Finally, finally..... work has begun on my dedicated home theater.

My wife thought of the name, and it has some meaning.... I met my wife on an airplane, in the month of November. I proposed to her, on an airplane, in the month of November. Our daughter we were told we couldn't have, was conceived in November.... so it's a special month. Plus my birthday is in November so that's cool too.

I'm still tweaking the design (thanks to BigmouthinDC for the help). Here's the plan...

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/layoutflipped_2.jpg

I'm going to put the equipment rack outside of the room now, to help with sound and the look of things. The columns will be built into the room too, not how the drawing shows.

Here's the room, before construction (the back wall is the rear of the HT.

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_5901.jpg

About 2/3 of the walls are done and that's where I am right now.

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_6121.jpg


The framing is just tacked in place right now so I can remove the pieces. I did this so I the HVAC sub-contractor can move the main trunk line.

As far as plans for the rest of the room, the screen will be 92-100", 8 chairs, full stage and riser of course, 7.1 sound, wall sconces, 6 zone Grafik Eye controls, double drywall with GOM (black on bottom and a design on top....

I'm also finishing the rest of my basement at the same time, but will try and get the theater done first to start enjoying it.

Wish me luck.... You can check out a bunch of additional pics on my website.

Here's the GOM combination I'm thinking of using. Black on the bottom and the design on the top.

EDIT - Lost the picture and can't show you.... didn't use it anyways :-)

Congrats. I like the color combination. Looks like you'll have a nice space when you're done.

Looks very nice, will come out great.

Good luck with the project and keep us updated with lots of pictures (:

Thanks.

Something else I didn't post was the room size. It's going to be around 14 x 20 with ceilings just over 8 feet.

Originally posted by jerrodshook
.... I met my wife on an airplane, in the month of November. I proposed to her, on an airplane, in the month of November. Our daughter we were told we couldn't have, was conceived in November....

...on an airplane? :)


Cool looking theatre. Keep us posted as you move along.

Jerrod,

I was actually looking at your other swatch you didn't select (http://theater.loosechangerocks.net/img6033.jpg) but I like what you did select. I'm still out on what I'm going "GOM wise", I need to go back and review all the samples again.

Have you figured out the equipment yet? Speakers? Looks like you're going to recess your surrounds in the walls versus columns?

Looking good...

Bud

Keep the progress pictures coming, it's looks like you are off to a good start.

Just curious if this is a going to be an inspected or below the radar theater.

The reason I ask is that it's not obvious from the pictures how you plan to deal with the fire-stop issues at the tops of the exterior walls.

Originally posted by mbishop
...on an airplane? :)


Cool looking theatre. Keep us posted as you move along.

Yeah, on an airplane. It's a long story.... to make it even better, my ex-girlfriend was sitting between us.


Originally posted by chinadog
Jerrod,

I was actually looking at your other swatch you didn't select but I like what you did select. I'm still out on what I'm going "GOM wise", I need to go back and review all the samples again.

Have you figured out the equipment yet? Speakers? Looks like you're going to recess your surrounds in the walls versus columns?

Looking good...

Bud

Bud, my wife was a fan of the other swatch, so I didn't push the issue. I'm sure everyone can relate to that. For equipment, I already have a Harmon Kardon AVR7200. I'm planning on 7.1 sound and am considering B&W, Paradigm and the Mythos speakers from Def Tech. I was originally going to recess the speakers, but now I'm going to build columns in the room for the speakers. Project is up in the air, but it will be a DLP or LCD.


Originally posted by BIGmouthinDC
Keep the progress pictures coming, it's looks like you are off to a good start.

Just curious if this is a going to be an inspected or below the radar theater.

The reason I ask is that it's not obvious from the pictures how you plan to deal with the fire-stop issues at the tops of the exterior walls.

Under the radar.... I've been away at a wedding all weekend, but actually wanted to start a new thread about the fire blocking. I have a few ideas on how to do it, but haven't decided. I thought about using drywall in the space and having it butt up against the 2 walls. That is probably sufficient, but I'm still looking.

I do plan on hiring a licensed 3rd party inspector a couple times during the build to check things out and make sure I'm on the right track. My house is getting close to 1 year old, so I'm going to have a guy do an inspection for my warranty submission to the builder.

I think I'm going to go down and work now....

Did a little more framing last night.... finished the entrance wall where the door will be. For now, the walls are just tacked into place.

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_6199.jpg

Another view....
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_6202.jpg

I have about 1/4" gap between the top plate of this wall and the existing beam for the 1st floor. I want to keep this de-coupled, but I'm not sure the best way to attach it. I though about using rubber spacers in between and just screwing it together. Here's a closeup of what I mean. Any ideas?

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_6203.jpg

No new progress over the weekend. The wife had about 25 plants and shrubs that she wanted planted..... Such fun that is.

Had another HVAC subcontractor looking at things today. I liked the guy, but they don't do work without a permit. I'm now thinking I might get one instead of just having it inspected along the way by a 3rd party.

Anyways, any comments on my previous post about decoupling the top plate/walls from the beam supporting the first floor?

Yeah, on an airplane. It's a long story.... to make it even better, my ex-girlfriend was sitting between us.


I think he was asking if your daughter was conceived on the air plane :)

Yeah, on an airplane. It's a long story.... to make it even better, my ex-girlfriend was sitting between us.....

You Lucky DOG!!! :p rofl

I think he was asking if your daughter was conceived on the air plane :)
No... she wasn't. I fly a lot and find that whole mile high club thing to be pretty impossible. Only on a long flight to Europe or something like that.

No more progress on the HT. I was in Sweden last week and am finishing up drawings to get my permit. ... since I've decided to get one now. The unfortunate thing is that the month of June is pretty much a waste for me since I've got a bunch of travel for work, 2 weddings, vacation, etc.... Wondering if I'll ever get finished.

Jerrod

My wife thought of the name, and it has some meaning.... I met my wife on an airplane, in the month of November. I proposed to her, on an airplane, in the month of November. Our daughter we were told we couldn't have, was conceived in November....



I hope this was not ALL in the same flight! :D Adds new meaning to the mile high club :eek:


I love your color combination you picked. Good luck.

I hope this was not ALL in the same flight! :D Adds new meaning to the mile high club :eek:

I love your color combination you picked. Good luck.

Nah, not all in the same flight. That would be too much!

Thanks on the colors. I really like it too. what I'd really like is some time to keep working!!! I was in Sweden last week, DC this week, vacation next week, etc.... After a quick start things have came to a screaching halt.

I'm sure that's never happened to anyone else.... :)

Jerrod, consider Onix Rocket speakers by AV123. I ditched B&W's from my plan once I heard these beauties and saw how much I could save on them over the B&W's. Real wood veneers, super prices, a great family. Even better, their reference series are even sweeter than the Rockets.

I have looked at them and even talked with Marc a couple times about them. I guess it just scares me about not being able to hear them. When someone posts a question "What speakers should I buy?" the common answer (and the right one) is to go listen and see what you like. I agree, they look great and the reviews I've read sound as if they are phenomenal speakers.

Unfortunately, I still have a long ways to go before I'm worried about what speakers to buy....

Way too long since I've posted.... I travel for work, throw in a couple weeks of vacation (on the road too) and I just haven't had any time. I've pretty much finalized my drawings and plan to get my permit. Already have the HVAC guy scheduled to relocate some existin stuff and install my new dedicated system for the basement.

Here's links to a couple of the layout drawings I've done.... Any comments are more than welcome!

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/layout.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/lights.jpg

Jerrod,

Holy Cans! I woudn't want your electric bill! Love the planning. Keep up the good work!

How would you get wires and cables from one side of the new doorway to the other side without having to bore many holes through the thick wood beam above. I take it that the headroom under the wood beam is insufficient to have an air space (with a few short studs called cripples) above the top of the door.

I was going to ask the same question about getting wires and cables horizontally past the metal columns in that same wall but then I noticed you are using 2x6 framing (5-1/2 inch wall cavity) and the columns are only about 3 inches in diameter.

Jerrod,

Holy Cans! I woudn't want your electric bill! Love the planning. Keep up the good work!

Yeah it's a lot of can lights, but I'm putting all the time and money into my entire basement, I'm going to do it right. Plus, the only times I'll have all those lights on are for parties and stuff.... Still, I dread the electric bill!

How would you get wires and cables from one side of the new doorway to the other side without having to bore many holes through the thick wood beam above. I take it that the headroom under the wood beam is insufficient to have an air space (with a few short studs called cripples) above the top of the door.

I was going to ask the same question about getting wires and cables horizontally past the metal columns in that same wall but then I noticed you are using 2x6 framing (5-1/2 inch wall cavity) and the columns are only about 3 inches in diameter.

I'm not 100% sure I understand your question, but I'll take a stab at it. Above the wood beam, I've got 10-12" of room. The joists for the 1st floor are sitting on top of the beam, and that gives me plenty of room to feed wires. I won't feed anything above the door.

The steel posts have 7 1/4" plates that attach to the floor and the beam. So, in between my entrance hall and the HT I used 2x8's for the top and bottom of the wall instead of 2x6's.

Spent some time this weekend framing other parts of my basement. More pictures posted to my website in the "Framing" area.

I also mocked my screen in position... just used 2x4's. Finalized placement of my stage and side columns. Still debating on the final location of the rear columns to hold be rear surround speakers.

I can't do much more until my HVAC work is done. Hopefully that will be done in a couple weeks.... just waiting on the contractor.

Well, I'm making a bit more headway. It doesn't look like I've done much, but I have some of the nasty work out of the way....

Here's a pic of some fireblocking. Since in this area (left HT wall) I have about 5 inches of space, I used 2 - 2x4"s to take up some space and then draped insulation over it. This will help hold the insulation in place and keep my walls decoupled from the rest of the house. In the next pic, you'll see the wall in place.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/172_7213_2.jpg
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/172_7214_2.jpg

Here's the outer wall of my equipment rack. Not a ton to see right now....
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/172_7216_2.jpg

Here's the last shot of my main HVAC trunkline feeding the 1st floor. The HVAC crew is showing up tomorrow to move it to the other side of my stairs. This will give me a lot of extra ceiling room in the HT and game room. The HT is in the back and the pool table is gonna go in the area between my sawhorses and wall on the left.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/172_7231_2.jpg

Now some electrical.....

Check out this piece of sh*t job my builders electrical sub did. The big gray cable is my main feed going to my 200A panel in the garage. They ran all of my network and coax cables right over it. There are a few other locations where they ran line voltage 110V wires alongside network and cable lines. Needless to say, I'll be tearing all that out and re-doing it all.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/171_7198_2.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/172_7201_2.jpg

Now this is a hi-tech, audiophile system! Sharp rules! They don't make 'em like this anymore....
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/172_7203_2.jpg

These are the boxes for the future sconces on the left side HT wall.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/172_7225_2.jpg

For my rear sconces, I had a major brain fart! I measured things out and marked the center of my 2 rear columns. So, instead of then marking where the 3 sconces would go in between, I just put the boxes right in the middle of where the columns are gonna go. Dumb dumb dumb!!!! So after pulling the wire into them, I finally woke up and beat my head against the wall for a while. See the before and after pics below.... you'll be able to see where I had the sconces before.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/172_7226_2.jpg
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/172_7228_2.jpg

Here's the power feed to the equipment rack. I'm using 1 - 20A feed here. The theater lights and outlets will be on their own separate feed.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/172_7227_2.jpg


I have a bunch more pictures up on my website. I've done quite a bit of framing and wiring for the rest of my basement. I'll post more in the next couple of days once my HVAC is re-done.

Ahh, how I remember those days. It was like yesterday (well, maybe a month ago). Great progress, Jerrod. Are we having fun yet?

Bud

Ahh, how I remember those days. It was like yesterday (well, maybe a month ago). Great progress, Jerrod. Are we having fun yet?

Bud
Actually I am.... the sconce deal wasn't fun, but that kind of stuff is going to happen. I have yet to hit the wall of just being sick of walking down the basement stairs. Looking at pics of everyone elses HT's is a good motivating factor!

Now, I'm waiting on my HVAC guys to get here. My 1st floor A/C will be off most of the day and it's supposed to be 95+ degrees....

I have looked at them and even talked with Marc a couple times about them. I guess it just scares me about not being able to hear them. When someone posts a question "What speakers should I buy?" the common answer (and the right one) is to go listen and see what you like. I agree, they look great and the reviews I've read sound as if they are phenomenal speakers.

Unfortunately, I still have a long ways to go before I'm worried about what speakers to buy....

It is never to early to get your gear.
You should have your speakers for the purpose of knowing how big you are going to make your columns. Your center channel is another consideration as to how big of an area you will need for it.
You don't want to get you self pigeon holed into not being able to get the speakers you want because you don't have the room for them. :(

Craig

I have about 1/4" gap between the top plate of this wall and the existing beam for the 1st floor. I want to keep this de-coupled, but I'm not sure the best way to attach it. I though about using rubber spacers in between and just screwing it together. Here's a closeup of what I mean. Any ideas?

http://theater.loosechangerocks.net/img6204.jpg

I can relate to this problem.
In the end, my theater design and the beam going across my ceiling did not factor into my construction. But, for quite some time I thought it was going to be a real obstacle. At the time, I was planning on doing exactly what you are mentioning. There is a rubber and plastics dealer in my area that would custom design/build whatever I wanted. The key was, I felt that just any rubber would not work. A hard rubber surface would probably transfer sound just as badly as wood.
I was going to use a soft rubbery compound.
Then, I was also afraid of the rubber product compacting over time and maybe even drying out, loosing its effectiveness. In the end, there were just to many negatives outweighing the positives and I decided against running my wall under the structural support beam.
I now have an unwanted post in back area of my theater, but sound isolation was a major concern of mine and I have spent a lot of money to achieve isolation from the rest of my home. I didn't want to roll the dice.
I would talk with the guys at Audio Alloy. (makers of Green Glue). Perhaps they have a recommendation for you. Perhaps the GG would work in your situation.

