I wanted to post my finished pictures as many here have helped me in the process building this room. The advice and countless rooms to draw inspiration from have been key. Must say, I have had more fun planning, and building this room, than I ever could have imagined.

This is a single 13'x23'x9' room in the basement. It is hooked up to the central air but temperature stays between 66 and 70 degrees year round in this room without any help so I have the vents double closed all the time. There is an additional vent in the ductwork that can be opened or closed to help with sound proofing.

Equipment
LCR - 4pi with JBL woofer and B@C DE250 CD
Side Surrounds - Athena WS100 x 4
Backs - Athena WS60 x2
IB 4 18" Fi in 780 Cubic Feet
Behringer EP4000
Denon 2809ci AVR
PS3
Harmony 890 RF
JVC RS10 Projector
133" Electric HighPower 2.8 gain screen

2" OC703 on the sidewalls covered with black AT Acoustimac fabric
Guilford of Maine Clarent accent covering the walls above the OC703
OC703 super chunk and tube, sand, bass traps in the front corners
Riser framing left "open" on two sides for additional bass trapping

Posters on the side walls are fabric and dark in color. No reflection and disappear during movie.
The poster frames are covered in black velvet - ZERO reflections in the room. :)

Facing the screen wall
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/SceenwallFramed.jpg

Rear of the room
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/RearViewFramedPRESoffit_edited.jpg

NEW updated pics
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0238.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0215-1.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0211.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0220-1.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0208.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0230-1.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0215-1.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0242-1.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0253.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0262-1.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0260-1.jpg


Facing the "screen wall" directly as you enter the room
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0304.jpg

Looking right over the top of the projector
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0302.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0303.jpg

Facing the seating
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0306.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0307.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0305.jpg


The rear of the room has a bar, with seating for three, the media niche, equipment rack and treadmill closet. The room was originally used as a grunge workout room and we still use the treadmill regularly. The TV on the wall makes an easy way to get the news in the morning while using the treadmill.
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0308.jpg

To the left of the treadmill is a lighted area where the AVR, Shaker amp, PS3 and HD Fios box interface with the wall jacks for the speaker wire and HDMI. Real easy to get back there and mess with the cables.

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0024.jpg

116" wide high power screen that is masked to a 2.4 aspect at 50" high 126" diag
or I can have a 57"x 101 116" diag 1.78 image if I lower the screen to the max.
This gives the same viewing area for scope AND 16x9 content
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0314.jpg

16x9 image
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/MonstersInc.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0242.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0232.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0234.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0215.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0293.jpg
Here are some additional construction photos

The rack area primed
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/Equipmentroom.jpg

Screen wall framed
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0153.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/11-23010.jpg

Panels off, showing the 4 18's drivers for the IB
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IB4driverslinstalled005.jpg


http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/11-23001.jpg

Fabric posters for the side wall - no reflections
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/Thor.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/PussandThor-1.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IronmanandWalle.jpg

Beginning stages of 4pi LCR project - 15" woofers, horn loaded and high sensitivity

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/4pirawmdf003.jpg


Enjoy!

Looks great,how long did it take you, start to finish if you don't mind me asking?

damn nice set up you got there!

Very nice looking. Congrats!

Awesome. Great job.

Looks great, and welcome to the treadmill in the theater club. Mine is behind a double door closet on the side of my theater.

Didn't even see the treadmill till you mentioned it Big :p

Very nice GoCaboNow,

I don't think I have seen anyone with a setup like this! Very creative in setting up a Drop down to facilitate different aspect ratios on a false wall.
Very, very cool.

Well done!

Looks great,how long did it take you, start to finish if you don't mind me asking?

Not at all. 4 months of initial planning, including two months of cleanup. The room had been a junk catch all for years. I also had to tear some osb sheeting off the wall as the contracor used some warped studs and the wall really bowed. Actual framing, electrical, soundproofing, drywall and basic finish took about 7 months.

Looks great, and welcome to the treadmill in the theater club. Mine is behind a double door closet on the side of my theater.

Good to hear! Seems like I know many folks that are into fitness and they are expecting me to become a big blob now that the room is done. You know, watching movie after movie pounding down the candy, popcorn and beer - err I mean soft drinks. :p The treadmill gets lots of action. More than the theater...

Creative use of the space. I like the hidden treadmill. Have you considered going with a more regal curtain like a classic red or black velvet?

very impressive

I really like the way this turned out. I'm sure we'd love to get more info and pics now that you are done!

In particular I really love the recessed poster nooks. Any pictures of this or the rest of your construction process?

Another thing I noticed was your soffits - they don't look like painted drywall - they look to have a really smooth finish? How did you achieve that?

What's your room...12x17 ish?

Didn't even see the treadmill till you mentioned it Big :p

Very nice GoCaboNow,

I don't think I have seen anyone with a setup like this! Very creative in setting up a Drop down to facilitate different aspect ratios on a false wall.
Very, very cool.

Thanks! I am toying with the idea of a star ceiling as next winters project and will be sure to check your thread closer on that as well. The wife is a little leary as the ceiling really did come out nice. She gets nervous when I start to tinker...

I really like the way this turned out. I'm sure we'd love to get more info and pics now that you are done!

In particular I really love the recessed poster nooks. Any pictures of this or the rest of your construction process?

Another thing I noticed was your soffits - they don't look like painted drywall - they look to have a really smooth finish? How did you achieve that?

What's your room...12x17 ish?

Thanks for the comments. I will dig some pics up and post later as I cannot access photobucket at work...:cool:

The soffits are drywall except for the face of the light tray which is a row of
2x6's. I did not texture the soffits or ceiling and worked like a dog to get the drywall seams as smooth as possible.
Original room dimensions were 13.5' x 26.5'. Finished is 13'2" x 23' as the end of the room I framed to hold the treadmill closet and rack and framed out the niche side as it was a bare concrete wall.

Creative use of the space. I like the hidden treadmill. Have you considered going with a more regal curtain like a classic red or black velvet?

Why do you want to add more work for me? :p

The screen is on a manual wall switch and, down the road, I thought it would be cool to turn that into a switch a Harmony could control. Could then open the drapes via remote, then drop the screen. Or something like that...

Great - look forward to the pics and more info!

I saved the pictures to a memory card for future reference.

Is all your audio on sound bars?

WOW, that looks SPECTACULAR! I think the room actually feels even bigger when you finished it. You definitely made good use of your space. The poster niche is one of those "damn why didn't I think of it" ideas. You can hardly go wrong with red/black theme, but man it looks amazing, especially with the high vaulted ceiling you got. I still need to add crown moulding and LED rope light to the ceiling, not anytime soon, but I will definitely take a few pointers from your design.

IMPRESSIVE WORK! Enjoy your theater, I know it must feel good.


P.S: Carpet looks great too!

WOW, that looks SPECTACULAR! I think the room actually feels even bigger when you finished it. You definitely made good use of your space. The poster niche is one of those "damn why didn't I think of it" ideas. You can hardly go wrong with red/black theme, but man it looks amazing, especially with the high vaulted ceiling you got. I still need to add crown moulding and LED rope light to the ceiling, not anytime soon, but I will definitely take a few pointers from your design.

IMPRESSIVE WORK! Enjoy your theater, I know it must feel good.


P.S: Carpet looks great too!

Thanks Sam. I remember first speaking with you when the room was just a twinkle in my eye. I wish I had a little more room width like you have. I had to compromise to get the 4 seats and the pj pedestal in the room. The room really called for just 3 seats wide but I really wanted the two love seats in the back row and had to butt the 2nd row right up to the wall. I am glad I did it as the two love seats have proved invaluable for couples nights and seating 4 girls each for big parties.

