http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/wings.gif

Well, after 4 years, many hours of reading these forums, and finally having the place to do it, I'm starting my construction.

I want to thank all the people on these forums for their advice and knowledge, it has helped me thus far and hope it will continue.

The HT room will be in the basement and as many of you I will be finishing off the entire basement at one time. I have 1200 square feet to finish, including the HT room, a full bathroom, a workout room/bedroom, a good large bar and a game room, as well as plenty of storage. My goal is to have it all done by summer 2006, but it depends on time and lots o money!

The HT room is roughly 17x12x8. The equipment closet will be outside the HT room. I would like and the plan is to have a 7.1 system. The concession area will have some cabinets, and a counter popcorn machine as well as DVD storage.

I am still deciding on all of the equipment but this is what I would like and am planning on:
A 80-90 inch Stewart or Draper screen
Two rows of 3 seating (Berkline 88), the second on an 8 inch riser
Would love a Marantz projector but will probably go for a Runco or something even easier on the wallet like an Infocus.
Was thinking of the System 20 THX Ultra speakers by Atlantic Technology

The room construction is similar I am sure to many of the HT on this forum. I will be insulating the walls and ceiling and double drywall (5/8 + 1/2). The Iiving room is above the HT so there really is not a big issue with sound. I have thought about using Green Glue, etc but an not sure if the added expense is worth it yet. I was also thinking of using linacoustic, batting and GOM some of the walls and the soffit. I would like to put in a few columns on the walls to put the surround speakers in but am not sure if I will have the room.

At this point, I am finished framing all of the walls, bar and soffits. I still have a wall to do in the HT as well as the soffit. Then it will be onto the plumbing, HVAC and electrical rough-in. The rough-in plumbing for the bathroom was done by the builder.

I will post pictures as they become available.

I called the theater "The Fly-In" because the theme of the basement will be a WW1/WW2 on motiff in honor of my families military history. In fact the door to the theater will be a mock-up of a piece of nose art from a B-25 Mitchell.

Thanks for any feedback or advice...

Drew

Thought I would include the layout I submitted to get a building permit.
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album2/Large/Basement_Layout.jpg

Here is a snapshot of where the theater will be located:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album1/Large/basement-pre-construction5.jpg

There are a few more pictures of the basement before the house was finished on the web site.

Drew

Good luck with your project!
I am working on my HT room as well. Already have all equipment and seats.
Hoping to be finished by the end of the year.

Drew,

Do you have a detail plan of the HT layout to share? It looks like we're working with almost the exact same dimensions, so I'm interested in your calculations for seating and screensize, etc.

(PS: There's a typo in the link to this thread in your sig: Extraneous [ in the URL)

You may want to think about putting as much isolation is the walls as possible. Those concrete walls are going to make for some really bad bass. Even with all of that done, make sure you leave room for a bunch of bass traps and thinner panels for the first reflection points in the room. I get layouts all time where people are putting panels in last and end up sacrificing sound due to other things in the room. Remember traps and panels first, pictures later. :)

Damn should be nice when you are done!

Ahh... the infamous before pics. Have fun building, and take LOTS of during pics! I meant to, but kick myself for not doing it!

You may want to think about putting as much isolation is the walls as possible. Those concrete walls are going to make for some really bad bass. Even with all of that done, make sure you leave room for a bunch of bass traps and thinner panels for the first reflection points in the room. I get layouts all time where people are putting panels in last and end up sacrificing sound due to other things in the room. Remember traps and panels first, pictures later. :)


myfipie,
Thanks for the response I had thought about those issue well in advance of planning. The walls you see are before the home construction was done. The builder put in an HR-11 wrap around the concrete. I have framed in front of that insulation and am definitely going to be putting in at least two bass traps. I will wait on the reflection point panels until I figure out speaker/seating placement. Thanks for the input.

Drew

Drew,

Do you have a detail plan of the HT layout to share? It looks like we're working with almost the exact same dimensions, so I'm interested in your calculations for seating and screensize, etc.

(PS: There's a typo in the link to this thread in your sig: Extraneous [ in the URL)

BadAstronaut,
Thanks for pointing out my typo:) Yes I do have a detail theater plan. I will be posting it this week.

Drew

Not sure what bass traps you are going with, but the rule of thumb is more is better. You really can not over do bass traps and the sound will be 1000 times better. It really is great to see people thinking ahead. I answer the phone all day long and I am here to tell you that acoustics are a after thought for most.

Well my permit was approved today....$303.72 dollars later I am legit:). Fortunately for me my neighbor is an inspector so I actually got a head start and had already started framing. I will post some pics and some of my ideas for comment soon.