Good luck

Craig

It is never to early to get your gear.
You should have your speakers for the purpose of knowing how big you are going to make your columns. Your center channel is another consideration as to how big of an area you will need for it.
You don't want to get you self pigeon holed into not being able to get the speakers you want because you don't have the room for them. :(

Craig
I think I've settled on Ascends. I've just read too much good stuff about them and they're more in the wifes price range. I'm also looking at the Aperions as well, but they're more money and I haven't as much about them. The Rockets are just a bit out of my range....

I can relate to this problem.
In the end, my theater design and the beam going across my ceiling did not factor into my construction. But, for quite some time I thought it was going to be a real obstacle. At the time, I was planning on doing exactly what you are mentioning. There is a rubber and plastics dealer in my area that would custom design/build whatever I wanted. The key was, I felt that just any rubber would not work. A hard rubber surface would probably transfer sound just as badly as wood.
I was going to use a soft rubbery compound.
Then, I was also afraid of the rubber product compacting over time and maybe even drying out, loosing its effectiveness. In the end, there were just to many negatives outweighing the positives and I decided against running my wall under the structural support beam.
I now have an unwanted post in back area of my theater, but sound isolation was a major concern of mine and I have spent a lot of money to achieve isolation from the rest of my home. I didn't want to roll the dice.
I would talk with the guys at Audio Alloy. (makers of Green Glue). Perhaps they have a recommendation for you. Perhaps the GG would work in your situation.

Good luck

Craig
I might be able to use DC04 clips.... My beam is about 5.5" wide, and I used 2x8's for this wall. So, my hope is that I'll be able to attach them to hold the wall in place. That will also keep things de-coupled.

As far as GG, I'm still on the fence about it.... It will probably boil down to cost and if I can talk my wife into it. :)

I think I've settled on Ascends. I've just read too much good stuff about them and they're more in the wifes price range. I'm also looking at the Aperions as well, but they're more money and I haven't as much about them. The Rockets are just a bit out of my range....

Jerrod and Craig,

I haven't posted this in my thread yet because I haven't gotten to it, but I'm going with the Ascend 340s in the front. I haven't bought them yet. Because my side surrounds are in a weird location (above the door) and the fact that I didn't want columns, I'm putting in in-ceilings for the side surrounds. I just decided to match the rear surrounds as well, instead of going with in-walls or on-walls. I did a little investigation (including talking to Ascend) and Ascend recommends the S622TRs (http://www.sonance.com/subs/product_details.php?product_id=311) to match the Ascends. I ordered two pair last week from two different companies and one arrived today. They'll fit perfectly where I need them in the side soffit. Also, the in-ceilings that I put in the bar/gameroom are Hometech, which apparently are also made by Sonance. Anyway, they're pretty reasonable for surrounds. I plan on getting the Ascends in the not so distant future, when I have the cash. In the meantime I'll start building my proscenium and stage using the Ascend dimensions published in mind and adding some for flexibility or change of mind later.

Edit:
Here's the Sonance site (http://www.sonance.com/subs/products.php?category_id=1)

Bud

Jerrod and Craig,

I haven't posted this in my thread yet because I haven't gotten to it, but I'm going with the Ascend 340s in the front. I haven't bought them yet. Because my side surrounds are in a weird location (above the door) and the fact that I didn't want columns, I'm putting in in-ceilings for the side surrounds. I just decided to match the rear surrounds as well, instead of going with in-walls or on-walls. I did a little investigation (including talking to Ascend) and Ascend recommends the S622TRs (http://www.sonance.com/subs/product_details.php?product_id=311) to match the Ascends. I ordered two pair last week from two different companies and one arrived today. They'll fit perfectly where I need them in the side soffit. Also, the in-ceilings that I put in the bar/gameroom are Hometech, which apparently are also made by Sonance. Anyway, they're pretty reasonable for surrounds. I plan on getting the Ascends in the not so distant future, when I have the cash. In the meantime I'll start building my proscenium and stage using the Ascend dimensions published in mind and adding some for flexibility or change of mind later.

Edit:
Here's the Sonance site (http://www.sonance.com/subs/products.php?category_id=1)

Bud

I'm planning on the 340's for front, left and right. The 170's for the side and rear surrounds. For a sub, I'm leaning towards the SVS 20-39 PCi. The cylindrical shape will make it easier to fit behind/beside the screen.

More work done today. I took the day off and worked on things while the HVAC guys were moving my trunkline.

Here's where it used to be.....
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/172_7235_2.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/172_7236_2.jpg


The next 2 pictures show where the HVAC return will be in the HT. It's going to mounted on the left side wall, behind the prosceniuim so it's completely out of sight. It will be at the ceiling level and an 8" supply to the room will also enter in this area. The HVAC guys will have this run tomorrow.... then I'll frame around it.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/172_7241_2.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/172_7242_2.jpg


This is the completed front wall, taken from my bar/kitchen area. The pool table will be in the area round the sawhorses.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/172_7243_2.jpg


This one is taken from the back of the HT, looking at the front wall. It is a staggered stud wall and you can see the opening for the return on the left. On the right side, I'll have another 8" supply coming into the HT. I'll build a soffit down the left and right sides of the room, and plan to make a tray with rope lighting in it. You can see the mess behind the wall.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/172_7247_2.jpg


Not bad for a day's work..... The HVAC crew is coming back tomorrow to finish up the first flor stuff and will run the ductwork for the basement. I'll buy the heat pump and air handler sometime in the future, when I have the $$$.

My aperion speakers just arrived. I've yet to hook them up in the desired setup (waiting for paint to dry before mounting them), but I did take the center out and hooked it up. It sounds great. The speakers are solid. I'd definitely check them out, and there is no risk for 30 days.

I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on the Aperion's.... the free return shipping sure does make it inviting to try them out.

Well, the HVAC guys finished the rough-in of all my new ductwork today. I'll post pics in a couple days. Right now, I'm sitting in an airport, with a delayed flight. Flying on the east coast during summer time sure is fun! :mad:

Well, all of my HVAC rough-in is done. It only set me back a cool $2,500... but I feel it was well spent since I have no experience with HVAC and it certainly wasn't a 1 man job......

Here's the front left corner of the HT where the return box is. A 10" duct is attached and it's a standard 14x20 box. I'll mount this right in the top corner and it will be out of sight behind the proscenium and fabric. There are 2 - 8" supply ducts coming into the room and you can see 1 of them in this pic.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/172_7251.jpg

This one is taken from the front... you can see the supply ducts on the sides. I will arrange them so they blow air out towards the middle of the room, instead of downwards.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/172_7254.jpg

This is where the new air handler is gonna go. Most likely I'll be installing a Carrier system that controls both temperature and humidity. They put a VFD on the air handler so it can control the fan speed. For humidity control, it runs the fan at a slow speed to allow the coils to remove moisture, but not really affect the temperature too much. I like that feature, especially since this is in a basement.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/172_7255.jpg

Another one from the outside of the room, looking at the screen wall.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/172_7259.jpg

I have some more framing to finish up and quite a bit of wiring to do before my first inspection.

I was going to use this box for my Grafik Eye, but after reading the Sticky thread, I see that a 3 1/2" masonry box is recommended. This box I have is only 2 1/2" deep. Can you get this deeper box at HD or Lowe's?

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/172_7250_2.jpg

Spent more time working over the weekend... just trying to get my framing done for the rest of the basement.

This picture shows the HT equipment rack location. On the left side wall, I'll put movie posters and maybe some Dolby, DTS and THX signs...
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/172_7289.jpg


This leads to the playroom that will be in the other side of the basement. Access to the existing HVAC unit and a couple closets in here.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/172_7295.jpg

This is the bathroom entrance.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/172_7298.jpg


Unfortunately, my wife is on a business trip for the next 10 days.... so it will be tough to get much done since I have to take care of our 2 year old. :eek:

Wow. Certainly looks like you have progressed from when I saw it back in July. Can't wait to get back up there and see the latest.

Melissa has been begging to get up there. Anyhow, saw your thread and wanted to let you know it looks great.

Talk soon.

Robert Kohn
Orlando, FL

Wow. Certainly looks like you have progressed from when I saw it back in July. Can't wait to get back up there and see the latest.

Melissa has been begging to get up there. Anyhow, saw your thread and wanted to let you know it looks great.

Talk soon.

Robert Kohn
Orlando, FL
I guess I missed your post somehow... Lori told me you aren't starting the business up here now. Too bad about that.... You're more than welcome anytime to stop by!

More progress.... the past couple of weeks have been dedicated to finishing up all the framing and working on soffits. I will post pictures in a couple days once I have a chance.

For the soffits, I used 2x4's instead of 2x2's or something else. When I bought all of my lumber, I bought 2x12's, even though I only needed 8 and 10 footers. I figured I would use the left over pieces on the soffits and it's worked pretty well so far. What a time consuming, tedious process is it to build those and put them up on your own.

The next step is to finish the rest of the framing/soffits and then to buy all of the light housings, RSIC clips for the ceiling and walls, RG6 and Cat 6 wires, etc. Then drywalling wil start.

where R U buyin' your RSIC clips from?

Jerrod,

Dude, two months have passed, are you still movning forward or stalled?

Bud

where R U buyin' your RSIC clips from?
I haven't bought them yet, but will most likely get them from members bpape or Dennis.

Tell your wife.....I love the name of your theater. Not only is it original and sounds cool, it means something to you.

I have a dedicated HT up my sleeve also but I'm being very tight-lipped about it. I just hope someone doesn't take my theater name before my opening date. :)

Good luck and have fun!

Jerrod,

Dude, two months have passed, are you still movning forward or stalled?

Bud
I'm still around. Work has been extremely busy lately, plus I had 4 nieces/nephews for a week that were displaced because of Hurricane Wilma, Penn State is good this year so Saturdays have been dedicated to football, the list goes on and on. Like you, I have an entire basement (1800-1900 sq ft) that I'm finishing, so I can't focus all my time in 1 room.

Actually, I've done quite a bit, but it's the little things, but has to be done. I've been working on soffits, wiring, recessed cans, more wiring, final framing stuff, etc..... I'll post some pictures tonight if I can get to it.

I checked out your thread a few nights ago. Looks like you're coming along! I think I've made the decision that I'm not going to do the drywall by myself. It's just too much!

Can understand and relate. I just wanted to see how things were going. Life takes its turns, glad you're still progressing.

Still plugging away as you have seen. Trying to pick up the pace some, stealing a few hours here and there during the week and trying to maximize productive time on the weekends. Seems like I keep going through buckets of mud, but it's slow getting to that finish line.

Can understand the drywall decision. I knew it would be some hard work and take some time ( :confused: trying to find something else witty to say here to make it sound like it wasn't toooo bad, but I think all the drywall dust is getting to me) but I'm almost at the end of that road. I think I'd do it again assuming I had the time.

Looking forward to your pics when you get to them.

Bud

This is taken from the kitchen area, looking at the HT. Soffits on the sides are finally done!
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/173_7314.jpg


What a mess this is! My builder just didn't do a good job at all on wiring. They had the CAT 5, RG6 and security system wiring just runn all over the place, parallel to electric wiring, in the same holes thru joists, just a mess. I spent a good4-6 hours pulling all of this back as far as I could. Then, I ran it all separately and did it the right way. I had thoughts of ripping out the CAT5 and putting in CAT6. Like I said, I had thoughts.....
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/173_7316.jpg

I moved the box to the other side of the wall. All of the low voltage wiring, phone, cable, etc will be in this closet under the stairs. I'm also going to run the whole house audio from here too. Probably with a CAV6.6 from Russound.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/173_7317.jpg

Here's the HVAC return in the HT. I wanted it to remain out of sight, so I mounted it to the front wall. The stage and proscenium will hide it from sight. I'll still have room for speakers and to get in there to change filters too.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/173_7322.jpg

Another soffit picture from the pool/card table area. I CAN"T STRESS THIS ENOUGH! Ask your wife at least 3 times before you do something. I originally had this soffit done, installed with square, 90 degree angles. My wife didn't like it, so I tore it down and angled it like this. I must say, I like it better this way and am glad she had me change it, but damn I wish it would have been that way the first time.... ;)
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/175_7531.jpg

Here's the other soffit I remade. It helped open this room up a bit more. Under the soffits, the ceiling is around 7'5"
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/179_7955.jpg

More soffitts. This is taken from the bottom of my stairs. The HT is on the right and the equipment rack is straight ahead. Still a bit more to finish here, but I'm waiting to get DC04 clips so I can anchor the wall to the concrete exterior wall. You'll also notice 2 electrical boxes on the left wall. These will be for lighted poster boxes I'll build sometime down the road.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/179_7953.jpg

I built the doorway to the equipment closet. You can see the wiring is a bit cleaned up, but still have a lot to do. I'm going to build wood columns around the steel posts and stain them.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/179_7954.jpg

A shot of the recessed cans above the pool table area. There will be sconces on the wall straight ahead and you can also see the HVAC return on the right side. I plan on building a shelf out from each soffit for my beer bottle collection. Debating on putting rope light there as well....
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/179_7956.jpg

This is a little nitch in the wall at the bottom of the stairs.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/179_7957.jpg

You're getting there! Looks good. Don't you love how the wife never comes down stairs but when she does she always has a suggestion after the fact?

