my time to get things the way I want them without cutting corners

Going to use this thread to track my progress, and hopefully get some help on issues that will (almost assuredly) pop up.

Room basics:
basement is currently ~1800 ft^2 and completely unfinished. Only wall down there really is a load bearing wall spanning the length of the house.

Theater side of the basement will be enclosed by poured foundations walls on two sides, a decoupled 2x4 wall on one side and a staggered stud wall for the theater rear. double drywall and (possibly) green glue will be used and floating joists for the ceiling.

Unfinished dimensions for the area are 21' x 13' 8". the width is a little bit of a concern to me, since I am unsure on what seating I will be using. this may affect the door placement.

quick questions for pre construction:
1. will delta-FL and OSB on top be suitable for floor construction? my lot is graded fairly steep, and water does not seem to be a problem.
2. I plan on putting rigid 1" styrofoam insulation against the poured walls (just glued to them) and framing walls right against this, any problems? I figure this will let the concrete breathe and any moisture will evaporate.


I have some issues with some plumbing and HVAC ducting that are currently in the way. Will post some pictures up later asking on advice to address this. one step at a time :)


here is a google sketchup drawing I have been working on, with some dimensions noted:
http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/8669/basementfloorrev1mw3.th.jpg (http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/8669/basementfloorrev1mw3.jpg) (click for big)


quick and dirty on electronic goodies: speaker and sub enclosures will be built by myself. mach5 audio drivers, behringer amp, HTPC w/ 12TB storage, and some speaker designs from htguide forums

few shots of the basement:

http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/3225/dscf0548im1.jpg

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/7726/dscf0549yq5.jpg

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/5333/dscf0550vq3.jpg

as you can see from the last post, they got a little creative with the duct running. Ideally, I'd like to move that main supply and return to the other side of that wall (since it will be my workshop). bad part is, the PVC drain is still there and I'm not really sure how to go about framing around it. anyone have any ideas? frame it with 2x6s and just notch it out?

I think your sketchup has it right... soffits around the PVC.

I built my soffits with OSB for the front, and 2-by blocking. I also had to hide a run of PVC sewer pipe.


http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/rack2.jpg

so you didn't extend your walls up to the floor joists?

if you were doing acoustic treatments in the soffit, it wouldn't really work, since the soffit won't be a part of the theater? basically just building a shorter wall, coming out with the soffit and then continuing up to the floor joist

The wall was built up to the beam and the soffit just attached to the joists and wall.

I didn't decouple the soffit, but you can. I would built the wall to the joists and then frame the soffit around the pipes. You can choose to decouple it if you want, but I'd still build the wall straight up to the joists.

oh ok there's a beam there. gotcha!

my problem is the drain pipes are stacked so close together between themselves and the load bearing wall that a 2x4 stud won't fit up in there. can't frame it up to the joists above without getting creative with things.

going to pick up lumber this weekend, and see about cleaning up some of the ductwork. they ran the copper pipe for the evap coils around one of the ducts :mad:

So then you are trying to build a second wall in front of the load bearing wall?

I guess I misunderstood what you were going for.

yeah, going to build a second wall there so it will be decoupled from the load bearing wall. guess I'm going to have to look at it some more and rig something up, since I don't want to move the drain pipes (even though it probably wouldnt be too hard)

does anyone have any experience with mini split systems? I'm looking at HVAC options for the basement since I'm not sure if my current system is up to snuff. I have two units (one in the basement and one in the attic) that serve the finished portions of the house, ~2800 ft^2. Finished basement space will be around 1100 ft^2. I know my current tonnage won't be enough on paper, but the basement does stay pretty comfortable year round since it is underground on 3 sides with a walk out rear.

the HVAC contractor at work recommended a mini split system, probably 1.5 tons or so. they even make a ducted version so I can run a dedicated supply to the theater. just wanted to see if anyone has any opinions on them, since they are new to me

Ok I've been looking at the crazy ducting down there and decided to move it over to the other side of the load bearing wall. this will allow me to build my soffits easier and should help with some noise insulation. that way I dont have huge penetrations in the rear wall of the theater

http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/4329/dscf0549yq5dq8.jpg

better view:

http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/5503/dscf0550vq3bf2.jpg


this should allow me to easier put up floating ceiling joists and avoid having to use RSIC clips. theater room will be completely decoupled from the rest of the house.

for moving ducts, I have "acoustiflex" ducting with fiberglass insulation spun in it. can I buy sheetmetal couplers for it in case I need to add on a few feet of ducting? does lowe's or home depot sell ducting material or should I look into an HVAC supply house?

thanks!