Drew

Not sure what bass traps you are going with, but the rule of thumb is more is better. You really can not over do bass traps and the sound will be 1000 times better. It really is great to see people thinking ahead. I answer the phone all day long and I am here to tell you that acoustics are a after thought for most.


I had actually thought of building my own (not sure of the quality though.) There was a series of 5 episodes on DIY that I Tivo'd and they had plans on building bass traps using round concrete tubes filled with sand. Any ideas on if that is a good idea or not? If not I guess I will go with something from realtraps....

Drew

Not sure how building concrete tubes with sand would work, so I can not comment on that one. But I will say it would make for a pretty good ashtray if nothing else. :)
Nothing wrong with building them, but if you are going for looks and just want to hang them up then buying is the best way.

Glenn

In this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=550632&highlight=concrete+tubes), the sand-filled tubes are deemed essentially worthless. Alternatives are provided.

In this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=550632&highlight=concrete+tubes), the sand-filled tubes are deemed essentially worthless. Alternatives are provided.

Good to know thanks. I had not done any research on bass traps yet, but looks like I may just go with myfipie's suggestion and purchase them.

Drew

I updated my web site today and thought I would share some of my progress up till now. I still need to take more pictures but here are the ones I have:

My first wall!
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album3/Large/Long_wall_of_game_room.jpg

The game room is finished! NOT....
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album3/Large/Game_room_framing.jpg

You can see the back wall of the HT in this picture along with the darn xmas tree which is always in the way :)
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album3/Large/Stack_of_2x4s.jpg

Here is where I am upto today. Almost all the framing is done. Just a few more small things to do
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album3/Large/Bar_framing.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album3/Large/Framed_water_closter.jpg

There are more on the web site but thought these would get the idea across to everyone.

Drew

Drew, look at it on the bright side regarding that tree.
In another month or so, you will be able to move the tree upstairs and won't have to mess with it. ;)
Just think of all the progress you will make. :D

By the way... looks like things are moving right along for you. Keep it going.

Craig

Thought would share my idea for the HT entrance with everyone. As I have stated the theme is WW1/WW2 and my family's military history. So the aptly named theater is called "The Fly-In". Well I thought it would be cool to have a hidden door as the entrance. I would like the entire wall to look like the fuselage of a B-25 Mitchell bomber, all done up with some vintage nose art.

The door will push into the HT with the hinges on the left. I plan on building my own door (unless there are better ideas). The idea is to rivet sheet metal together to fill the entire wall and door, paint the sheet metal and then add the nose art. The door will be hidden by extra sheet metal strips to cover the openings.

Drew

Here is the HT doorway that I want to make hidden by the method in the previous post
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album3/Large/HT_entrance.jpg

Drew

I have finally gotten around to taking more pictures so without further ado here they are:

http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album3/Large/Bathroom.jpg
This is the future bathroom and the water softener room as well as the HT equipment room.

http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/construction/images/Hallway-HT-entrance.jpg
Here is the entrance to the HT with the bar on the left.

http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album3/Large/Framed_hallway.jpg
Now you can see what I did with that darn tree!

http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album3/Large/HT_back_wall.jpg
Here is the backwall to the HT. The window will disappear one construction is done.

http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album3/Large/HT_front_wall.jpg
Here is the HT front wall with some of my tools.

http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album3/Large/HT_side_wall.jpg
Here is the equipment side of the HT.

I am still framing the HT so I have a few more days to finish. I still need to finish the entrance wall (offset the studs), build the soffits, etc.

One question I do have is I thought about using RISC clips for the ceiling and was wondering if anyone has experience using them? Are they worth the extra effort/cost/headroom? Do they really make a difference? I am definitely going to double drywall. I even thought about using GG but may just forgo that as I don't feel I have an extra $800 - $900 dollars for that expense. Are there any other alternatives I am missing (other than drop ceiling which I do not want to do)?

Drew

Thought would share my idea for the HT entrance with everyone. As I have stated the theme is WW1/WW2 and my family's military history. So the aptly named theater is called "The Fly-In". Well I thought it would be cool to have a hidden door as the entrance. I would like the entire wall to look like the fuselage of a B-25 Mitchell bomber, all done up with some vintage nose art. Here is a design concept:


The door will push into the HT with the hinges on the left. I plan on building my own door (unless there are better ideas). The idea is to rivet sheet metal together to fill the entire wall and door, paint the sheet metal and then add the nose art. The door will be hidden by extra sheet metal strips to cover the openings.

Drew
That sounds like a great idea. I am curious to what you have in mind for your theme. I have been thinking about this exact theme. It would be cool.

Drew,

Do you have a detail plan of the HT layout to share? It looks like we're working with almost the exact same dimensions, so I'm interested in your calculations for seating and screensize, etc.