I remember those framing days, that was the fun part. I start my construction thread in the middle of June and at that point I was done with framing and electrical, so I really started a few months before that. In fact, looking at my some of my framing pictures, the earliest I see is dated on January 6 and looking at those I had already framed out a bathroom, closed up a few walls and started soffits. Based on that, I started officially in December! Man, eleven months already and just finishing up drywall. I'm sure you'll beat that record

Hang in there!

Bud

My favorite is when they go bragging to people that "we" are finishing the basement? Every time I hear her say that I ask "Who's we?". :-D.

Guess I need to take some pics of my work in progress. I finished all of my electrical in time to change the entire layout of my HT. It's for the better though. Simpler, cheaper, and fewer concessions on the layout of the room. I think I'll start a new thread tonight as I'm sure I'll get a suggestion or three.

Keep up the pics, I love getting ideas from here.

Jason

Did more work last night, building columns around existing steel posts, framing, etc....

Hey, what happened to your photo album? Looks like "Loose Change" has taken over!

Bud

I have no idea. Loose Change is my band and I was messing around with an automated website builder thru my host. Somehow, everything on the subdomain isn't accessible anymore. Not sure why....

It's fixed now.

I really need to post more about what I'm doing but it's all so boring. Just finishing up other areas of my basement. Hopefully, I'll be ready for my first inspection in early January.

links are broken again

Working for me!

Bud

weird, all i see is red x's

Phantom,

You're correct. I was talking about the link in Jerrods signature. I use Firfix, so it doesn't show the Xs, just leaves them blank. I took a gander in IE when I saw your response.

Bud

Hmmm.... works for me, but I use Firefox. I have a ton more pictures to add, but work has been kicking my butt lately and I just can't find the time.

I absolutely LOVE the name of your theater!!!
I am a November child myself.
How about a November sky star ceiling?

I absolutely LOVE the name of your theater!!!
I am a November child myself.
How about a November sky star ceiling?
Lisa,
After seeing Sandman do it in his theater, I really think I might give it a try. My wife really loved the pictures I showed her.... I guess it will just come down to money and me being willing to tackle something else. 1,700+ square feet is enough!

I'll post some pictures tonight as well with updates.

Well, I've been working lately on pulling the coax and CAT 5e in the entire basement. I bought the quad shield RG6 and 350Mhz CAT 5e from Parts Express. They were offering free shipping a month or so ago, so I snagged it.

This pic is of the HT rack. I ran 2 RG6 and 2 CAT5e wires to the rack from the main cable/phone closet. Not sure if it's overkill or not, but since I had to run 1, I figured 2 wouldn't hurt.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/181_8133.jpg

Here's the stage wall. I've got 3 electical outlets and 1 other box with 1 RG6 and 1 CAT 5e.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/181_8134.jpg
I think I'm going run at least 3 more RG6 for and make component video out of it. Either that or I'll buy a 50 ft cable and also run sterio audio cables. I want to be able to hookup an XBOX or PS 2 or 3 in the room.
I'm thinking of using this wall plate, or something similar. (http://www2.dvigear.com/covistauwapl.html)

They also have DVI and HDMI wall plates so I can do just about whatever I want. This will probably mean running a 2-3" conduit from the rack to the front of the HT.

My builder screwed up when he roughed in my bathroom in the basement. In NC, you need 15" from the shower door to the toilet, and the sink was too close to the toilet too..... so, they had to jackhammer up the floor and re-route the drains. Waiting on the inspector to give it his blessing and then the builder will come back in and fill the hole.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/181_8135.jpg
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/181_8140.jpg

I'm hoping to start drywall by February...... really, really hoping!!! :confused:

BIG UPDATE! My digital camera broke so no pictures until I get a new one.

Just ordered my speakers and subwoofer..... I ordered a 7.1 setup from Ascend and Hsu. I'll use the new 340 SE's across the front and 4 - 170 SE's for the surrounds. The sub is the new VTF3-HO with turbo. I can't wait to get these, if only the room was done!

As far as my HT and the rest of the basement, I finished up most of the plumbing for the bathroom and kitchen areas. I just got a 3 1/2" deep, 4 gang masonry box for the Grafik Eye. I have a bit more wiring to do and then get my first inspection for rough-in. I am going to put a smoke detector wired to the others in my house in the HT. I am also going to install a doorbell strobe light and put it behind the proscenium. If the family and I are watching a movie, the light will flash if someone hits the doorbell. I have some wiring for that and my IR system to install yet....

I have electrical and plumbing inspectors coming out tomorrow to check things out.

I am also going to install a doorbell strobe light and put it behind the proscenium. If the family and I are watching a movie, the light will flash if someone hits the doorbell. I have some wiring for that and my IR system to install yet....


Hi,
This is a great idea. Could you elaborate more on how you're doing this? I would like to do something similar.

thanks

Hi,
This is a great idea. Could you elaborate more on how you're doing this? I would like to do something similar.

thanks

Yeah, I'm just planning on running an extra phone line and a wire from the doorbell transformer to the front wall of my HT.

Here's an audible alarm that hook's up to a doorbell or phone line. (http://store.yahoo.com/nfss/dscomdoortel.html)
Here's a strobe light that hooks up to a doorbell or phone line. (http://store.yahoo.com/nfss/mili.html)

For the strobe, my plan is to set it just behind the black GOM around the screen so it it flashes during a movie I will notice it.

There are some other products out there.... you just need to search for websites for the blind.

Yeah, I'm just planning on running an extra phone line and a wire from the doorbell transformer to the front wall of my HT.

Here's an audible alarm that hook's up to a doorbell or phone line. (http://store.yahoo.com/nfss/dscomdoortel.html)
Here's a strobe light that hooks up to a doorbell or phone line. (http://store.yahoo.com/nfss/mili.html)

For the strobe, my plan is to set it just behind the black GOM around the screen so it it flashes during a movie I will notice it.

There are some other products out there.... you just need to search for websites for the blind.
thanks for the link and tip. looks easy enough.
You da man!!

Jerrod,

Interesting. I have a HAI Omnipro II in the house and when the fire alarm goes off, all the X10 switches will toggle on and off. All my dimmers are X10 in the theater, so that's nice. I also an alarm speaker in the HT room. I need to figure out if there is an X10 doorbell or something I can tie into the doorbell to send a signal. I can use an X10 outlet to power a light in the HT theater (like the step light or rope light) or strobe.

So is that concrete floor finished yet?

Bud

Just got up from the basement.... tons of electrical stuff tonight.

Had an electrical inspector and plumbing inspector at the house today. The plumbing guy was the chief inspector, but for some reason he couldn't approve anything. I have to get the "regular" guy out here to check out stuff. Unreal.... so, the floor is still all tore to hell Bud.

The electrical guy was really picky about stuff, but gave me some good tips. I thought I was close to done but have quite a bit more stuff to get up to code. He was giving me some grief about having all my soffits done and stage lights, etc. I guess it's not everyday they're inspecting real HT's....

Funny (but really sad) story, depending how you look at it. Two houses up from me is a new house that a couple was supposed to close on next week. Well, a worker finishing up in the house left a sink running on the second floor. Somehow it overflowed and for an entire night and next morning, water was running!!!!!!!!!! I guess all the drywall on the first floor ceiling, much of the walls, kitchen hardwoods, etc all destroyed. The basement was filling up too.

Glad that wasn't me, knock on wood!

I hate hearing that about your neighbor's house. Amazing how ignorant people can be.

Keep pluggin'. You'll get there, Jerrod.

bud

BIG UPDATE! My digital camera broke so no pictures until I get a new one.

Just ordered my speakers and subwoofer..... I ordered a 7.1 setup from Ascend and Hsu. I'll use the new 340 SE's across the front and 4 - 170 SE's for the surrounds. The sub is the new VTF3-HO with turbo. I can't wait to get these, if only the room was done!

Jarrod,

Bud and I are interested in your HSU VTF3-HO w/ Turbo purchase. If you would please give us a blow-by-blow review of this sub (and the speakers) once you get them hooked up, that would be great! I'm contemplating the same sub also. May I ask what the cost of this monster was?

Jarrod,

Bud and I are interested in your HSU VTF3-HO w/ Turbo purchase. If you would please give us a blow-by-blow review of this sub (and the speakers) once you get them hooked up, that would be great! I'm contemplating the same sub also. May I ask what the cost of this monster was?
Well, I'd love to tell you what I think about the sub, but it's not even shipping yet. My guess is sometime in March I'll get my hands on it. Even then, my room is nowhere near ready so it will be awhile before I can really give it a good workout.

As far as the Ascends, I love them so far. I only have the front 3 hooked up and am really impressed. It's killing me looking at the 4 - 170's sitting on the floor next to my entertainment center, but with the layout of my family room there's no easy way to hook them up and run the wires. A lot of people say they sound neutral and don't add anything. I agree with that, although I think it's a bit hard to tell that unless you're doing direct comparisons.... The sound stage across the front 3 is seamless! I was watching some THX trailers (without surrounds.... :( ) and the sound moved across the front as if it was 1 big speaker.... For music, when listening in stereo only, I could swear music was coming from the center, but when I got really close nothing was. They are that good!

For music, I've only listened to Dream Theater and Tool so far. Both of these bands have fairly complex music with alot going on, and you can pick out all the parts. I play bass guitar and sing in a band and like to think I have a good ear... For speakers of relatively small size, they make big sound, big clean sound. I pushed them to -10db on my H/K AVR7200 and they were way loud, but not a hint of distortion or anything close to that.

Overall, I don't think you'll find a better combination than the AScends and Hsu sub. I can say this about the sub based on how favorable the MKII was and from a few people that have heard. Dave F at Ascend heard it at CES and said it was amazing!

Jarrod,

Thanks for the review. The Ascends sound like a excellent speaker and I've only heard positive reviews about them. I'm still deciding on my purchase so have time to change my mind a few dozen more times.

When do you expect to have you HT completed?

Steve

So is that concrete floor finished yet?

Bud
My inspector passed the piping changes. NOw my builder just has to come back and pour concrete and it's done.

I'm curious, how long have you been in your house? I ask because of the builder coming back. Must be less than a year.

Bud

Jarrod,

When do you expect to have you HT completed?

Steve
That's the million dollar question! I'm hoping by the summer I will at least have the HT done. I'm finishing 1700+ square feet of basement, so it's moving slower than I want it to.... but like a lot of others I'm a 1 man team and stuff takes time.

That being said, I've got quite a bit accomplished over the past couple weeks. I haven't bought a new digital camera yet to replace my broken one, so no new pics. Here's a list of what I've done recently:

- plumbing for kitchen and icemaker
- plumbing for bathroom and shower
- installed studor vents in both areas
- relocated existing doorbell transformer to equipment closet
- ran new control wire for new doorbell.strobe I'm putting in the HT
- ran new security wiring
- finished framing in equipment closet
- started running speaker wire for areas other than HT (Belden 5000UP 12 ga cable)
- ran wiring for new smoke detector in HT
- added rope light outlet in HT
- finished most of the Cat 5e and RG6 runs
- tied grounds together on all outlets and switches (for inspection)
- ran wire for separate GFI to kitchen (by code, has to be on a differnt circuit from the bathroom)
- ran supply to new 125A sub-panel
- installed breakers and 12/2 wiring into panel
- ran #8 copper for new HVAC unit (Carrier system with VFD on the fan motor)
- ran 12/2 for outside heat pump
- roughed in disconnects for heat pump and fan unit
- installed ceiling outlet for projector
- ordered RSIC and DC04 clips from AVS member bpape

That's most of it.... lots of odds and ends before my rough-in inspection. Hopefully I can get that done in the next 2 weeks or so. Nearly all of my framing is done and that's the next inspection. After that, I have an insulation inspection and then, finally, drywall can go up.

Initially, I was going to drywall the whole basement myself, but I'm going to sub it out. It would take me 6 months or more to get it all done. Once I get all my drywall up, then I can focus on 1 room at a time. The HT will be the first to finish.

As far as the HT, I've changed my plans a bit. Initially, I was going to do fabric on all the walls. Now, after seeing some pictures of some other theaters (BuffBaker and charlesB to name a few) I am going to go with more wood on the walls with some fabric panels. I'm not doing recessed cans and instead using track lighting. This limits the number of holes I have to cut in the drywall.

I am going to borrow my neighbors camera to get more pictures..... hopefully in the next couple of days.

I'm curious, how long have you been in your house? I ask because of the builder coming back. Must be less than a year.

Bud
A little over 1 1/2 years..... I raised hell with them about my bathroom rough-in not being up to code. I had my plumbing inspector come out to check things out and there were problems with the drains that were roughed in. In NC, the toilet has to be minimum 15 inches from the shower door opening. It was closer than that, so by code, I couldn't install my shower.

I went back to the builder and they agreed to come in, jackhammer the floor up and move the pipes. I was pleasantly surprised about it. If they hadn't done it, I would have raised hell.

Jerrod,

Interesting. I have a HAI Omnipro II in the house and when the fire alarm goes off, all the X10 switches will toggle on and off. All my dimmers are X10 in the theater, so that's nice. I also an alarm speaker in the HT room. I need to figure out if there is an X10 doorbell or something I can tie into the doorbell to send a signal. I can use an X10 outlet to power a light in the HT theater (like the step light or rope light) or strobe.

So is that concrete floor finished yet?