It just boggles my mind why builders still use the I-joists for floor/celing construction. The only way to go is with floor trusses. That way you never have any HVAC or plumbing lines, or anything for that matter hanging below the joists.

It just boggles my mind why builders still use the I-joists for floor/celing construction. The only way to go is with floor trusses. That way you never have any HVAC or plumbing lines, or anything for that matter hanging below the joists.

Money probably, although I'd kill for them in my basement. Right now my HVAC ducts are running perpendicular of the joists so before I start down there I need to figure out how I'm going to route the ducts so I don't loose too much space :(

Money probably, although I'd kill for them in my basement. Right now my HVAC ducts are running against the grain of the joists so before I start down there I need to figure out how I'm going to route the ducts so I don't loose too much space :(

my ducts are doing the same :( running perpendicular to the joists.
moving them over to the adjacent room (which will not be finished, since it will be my shop space) should solve most of this

Ok, made some progress today on my half day off. ran a 100A subpanel to the basement (by myself meh)
this will serve the theater, bar, and my shop (compressor, TIG welder)


few pictures:

I needed some badass tape to hold the wire on my fish (taken from my submarine days):

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/5842/nuketapety6.jpg

I got lucky and the fishtape came up the wall and out the panel knockout, SUCCESS

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/2561/wiresw9.jpg

and the result, 2AWG Aluminum wire in the basement

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/2397/morewirefw3.jpg

subpanel is in and mounted. those silly guys at GE don't put ground bars in subpanels :(

moving the HVAC ducts today, pics forthcoming.

gonna spend the afternoon at the body exhibit in atlanta.
http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com/bodies.html

ducts moved, installed the grounding bar for the subpanel.
picked up a remington ramset for the base plates (this thing is cool)

also found a line on some berkline 090s. might be picking up 4 chairs for $1300 :)

Looking forward to watching this build thread.

Kennesaw brings back some memories. I used to work off Barrett Parkway back behind Carmax (don't know if it's still there) in 97.

Looking forward to watching this build thread.

Kennesaw brings back some memories. I used to work off Barrett Parkway back behind Carmax (don't know if it's still there) in 97.

yep, it is. you would be AMAZED at how built up kennesaw is. hell, acworth is getting up there too.

kennesaw state college? yeah it's a university now. :)
I was a freshman in high school in 97 ;)

yep, it is. you would be AMAZED at how built up kennesaw is. hell, acworth is getting up there too.

kennesaw state college? yeah it's a university now. :)
I was a freshman in high school in 97 ;)

No, I actually worked for IBM over at Barrett Lakes.

No, I actually worked for IBM over at Barrett Lakes.

sorry, I was just giving an example of how big the place is getting (ie kennesaw state is now a huge university)

anyway, picked up a 42U compaq rack today for the whopping price of $20 to house all the theater and network gear :D

going to place my lumber order soon

progress time. moved all the ducts to the other room and got the electrical subpanel installed

no ducts:
http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/4762/noductsgv1.jpg

subpanel:
http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/5996/subpanelrx8.jpg

$20 rack:
http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/3601/rackjw7.jpg

that is really good deal.
where did you get the rack from.

friend of mine does contract work for lockheed martin. some of their old equipment :)

going to try and pick up the berklines tomorrow. got a smoking deal. 4 curved black leather 090s for $1300. wondering if they will fit into the bed of a tundra.... probably not, may got find a trailer to haul them on

picked up my seats today. berkline 090s, black leather. about 40% of what they normally sell for

http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/8489/seatsby8.jpg

friend of mine does contract work for lockheed martin. some of their old equipment :)

going to try and pick up the berklines tomorrow. got a smoking deal. 4 curved black leather 090s for $1300. wondering if they will fit into the bed of a tundra.... probably not, may got find a trailer to haul them on

Funny. I also used to work for Lockheed Martin. Small world!


Love the seats. Sounds like you got them for a steal too.

I'll be in Atlanta for new years. Wish I had more time to spend there though. There are a ton of local theaters I'd love to check out.

Funny. I also used to work for Lockheed Martin. Small world!


Love the seats. Sounds like you got them for a steal too.

I'll be in Atlanta for new years. Wish I had more time to spend there though. There are a ton of local theaters I'd love to check out.

yeah, they were a deal. I think they might be too wide to run as 4 wide, so I might split the middle loveseat and use it for a rear row and have 6 seats total.

it seems like there are more and more home theaters here, but I haven't checked any out in person. I bothered chinadog a while back but I think he's busy now.


anyway, I have a few framing questions before I calculate my lumber order. two of my walls are concrete poured walls. I'll be installing 1/2" foam against the walls and just framing against those.