Very nice work. Love the colors and details with the posters.

What kind of seating is that?

Would you provide more information and details on your screen wall and false wall build? Any pics?

Great - look forward to the pics and more info!

I saved the pictures to a memory card for future reference.

Is all your audio on sound bars?

Pretty much. The fronts, center and rear are 41" long speaker bar style speakers. 9 drivers or passive resisters each. The fronts and center are housed below the screen. Two sets of side surrounds using similar style speakers (one set for each reclining row) just a little shorter with less passive resisters so they do not put out "as much" bass. Funny thing is, as much money as I put into the screen and projector and I get more comments from guests on the audio.

Very nice work. Love the colors and details with the posters.

What kind of seating is that?

Would you provide more information and details on your screen wall and false wall build? Any pics?

Thanks!

That is the infamous Costco Berkline seating. Costco sold them in 3 packs and I had a buddy that needed 5 chairs and I needed 7 so when costco threw on the $300 rebate per 3 pack we bit and purchased together. The seats really were not what I had been targeting, but the price was insanely low...

I will throw what I have on the screenwall later. it is not a false wall though. The center and fronts are housed in the black area right below the screen and sit on a tray so they sit as high as possible. The way the room was origianlly framed the lower part of the screenwall is recessed a bit from the upper. I thought about framing it out before I did drywall but decided I could use the space so the speakers would not stick out so much. The side area houses sand filled tube bass traps. There is sound board right on the screen wall to deaden the wall.

Is there a reason why you didnt' ceiling mount your JVC PJ? considering how much the PJ costs :) I would feel a little paranoid about leaving it in a desktop set up where someone could accicentally knock it off. Plus if it's ceiling mounted then it would avoid having anyone block the image if walking by or waving. You seem to have a pretty good 8-9ft clearance in your theater, so the ceiling mount would be very ideal.

Pretty much. The fronts, center and rear are 41" long speaker bar style speakers. 9 drivers or passive resisters each. The fronts and center are housed below the screen. Two sets of side surrounds using similar style speakers (one set for each reclining row) just a little shorter with less passive resisters so they do not put out "as much" bass. Funny thing is, as much money as I put into the screen and projector and I get more comments from guests on the audio.

Did you expect to get this much attention after posting? :)

So what influenced the decision on the bar style speakers? Was it more cost effective? I like the look - I'd be interested (among all the other things you now have to show us) knowing more about the setup and cost.

Is there a reason why you didnt' ceiling mount your JVC PJ? considering how much it cost, I would personally feel a little paranoid about leaving it in a desktop set up. Plus if it's ceiling mounted then it would avoid having anyone block the image if walking by or waving. You seem to have a pretty good 8-9ft clearance in your theater, so the ceiling mount would be very ideal.

Oh, heck yeah. Ceiling mount would have helped me in numerous places. Buuut, after testing many different screens/materials I really preferred the high power screen. Unfortunately this is a retro reflective screen so to get the gain benefits the PJ has to be as close to eye level as possible as the gain is shot directly back to the level of the pj. Guests seem to enjoy having to duck when they cross in front if they have side wall seating and need to leave. And, the maturity level of my audience is painfully apparent when the movie ends and everyone rushes to do their hand puppets...:)

The biggest issue was just giving up the floor space for the pj pedestal as that 12" I could have turned into 18" and given me a side aisle on the right side of the room. I was concerned about the lack of side aisle initially, but after 3 months plus it really has turned into a non issue. It is funny the things we stress over and obsess on during the build process and they turn out to be not a factor at all. This was one of those.

Did you expect to get this much attention after posting? :)

So what influenced the decision on the bar style speakers? Was it more cost effective? I like the look - I'd be interested (among all the other things you now have to show us) knowing more about the setup and cost.

No it's fun. This kind of discussion helped me see avenues to take with my room when I was in the design stage. The speakers really are, like many things in this room, a compromise. The speakers were purchased for my then, kick a$$, family room home theater complete with 70" rear projection tv. Circa 2005. Since I got the big bulky TV (even though it was in a tv niche so it did not stick out in the room) the wife really wanted a small lifestyle speaker. Like a B O S E. :eek: After much looking these bar style speakers passed the WAF and put out the best sound at the modest budget I had. Actually, it was when I realised I could repurpose these in the dedicated basement HT it freed up alot of budget to apply to the room and make the project much more cost effective. I had assumed I would upgrade the speakers in the room down the road but honestly I am really happy with them. I may just upgrade the sub and call it good. :)

Oh, heck yeah. Ceiling mount would have helped me in numerous places. Buuut, after testing many different screens/materials I really preferred the high power screen. Unfortunately this is a retro reflective screen so to get the gain benefits the PJ has to be as close to eye level as possible as the gain is shot directly back to the level of the pj. Guests seem to enjoy having to duck when they cross in front if they have side wall seating and need to leave. And, the maturity level of my audience is painfully apparent when the movie ends and everyone rushes to do their hand puppets...:)

The biggest issue was just giving up the floor space for the pj pedestal as that 12" I could have turned into 18" and given me a side aisle on the right side of the room. I was concerned about the lack of side aisle initially, but after 3 months plus it really has turned into a non issue. It is funny the things we stress over and obsess on during the build process and they turn out to be not a factor at all. This was one of those.

I agree with your last statement, every little thing that initially bugs yo during the build process becomes very negligible once you sleep on it for a couple of days, there are at least about 5 minor imperfections in my theater build that I want to go back and address....the longer I take to address them, the more insignificant and engligible they become. People in geeneral are always very picky during their planning and build phases, but once you're about 99.9% finished, you suddenly get that I don't give a rat's ass if my first idea didn't work or if something doesn't look 100% perfect, even if no one else will notice it but you.

As far as ceiling mount and post movie hand puppeteering, it's quite common in my theater too, even the majority of my guests are over the age of 25, hehe. It doesn't help much that I have a big area in the center of my theater right above the front row where the ceiling is only 7 foot high thanks, but no thanks, to all the permanent HVAC runs made by the builder to save a buck.

Very Nice Build. I like the recessed Poster Frames.

With your name, I was expecting to see pictures of Sammy Hagar and plenty of empty Cabo Wabo Tequila Bottles! =-)

Mark

Very Nice Build. I like the recessed Poster Frames.

With your name, I was expecting to see pictures of Sammy Hagar and plenty of empty Cabo Wabo Tequila Bottles! =-)

Mark

The theme of the theater may change when the kids get older. Although some nights it feels like cabo Wabo already in there. :p

Awesome theater dude. I love the little details and the not so little ones too..Great job.

Awesome theater dude. I love the little details and the not so little ones too..Great job.

Thanks. There are more details in the room than I originally imagined. Looking through the builds and threads here I kept stealing, I mean adding more details. :)

Very nice! Great work. I too like others am very curious about your speaker set up. Is this system still available? You should be very pleased.

Regards,

RTROSE

Very nice! Great work. I too like others am very curious about your speaker set up. Is this system still available? You should be very pleased.

Regards,

RTROSE

Thanks for the comments! The fronts, center and rear speaker are Athena WS100's. You can see the rear speaker pretty well in the pic.They were meant to be just for fronts but I found two more to incorporate for the front and rear. The WS60 from Athena I use for the surrounds. Athena is a division of Klipsch. They were pretty inexpensive a few years ago. Definitive Tech has some similar styled speakers now. Originally, they were purchased for their combination of WAF and audio performance but they fit well, horizontally, below the screen and the surrounds fit the room well.

Very nice, cozy, and professional looking. Clever idea with the bar speakers and the electric screen coming down in front of the posters.