Bud
Bud,
Help me out with something. I want to put an alarm speaker in my HT. What wire did you run and do you have the speaker? My whole house is pre-wired for the security system and I'm getting it hooked up soon. I just don't know what to run for it.

Jerrod,

I can double check, but I believe they just a small gauge wire, like 22 gauge wire, to the speaker. You can probably use cat 5 or thermostat wire. It only uses two wires. Do you have the speaker? If so you can try some cat5 and see if it works.

Bud

No, I don't have the speaker yet. I do have some 18 gauge wire left over from doorbell re-wiring and motion sensors, so I'll probably just use that. I figured that would work, but since you did it already I figured I'd ask.

The company that did the home automation system installed it after we moved a couple of years ago. I'm sure 18 gague would work fine. Do you have access at the other end?

Bud

The company that did the home automation system installed it after we moved a couple of years ago. I'm sure 18 gague would work fine. Do you have access at the other end?

Bud
Yeah..... you seen any drywall up in my basement yet? :rolleyes:

Well, my controller is in a closet on the second floor, just not easy to run wires to!

Bud

Ah, sorry for the smart assed remark. All my wires for the security system terminate in the basement.

Still haven't bought or borrowed a camera yet! Hopefully, I'm about 2 weeks away from my rough-in inspection. My mechanical portion is done. Had my HVAC sub out last week to run the refrigerant and control wiring for the new heat pump. My plumbing is done too. Just have some electrical things to wrap up.

After that comes the framing inspection. I'm easily 90-95% done there. Just have some soffits to finish up and a couple columns. The toughest thing with this inspection is going to be fireblocking. When I framed my walls, I really wasn't thinking about fireblocking them and now it's not going to be very easy to do. Oh well, I'll manage.

After framing is the insulation inspection and then I can finally drywall. My goal is to have the whole basement drywalled in 2 months.

My wife and I have our 2nd child on the way, so I'm really trying to get things done before mid-July because I envision having a lot less time to work downstairs. Luckily, my wife is all for me working more on it!

Ah, sorry for the smart assed remark. All my wires for the security system terminate in the basement.
Actually, it was probably one of the nicer things said to me today! :o Congrats on the new addition (the baby, not the theater)! ;)

Bud

Bud,
Help me out with something. I want to put an alarm speaker in my HT. What wire did you run and do you have the speaker? My whole house is pre-wired for the security system and I'm getting it hooked up soon. I just don't know what to run for it.

You can use 18/2 or you can use 22/4 and twist 2 pairs together (IIRC this is equivalent to about 19/2).

What panel are you getting?

Tim

After that comes the framing inspection. I'm easily 90-95% done there. Just have some soffits to finish up and a couple columns. The toughest thing with this inspection is going to be fireblocking. When I framed my walls, I really wasn't thinking about fireblocking them and now it's not going to be very easy to do. Oh well, I'll manage.


I am in the same boat as you on this. I framed two walls without the fireblocking by mistake. Now I have to do it after the fact. I hope I don't have any problems. Your inspection will happen before mine. Please keep us posted on how you manage the fireblocking after the wall is up.

Thanks,
Dave

I am in the same boat as you on this. I framed two walls without the fireblocking by mistake. Now I have to do it after the fact. I hope I don't have any problems. Your inspection will happen before mine. Please keep us posted on how you manage the fireblocking after the wall is up.

Thanks,
Dave
Somehow, I'm either going to fill the gaps with drywall or 2x4's..... I'll try and get some pictures of it once I'm done. I've spent the last 4 days in Tampa and will be back home tomorrow so I can get back to work!

Still chugging along... more business trips the past couple weeks. I'm close to being done with all the rough-in stuff. It feels like I’ve been saying “A couple more weeks until my inspection” and I’m still saying it. Hopefully this weekend will allow me to get everything done for my rough-in inspection. I’m also hoping to get my framing signed off to.

Once that’s done, then I can insulate, get another inspection and then get the drywall up. Once I have drywall up, then I’m going to focus on 1 room at a time. Obviously, the HT will be the top priority!


1. Finally, and I stress finally, got the holes in my floor filled in with concrete. Pics of that coming.

2. Decided to eliminate ceiling lights and go with the star ceiling. My zones will be:

Zone 1 - Stage lights (total of 5)
Zone 2 - Wall Sconces (total of 8)
Zone 3 - Riser Lights
Zone 4 - Rope Light in Tray Ceiling
Zone 5 - Star Ceiling
Zone 6 - ?????


3. Ran speaker wires in my pool/bar area.

4. Framed the doorway into my future wine cellar next to the HT.

5. Ran 18/2 wire for the strobe light I'll use for the doorbell and phone. Also ran 18/2 for an alarm system speaker in the HT.

6. Finished framing columns around the steel posts all over the place.

7. Started fireblocking the HT walls. I'll post some pictures of that.

8. Using DC04 clips, anchored 3 of the HT walls and the outer wall in the hall to the wine celllar. I still have to anchor the rear wall and will do that over the weekend. I have some good pics of the DC04 clips and how they work. They seem to work well after pounding on some of the walls.

9. Finishing plumbing work in bathroom.

10. Tied in the sub panel (125A) into my main box outside. I have a total of 9 - 20A breakers and 1 - 30A breaker in the panel.

Ordered a new digital camera, and was then informed they are back ordered. Expected ship date is May 10!!!! That means my Hsu sub might actually arrive first. I think I'm going to cancel the camera order and buy a different one.

Another update.... Borrowed my neighbors digital camera and took a ton of pics.

Here's some good shots of the DC04 clips in case anyone isn't familiar with them. I used these to secure all 4 walls in my HT, and a couple others to existing concrete walls.

This one I'm bending it down so you can see how it flexes. Pretty neat design!
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/P1020220.jpg

Now bending it up.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/P1020221.jpg

Just for scale, here's the DC04 clip and regular RSIC clip next to my tape measure.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/P1020222.jpg

Here's the RSIC clip by itself. I'm using these on the ceiling in the HT. HAve about 60 of them to put up. Haven't bought the hat channel yet.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/P1020224.jpg

Here's some pics of the DC04's installed. The first 2 pics are of the back side of the screen wall. This wall is anchored on the 2 sides and I have 3 clips spaced out over the reast of the distance. It's pretty solid and certainly not going anywhere.

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/P1020230.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/P1020231.jpg

Here's the wall outside of the HT. This wall will have some sconces on it and is up against an exterior concrete wall. I attached the clips with 2" Tapcon screws.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/P1020233.jpg

This is the right side of the HT. I used the DC04's to decouple the wall from the existing beam. The only thing supporting the wall are the clips and the front/rear walls. Once again, it's very solid. I installed the clips ata bit of an angle so they have some tension on them already.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/P1020237.jpg

This is the rear of the HT
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/P1020297.jpg

Some other miscellaneous pics.....

This is where the new HVAC unit is going to go. A 20x20 return will be mounted in this wall.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/P1020225.jpg

This is the water supply and drain for the sink I'll put in the kitchen. The "thing" coming off the tee is called a Studor Vent. Since I didn't have a vent in the basement and I don't want a new one run outside at ground level, I used this instead. Got it at Lowes.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/P1020226.jpg

Hookup for the refrigerator.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/P1020227.jpg

Shower for the new bathroom
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/P1020239.jpg

For anyone doing plumbing work in their basements, I used normal flux tubing and Pex crimps. I bought a tool on Amazon for $40 to crimp the fittings onto the tubing. It handles 3/8", 1/2" and 3/4" and was by far the least expensive tool I could find. Here's what the it looks like.....
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/P1020249.jpg

Then you just squeeze it with pliers or vise grips. Vise grips work much, much better. A bit awkward to use, but I didn't want to buy the "real" tool for 3 times the price.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/P1020251.jpg


This one is just for Bud! Finally got the holes in the bathroom filled in!!!
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/P1020293.jpg

More pics.....

Framed in the door to the future wine cellar. It will be about 4x5 once it's done. The HT equipment rack is on the right side of the pic.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/P1020296.jpg

This is taken from the bottom of my stairs down to the basement. The HT entrance is on the right and the wine cellar/equip rack are in the middle of the pic. The wall on the left has 2 outlet boxes for lighted poster boxes I plan to make one of these years.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/P1020302.jpg

These next 2 shots show some fireblocking on the left side HT wall. I had roughly a 5" space, so I attached a 2x4 to the exterior wall and the used a piece of 1/2 drywall to make up the gap. Fireblocking in my area has to be 2x lumber or 1/2" drywall minimum. I plan on going back over this and sealing the seams/cracks with fire rated caulk.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/P1020303.jpg

Last post for tonight..... some electrical pics.

I relocated my doorbell transformer into the equipment closet where my audio/video distribution, cable, etc is going under my stairs. I'm adding 2 additional doorbell ringers in the basement.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/P1020228.jpg

Wired in the new disconnect for the HVAC unit.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/P1020238.jpg

Here's one of the wall sconces in the HT. My electrical inspector told me to use this type of grounding wire nut with the hole at the end. I took his advice! :)
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/P1020242.jpg

Here's the mess of RG6, CAT5 and security system wires I have to deal with. You can't even see all of them in that shot.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/P1020257.jpg

Here's a shot of the sub-panel I installed. It's wired up to the main box outside and supplied with a 125A breaker. I had 2 existing 20A circuits in the basement and am adding 9 more plus 1 - 30A circuit for the heat pump.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/P1020295.jpg

Looking good! I'm sure you're happy about that plumbing. I just filled the hole in the bathroom floor yesterday where they jacked up mine. Keep it up!

Bud

YEAH! Passed my rough-in inspection for the entire basement. What a relief that was! I was worried about my electrical since there's a ton of wire (over 1200 feet), outlets, etc....

So, my framing inspection is next and I hope to pass it tomorrow. After that, I put in insulation and then I can finally, FINALLY start to drywall!

Jerrod,

Yes, progress is a wonderful thing. Keep "borrowing" your neighbors camera so we can see what you've done :)

Jerrod,

Yes, progress is a wonderful thing. Keep "borrowing" your neighbors camera so we can see what you've done :)
Don't have to do that anymore.... finally bought a new one! :)

I don't really have anyting new to show. I've been busting my a$$ on fireblocking all the other areas of my basement. What a PITA!

My framing inspection is schedule for Wedensday and if I pass that, I can get insulation up over the weekend and get ready for drywall. :eek: Luckily, I've decided I'm going to hire someone for that part. It would take me a year to do it all myself.

As I'm typing the last reply, the UPS guy shows up with all my cables! I order a ton of stuff from Monoprice.com and I must say that their prices are unreal. Here's what I got:

3 - 50ft 5-RCA Component Video and Audio
2 - 250ft 5-RCA Component Video and Audio
3 - 50ft Optical Cable
1 - 25ft Optical Cable
1 - 25ft 3-RCA for video and stereo audio
1 - 25ft male DVI to male DVI
1 - 25ft S-Video Cable

All of this for $257 shipped. Some people would spend that much or more for 1 cable, and I got a ton of them.... The biggest reason I went with them was so my wife wouldn't have a heart attack over the price!

jerrod,

You forgot the HDMI cables.

jerrod,

You forgot the HDMI cables.
I did that on purpose. A couple of the projectors I'm looking at right now have DVI and not HDMI, so that's why I'm just going to put in DVI for now.

I am going to run the DVI, component, S-Video and CAT5e cable from my rack to the projector. These will just be attached to joists in the ceiling. I'm also running a 2" conduit and leaving it empty. The DVI has a larger connector on it and would be harder to fish thru a conduit. The HDMI will fit easily thru that conduit so I can add if the projector I decide to buy requires it.

cool.

I'm guessing the cat5 cable has already been purchased?

[edit] I just saw that you're planning on running it to your projector...

Yeah, I bought it months ago. I got the 350MHz type of Cat 5e. I'll run 1 of them to the projector for IR or whatever else I may need.

Thanks for the great detailed shots of those special clips....but can someone (briefly) explain what the purpose of those clips are for (my immediate guess is to help localize any sound/vibrations from the HT).

Thanks.

Looking good!

Thanks for the great detailed shots of those special clips....but can someone (briefly) explain what the purpose of those clips are for (my immediate guess is to help localize any sound/vibrations from the HT).

Thanks.

Looking good!
Those clips are used for a number of things.... to isolate 1 wall from another, for garage door openers, etc. I used them to support all 4 walls in my HT, and 1 other wall in my basement. I had 2 existing walls in the HT area. I built new walls in front of them, and then the other 2 walls are new.

The new, freestanding walls are attached to existing floor joists and beams with the DC-04 clips. You can see the 2 walls in this pic.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0047.jpg

Here's how the right side of the theater wall is attached. The entrance door is on this wall too.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/P1020236.jpg

Here's how the front wall is attached.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/P1020231.jpg


The other 2 walls I built in front of existing walls are attached to the outer walls with the clips. They are the back wall and the one to the right (actually the left sid of the room).
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/172_7254.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/P1020297.jpg

The whole point of them is decouple walls and minimize sounds transmission. All of my HT walls are isolated with the clips, so the thought is that heavy bass during movies and music won't transfer to my existing outer walls, floor joists, etc and spread in my house. I'm also going to use them for my garage door openers, since it's fairly loud in my bonus room above the garage when they open/close. Check out PAC International's website for more applications.

Hope that helps.

Speaking of the cables from Monoprice..... Here's some pics of them. They all came wrapped in shrink wrap and in plastic bags. All of the connectors had additional bags over them secured with rubber bands. They have regular cables and Premium cables. I bought all Premium cables since those "higher" prices were still much less than others.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0056.jpg

Jerrod, thanks for answering my question regarding those clips. I didnt want to interupt your thread with my additional questions so I sent you a PM.