1) for the interior theater walls with concrete behind them, should I install two layers of drywall? I'm thinking no, since the added mass of the drywall is miniscule compared to the ultra dense conrete. staggered studded walls here seems like a waste as well

2) I'll be using a delta-FL subfloor with T&G OSB on top. should I frame the walls, and then install the delta-FL? I'm leaning towards this route, so I won't be driving lots of holes through the delta-FL and subfloor.

edit: looks like for framing the walls, install the delta-FL after sheetrocking to prevent dust getting into subfloor

thanks for any help!

it seems like there are more and more home theaters here, but I haven't checked any out in person. I bothered chinadog a while back but I think he's busy now.

I'll be home pretty much until Jan. 5th except for errands, shoot me a PM and I'll send you a phone number and we can hook up. You can come by here and see things or I can run over to your place to check out your progress.....

Bud

Yay for middle GA/Atlanta HTs!

I think your sketchup has it right... soffits around the PVC.

I built my soffits with OSB for the front, and 2-by blocking. I also had to hide a run of PVC sewer pipe.


http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/rack2.jpg

Nice - are you putting GG and drywall on top of the OSB?

hope everyone had a nice holiday.

sannta was good to me this year. picked up a ryobi 10" table saw! started running a few 20A circuits for the saw and various power tools over in my shop area

decided on a subwoofer for the theater, a maelstrom-x. 18" driver
http://media.audiojunkies.com/maelstrom-x-maelstromx-subwoofer-sub-exodus-audio-diy-cable-kevin-haskins-3.jpg


next up is room framing. after the room is framed, work will slow down a bit while I construct the speakers. still up in the air, and looking for a suitable DIY design for the surrounds that
1) aren't very deep
2) can be placed close to a wall and still sound nice

still up in the air, and looking for a suitable DIY design for the surrounds that
1) aren't very deep
2) can be placed close to a wall and still sound nice

have you looked over at htguide.com ? ... they have quite a few DIY designs with parts list and build instructions

have you looked over at htguide.com ? ... they have quite a few DIY designs with parts list and build instructions

yep! awesome site. just trying to find one to suit my needs :D

yep! awesome site. just trying to find one to suit my needs :D

Excellent :p ... cause our entire budget dedicated to finishing the basement focussed on the audio in the home theater so the games room is currently limping along with a couple of <cough> Bose 501 S2's ... relax all you Bose bashers :rolleyes: - they were free ! <sigh> long story :D

Now the games room is wired for 7.1 but the budget does not currently stretch so far as to move it up from 2.0 mode :)

But at some point I want to build some inwall surrounds myself to put in there :cool:

If you decide to build some from that site please let us know with a build thread and a report on the results ... everybody over at that DIY site rave about those builds

At some point I think a pair of Statement or Khanspires would be a fun project for mains

little post holidays update:

received a pretty rockin ryobi table saw for christmas. looking to pick up a plunge router and start working on the speakers soon.

I think I'm going to do mini statements for L/R, statement center, and probably an in-wall for the surrounds

mini statement page:
http://www.geocities.com/cc00541/MiniStatements.html

Just spoke with kevin at exodus audio. looks like he's going to have some maelstrom-x's in stock next week! Will be placing order for this ASAP to get the ball rolling on enclosure construction


picked up R4 1/2" insulation for the basement walls. NOT cheap stuff, $10/sheet :(
also picked up the lumber for the base and top plates. rest of lumber soon to follow

sub driver has been ordered, will be here next tuesday. looking for a behringer EP2500 to power it with

sub driver has been ordered, will be here next tuesday. looking for a behringer EP2500 to power it with

So, what design are you using for the Maelstrom-X? Are you using one of designs in the DIY section like the Easy Button End Table by NEO Dan (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1093893) or are you going to design something yourself?

probably one of Neo Dan's design. I just need to double check the width of his designs, since I would like to put the sub behind the screen. depth back there will be around 24" or so.

sub showed up today. thing is massive. credit card on the cone for reference


http://www.justingarrison.net/images/theater/sub%20resized.jpg

ordered a behringer ep2500 today to power the sub

been a little busy. ordered all the components for my statement monitors

got this beast of a thing built. need to remove it and put the gasket back on. was a tight fit getting it in there
http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/4069/subn.jpg