I'm putting a treadmill in mine as well, but not hiding it. I have a place for it in the far back corner of the top riser.

Thanks for posting!

--Equusz

thanks for posting the pics. very nice looking theater. i agree that as the build comes along, the parts you either messed up on or could have potentially done "better" really are not a factor. (like my drywalling for instance!!) once the room goes dark, who honestly cares that the seam isn't perfectly aligned or you bought two different types of spray texture or.....

congrats on the completion!

Very nice, cozy, and professional looking. Clever idea with the bar speakers and the electric screen coming down in front of the posters.

I'm putting a treadmill in mine as well, but not hiding it. I have a place for it in the far back corner of the top riser.

Thanks for posting!

--Equusz

I had no idea there are so many folks with a treadmill in their theater? I tried to figure out a way for it to be pointing towards the screen but the closet is not deep enough to face it that way. The important thing is that it is easy to use - so it gets used! :)

thanks for posting the pics. very nice looking theater. i agree that as the build comes along, the parts you either messed up on or could have potentially done "better" really are not a factor. (like my drywalling for instance!!) once the room goes dark, who honestly cares that the seam isn't perfectly aligned or you bought two different types of spray texture or.....

congrats on the completion!

Thanks! Sounds like a lot of us have that in common. :p

Thanks! Sounds like a lot of us have that in common. :p

Well I not only have a treadmill in my theater, but I have a gym in my theater and pcs and gaming consoles..lol..Its a multipurpose room so it may not count hahah...

BUT my room gets used every hour of every day. Unless im deathly ill..;)

Let's see more of those detailed pics! :D I keep looking to see if you've put some on.

Let's see more of those detailed pics! :D I keep looking to see if you've put some on.

You bet, I added a couple of construction photos to the first page following the other photos. I have more coming...

Sweet. So are you a total novice at this? Cause it doesn't look like it. Looks like your king of drywall mudding.

You used tubes for bass trapping? I don't think I've seen that here...

And the poster wall - is that wall on top of an already framed wall, or is that right on top of the foundation? If so, how did you secure the drywall on the back part?

Sweet. So are you a total novice at this? Cause it doesn't look like it. Looks like your king of drywall mudding.

You used tubes for bass trapping? I don't think I've seen that here...

And the poster wall - is that wall on top of an already framed wall, or is that right on top of the foundation? If so, how did you secure the drywall on the back part?

Closest I had come to doing this kind of work was mowing the lawn. :)
Initially, I was more excited by the prospects of the projector and the audio then the actual room construction. When I got into the actual project it really came down to more basic construction or handyman skills. Framing, electrical, drywall. I used this site, the web and some various contacts I had that new electrical and drywall especially. The more I got into the construction and learning the more I found myself really enjoying the construction work, planning and creation.

Not sure I totally understand your poster wall question? The drywall on the back side of the actual poster nich is screwed into the foundation and connected to the rest of the niche with drywall tape.

I did not have a ton of room to the sides of the screenwall and the sand filled bass traps are supposed to give the a good result in a smallish size. Cheap too...The audio in this kind of enclosed room is so much better than what I used to have in my open plan family room. The surround action is much more present now, dialogue is clearer and the sub is much more powerful.

Closest I had come to doing this kind of work was mowing the lawn. :)
Initially, I was more excited by the prospects of the projector and the audio then the actual room construction. When I got into the actual project it really came down to more basic construction or handyman skills. Framing, electrical, drywall. I used this site, the web and some various contacts I had that new electrical and drywall especially. The more I got into the construction and learning the more I found myself really enjoying the construction work, planning and creation.

Not sure I totally understand your poster wall question? The drywall on the back side of the actual poster nich is screwed into the foundation and connected to the rest of the niche with drywall tape.

I did not have a ton of room to the sides of the screenwall and the sand filled bass traps are supposed to give the a good result in a smallish size. Cheap too...The audio in this kind of enclosed room is so much better than what I used to have in my open plan family room. The surround action is much more present now, dialogue is clearer and the sub is much more powerful.

That answered my niche question.

Good to know how much better the sound is - mine was in a really open room before too...my sub was acting pretty usless. It's just a sony HTIB for now, but I'm sure it'll be loads better.

Are the two traps the only treatment you did for the room?

That answered my niche question.

Good to know how much better the sound is - mine was in a really open room before too...my sub was acting pretty usless. It's just a sony HTIB for now, but I'm sure it'll be loads better.

Are the two traps the only treatment you did for the room?

I left slots open in the riser so, theoretically, the riser has some bass trap capability? I did not do any audio testing before the treatments so it is hard to know if what I did really works or to what level? The side walls, where it is black are an inch of a soft fiber board similar to oc703 and covered with Acoustimac black fabric. This runs up to about ear height. I like the balance right now in the room. Even conversation sounds better in there compared to other parts of the house.

Nice job. I like the color scheme - I have a very similar shade of red in combination with a black ceiling in my basement theater. Did you have "fun" painting the ceiling black ? I used a real flat paint and it was real tricky to roll it on and not see the overlap marks. Flat paints seem to be harder to work with than eggshell or semi-gloss.

Question - I see the lower portion of your walls are black - did you put some acoustical panels there, or is that just painted drywall ?

Bill

doh ! I replied before reading all of the entries. I see you installed rigid fiberglass panels. I would like to do that to mine some day when I have more $$

Looks great! As a matter of fact I want to do soffits like yours... that come out from the wall but are not supported by the ceiling. I want space for rope lighting above between the top of the soffit and the ceiling. How do you frame them to support their weight without a connection to the ceiling? Is a box frame strong enough? Do you have to triangulate the framing? Did you use 2x4's or 2x2's or something else? Got any pics of the soffit framing?

Nice job. I like the color scheme - I have a very similar shade of red in combination with a black ceiling in my basement theater. Did you have "fun" painting the ceiling black ? I used a real flat paint and it was real tricky to roll it on and not see the overlap marks. Flat paints seem to be harder to work with than eggshell or semi-gloss.

Question - I see the lower portion of your walls are black - did you put some acoustical panels there, or is that just painted drywall ?

Bill

doh ! I replied before reading all of the entries. I see you installed rigid fiberglass panels. I would like to do that to mine some day when I have more $$

Painting the ceiling was easier than I thought it would be. I was real concerned about overlap lines but the first coat went on so well I only had to do two coats- was a breeze. There are also 2 coats of bare drywall primer and 2 coats of gray primer on the ceiling as well.

Looks great! As a matter of fact I want to do soffits like yours... that come out from the wall but are not supported by the ceiling. I want space for rope lighting above between the top of the soffit and the ceiling. How do you frame them to support their weight without a connection to the ceiling? Is a box frame strong enough? Do you have to triangulate the framing? Did you use 2x4's or 2x2's or something else? Got any pics of the soffit framing?

I will look when I can get to those files. I don't believe I took closeups though? I used 2x2's and built ladders with cross supports 16" on center. These where then screwed, horizontally, into the floor joists in the ceiling with heavy duty screws and washers to form the "front" of the soffits. These were really strong, I could hang on them. The soffit bottom is a long 2x2 that is screwed into the wall at the right height with 2x2's pre-attached (16" on center) to this long strip and attached to the front of the soffit coming in from the bottom. The 2x2's are 4 inches longer than the front of the soffit to get the tray started. Probably doesn't make much sense without the pic. Should be even easier to build a tray ceiling without the soffit. You could use mdf for the bottom of the tray and light weight molding for the front of the tray? Maybe experiment with the best way to secure the bottom mdf to the wall. L bracket? 2x2 or 2x4's screwed into the studs and the mdf screwed into that from underneath?