Thanks,
Doug

As I'm typing the last reply, the UPS guy shows up with all my cables! I order a ton of stuff from Monoprice.com and I must say that their prices are unreal.
The biggest reason I went with them was so my wife wouldn't have a heart attack over the price!Is thier stuff high quality? I've seen a lot of people reference them and I took a look at their prices and they just seem way too low. I've been using Blue Jeans cable until now, but I'm about to buy more cables so I've been looking around. (Sorry, don't want to hijack the thread about cables)

Is thier stuff high quality? I've seen a lot of people reference them and I took a look at their prices and they just seem way too low. I've been using Blue Jeans cable until now, but I'm about to buy more cables so I've been looking around. (Sorry, don't want to hijack the thread about cables)

I don't know about their analog cables, but I bought 50ft HDMI cable from them...and it works. Cable is thick and looks like of good quality.
I since then bought some for HDMI cable from them and still waiting for it to be shipped. Their service is excellent.

I haven't used them yet, just have them run all over. I'm of the opinion that I won't be able to see the difference between a $50 cable and a $1,000 cable. I don't think I can hear the difference either. All of the wires are thick and at least appear to be very high quality. They "look" much better than any cables you'd typically get in the ox when buying a receiver of RVD player.

For the price, they can't be beat.... once I have everything hooked up I'll make the final decision on that.

PASSED!!!!! Framing inspection is over and done with. My inspector found 2 little areas that I missed fireblocking on. He told me to fix them and passed me. Only took a couple minutes to cut and nail in a few 2x4's in my shower area and playroom closets.

So, now I get to start insulation. Luckily, my parents are coming to town for a few days and my dad is always looking to help me out. :D :D :D

What a relief!

I haven't used them yet, just have them run all over. I'm of the opinion that I won't be able to see the difference between a $50 cable and a $1,000 cable. I don't think I can hear the difference either. All of the wires are thick and at least appear to be very high quality. They "look" much better than any cables you'd typically get in the ox when buying a receiver of RVD player.

For the price, they can't be beat.... once I have everything hooked up I'll make the final decision on that.
I say you tested it out before running everything. What if it doesn't work and the wall is up? When you tested out, make sure they work..if not you can always return it.

When I bought my 50ft HDMI cable, the 1st thing i did was tested it out...and it works. The quality is good...like you said, i can't tell the difference between my 6 ft hdmi cable and this 50ft hdmi cable i just bought.

PASSED!!!!! Framing inspection is over and done with. My inspector found 2 little areas that I missed fireblocking on. He told me to fix them and passed me. Only took a couple minutes to cut and nail in a few 2x4's in my shower area and playroom closets.

So, now I get to start insulation. Luckily, my parents are coming to town for a few days and my dad is always looking to help me out. :D :D :D

What a relief!

Good.. now get back to work.

Bud

Good.. now get back to work.

Bud
Thanks for your support Bud. I about 3 pages behind on your thread. Looks like it might stay that way. ;)

Did some more tonight..... Ran most of the A/V cables. I ran 2 - 50' Component cables from the equipment rack to my home network box under my stairs. This is to send video to/from the HT to the central feed in my home, and then send it from there to other TV's....
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0062.jpg

Here's a closeup under the stairs....
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0068.jpg

Here's another component cable, L/R audio and optical cable for a plasma/LCD TV on the wall in my pool table area.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0071.jpg

Also installed my projector conduit (2") and ran the DVI, component cable and S-video. I just tie-wrapped them to the outside of the conduit and am leaving it empty for future cables (like HDMI).
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0064.jpg

Here's the top of the rack:
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0066.jpg


I purposely left the 90 degree elbow in the HT ceiling long. Once my RSIC clips and drywall are up, I will cut down the pipe so it's flush with the drywall. Above the AV rack, I will put something on the end of the pipe. I don't know what it's called, but I know what I need. I'll post a pic of it once I have it and install it.

That's it for tonight.....

Jerrod,

I'm interested in how those cables (especially the HDMI) perform. That's a hell of a price for everything you got. Hmm, I think it's time to get that projector on ordered!! ;)

Steve,

HDMI is the only thing I didn't get right now. If needed, I have the 2" conduit wide open for it. I'm still of the opinion that even if these aren't the perfect cables, I'll never know.

My parents are in town for the long weekend and I talked my dad into helping do all the absement insulation. I also want to get the RSIC clips mounted and the outlets sealed. We'll see how it goes tomorrow.....

Steve and Jerrod,

I've got a combination of monoprice and pccables.com cables. No need to fret, they'll work fine. Put the money you save elsewhere... or give it to me.

Bud

Steve and Jerrod,

I've got a combination of monoprice and pccables.com cables. No need to fret, they'll work fine. Put the money you save elsewhere... or give it to me.

Bud
Exactly my thoughts. My wife croaked when I told her $600 for a Grafik Eye. So, I'll use that "I bought cheap cables so I could afford the light controller" excuse. It won't work, but it's a good thought at least! :D

Quite a bit of progress today! Kudos to my old man for spending the day doing wiring and insualtion with me!

First, we ran speaker wires from my equipment closet to 3 locations outside. These will be for outdoor speakers in my patio area. The closet is under my stairs and where the whole house audio/video will be. Here's a pic of some of the speaker, audio and video cables....
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0069.jpg

We also ran 2 speaker wires and 2 Cat 5e cables from the same area up to my attic. I'd like to put some speakers in my master bath and/or bedroom. The Cat 5 will be for control and/or internet.

Then, we started insulating. Here's the area where the return is and the left side of the room.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0090.jpg

Here's the rear and right side of the room.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0092.jpg

Some more pics......

Here's the other side of the screen wall, before insulating it.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0094.jpg

After insulation
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0095.jpg

Here's the kitchen area
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0096.jpg

Here's the shower in mid-roughin. I have to nail the rubber up around the edges. What a learning experience that has been!
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0098.jpg

Here's the outside of the HT right wall. You can see the entrance door to the HT and the EQ rack.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0101.jpg

Here's some pics of how I sealed boxes in the HT. I used Silicone II I bought at Lowe's. It has a lifetime warranty against drying, cracking, etc. It is permanently flexible, so it should do what I need it to do.... stop sound.

Not sure if anyone else did this, but a little trick I though of. I had my dad hold a spotlight up to each outlet box and then I checked for leaking out. Here's a picture with the flash on....
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0088.jpg

Here's one with the flash off. It made identifying little holes and spots I missed a whole lot easier. Didn't take much time either.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0089.jpg

This next one shows 2 component video and 2 optical audio cables coming into the EQ rack. I used a low voltage 2 gang box and put a 2x4 "plate" on the back of it. Before that, I sliced a groove in it with my mitre saw for the cables. Once it wall all is, I caulked the heck out of it.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0102.jpg

Here's a wall sconce...
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0104.jpg

I got a couple PM's from people about fireblocking, so I figured I'd post some pics showing how I did it. In my area, you need to use 1/2" drywall or 2x lumber (1.5" thick). You need to install fireblocking anywhere fire can get from 1 floor to the other, or where it can get from the wall into a soffit.

This picture is from the left side of my HT. You can see the existing wall and the new wall I built. On top of my new wall, I put a 1/2" piece of drywall and sealed it against the top plate from the exterior wall.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0073.jpg

Here's another shot of the same area.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0074.jpg


Here's an area where I had room to put a 2x6 on the top plate, and push it against the exterior wall in my wine cellar. Same premise.... to prevent fire from going up the inside of the wall and getting into my first floor.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0076.jpg

Here's an area where a soffit meets a wall. I had to fireblock the soffit from the wall to prevent fire goping up the wall and into the soffit. The caulk I used is special fire retardant caulk ($15 a tube! :eek: )
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0077.jpg

Here's an area where I built the ceiling down a bit and had to once again fireblock above the ceiling.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0082.jpg

Finally, all wire penetrations thru the top plates have top be sealed. After looking at this pic just now, I guess I need to go down and pund that nail plate in a little bit...

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0084.jpg


I hope all this helps.

Thanks for the fireblock pics. That's an area I'm struggling with. I understand the concept, but I can't seem to translate that to figuring out exactly where I have to put it in my basment. The pics help, keep them coming.

Guy

Thanks for the fireblock pics. That's an area I'm struggling with. I understand the concept, but I can't seem to translate that to figuring out exactly where I have to put it in my basment. The pics help, keep them coming.

Guy

OK, I have a few more I can show you....

This one is from the play area in the other side of my basement. You can see in the back corner where I built the ceiling down so it was even with that beam going across the room. If you look between the floor joists and the new ceiling I put in, you can see where I installed drywall as a fireblock.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0080.jpg

Imagine if a fire started in the bottom of the wall. The flame would shoot up the wall, and without blocking, it would go right into the space above the new ceiling. This would let it intot he first floor and it would spread very quickly. The drywall I put in is sealed with the top plate and the ceiling below, so it will prevent fire from getting into the ceiling and/or first floor joists.

Here's another shot where a closet wall comes up and meets a soffit. I had to block that area, once again so fire couldn't spread into the soffit.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0078.jpg


I'll try and take some more pics later.

Well, got my RSIC clips installed in the HT and did more insulation work. Here's a few pics.....

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0110.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0111.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0114.jpg

This final one shows thescreen wall again, and you can see a bunch of the clips on the ceiling.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0115.jpg

Just about done with insulation, thankfully!!!

I added another layer of R-19 to the ceiling in the HT. This one is looking at the rear of the room. Luckily the RSIC clips will help me avoid having to deal with the refrigerant line that my builder ran on the bottom of the joists.....
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0148.jpg

This one is the screen wall. The electric box on the ceiling is for an extra smoke detector in the room. The loose yellow wire hanging down will feed the stage lights.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0149.jpg

Plan is to get my insualtion inspection this week and get drywall ordered. For now, I think I'm going to start hanging it myself. If it goes fairly quickly, I'll probably just finish it and then hire someone to tape and mud it.

I had 1 guy that wanted to charge me $57 a sheet to hang and finish, with him buying the drywall. If I supplied it, his rate was $40 a sheet. I kindly said, no thanks. I need around 190 sheets for the entire basment, so that would get expensive in a hurry! :eek:

You might want to ask around for a drywall team that charges by the hour. Those guys are smokin-fast. It took 2 guys about 5 hrs to drywall our 680 sq. ft. granny flat. -And unless you rent a lift those ceiling pieces are are a bit awkward.

Went to a local store and bought furring channel today for the RSIC clips. It was cheap as far as I'm concerned.... $2.07 for a 10 foot piece and aroudn $2.70 for a 12 footer. Not bad at all.

Here's a pic of the back of the room. If you look close around the projector conduit, I put in a couple extras to help support the weight of the projector. It made a box around the conduit...
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0151.jpg

Here's the front of the room.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0152.jpg

I don't have all the channel installed yet because I'm waiting on a few more clips from bpape. Hopefully they got ordered today! :) I'm going to add some extra ones above the stage just for some extra support for the soffit across the front. I have a similar situation down the sides of the room.

PAC recommends that with 2 layers of drywall, they should be spaced 48" apart and on 24" centers. My joists are about 20" apart on center, so I've been putting them every 2 joists, or 40" and then every 19" in the perpendicular direction. So, I have more clips installed than I need, but I prefer to have some extra assurance that the ceiling won't come crashing down! Down the sides and across the stage, I'm putting clips every joist, or every 20", so that should make it that much stonger once I have the soffits installed.


Here's a couple closeups of the furring channel mounted in the clips.

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0153.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0156.jpg


I have my insulation inspection tomorrow, but it should be fairly simple, I hope! :D

Stopped at Lowe's on the way home from buying the furring channel and ordered my drywall. I called a ton of local building stores, in addition to HD and Lowe's. I had $1,500 in Lowe's gift cards from my tax return (something Turbo Tax offered this year instead of getting cash back....) so I really need to buy it from Lowe's.

Problem was they didn't have the lowest price. The prices I got for a 1/2" sheet of 4x8 ranged from $9.86 to $11.84. It worked out awesome for me, because Lowe's matched the price and took off an extra 10% :D :D :D

I bought 160 sheets of 1/2" and 30 sheets of 5/8" (the 5/8" is for the second layer in the HT). HD had the best price coming to a total of $1,904.33. Lowe's was the second best price at $2,021. Once Lowe's matched the price and took off 10% it came to $1,713. Add in delivery, tax and then take away the $1,500 in gift cards, it was $410 out of my pocket. Sweeet!


One problem though..... lugging 190 sheets of drywall into my basement!!!!!!!! :eek: :eek: :eek:

Great job Jarod...I am currently installing the furring channel with isomax clips.

You got a great deal on the furring channels., here in california I paid 4.96 for a 12ft 20 gauge talk about expensive living in california...


I liked the way you sealed your low volatage boxes..


keep up the good work..

Looking very nice so far. Can't wait for more pictures.

Great job Jarod...I am currently installing the furring channel with isomax clips.

You got a great deal on the furring channels., here in california I paid 4.96 for a 12ft 20 gauge talk about expensive living in california...

I liked the way you sealed your low volatage boxes..

keep up the good work..

Thanks! I bought the hemmed 25 gauge channel. The place I went to had 20 gauge channel and I think it was around $3.50 or so...???

About the boxes, I haven't heard much feedback on the way I did it, but it should be OK... I hope! :)

http://pics.loosechangerocks.net/IMG_0156_1.JPG

I have my insulation inspection tomorrow, but it should be fairly simple, I hope! :D

Am I correct as you have mentioned on the other thread that you will screw the drywall to this furring channels with a drywall screw? Will it hold enough? Are you going to put double drywall for your ceiling? And lastly, if you are going to put 2 drywalls, are you putting 1/2" then 5/8" for the outside bonded by greenglue?