I think it would be real doable to just add the tray. I like the effect the tray gives. Good Luck!

I will look when I can get to those files. I don't believe I took closeups though? I used 2x2's and built ladders with cross supports 16" on center. These where then screwed, horizontally, into the floor joists in the ceiling with heavy duty screws and washers to form the "front" of the soffits. These were really strong, I could hang on them. The soffit bottom is a long 2x2 that is screwed into the wall at the right height with 2x2's pre-attached (16" on center) to this long strip and attached to the front of the soffit coming in from the bottom. The 2x2's are 4 inches longer than the front of the soffit to get the tray started. Probably doesn't make much sense without the pic. Should be even easier to build a tray ceiling without the soffit. You could use mdf for the bottom of the tray and light weight molding for the front of the tray? Maybe experiment with the best way to secure the bottom mdf to the wall. L bracket? 2x2 or 2x4's screwed into the studs and the mdf screwed into that from underneath?

I think it would be real doable to just add the tray. I like the effect the tray gives. Good Luck!

Thanks! A tray's a great idea. Lots of room to put lighting, run cables, easier construction, lighter.

Thanks for the comments. I will dig some pics up and post later as I cannot access photobucket at work...:cool:

The soffits are drywall except for the face of the light tray which is a row of
2x6's. I did not texture the soffits or ceiling and worked like a dog to get the drywall seams as smooth as possible.
Original room dimensions were 13.5' x 26.5'. Finished is 13'2" x 23' as the end of the room I framed to hold the treadmill closet and rack and framed out the niche side as it was a bare concrete wall.

Hey great build! I really like the pics and how your screen is set up. Your room width is about where I will be at. Any problem with the width for seats. I was a little worried about this but you look like you have alot of room on each side? What kinda space do you have? Also where is your door in and how does it interact with your riser if it does at all? Finally, do you have room on both sides of the room to step up to access seats on both side or do you have to enter on one side of the row and move through?

Thanks!
jimi

Hey great build! I really like the pics and how your screen is set up. Your room width is about where I will be at. Any problem with the width for seats. I was a little worried about this but you look like you have alot of room on each side? What kinda space do you have? Also where is your door in and how does it interact with your riser if it does at all? Finally, do you have room on both sides of the room to step up to access seats on both side or do you have to enter on one side of the row and move through?

Thanks!
jimi

Thanks! The room width was a major issue to deal with since I wanted two loveseats in the second row and a pedestal for the pj. After framing and drywall the room is 13'2" wide. After MUCH deliberation ( :) ) I elected to butt the right side loveseat directly against the wall so there is no way to access the 2nd row from the right or egress the 2nd row to the right rear. All traffic must go left to the main walkway. The riser is 123" wide which leaves a relatively spacious 35" walk way. If I had elected to do a ceiling mount I could have picked up 18" to move the love seat away from the wall since I would not have the needed the 12" for the pedestal and 6" for the extra seat arm. The ceiling is wired for the pj but after much testing I really preferred a high power screen and so had to mount the pj at eye level. It was a tough decision as a ceiling mount would have improved the look and flow of the room. After 3 plus months of use and max capacity gatherings I can say that the lack of that 2nd aisle has not been an issue. The viewing angle is still solid from there as I used to try to sit in the seat against the wall when we have large gatherings and, comparing to other seats, there was not a drop off. I have not sat there much lately as repeat guests usually head for the loveseats first so I have not had much opportunity to sit there. I prefer the middle seat in the front row. :)

The door is in the very back left of the room when facing the screen. The main reason I elected to move seating all the way to the right was to maximise the space and feel of the walkway (so folks do not feel cramped) and give some space as you enter the room. Basically you walk right into the bar and back side of the riser.

The beauty of building a room like this is you can do what fits YOUR lifestyle or tastes. I demo'd the various seating configurations, weighed the benefits and did what I wanted after checking my options. There were other ways to do it and that was really half the fun of doing the room.

Also, the actual seats helped as they are about as narrow as you get at
22.5" for the seats and the arms are easy to remove to convert to loveseats.

so without the pedestal for the projector you would have had 53" to play with. . .

Is that enough to center the seats and have 2 walkways if you split the diff?

Just wondering cause I think I am going to be in the same boat as you with width. But I don't think it is bad at al looking at your place. Looks plenty wide overall!

Also you said your riser was 123" wide. So you walk in on ground floor through the door and hit the isle. If you turn to say your left it's level ground to the front of the room. If you go straight you then step up onto the riser?

Or were you saying the bar area is also ground level in the back of the room? Or is that bar area on the riser?

Sorry just tryin' to picture it.

jimi

I just looked at your pics again. . .I think the bar is on ground level and you just step up onto the riser to hit the second row. But it looks like you have a walk space to the right side (looking at the screen) for the first row? Can you access the second row seats from that side walkway?

so without the pedestal for the projector you would have had 53" to play with. . .

Is that enough to center the seats and have 2 walkways if you split the diff?

Just wondering cause I think I am going to be in the same boat as you with width. But I don't think it is bad at al looking at your place. Looks plenty wide overall!

Also you said your riser was 123" wide. So you walk in on ground floor through the door and hit the isle. If you turn to say your left it's level ground to the front of the room. If you go straight you then step up onto the riser?

Or were you saying the bar area is also ground level in the back of the room? Or is that bar area on the riser?

Sorry just tryin' to picture it.

jimi

I just looked at your pics again. . .I think the bar is on ground level and you just step up onto the riser to hit the second row. But it looks like you have a walk space to the right side (looking at the screen) for the first row? Can you access the second row seats from that side walkway?

Yep, you got it. There is an aisle on both sides of the front row to get to the 2nd row. If I had hung the pj I may have kept everything the same and just moved the wall loveseat in 18"? The 18" would give enough room to egress to the rear and still keep a spacious 35" main walk way. You could go 29.5" on each side to keep it symmetrical? Or play around even more with how you divy up your inches? That is the fun!

Yep, you got it. There is an aisle on both sides of the front row to get to the 2nd row. If I had hung the pj I may have kept everything the same and just moved the wall loveseat in 18"? The 18" would give enough room to egress to the rear and still keep a spacious 35" main walk way. You could go 29.5" on each side to keep it symmetrical? Or play around even more with how you divy up your inches? That is the fun!

Thanks man,

I do like your setup and now I'm not stressing about width. I was tryin' to lay things out diff over the past few weeks cause of this but not going to bother.

I'm so in the early stages right now. This weeks plan is to take exact measurements of the inside of the foundation and get it to my buddy who was our designer and make the changes to the original plans from when we built 2 years ago. I also want to clean up the foundation plans to show where all the electrical and HVAC and such are so I can start posting them here to get ideas and make changes. I'm pretty happy now with what's in my head for a plan. My biggest problem is the HVAC. The main trunks run exactly through the center of my room! This is going to kill hieight and I really want to do a soffit. I talked to my dad's buddy who was my plumber and he said they could be moved along with the one handler (the other is thankfully in the attic for the 2nd floor) but he said it is a pain in the $%%. I also got to contend with all the transformers for all the low volt I have in the house. They are in the same area in the joists. I also got my water filtration for the kitchen sink down there too. That area wads a good drop zone when we were building and alt of stuff ended up here. I wasn't thinking about a dedicated room then cause I had too many other things on my mind being the GC of the house.

I know I can easily move the filter and the LV stuff. THe HVAC is the main problem, not really problem but money. EVERYTHING would have to be done. Trunks, returns, supplies. Would be like starting over in there. But it would give me back the lost foot I would have.

Any ideas?

Any ideas?


Start your own thread ... include even a simple drawing with dimensions to start along with photos ... you will get the help you need


dont hijack this thread with all those questions ;)

Start your own thread ... include even a simple drawing with dimensions to start along with photos ... you will get the help you need


dont hijack this thread with all those questions ;)

Sorry new to this area! My bad. I'm going to do this over the next week.

jimi

Any ideas?

There is alot of experience and folks that want to help on this site. Post your pics and the advice will come. :)

Interesting issue though, there are folks that have spent to have the hvac or column moved that were very happy with the results. If I remember correctly damnsam77 had a support column in the middle of his room that he moved, at a cost, but with great results. There are also tons of folks here with low ceilings and fantastic rooms...

There is alot of experience and folks that want to help on this site. Post your pics and the advice will come. :)

Interesting issue though, there are folks that have spent to have the hvac or column moved that were very happy with the results. If I remember correctly damnsam77 had a support column in the middle of his room that he moved, at a cost, but with great results. There are also tons of folks here with low ceilings and fantastic rooms...
I might have missed it, but Da-lite high power screen model you are using? I am looking at model C maybe with CSR, since I think the electrical might be much more expensive. I think that the CSR has to be extended all the way down, making your dual screen format more difficult, if I would want to pursue it. Is that so. Can you post a close up picture of the screen?

wow, outstanding job!!

Very nice but I would have suspended the projector from the ceiling.

Very nice but I would have suspended the projector from the ceiling.

His mounting position is ideal for the HP screen. Ceiling mount would lower the gain substantially.

Very nicely done! Top notch! I love the colors you used, it makes the room look huge. Nice to see another fellow Oregonian enthusiast! :)
PS - It sounds like we both have the same Olevia 65" LCD also.

That an excellent HT, GCN.:cool: Very nice!

Very nicely done! Top notch! I love the colors you used, it makes the room look huge. Nice to see another fellow Oregonian enthusiast! :)
PS - It sounds like we both have the same Olevia 65" LCD also.

Thanks!

Ah, you have the beast as well? Had to carry up two flights of stairs to put in the bedroom. Even without the stand that was one heavy display. I think it is close to 200lbs without the stand. I hope it runs for a long time as I never want to have to carry it away. :eek:

That an excellent HT, GCN.:cool: Very nice!

Thank you very much. I saw your setup. Very, very nice!

Hey Cabo,

As I have said before, on other threads, that is an over the top cinema room you have there. I really like the color scheme and the inviting chairs.

Can you feel my jealousy through your internet connection? That setup is what I'm hoping to have at some point. My current home has no basement, so my stuff is set up in the living room. But I just paid this sucker off - and a suitable basement area is a requirement for the next house we get.

Very nice theater! You did a great job, I really like the clean, professional look of it! :)

Hey Cabo,

As I have said before, on other threads, that is an over the top cinema room you have there. I really like the color scheme and the inviting chairs.

Thanks HTG. It was a lot of fun building. Now I am stuck with bringing audio up to the level of the room. I never realized how crazy audio components can be.

Can you feel my jealousy through your internet connection? That setup is what I'm hoping to have at some point. My current home has no basement, so my stuff is set up in the living room. But I just paid this sucker off - and a suitable basement area is a requirement for the next house we get.

Ah, to be able to shop for the perfect basement or set up for your HT? Now I am jealous! :)

Very nice theater! You did a great job, I really like the clean, professional look of it! :)

Thanks! It is a fun hobby when you tailor something exactly to your own specific look or purpose.

Hey Cabo, I have the same seats from Costco and I was wondering how you managed to make the love seats out the configuration? I would like to make one but I don't see how unless I can remove one of the arms of a seat, is that what you did? If so, how the heck did you do that?

Hey Cabo, I have the same seats from Costco and I was wondering how you managed to make the love seats out the configuration? I would like to make one but I don't see how unless I can remove one of the arms of a seat, is that what you did? If so, how the heck did you do that?

The arms come off fairly simply. The screws are near the bottom of the chair and, if remember right, you extend the foot rest and you can get to the screws. The hardest part is getting a screw driver to it. I used a short screw driver and also one with a flexible adapter to get in there. I still like the seats. Really flexible design allowed me to do the two loveseats and they are relatively narrow so they do not take up much width compared to other seating. But bottom line the price was a steal! :) I just wish I could find one more seat so I could do two loveseats in the front row. Good luck!!

What type/size of lighting do you have in your soffit and ceiling? I like the look and think your blue rope light helped me decide that I need to add that feature to my room.

So you just removed one of the arms from the two armed chairs correct? Then just sat them next to each other cause the connectors come off with the arm right? I know that was a great deal. I got 3 sets, was planning on putting five in the front and four in the back. I may try and make a love seat in the back now.

So you just removed one of the arms from the two armed chairs correct? Then just sat them next to each other cause the connectors come off with the arm right? I know that was a great deal. I got 3 sets, was planning on putting five in the front and four in the back. I may try and make a love seat in the back now.

Nice. That's alot of seats. I don't even use the connectors on the three chairs in the from row. We do a lot of couples and kids nights and the loveseats really come in handy for couples getting close or piling 3 or 4 kids in the loveseat.

When they dropped to $500 a buddy and I went in together. He needed five seats and seven for me. He was no where ready for them so I had his chairs in my garage for six months while he finished his room. But for the money he had to bite.

What type/size of lighting do you have in your soffit and ceiling? I like the look and think your blue rope light helped me decide that I need to add that feature to my room.

Everyone thinks it is blue from the pics. Actually is 54' of basic white led rope light from Home Depot. :)

Yeah mine were sitiing in the garage for a year too. But like you said, for the price i couldnt pass them up

Awesome theater!

Holy crap, this is amazing.

I thought I would post a little subwoofer project I have been working on. I had planned on building a couple 18" diy subs to add to the theater. Currently use a 15" mfw15 and my old 12" Athena sub. These are not the greatest but did a decent job of pressurizing my sealed, 2700cf room. problem is they did not go below 20hz at the output I was demanding and the AQ was questionable.

I purchased and cut 3 sheets of 1" mdf to make the subs modeled from a popular 18",5cf, sealed design. The more I got in to it the more I realized how psycho folks are with their bass (:)) and saw diyers going real big with their boxes. I was doing, what I thought, was a big a 2 foot cube/5cf and many folks where going 2 or 3 times bigger for their boxes at 10-15 cubic feet.

Then I discovered the infinate baffle design for subs. This basically turns an adjacent space like an attic, crawlspace, closet or room into a giant sealed subwoofer when you install a driver(s) between the spaces. Supposed to be performance benefits to something like this and MAJOR WAF if you can deal with cutting a hole(s) in the wall.

I am halfway through the project and have installed two 18" drivers on the right side of my screen wall. A second pair will be installed on the left side and all 4 drivers will be powered by a 4000 watt Behringer ep4000. The difference between this set up, even halway completed, and my old two box subs is gut wrenching. I could not be happier with the pure tone and output already. Whatever increase happens when I add the 2nd pair - is gravy. :)

I am more posting this for folks with dedicated rooms or planning rooms to look at as an option. I wish I knew about this when I was building my room. For under $1400 I can't imagine a better performer with this high of waf.

I friend of mine is building 2 18" box subs and we will do a shoot out and will be interesting to hear/feel any difference for the comparable cost of each.

The project is not finished yet but here are some in progress pics.

before picture
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0303.jpg

Blurry pic of 2 drivers installed on the right side. When I finish there will be a black, AT, fabric screen over the area that the drivers cut into the screenwall where the screen is. It will look like side masking to match the masking at the bottom of the screen area. The posters will go back up and I will cinch them a little tighter together. You will not know the sub is even there.
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/Picture06052010129.jpg
The back side
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/Picture06052010185.jpg

Then I discovered the infinate baffle design for subs.