Thanks! Great thread and very detailed! ;)

You've been busy! 190 sheets of drywall, c'mon, thats a piece of cake... Get one of those panel carriers, that'll help.

Bud

Bud - I'm starting to think you have stock in those Panel Carriers :D

I've done a fair bit of drywalling over the years and struggled with just one pair of hands (especially 5/8" sheets). I got a Panel Carrier the other day and was very surprised how much easier it was to manoeuver a panel - even a 3/4" sheet of MDF......so great tip.

Best cheap tool every made for the drywall DIYer.... when I was in my old house, I made carriers out of 1" PVC and some joints I had lying around. Worked OK, but not great. Then I discovered the carriers online. They work for plywood, drywall, etc. as well.

Bud

Some more pics......
Here's the shower in mid-roughin. I have to nail the rubber up around the edges. What a learning experience that has been!
http://pics.loosechangerocks.net/IMG_0098_1.JPG


Do you have anymore picks with your shower base and the whole process? I almost went this route, but the more I investigated and talked to subs, the more I was convinced to just use a fiberglass unit.

Do you have anymore picks with your shower base and the whole process? I almost went this route, but the more I investigated and talked to subs, the more I was convinced to just use a fiberglass unit.

For your question Neuner, you definitely need to see http://www.johnbridge.com forum. I learned tons of things there last year when I built my bathroom. People there are very generous with giving and recommending top-notch ideas.

Man this is a fun read. :cool: Great thread!!
It's coming along nicely!

Bud - I'm starting to think you have stock in those Panel Carriers :D

I've done a fair bit of drywalling over the years and struggled with just one pair of hands (especially 5/8" sheets). I got a Panel Carrier the other day and was very surprised how much easier it was to manoeuver a panel - even a 3/4" sheet of MDF......so great tip.

how do those panel carriers look like? pics please

Look here (http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=pd_sl_aw_tops-1_tools_7786847_2/002-2280120-0653640?search-alias=tools&keywords=panel%20carrier) for some examples

BTW, what's a "Heat Rump"? :D

http://pics.loosechangerocks.net/IMG_0084_1.JPG

Bud

For your question Neuner, you definitely need to see http://www.johnbridge.com forum. I learned tons of things there last year when I built my bathroom. People there are very generous with giving and recommending top-notch ideas.

Agreed! I checked it out and found the Dam Corners and a place to buy them. I was sitting there looking at things and just couldn't figure out how I was going to do it.

Man this is a fun read. :cool: Great thread!!
It's coming along nicely!
Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it.

You've been busy! 190 sheets of drywall, c'mon, thats a piece of cake... Get one of those panel carriers, that'll help.

Bud
If you think 190 sheets is a piece of cake, I'll be waiting for you to drop by and help me out. Actually though, I might have lucked out. I have a landscaper tearing up my back yard and he started today. I have (had) a 10x10 concrete patio that they jackhammered up today. Well, that was the place I was going to set my drywall.

So, the landscaper says he needs to get it out of there so they can move along. If I let him do it, he would have a few of his guys help me haul it in once it gets here. Can you say sweeeeeet? :D

I don't have a panel carrier.... looks like I (we) will have to do it the old fashioned way.

BTW, what's a "Heat Rump"? :D

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0084.jpg

Bud

Just had to be a wise guy huh? I had the same wire marked in a different area, so I took a pic for you so you knew it was really "Heat Pump"

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0170.jpg

:D :D :D

Tonight I mostly finished up the RSIC and cleaned up the entire basement. What a chore that was. The drywall is being delivered tomorrow morning so I wanted all the junk out of the so we can move it in.

Here's the RSIC finished, except for the 1 side of the room. I'm waiting on more clips from bpape. This is the back of the room.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0166.jpg

And the front.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0167.jpg

If you look closely, you'll see some areas where I have more clips installed than I really needed. I put some extras around the projector just to support the extra weight. In the front of the room, I'm going to have a soffitt built above the stage, and I wanted extra clips there just to make sure I had plenty of support for the extra weight.

All in all, the clips and furring channel were very easy to put up. Chalking the lines and figuring where each clip had to go was by far the most time consuming part of it. Luckily my dad was around to help me chalk the lines.

Just a couple pictures of the game area/kitchen all cleaned up.

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0162.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0163.jpg

If you have some time this week, can you please take a macro shot of the drywall screws that you will be using with the RSIC?

About the RSIC channels/strips, since your ceiling is long, are you just overlaying one over the other?

If you have some time this week, can you please take a macro shot of the drywall screws that you will be using with the RSIC?

About the RSIC channels/strips, since your ceiling is long, are you just overlaying one over the other?

BIGMouthininDC recommended using Grabber brand screws. I order their HiLo type from their website yesterday. Here's a link to the ones I got (http://www.grabberman.com/ItemDetails.aspx?itemid=168SHL&class=3&packtypeid=1&pkey=Fasteners%7cScrews%7cScrew+Selector%7cBugle+Head+Streak er+HiLo+Threaded&pval=1%7c25%7c0%7c168SHL&pIds=CategoryID%7cProductTypeID%7cSelector%7citemid)

I bought some 1" screws for the first layer and 1 5/8" for the second layer.

I found some "Drywall to Sheet Metal" screws at Lowes and bought them, but after testing them out it seemed like they would strip easily.

As far as overlaying the channel, PAC recommends a minimum 6" overlap, so that's what I did. They also say you should screw the sections together or use wire to attach them. I used some regular sheet metal screws (3 per overlap) to connect them.

I was originally going to try and overlap them on a clip, but it just wouldn't work. After going back and looking at PAC's instructions, they say to overlap them in between clips.

If I let him do it, he would have a few of his guys help me haul it in once it gets here. Can you say sweeeeeet? :D

I don't have a panel carrier.... looks like I (we) will have to do it the old fashioned way.

I guess it might be different in other parts of the country, but here, they include delivery to where ever you need it in with the pricing. I bought from a local drywall supplier, it was A LOT cheaper than Lowes or HD and they carried to the basement for me.

I don't have a panel carrier.... looks like I (we) will have to do it the old fashioned way.

Easy enough... drywall carrier from Amazon. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004UDN8/qid=1145535493/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-5811569-3116129?%5Fencoding=UTF8&s=hi&v=glance&n=228013)

Bud

I found some "Drywall to Sheet Metal" screws at Lowes and bought them, but after testing them out it seemed like they would strip easily.



Don't use these, they do strip easily. Just use normal drywall screws. With the sharp point and course thread they go in faster and hold really good. I don't think I had any of the regular drywall screw strip on me.

I guess it might be different in other parts of the country, but here, they include delivery to where ever you need it in with the pricing. I bought from a local drywall supplier, it was A LOT cheaper than Lowes or HD and they carried to the basement for me.
The Lowe's guy brought it around the back of my house and set it by the back door. He just didn't move it inside. All of the local hardware stores wer $1-2 more per sheet. HD had the best price, so I got Lowe's to match it and take 10% off.

I had 2 landscapers give me a hand moving it in. It sucked, but having some help made 190 sheets go a lot faster!

Don't use these, they do strip easily. Just use normal drywall screws. With the sharp point and course thread they go in faster and hold really good. I don't think I had any of the regular drywall screw strip on me.

I bought Grabbers on the net last night and will use those. I also picked up the drywall to metal adhesive today. I'll run a bead on each piece of channel to help hold the drywall in place.

Well, I started putting up drywall in the HT this afternoon/evening. I started with the 5/8" sheets on the walls. I'm just going to go 2 sheets high for now, and then come back and do the ceiling, then fill in the top on the sides.

I used a few pieces of 12/2 wire to help leave small gaps in all the seams. I'll caulk these and then mud everything before the 2nd layer.

Here's the front wall
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0177.jpg

Left side & front
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0178.jpg

Rear wall
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0180.jpg

Like most others, I split the seams. I haven't screwed in all the pieces 100% yet. I'm in the "I just want to get as much up as I can" mode!

You might be looking at these wondering where the speaker wires are. I am going to run them in the soffit and then down into the columns once I have them built.

Jerrod - on looks of it you are going to be drywalling first and then build your soffits, is that right? Any reason for doing it this way?

Your moving along fast - great work!

Jerrod - on looks of it you are going to be drywalling first and then build your soffits, is that right? Any reason for doing it this way?

Your moving along fast - great work!
Thanks!

I am drywalling first that way the area behind the soffits is sealed so no sound escapes. It's going to be a bit tricky since I have a drain pipe and some water lines attached to the joists on the right side of them room. Once I have the whole room drywalled with 2 layers, then I'll frame out the soffits and possibly only do 1 layer of drywall or MDF on them.

Here's what I bought to glue the drywall to the hat channel.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0182.jpg

Here's the pieces of 12/2 I used.....
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0185.jpg

I am drywalling first that way the area behind the soffits is sealed so no sound escapes. It's going to be a bit tricky since I have a drain pipe and some water lines attached to the joists on the right side of them room. Once I have the whole room drywalled with 2 layers, then I'll frame out the soffits and possibly only do 1 layer of drywall or MDF on them.

Jerrod,

I love this forum - just when I think I've got my planning figured out I read/see something that gets me thinking again.

My current plan is to frame soffits and then DD+GG ceiling, soffit & walls.

Doing the DD+GG first then framing and drywalling soffits would be more straight forward but like you I have HVAC pipes plus will be running my speaker conduit thru soffits so was thinking with all these breaking the DD+GG layer it would compromise it.

However as I'm leaning toward in-ceiling speakers this also will break the DD+GG layer but if I use MDF enclosures I should still be OK.

More thinking (plus more beer) needed me thinks :D

Cheers,
Mark

Here's what I bought to glue the drywall to the hat channel.

I'm confused. I thought you're going to screw the drywall to the hat channel, now you're going to glue it.

I'm confused. I thought you're going to screw the drywall to the hat channel, now you're going to glue it.

You can do both, just gives you more strength that way. Most of the drywalls now use construction adhesive and a limited number of screws, which is less mud later. Also, if you're drywalling your ceiling, the combination of the to is a good idea, regardless of metal studs, channels or framing. Especially if you're doing double drywall.

Jerrod, whats with the odd colored pieces of drywall, those from your attic?

Bud

You can do both, just gives you more strength that way. Most of the drywalls now use construction adhesive and a limited number of screws, which is less mud later. Also, if you're drywalling your ceiling, the combination of the to is a good idea, regardless of metal studs, channels or framing. Especially if you're doing double drywall.

Jerrod, whats with the odd colored pieces of drywall, those from your attic?

Bud

Bud got it right. I'm only using the adhesive as an extra safety factor. Some people have had problems with screws stripping in the channel, So I figured the adhesive would be a good idea.

The color pieces are ones that I put on backwards..... The drywall is a different color on each side for some reason.

Jerrod,

More thinking (plus more beer) needed me thinks :D

Cheers,
Mark

More beer is a good thing!

You can do both, just gives you more strength that way. Most of the drywalls now use construction adhesive and a limited number of screws, which is less mud later. Also, if you're drywalling your ceiling, the combination of the to is a good idea, regardless of metal studs, channels or framing. Especially if you're doing double drywall.

Jerrod, whats with the odd colored pieces of drywall, those from your attic?

Bud

Actually, just got worried about the stability of RSIC approach. It is nice for decoupling but I don't know how I can resolve mounting a 150-200 lbs projector. It's because I'm buying a CRT projector. So how can we mount the CRT pj and still preventing sound from travelling where it is mounted?

I'm thinking of the other PAC product that I saw which can carry heavy load. Then I can just create a 2x2 rectangular frame and RSIC it to the joist. What do you think guys?

EDIT: Additional

If we are installing recessed or cannel lighting, which should be installed first, lights or the drywall ceiling?

I don't know if you can (or want to) hand a CRT from RSIC clips....??? You should call them to ask. I would say you may have to attach the projector directly to your joists, or maybe use the DC04 clips...???

If you are doing recessed lights, you should install them first. I'm not doing recessed lights in my room, but here is a pic of some other areas in my basement where you can see the cans installed.

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/179_7956.jpg

I don't know if you can (or want to) hand a CRT from RSIC clips....??? You should call them to ask. I would say you may have to attach the projector directly to your joists, or maybe use the DC04 clips...???

If you are doing recessed lights, you should install them first. I'm not doing recessed lights in my room, but here is a pic of some other areas in my basement where you can see the cans installed.


So what type of lighting are you putting in your dedicated home theater?

Also, I have another question for the wood frames. Last year, I built a small room in my basement. I built the frame from the floor and stood it up and gun nailed it. But now since I will be building a an ht room which is 15' x 23', I won't be able to stand the frame myself once I finish it. What is the proper approach to building a frame for long walls? Should I just build a rectangle frame first, then nail/screw it down, then start marking each about 16" apart for the studs then install studs one by one? Also, since wall is long, and we don't have that very long 2x4's, how do you guys create a long wall frame? Do you just butt them in together?

Sorry for this long post! I'm just simply amazed by your work. ;) You've been very helpful to me too!

So what type of lighting are you putting in your dedicated home theater?

Also, I have another question for the wood frames. Last year, I built a small room in my basement. I built the frame from the floor and stood it up and gun nailed it. But now since I will be building a an ht room which is 15' x 23', I won't be able to stand the frame myself once I finish it. What is the proper approach to building a frame for long walls? Should I just build a rectangle frame first, then nail/screw it down, then start marking each about 16" apart for the studs then install studs one by one? Also, since wall is long, and we don't have that very long 2x4's, how do you guys create a long wall frame? Do you just butt them in together?