Welcome to the land of the crazies! I've got eight AE-IB15" woofers with an Behringer 2500. These woofers have 1.4" of travel and are made specifically for IB applications. I have about the same sq. ft. of cone area as you (2x15 = about 1x18) but I've got only about 1/2 the power. I can't imagine what yours feels like!

Congratulations!

Welcome to the land of the crazies! I've got eight AE-IB15" woofers with an Behringer 2500. These woofers have 1.4" of travel and are made specifically for IB applications. I have about the same sq. ft. of cone area as you (2x15 = about 1x18) but I've got only about 1/2 the power. I can't imagine what yours feels like!

Congratulations!

Thanks, it is crazy. 8 drivers? Crazy. :)

I am using the FI IB318's. I hear the AE brand alot. Had planned on keeping my mfw15 in the back of the room for nearfield response but it is just not necessary - craigslist here I come. :)

Love the HT. Going back to the soffit and ceiling - you say that is black huh? Does it look black when you look at it (i.e. it is the photo that makes it blue?)

I like the look enough I might choose a very very dark blue to get that effect....

I've only read very briefly about IB subs but when you say WAF isn't it more than just cutting a hole in the wall? I thought that IB subs pretty much shake the foundation of the house. Am I wrong?

I've only read very briefly about IB subs but when you say WAF isn't it more than just cutting a hole in the wall? I thought that IB subs pretty much shake the foundation of the house. Am I wrong?

You have to take care with bracing. My contractor thought I was nuts as I glued and screwed lots of additional bracing every 3 to 4 inches in the wall and to the 1.25" particle board baffle. It seemed overkill. Now, feeling the power, I think more would not have been overkill.

I've only read very briefly about IB subs but when you say WAF isn't it more than just cutting a hole in the wall? I thought that IB subs pretty much shake the foundation of the house. Am I wrong?

Yeah, what erkq said. :)

My wall is braced and half the height is foundation. So the wall does not move but the rest of the house does. :D

Fantastic Room!!

Great room!! Your dimensions are somewhat similar to mine....now I have more ideas to consider :rolleyes:

I noticed the furnace is right next to your theater....Does the sound from the furnace disturb movie wathcing?

Our theater will be next to our furnace as well.....it is loud when it kicks on.

What have you done to reduce/eliminate the noise coming from the furnace room?

Thanks

Do you have any pics of the front screen wall with the lights turned up more?

Great looking room, love the colors!

Now you just need to have a Area Home Theater Meet to show off your theater to all the local home theater guys.....

Ray

Where did you get your carpet at in town? I've been having a tough time finding printed carpet. (Although I am trying to avoid Marion's because I had a bad experience with them last year. So please don't say "Marion's". :D)

Great room!! Your dimensions are somewhat similar to mine....now I have more ideas to consider :rolleyes:

I noticed the furnace is right next to your theater....Does the sound from the furnace disturb movie wathcing?

Our theater will be next to our furnace as well.....it is loud when it kicks on.

What have you done to reduce/eliminate the noise coming from the furnace room?

Thanks

Yeah, wish I had known I was going to put a theater in the room when I built the house eight years ago. But the room was a freebie from the contractor to close the sale so I just went with what he did. Anyhow, we did some super heavy doors. One layer of drywall, one layer of 1" osb and one layer of sound board on the theater/fabric side. We then have mdf planks around the sides, and on top of the sliding doors to block the cracks there as well as one on the inside of the hvac closet for the bottom. At a quiet part of the movie you can hear when the furnace starts up but is pretty faint so has not been too much of an issue. Good luck!

Where did you get your carpet at in town? I've been having a tough time finding printed carpet. (Although I am trying to avoid Marion's because I had a bad experience with them last year. So please don't say "Marion's". :D)

Funny! After several failures with various carpet companies I went to Marion's. Carpet Karl was even there. Doesn't he have anything better to do?:eek: I was actually going to get the carpet from them and I described the wacky theater install I would need. They even grabbed an installer to come up with a realistic install estimate. I still was leery so they said they would come out and measure without a deposit. Good thing as their install fee miraculously tripled and carpet qty went way up as well. So I moved on.

Floor Factors does Masland carpets. They were real good to work with and installed right on schedule. Their installer even did some under the table carpet stretching for me at a fraction of the price I would have had to pay separate so was really happy with the whole thing. 18 months later and no issue with the carpet or seams.

Couristan also has some real nice theater type carpet. Good Luck!

...their install fee miraculously tripled and carpet qty went way up as well. So I moved on.Your experience was similar to mine, although it sounds like yours was worse.

Floor Factors does Masland carpets. They were real good to work with and installed right on schedule.Cool. I'll check them out.

Thank you!

Here is an updated pic on my IB project. Four 18" drivers will be inserted into the screen wall with two on each side. The storage room behind will act as a 700 cubic foot subwoofer. I had to adjust the screen wall to accomodate the drivers and here are the before and after pics. The wife was concerned I would screw up the look of the screen wall (all for some silly old subs :) )

As you can see the impact is very minimal and easy to over look. :)

I scooted the posters in a bit to create room for the drivers. The grills cover the part of the drivers that would be exposed in the room - about 10" wide. The grills look like side masking. You would never know what lies behind, until you hear/feel it. :) When I get the final two drivers installed I will post a pic showing the drivers.

How it looked before, note the lack of grills to the side of the posters.
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0304.jpg

With the grill covers over the subs. Not too much visual impact on the room. But what they hide is oh so impactful. :)
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0086.jpg

Oh infinite baffle, how do I love thee!

Oh infinite baffle, how do I love thee!

I checked out your thread. Nice! My IB drivers are FI as well.

I found a picture with the grills off. You can get a better idea how the drivers are situated in the wall. The right side has the two 18" drivers installed. They look small in the picture but when you stand next to them you get a greater appreciation of their size.

The left side is just waiting for the next two drivers to arrive. I have MDF scraps to plug the hole until then.

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0089.jpg

i'm so jealous :(

Love the way it came out , Did it meet up with your :):):)expentations?I wanted to post my finished pictures as many here have helped me in the process building this room. The advice and countless rooms to draw inspiration from have been key. Must say, I have had more fun planning, and building this room, than I ever could have imagined.

This is a single 13'x23'x9' room in the basement. It is hooked up to the central air but temperature stays between 66 and 70 degrees year round in this room without any help so I have the vents double closed all the time. There is an additional vent in the ductwork that can be opened or closed to help with sound proofing.

Facing the screen wall
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/SceenwallFramed.jpg

Rear of the room
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/RearViewFramedPRESoffit_edited.jpg

The plan was to diy a fixed screen but the high power screen fabric is a little touchy with that so I opted for an electric screen instead - which had a very high approval factor from the wife and my small daughters.

Facing the "screen wall" directly as you enter the room
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0304.jpg

Looking right over the top of the projector
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0302.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0303.jpg

Facing the seating
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0306.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0307.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0305.jpg


The rear of the room has a bar, with seating for three, the media niche, equipment rack and treadmill closet. The room was originally used as a grunge workout room and we still use the treadmill regularly. The TV on the wall makes an easy way to get the news in the morning while using the treadmill.
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0308.jpg

To the left of the treadmill is a lighted area where the AVR, Shaker amp, PS3 and HD Fios box interface with the wall jacks for the speaker wire and HDMI. Real easy to get back there and mess with the cables.