Sorry for this long post! I'm just simply amazed by your work. ;) You've been very helpful to me too!

I'm doing 7 wall sconces, 5 lights above the stage, riser lights, star ceiling and possibly rope lights. I was initially going to put in recessed lights but voted against it. I wanted to avoid to "sound escaping" issues with cutting big holes in the ceiling. I don't think I'll need to have the room very bright since it's a dedicated room, so I left them out.

In my basement, I built the walls on the floor and stood them up. In most areas, I had around 1/4" - 1/2" gap. I see no reason not to do it that way....???

Took most of the weekend off, except for this evening. I have some water lines, electrical wires, gas line and drain line running down the right side of the theater. A new HVAC duct is also in this same area. There was no real easy way to soundproof it, even though I was going to build a soffit around it......

Here's some pics of it before....
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0196.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0197.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0198.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0199.jpg

First, I pushed in the gas line and supports for the drain line towards the outer wall.

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0200.jpg


Then, I put a piece of drywall of up on the ceiling that will but up against the RSIC clips (I have more coming from bpape this week hopefully). If you look closely, you can see the chalk line for the clips just to the left of the drywall.

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0205.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0202.jpg

Next, I took a 2x2 and screwed a piece of drywall to it. This is the vertical piece of my "mini-soffitt"
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0206.jpg

In this one, I have the rest of it up (running the length of the room so it's roughly 20 feet). There's a "bulge" in this because of a coupling in the drain line. I wanted to keep this vertical piece pushed as far back as I can to make sure there's plenty of room for the HVAC duct.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0207.jpg

I just used pieces of 2x2's to make some supports. I didn't worry about building this like a fortress since I'll have another soffit with either MDF or 2 layers of drywall on it.

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0208.jpg

Here it is nearly finished...

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0209.jpg

I left off the last 4 feet of the end since I have to finish up the drywall on the rear wall. I packed more R-13 insulation in the space too.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0210.jpg

As you can also see, I sealed all the seams with caulk (GE Silicone II I had left over).

This is the front wall where the duct comes in. I am just going to pack as much insulation as I can in the gaps. I'll still have the final soffitt covering everything. You can also see one of the RSIC clips on the first joist.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0213.jpg

If the soffit is going to be covered by another drywall, then the caulk you used is fine. However, if that's the last layer, I don't think paint will stick to that kind of caulk. I usually use GE XLST or XLTS. It's paintable.

If the soffit is going to be covered by another drywall, then the caulk you used is fine. However, if that's the last layer, I don't think paint will stick to that kind of caulk. I usually use GE XLST or XLTS. It's paintable.

It's going to be covered by another layer, so no paint is needed. The new soffit will be attached to the RSIC/hat channel on the ceiling and to the stud wall I have isolated from the beam with DC04 clips. You can see what I mean in this pic....
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0209.jpg

I ran a CAT5e wire to my 4 gang masonry box for IR control on the Grafik Eye controller. I just ran it to the outside of the box and poked it thru the hole in the drywall. I have USG Acoustical Caulk coming tomorrow that I'll use to seal the cracks.

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0216.jpg

Since I'm using RSIC and hat channel on the ceiling, I want to make sure the drywall screws don't strip. Some others posted issues with this and BIGmouthinDC recommended the Grabber brand of screws..... so I bought them. They better work! :D

Here's the boxes.... I got some 1", 1 5/8" and 3". The 1" will be for the first layer, the 1 5/8" for the second layer, and the 3" are for the soffits that I'll attach to the channel.

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0217.jpg


I bought the HiLo type that have 2 different sets of threads on the screws. Here's a closeup pic comparing them to a standard coarse thread Grip-Rite from Lowe's....

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0219.jpg

Put up more drywall.... Here's the right side of the room, towards the rear. I'll have 2 sconces and 2 columns on this wall. You can also see the switch box for the Grafik Eye.

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0220.jpg


Here's the same side, just the front. You can see the entrance door here as well.

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0221.jpg

And more drywall......... Worked on some of the pieces at the top of the wall.

Here's the screen wall.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0226.jpg

The outlet you can see towards the upper right will be for the star ceiling or rope lights in the tray. There's another outlet on the side wall that will be for the other. I can't remember which one is which...??? The bundled wires on the right side of the front wall are 18/2 wires for the doorbell and security system alarm I'll put in.

This is the left side of the room.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0227.jpg

Here's the rear wall.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0228.jpg

On the front and back, The drywall is at least 2-3 inches above the height that the ceiling will be. I know most people recommend doing the ceiling first, but I wanted to have some overlap and decided to do the walls first. I don't think it will make a big difference, if any at all.

The refrigerant line for the new heat pump will be hidden in the soffitt on the left side of the room..... but it had to go thru the back wall, so here it is before drywall.

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0229.jpg


All I did was take a piece and split in into 2 pieces and then just cut out a "U" on both pieces and slid them together. I'll seal all of this with caulk before the next layer.

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0230.jpg

Jerrod,

Looks great. So, did you take the day off from work today or play sick? ;)

Jerrod,

Looks great. So, did you take the day off from work today or play sick? ;)
Nah, just working at night.... an hour here, an hour there.

Big update.... not so related to the HT. I hired a drywall company today to drywall the entire basement, except for the HT room. They'll start on Monday or Tuesday and said they should be done by Friday or Saturday.

In case anyone is looking for estimates, the guy is charging about $20 per sheet. Prices I got ranged from $16 - 40 per sheet with me supplying the drywall. I hired the same company that did my house when it was being built. He's providing the mud, tape, corner beads and will clean up the mess too. I know his quality is very good, so he got the job.

Hi Jerrod,

Drywalling is a big job and it definitely takes skill to finish it properly. What made you change your mind and hire it out?

At $20 a sheet I would let a pro do it as well. That is a great price for what I consider one fo the tougher DIY jobs to do and make it look professional. Can't wait to see your theater take shape, the plans look great.

Hi Jerrod,

Drywalling is a big job and it definitely takes skill to finish it properly. What made you change your mind and hire it out?

I don't know if I ever truly planned on doing it myself, but as time has moved along, the thought of me hanging 190 sheets of drywall, and the time it would take, just didn't seem feasible. It would take me forever to do it wouldn't look as good.

I am doing the HT on my own though, since I want the seams caulks, possbile Green Glue, etc.... just seemed easier if I handle that part.

At $20 a sheet I would let a pro do it as well. That is a great price for what I consider one fo the tougher DIY jobs to do and make it look professional. Can't wait to see your theater take shape, the plans look great.

Thanks for the encouragement....

Spent most of today just cleaning up and making room for the drywallers to come in tomorrow or Tuesday. I finished up the 1st layer of drywall on the HT walls too. I might see if I can get the drywalling crew to put up the first layer on the ceiling for me..... ;)

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0262.jpg

I also finished up the rough-in for the shower. For those that are also doing a bathroom/shower, I bought these things called Dam Corners to take care of the corners. I got them from The Noble Company (http://www.noblecompany.com/corners.html). In my pics, they are the 2 black things near the front of the shower.

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0271.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0272.jpg

You can see some ripples, but they go away if I push in the corners. I figure once I have tile and grout and everything, they'll go away.

Just some miscellaneous shots of the rest of the basement before the drywall goes up

The pool/card table/game area
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0267.jpg

The bar area.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0268.jpg

More of the bar area. These windows will be replaced with french doors.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0269.jpg

From the bar area, looking back at the HT.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0281.jpg

The excercise room/kids playroom....
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0276.jpg

It's been quite a long time since I've posted any plans/drawings of the area. I'm still debating whether I want a 1.78:1 or 2.35:1 screen. So, I've made up 2 drawings....

Option #1

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/Current_Layout_1.jpg


Option #2

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/Current_Layout_235.jpg


Here's what I envision for the look of stage.... The colors aren't totally right, but I will have wood trim with fabric in the middle.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/stagedesign.jpg

What do you think? Not much of a difference.... I really want to go with the 2.35 screen, but as I understand things, I need a lens to really take advantage of movies shot in the format. I need to spend some time in the Constant Height forum....

Both look great - just need to decide if you want to go constant height or not

I vote for 2.35:1. I don't remember if you've decided on a projector yet, but what they're talking in the constant height forum is that the Panny 900 does a really good job with 2.35:1 without a lens and just using the zoom.

Room is looking good.

Nelson

Both look great - just need to decide if you want to go constant height or not
That's the problem.... Honestly, I need to read more about it. Some of my favorite movies like Star Wars and LOTR are in 2.35 format, and I know I'll kick myself if don't do it..... Likewise though, all HDTV is 16:9.... decisions decisions....

I vote for 2.35:1. I don't remember if you've decided on a projector yet, but what they're talking in the constant height forum is that the Panny 900 does a really good job with 2.35:1 without a lens and just using the zoom.

Room is looking good.

Nelson
I haven't decided on a projector, but right now the Sammy 710 is looking pretty nice. If I had to buy one right now, that would be it. Depending on progress, I might be ready to buy the project in a few months. As I said before, I need to read more about it.

I was on the fence. 2.35:1 is great for movies, 16:9 is great for HDTV. I've pretty much maxed out my room width with 16:9, so even if I had gone 2.35:1, the picture wouldn't be and bigger. Actually, I could go maybe another two feet with a perfed screen, but it may make viewing too wide. It's a tough call. I'm hoping more and more HDTV content will come available and its great for HD sporting events. Most of the time now, it's movies though.

It may be a phase II thing for me. Who knows.

Bud

I think your aspect ratio depends on what you'll be watching. If it's primarily HDTV, or movies which don't depend as much on the widescreen look, 16:9 is perfect. I have spent some time in the constant height forum and decided to go 2.35 this fall. The movies look just too good not to go that route.

Why not go for something between, as 2.05:1 ?

Can you do both? How about a screen that's 16:9, but as wide as the proposed 2.35:1. Then you're set for HDTV and build/buy a masking system to mask off the top 12" or so when viewing 2.35:1 material. Just a thought...

I think your aspect ratio depends on what you'll be watching. If it's primarily HDTV, or movies which don't depend as much on the widescreen look, 16:9 is perfect. I have spent some time in the constant height forum and decided to go 2.35 this fall. The movies look just too good not to go that route.
I watch both.... lots of sports, but lots of movies too.

Can you do both? How about a screen that's 16:9, but as wide as the proposed 2.35:1. Then you're set for HDTV and build/buy a masking system to mask off the top 12" or so when viewing 2.35:1 material. Just a thought...
I've been thinking about this method a bit. If I put in a 2.35 screen, when I view HDTV stuff I could have some "panels" or something that would hang on the sides to mask them. Not totally sure would be involved, but I'm sure it can be done. I need to read more in the constant height forum.

I did some more last night.... received the USG Acoustical Sealant yesterday, so I started doing seams. I decided to buy enough to do all the seems, not just the corners. Here's some pics.....

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0282.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0284.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0286.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0289.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0287.jpg

I still plan on mudding over the seams with a light coat, as well as the screws. Then, the second layer goes up.

IT'S DONE!!!!!

The crew showed up at around 9am this morning, and by 8:00pm, they had the rest of my basement done. Around 140 sheets of 4x8 drywall.... done. They come back tomorrow to start mudding. I posted some "before shots" in Post 196 above.

With the flash on.... (hard to believe these guys breathed this crap all day long! :eek: )

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0293.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0294.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0295.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0296.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0297.jpg


I seriously think I'm going to ask the contractor to hang the first layer on the ceiling in my HT. Once that's up, then I can caulk it and start on the second layer.

I'm still up in the air about Green Glue right now. My wife just can't see spending $500 on "caulk or glue" for the room. I'm skeptical as well, but this might be something I just have to live without. I am debating on buying 1 case though to do the ceiling. All of my walls are de-coupled and I have them insulated and the gaps fireblocked really well. I figure the ceiling is the weakest spot, so I might just do it....???? :confused:

Its amazing how fast those guys are isnt it. I am in a new development and I watch them do entire houses in 2 days. It took me a week to do an 8x7 equipment closet. :D

Ronnie

I'm still up in the air about Green Glue right now. My wife just can't see spending $500 on "caulk or glue" for the room. I'm skeptical as well, but this might be something I just have to live without. I am debating on buying 1 case though to do the ceiling. All of my walls are de-coupled and I have them insulated and the gaps fireblocked really well. I figure the ceiling is the weakest spot, so I might just do it....???? :confused:

I think you should at least buy 1 case for ceiling and maybe 1 case for wall that borders the rest of the basement just to be sure. I green glued all walls in my HT and all walls outside that share walls with the rest of the basement.

The guys are Audio Alloy are super nice and the service is excellent.

Am I correct jerrod or guys that the lower drwall on the wall should not touch the concrete floor? If so, how much inches should it be raised, .5" or .25"?

Am I correct jerrod or guys that the lower drwall on the wall should not touch the concrete floor? If so, how much inches should it be raised, .5" or .25"?

correct... I belive a 1/4" is fine.

Nelson

Its amazing how fast those guys are isnt it. I am in a new development and I watch them do entire houses in 2 days. It took me a week to do an 8x7 equipment closet. :D

Ronnie
I hear ya! I worked at least 3 nights just putting up the sheets in my HT!!! They did 140 in 11 hours!

I think you should at least buy 1 case for ceiling and maybe 1 case for wall that borders the rest of the basement just to be sure. I green glued all walls in my HT and all walls outside that share walls with the rest of the basement.