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0024.jpg

116" wide high power screen that is masked to a 2.4 aspect at 50" high 126" diag
or I can have a 57"x 101 116" diag 1.78 image if I lower the screen to the max.
This gives the same viewing area for scope AND 16x9 content
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0314.jpg

16x9 image
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0287.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0242.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0232.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0234.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0215.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0293.jpg
Here are some additional construction photos

The rack area primed
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/Equipmentroom.jpg

Screen wall framed
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0153.jpg

Enjoy!

this looks awesome, its my favorite out of all the HT builds ive seen on this site, its closest to the image i had in my head of what id like mine to look like,

you actually did all this yourself??

if you dont mind, how much did it cost(roughly)? excluding your components: projector, screen, amps, speakers, .... basicly just the room; electrical, lighting, acoustical treatment...

i ask, cause i dont have the ability to do any of this myself, but i will be paying a home theater design service to do it for me if i can find one.

my space is approx the size as yours, and im wondering if its doable on my budget


thanks

chad

this looks awesome, its my favorite out of all the HT builds ive seen on this site, its closest to the image i had in my head of what id like mine to look like,

you actually did all this yourself??

if you dont mind, how much did it cost(roughly)? excluding your components: projector, screen, amps, speakers, .... basicly just the room; electrical, lighting, acoustical treatment...

i ask, cause i dont have the ability to do any of this myself, but i will be paying a home theater design service to do it for me if i can find one.

my space is approx the size as yours, and im wondering if its doable on my budget


thanks

chad

The thing I love about theater rooms is how different they are. We are all trying to do the same thing but there are so many different ways, and levels, to skin the cat here. How various pros would do your room could be different from what I did to mine. I had an exceptionally small budget in mind when I started and kept a spreadsheet when researching the room to track all the items I would need. My target ended up at $3k for all the basic components of the room plus the riser and stage. At completion I ended up $1500 over mostly due to carpet, fabric and oc703. It is all so individual I am not sure how much this will really help you? Just on the carpet you could save $1000+ if you go basic carpet and no special install for riser and stage. So $500ish for the carpet install and you are a grand + under my set up. Or you could spend thousands more - just on the carpet. Every component of the build has a low end and a high end and what you do along the way creates infinite chances to differentiate from another build or budget.

I would establish your budget and needs on a spreadsheet and see exactly what your pros will do for you. Take as many quotes as you can. We use the room alot to entertain or just for the family and myself - has been a great addition and resource to the household. Really has been worth all the work and time we put into it. Good luck!

What are the seating distances for each row? I'll have a similar ~26' starting room length and will probably build out a false screen wall from the front and end up with similar overall finished dimensions. Also looking to do the 2 rows + bar deal.

Love the screen and awesome tray lighting...very cool effect!

The thing I love about theater rooms is how different they are. We are all trying to do the same thing but there are so many different ways, and levels, to skin the cat here. How various pros would do your room could be different from what I did to mine. I had an exceptionally small budget in mind when I started and kept a spreadsheet when researching the room to track all the items I would need. My target ended up at $3k for all the basic components of the room plus the riser and stage. At completion I ended up $1500 over mostly due to carpet, fabric and oc703. It is all so individual I am not sure how much this will really help you? Just on the carpet you could save $1000+ if you go basic carpet and no special install for riser and stage. So $500ish for the carpet install and you are a grand + under my set up. Or you could spend thousands more - just on the carpet. Every component of the build has a low end and a high end and what you do along the way creates infinite chances to differentiate from another build or budget.

I would establish your budget and needs on a spreadsheet and see exactly what your pros will do for you. Take as many quotes as you can. We use the room alot to entertain or just for the family and myself - has been a great addition and resource to the household. Really has been worth all the work and time we put into it. Good luck!

holy mackeral! are you kidding?

i was expecting you to say something like 20-$25,000!

so to clarify, , that obvoiusly doesnt include the seating does it. (i meant for that to be included when i said just the "room")

and... are you saying $4500, from the pic where the room was just framework ,to the finished room?

thats hard to believe.

it just doesnt look like you went cheap. the lighting on the ceiling looks great. well, everything looks great.

i was honestly budgeting for around $30,000.

and was wondering if that would even be enough. now i "know" it can definatly be done for that. i wasnt HOPING to spend 30,000, thats just what i was expecting.

obviously, ill be adding/factoring the cost of the someone else designing, building and labour, etc, but i mean, even if i figure $10,000 for design, and building, double what you spent and add those 2 together, im still $10,000 under what i was expecting to lay out!!:eek:

this is great. :D:D thanks for the informative answer, it helps me alot.

What are the seating distances for each row? I'll have a similar ~26' starting room length and will probably build out a false screen wall from the front and end up with similar overall finished dimensions. Also looking to do the 2 rows + bar deal.

Love the screen and awesome tray lighting...very cool effect!

A little under 12' and 17.5'. Are you doing a scope screen?

The sub project is done! Eh, sort of. I will add eq and some tweaking but the four drivers are in and sound great!

No subs in the room
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IB4driverslinstalled001.jpg

Ah, there they are. :)
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IB4driverslinstalled005.jpg

The fronts are right below the screen. Here is a shot with the center channel exposed
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IB4driverslinstalled006.jpg

Hey, Cabo...I don't think I've ever complimented you on your fabulous theater. So, consider this me complimenting you on your fabulous theater.;)

^ Well thank you very much. I saw your post on the HTTYD disc review thread. We are doing a movie party thing for httyd as well. Six adults, five young girls, four 18 inch subs and a couple of beers. :D

Very nice indeed! The table area at the back was a nice touch. Have Fun!!

Very nice indeed! The table area at the back was a nice touch. Have Fun!!

Thanks. It gets used quite a bit. Not as comfortable as sitting in a recliner but good for over flow seating and close to the fridge...:cool:

^ Well thank you very much. I saw your post on the HTTYD disc review thread. We are doing a movie party thing for httyd as well. Six adults, five young girls, four 18 inch subs and a couple of beers. :DI don't have as many subs as you do, but we'll give you a run on the beers.;)

A little under 12' and 17.5'. Are you doing a scope screen?

Planning to do with a 2.35 screen I think. Thus far not planning to do a curved screen, lens, etc. at this point.

I was thinking I'd have to push my front row closer to the screen that you have, but seems like the distance between rows you have is smaller than what I've seen recommended before. Any issues with leg room in the second row? I'd love to push my front row back a bit from what I have planned now if it is doable without sacrificing the second row too much.

Planning to do with a 2.35 screen I think. Thus far not planning to do a curved screen, lens, etc. at this point.

I was thinking I'd have to push my front row closer to the screen that you have, but seems like the distance between rows you have is smaller than what I've seen recommended before. Any issues with leg room in the second row? I'd love to push my front row back a bit from what I have planned now if it is doable without sacrificing the second row too much.

It is a game of compromises when you have multiple rows. When both rows are fully reclined the 2nd row peoples feet are pretty close to the 1st row heads. But not enough of an issue to see moving the second row back or 1st row forward. YMMV though.

I don't have as many subs as you do, but we'll give you a run on the beers.;)

Ha!

I don't have as many subs as you do, but we'll give you a run on the beers.;)

I got twice the subs... but they're half the size (15") and a case of Red Tail.

I got twice the subs... but they're half the size (15") and a case of Red Tail.

Ah, subs and beers. Two of my favorite subjects. :)

I have heard of Red Tail amber ale and a lager beer, but never had either. I have some Fat Tires in the theater fridge now . Sometimes movie nights turn into a tasting party pending what folks bring. Adds to the fun of it.

Ah, subs and beers. Two of my favorite subjects. :)

I have heard of Red Tail amber ale and a lager beer, but never had either. I have some Fat Tires in the theater fridge now . Sometimes movie nights turn into a tasting party pending what folks bring. Adds to the fun of it.