The guys are Audio Alloy are super nice and the service is excellent.
I received the OK from the misses to get 1 case for the ceiling. I've been going back and forth with Ted from Audio Alloy about it....

I don't know if I'm going to bother with the walls and just use 100% on the ceiling.

Am I correct jerrod or guys that the lower drwall on the wall should not touch the concrete floor? If so, how much inches should it be raised, .5" or .25"?
1/4" should be more than enough. The guys that did mine even went 1/2" in some areas.

Jerrod - my original plan was to DD + GG the ceiling and SD the walls and then crank up some bass (and my compressor) to see what the sound was like.

I've since opted to DD + 100% GG the ceiling and DD + 50% GG the walls.......my compromise is to use 1/2" drywall for both layers as I'm dry-walling by myself so be easier to manage

So do you guys screw it again after attaching the second drywall to the first drywall w/ GG?

Jerrod - my original plan was to DD + GG the ceiling and SD the walls and then crank up some bass (and my compressor) to see what the sound was like.

I've since opted to DD + 100% GG the ceiling and DD + 50% GG the walls.......my compromise is to use 1/2" drywall for both layers as I'm dry-walling by myself so be easier to manage

I'd like to try this, but I won't have a sub to try out. I ordered the Hsu VTF-3HO turbo and it won't arrive for at least another month or two at the earliest. I don't even have any friends/neighbors that have a fairly powerful sub I could borrow to simulate things.

I'd love the get the GG, but my wife just ain't going for it. She gave me the option of buying 3 cases of GG or getting a Grafik Eye controller. Personally, I think I'd rather have the Grafik Eye..... Am I nuts?

So do you guys screw it again after attaching the second drywall to the first drywall w/ GG?
Absolutely. People say use less screws on the first layer on more on the second.

So do you guys screw it again after attaching the second drywall to the first drywall w/ GG?

Yes, I believe first layer you put enough screws in the secure - then put full quota of screws in 2nd layer..


Oh Yeah, one more thing - I'm using firring strips within the HT area......not so much for Sound Isolation - more for better fixing placement for Drywall and Star Ceiling ;)

I'd love the get the GG, but my wife just ain't going for it. She gave me the option of buying 3 cases of GG or getting a Grafik Eye controller. Personally, I think I'd rather have the Grafik Eye..... Am I nuts?

My personal view and echoed in the forum is don't skimp on the build toooooo much :eek:

I was also going for Graphic eye but compromised with Insteon.....the way I've wired should mean I can upgrade later if I feel the need.

My personal view and echoed in the forum is don't skimp on the build toooooo much :eek:

I was also going for Graphic eye but compromised with Insteon.....the way I've wired should mean I can upgrade later if I feel the need.

Maybe I should look into that, save the $600 for the GE , get all my GG and then say I want the GE for Christmas! :D

Drywallers were here again today. They were supposed to hang the first layer of 5/8" in the HT, but never got to it. Instead, they taped and mudded the rest of the basement. A few pics in case you care....

The pool table area....
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0300.jpg

Looking at the kitchen and bar area.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0301.jpg

Looking at the HT (back side of the screen wall)
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0306.jpg

Access points for the water valves in the ceiling that supply the kitchen and bathroom.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0311.jpg

The kids HT room
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0309.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0314.jpg

The hall outside the HT. Entrance is to the left.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0316.jpg

Looking good. Are you going to hire out the painting too?

Bud

Looking good. Are you going to hire out the painting too?

Bud

I doubt it. Current thought is to bead board the bottom half of the walls, then chair rails and then paint. Paint is fairly easy and I've painted a good amount of my house, so I'll probably do it myself.

Looking great Jerrod! The pros make it seem easy!!

The kids HT room
http://pics.loosechangerocks.net/IMG_0309_1.JPG




Thats brilliant!!!! Give them their own room with a few cool toys so they dont touch the real stuff. Great idea and they will love that. What do you plan on putting in there?

Ronnie

Thats brilliant!!!! Give them their own room with a few cool toys so they dont touch the real stuff. Great idea and they will love that. What do you plan on putting in there?

Ronnie

It's not going to have a projector or screen or anything like that. Just an entertainment center, TV, DVD player. I didn't even pre-wire it for surround sound, though I thought about it. I think we're going to put a treadmill in there too.

My basic thought is to give the kids a movie room, that way when friends and their kids are over, they'll feel like they have their own "special movie room" like mom and dad. That will probably work for about 5 minutes...... but here's hoping it works!!! :)

All of the taping, sanding and mudding is done in the entire basement now.... except the HT.

I got the first layer on the ceiling hung and started sealing the joints. I'll get some pics posted soon. Then the second layer starts going up! Man, I can't wait!

All of the taping, sanding and mudding is done in the entire basement now.... except the HT.

I got the first layer on the ceiling hung and started sealing the joints. I'll get some pics posted soon. Then the second layer starts going up! Man, I can't wait!
Hi,

Just wanted to say nice construction thread and good details so far.

was wondering why you didn't get the drywall crew to do your HT for you too? Are you doing it yourself for quality control?

I hired my drywall crew to do my HT room also, the drywall guy was complaining left and right about how long it takes to use Green Glue and screwing DW into hat channel. They ended up charging me double the price for HT room :( . Oh well

Hi,

Just wanted to say nice construction thread and good details so far.

was wondering why you didn't get the drywall crew to do your HT for you too? Are you doing it yourself for quality control?

I hired my drywall crew to do my HT room also, the drywall guy was complaining left and right about how long it takes to use Green Glue and screwing DW into hat channel. They ended up charging me double the price for HT room :( . Oh well

I guess I wanted to say I did some of the work... :)

Honestly, it was more for quality control and I wanted to know it was done right. I had the crew do the ceiling, and I asked them to use the drywall to metal glue.caulk I bought. Well, they didn't use it and just screwed the drywall to the hat channel. No big deal, but that gave me further proof that I probably did a good thing by trying to do the HT myself.

I am going to order GG for the ceiling and will have some neighbors help me do the second layer.... hopefully!

Here's some pics of the ceiling.... This one is looking towards the front of the room. You can see the smoke detector box and stage light wiring towards the front.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0356.jpg

This is the back wall. Obviously the projector cables and electric plug for it on the ceiling.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0357.jpg

Another shot looking at the front.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0358.jpg

Next, I need to get the left side ceiling where the refrigerant line is sealed up and then start the second layer all around.

Was away on vacation in Florida the past 5 days or so.... got a bit of work done tonight in the room, in addition to hanging 3 outdoor lights around the patio. I finished up some of the ceiling areas, caulked the floor seams and other areas and cleaned up.

Hopefully by the end of the week I'll be able to get a layer of mud on and start the second layer.

Also, I think I've pretty much decided on a 2:35 screen. I don't know about the size, but I'm thinking somewhere around 120-128" That will give me the equivalent of a 96-104" screen for HDTV and other 16:9 material. Eventually I'll plan on getting an anamorphic lens, but we'll have to see how cash flow is over the next few months.

Good man! I finally caught back up on your thread. Boy, have I been missing a lot!

My suggestion is to go 2.35:1 without a doubt. Widescreen movies should look wider than HDTV/1.78 material, not smaller. You could even go with an AT screen with speakers behind it, if you don't mind giving up about 18"-24" of depth.

Great job so far, Jerrod.

Good man! I finally caught back up on your thread. Boy, have I been missing a lot!

My suggestion is to go 2.35:1 without a doubt. Widescreen movies should look wider than HDTV/1.78 material, not smaller. You could even go with an AT screen with speakers behind it, if you don't mind giving up about 18"-24" of depth.

Great job so far, Jerrod.

Thanks! It feels like I've got more done in the last couple months than the first 8-9 I worked on things!

I'm going to skip the AT screen because I don't want to give up the space for the speakers. I'm going to put the screen as close as possible to the front wall. If I go with a 120" or so diagonal screen, I'll be sitting around 130-135" away in the first row. That may be a bit close, but for HDTV it's ideal. I want 2 rows of seats and the second row will be around 18 feet or so.....

Well, tonight I did the 1st layer of mud.... tomorrow I'll start putting up the second layer of drywall if I have the time. Here's some pics.....

Front/Screen wall
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0491.jpg

Entrance.... I hung up the HVAC ducts not that everything above them is sealed up.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0492.jpg

Rear wall
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0493.jpg

Left side wall
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0494.jpg

This is the conduit and wiring going to the projector. Once I have the projector hung and the room just about done, I will finish caulking the holes in this box. I want to be able to fish the excess cable up into the ceiling so I don't have to bundle a bunch of it.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0495.jpg

Ain't mud fun? :D

Bud

Nice work, keep it going =)

Ain't mud fun? :D

Bud
No, it isn't! I am so, so glad I hired that out for the rest of the basement!

I started mudding the seams yesterday and I was using an old bucket of mud I've had for years. I mixed it up and once I started using it, I realized there were chunks of "stuff" in it. It was almost like someone crumbled up glass and dumped in it. :mad:

So, ran to Lowe's and got a new bucket and got started. Much easier to use!

Done my fair share of mudding - and it ain't fun! And the sanding is worse! :(

No matter how much you think you have sealed the room the dust gets everywhere! :(

Thats why my design will rely on the minimum of exposed drywall. :D

Nice work, keep it going =)

Thanks!

I did today..... started putting up the second layer in the HT. One disadvantage of having someone else do the rest of my basement is that they weren't as anal about using scraps and minimizing waste. So, I'm about 14-16 sheets short in the HT and a small area under my stairs. So, back to the store this weekend to get more.... :( Here's more pics....

Front wall
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0505.jpg

Right side wall completed
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0506.jpg

Left side wall
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0508.jpg


I'm debating on whether I'm going to fill in the spaces at the top. I'm going to have soffits all the way around with 2 layers of drywall, or maybe MDF. Haven't figured that out yet. I'll probably fill it in just in case. I'm also not worried about the overlapping seams up near the ceiling for the same reason.... I caulk all the seams on the 1st layer and will do it again on the second layer and then mud.

Thats why my design will rely on the minimum of exposed drywall. :D

I plan on having all wood/fabric exposed. No drywall at all. That's why I'm doing the mudding in there because I don't care how smooth and nice the seams are! :D

Sounds like we have a similar plan - I have enough white hairs to sand and get more.

Although my drywall comes tomorrow not sure if I'll be starting this weekend - got a few adjustments to conduit and electrical to cater for new star ceiling plan.....but best catch these changes pre-drywall so not toooooo bothered.

Keep great work (and tips) coming.

Sounds like we have a similar plan - I have enough white hairs to sand and get more.

Although my drywall comes tomorrow not sure if I'll be starting this weekend - got a few adjustments to conduit and electrical to cater for new star ceiling plan.....but best catch these changes pre-drywall so not toooooo bothered.

Keep great work (and tips) coming.
I'll try...

Almost forgot! Ordered a case of Green Glue today. I'm only doing the ceiling with it. All of the walls are decoupled with RSIC clips, double drywall, plus I'm going to cover the drywall with plywood/insulation/fabric for more help. I think I'll be OK....

Its not bad, really, you just need to put in the time and earn your stripes... Its a great thing to know how to do when you need it.

Bud

Its not bad, really, you just need to put in the time and earn your stripes... Its a great thing to know how to do when you need it.

Bud
I know to do just enough to be dangerous. It's something I hope I never have to do again.

I caulked the seams of all the new drywall today. I am going to pick up more drywall this weekend and try and get the rest of the walls finished up. The GG should be here early next week so hopefully I can get the ceiling done by next weekend.

After that, I'll probably get started on the riser and stage.

Bought another 16 sheets of drywall and lugged it into the basement.... ugh!

Have the second layer on all the walls, just need to do the ceiling now. I have most of the seams caulked, but I ran out of the USG acoutical sealant. I'm going to see if HD or Lowe's has something similar. Lowes didn't the last time I checked, so maybe HD will...???

More pics.... pretty much looks the same, but I took 'em so I'll share 'em.


Here's my makeshift sawhorses....
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0526.jpg

Right side
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0528.jpg

Rear Wall
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0529.jpg

Left side
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0530.jpg


I might pick up some wood and start the stage and riser before I do the ceiling. I don't have the Green Glue yet and I'll need help from my neighbors to get the ceiling finished. Nothing hurt in getting the riser and stage started.

Started the riser today during lunch and after work. I used 2x10's for the perimeter frame and 2x8's for the rest. It's roughly 165" wide x 75" deep. I used treated 2x4's on the floor and regular untreated wood. I had the treated 2x4's laying around, so I saved some money by not buying all treated lumber.

Here's the overall view
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0532.jpg

You might ask why I didn't use 2x10's for everything. ONe reason is the 2x8's are cheaper and with only a 72" span from back to front I shouldn't have any issues with flexing. Plus I'll have 2 layers of OSB on it. Each 2x8x12 was about $4-5 cheaper too. The plywood isn't attached in the pic, I just set it there for looks....

Here's a back corner. I'll leave about 1/2" gap around the entire riser to keep it decoupled from the walls. I nailed the treated 2x4's to the floor and then screwed the 2x10's to them to keep it secure. YOu can also see the acoustic caulk in the corner drywall seam.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0535.jpg

Here's where the riser light supply comes in. I may or may not use this for the steps up onto the riser. If I do, it will be a 5th zone, so I'm going back and forth about a 4 zone versus 6 zone Grafik Eye.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/Theater/IMG_0536.jpg

Here's a closeup of everything near the wall.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/shookjer/other/IMG_0540.jpg

Next I have to get some insulation to fill the riser and then put down the OSB.