Fat Tire's great too. My current fav is Death and Taxes. You can stand a spoon up in it. Well... almost :) I should try to find it retail. I never think of it.

So, what I found with my IB woofer is the house structure gets noisy. It's good quality recent construction, but there are lots of creaks and small rattles from all around the theater when the woofers crank. Do you notice that? I have 8 AE IB15's, roughly equivalent to your 4 18's.

Fat Tire's great too. My current fav is Death and Taxes. You can stand a spoon up in it. Well... almost :) I should try to find it retail. I never think of it.

So, what I found with my IB woofer is the house structure gets noisy. It's good quality recent construction, but there are lots of creaks and small rattles from all around the theater when the woofers crank. Do you notice that? I have 8 AE IB15's, roughly equivalent to your 4 18's.

Oh yeah. There is so much kinetic force coming off these. The theater has some decent sound isolation going for it but the backwave takes a beating when the pups get going. I put on War of the World and went outside to see what noise was making it outside from the back wave. The back wave is a storage room below grade but does have some vents to the outside that I plugged. Very happy that little sound was making it out but I could hear the creakings of the room getting punished by the subs.

wicked theater, wish i had that kind of cash.

Cabo, looks great! I just realized how close our color schemes are. I've got a dark blue ceiling with rope light soffit and I'm not quite getting the effect I was after. Did you have to play with yours any to get it right? any tips? I'm looking for a smoother cast.

Cabo, looks great! I just realized how close our color schemes are. I've got a dark blue ceiling with rope light soffit and I'm not quite getting the effect I was after. Did you have to play with yours any to get it right? any tips? I'm looking for a smoother cast.

Thought I'd check put your thread to see how your soffits are but I could not find them in that huge mess of a thread you have. Just kiddin. :) Very nice room. Love your subs.

Actually, I could not find them so not sure what might be different compared to mine? Mine are pretty basic with drywall painted flat black. The white led rope I use makes it look blue. There is bracing to move the rope up to near the top of the soffit's inner wall and the rope sits about 4" from the outer wall of the soffit. Hope this helps? Either that or it is the layer of dust diffusing the light...:p

Made a few changes to the room. Swapped out the existing side acoustic material and replaced it with 2" oc703. I meant to use this in the original construction but I could not find a good source so I punted and went with a compromise solution. Nothing beats the oc703. But this may be kind of hard to see. What you can see is that I am psychotic. I cut my granite slab off the bar. Then raised the bar 16" and re-attached the granite. I built a mini hush box under the granite for the pj and it is a little more discreet in the room without losing it's retro reflective efficiency with my high power screen. The view from the bar is better too. Has a command central feel to it now.

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/11-23010.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/11-23001.jpg

Old view
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IMG_0306.jpg

Yes. definitely liking the new look.
I always wish I can be that hands-on in building frames, cutting slabs and etc... Your theatre looks absolutely stunning and with that low cost, had to be one of the best price/performance category!
Sometimes, I wonder if any of you DIY would want be willing to do some contract work for a small fee :)

BTW, I like your idea of keeping the same image size for both 1.78 and 2.35 format. Given I do not see a A-lens in your setup, I assume you will be doing the zoom method.. Now, given your setup is not a CIH, do you have to constantly change the vertical lens shift?

Made a few changes to the room. Swapped out the existing side acoustic material and replaced it with 2" oc703. I meant to use this in the original construction but I could not find a good source so I punted and went with a compromise solution. Nothing beats the oc703. But this may be kind of hard to see. What you can see is that I am psychotic. I cut my granite slab off the bar. Then raised the bar 16" and re-attached the granite. I built a mini hush box under the granite for the pj and it is a little more discreet in the room without losing it's retro reflective efficiency with my high power screen. The view from the bar is better too. Has a command central feel to it now.

Old view


Did you do any before and after room measuring to see if there was any benefit to the 703 upgrade?

Your theater looks great - I cant believe I had not come across yours before - I thought I had searched every thread with an IB for sure. I debated doing an IB array like yours - I really like the look. I noticed your post where you said your house creaks when you crank up the subs - Is there anything that you would have done differently in construction to eliminate this - I'm hoping OSB and double drywall with green glue in between each layer will not squeak.

Did you do any before and after room measuring to see if there was any benefit to the 703 upgrade?

Very good question. Unfortunately, I don't. :o

Other than what I hear, I can see a drastic difference in how Auddysey sets up my channel levels as these are bumped up 2-3 db.

Yes. definitely liking the new look.
I always wish I can be that hands-on in building frames, cutting slabs and etc... Your theatre looks absolutely stunning and with that low cost, had to be one of the best price/performance category!
Sometimes, I wonder if any of you DIY would want be willing to do some contract work for a small fee :)

BTW, I like your idea of keeping the same image size for both 1.78 and 2.35 format. Given I do not see a A-lens in your setup, I assume you will be doing the zoom method.. Now, given your setup is not a CIH, do you have to constantly change the vertical lens shift?

Thanks!


Yeah, no lens so I zoom. The RS10 pj has powered zoom and focus. I have hot keyed these into the Harmony RF 890 remote so it is very easy to change aspect and focus. I can get right next to the screen to adjust focus and not have to point the remote at the pj. That said, would be nice if it had memory.

Your theater looks great - I cant believe I had not come across yours before - I thought I had searched every thread with an IB for sure. I debated doing an IB array like yours - I really like the look. I noticed your post where you said your house creaks when you crank up the subs - Is there anything that you would have done differently in construction to eliminate this - I'm hoping OSB and double drywall with green glue in between each layer will not squeak.

I tried to do a manifold, but it boiled down that the only spot I had was too close to the side walls so the driver would be right next to a wall - the array was the only option. I have not improved the back wave at all yet. It is still open framing. One of these days I will get around to finishing it with OSB, DD and GG. Fortunately, the back wave is in an isolated part of the house and takes a really special ULF scene to impact the main living areas - or my wife would have made it a priority for me. :)

Have not posted for a while but have still been busy working on the room. Seems like you are never truly done - if you don't want to be. :)

One of the things I just added was fabric posters to the side walls. My wife likes the fabric look better than paper posters and there is zero reflection off them. The frames are velvet wrapped as well so really disappear during a movie.

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/Thor.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/PussandThor-1.jpg

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/GoCaboNow/IronmanandWalle.jpg

Thanks again to this thread for clueing me in to these fabric posters.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1316623&highlight=acoustical+movie]DYI Movie Poster Acoustical Panels[/URL]<br /><br />I also I had a star ceiling painted on the ceiling, if you want to see those pictures, please head on over to the post from the guy who did it!! <br /><br />[URL="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=20815913#post20815913

Very slick, I really like the look of those posters. Well done.

Regards,

RTROSE

Thor and Puss in Boots....? :P

Thor and Puss in Boots....? :P

I know, classics. :p

Actually, Thor is the god of thunder which is appropriate for a theater with an IB set up. :cool: :)

The posters are more for my kids and as they grow older maybe the posters will change? :) The posters are really pretty cheap and easy to change out. Depending how you format your file the posters are $14-19 each landed. So pretty painless to swap them out on a whim or as something new comes out.

haha fair enough. Sad what the kids grow up with these days in comparison to me in the 80s. Of course, rose colored glasses and such. But still, Labyrinth!

haha fair enough. Sad what the kids grow up with these days in comparison to me in the 80s. Of course, rose colored glasses and such. But still, Labyrinth!

I used to love the Labyrinth! Now, I'm afraid to watch it again for fear it will ruin my childhood. I mean, what's up with David Bowie's hair..... Oh wait, I remember. The 80's are when White Rain (http://www.whiterain.com/) could print money!