BadAstronaut:
Here are some of my plans for the HT. I borrowed some ideas from bud (chinadog) and his thread http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5760667#post5760667 . Here are the plans so far:

http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album2/Large/Theater-Plan.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album2/Large/Soffit.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album2/Large/Soffit-detail.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album2/Large/side-view.jpg

Let me know what you think. I could always use some feedback.

Drew

Thought I would throw this in. I decided on my screen size from a distance calculator I found here (http://www.myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html) . I know my HT is 17' long x 12' wide x 8' high. I next had to determine where I want the primary seating....I knew I want two rows of seating. So I decided that I would but two seats up front and 4 in the back. My primary seating would be approximately 10 feet from the screen.

So using the calculations of a 10 foot viewing distance with a 16:9 screen at 92 inch diagonal, I figured that the maximum THX viewing distance is 14.5 feet (my back row) and the recommended THX viewing distance is 10.3 feet - perfect. To achieve the perfect THX viewing angle of 36 degrees I would need a screen of 89.5" diagonal - perfect. I say THX because I would really like to using the THX specs and equipment. Although these dimensions also fit in with other standards.

I next used the riser height calculator here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=505237) and calculated the riser height. A 92" diagonal screen is generally 53" x 88". I have 8' ceilings so 8' - 4'4" = ~3' 6" This gives me 3'6" of area above or below the screen. Assuming I put the screen as high up as possible I will have ~43" of space below the screen. Given my berkline 88 seats up front and my 10' of viewing distance my minimum riser height is 7".

However I am also constrained by code not to have less then 6'8" of headroom, and since I want a soffit I cannot make my riser taller than 8" and my soffit no taller than 10". It all works out, i just hope it will not be to cramped.

Next I looked a a few calculators for the throw distance of various projectors to make sure they would work for my layout. But I will save that for later. All this math gives me a headache ;)

I like the war theme, cool, and original Idea. Everything looks great so far!

Good luck!
Tristan

This may be stupid but I figured it would be a good idea to keep a running total of what I have spent to finish the basement. This may or may not be benificial to those who are just starting the planning stages of their basements, etc. So this post will continue to be updated as I buy new stuff. All prices include CO sales tax and delivery charges:

Construction:
Framing (Home Depot):
2x4x20 x12 = $98.34
2x4x8 x351 = $1086.90
Insulation = $291.16
SUBTOTAL: $1476.40

Electrical (Lowes/Home Depot)
Romex(14/2, 14/3, 12/2 12/3)
200 ft of 14/2
200 ft of 12/2
100 ft of 12/3 and 14/3 (free!!)
Various wall boxes
100 Amp breaker box 12 slots
1 60 Amp Main double pole breaker
4 20 Amp single pole breakers
4 15 Amp single pole breakers
24 6 inch can lights
4 4 inch eyeball cans
Bath fan/light
misc
SUBTOTAL: $839.08

HVAC (Home Depot)
25' of 6" Flex duct (1 so far need 3 more)
Strap ties
Return/supply tie-in's
misc
SUBTOTAL: $73.87

Plumbing (Lowes)
36x36 shower stall
SUBTOTAL: $101.18

Equipment:
$0

Furniture:
$0

Misc (TOOLS!!!, nails, etc):
Porter Cable Framing Nailer
Nails for nailer
clamps
long Level
Remington powder actuated faster
powder loads
SUBTOTAL: $446.21


GRAND TOTAL (So Far 1/1/06): $2936.74

Having a finished basement with HT: PRICELESS*

* could not resist that...

Hey Rooster

Very nice so far keep up the great work.

Your room is the exact same size as mine. Great minds must think a like a lot of the things you are doing are going to be things I will be doing when I remodel my theater room. I look forward in following your progress.

I too will try and keep a progress log going in the next couple of weeks when I begin the remodel.

Steven

If you are going to be putting in double dry wall you might want to think about double doors. We actally did them on one frame. It is amazing how much the second door does to take cut down on sound leaving the room.
BTW the theme is really cool.

Glenn

If you are going to be putting in double dry wall you might want to think about double doors. We actally did them on one frame. It is amazing how much the second door does to take cut down on sound leaving the room.
BTW the theme is really cool.

Glenn

I was actually planning on building my own door 2x4 or 2x6 with full insulation and drywall with 4 heavy duty hinges or a pivot hinge. Obviously this is still in the design phase. The two door is always an option. How did you do it? just screw one door onto the other? How did you handle the hardware?.

Drew

I had a guy build a door frame so 2 doors would fit. Email me at glenn.k@gikacoustics.com and I will email a picture of it to you.

After doing a bit more research and reading the posts on this thread I have decided (I think) to make my soffits into soffit bass traps.

Instead of covering the soffit with drywall I would leave the soffit open to fill with as much fiberglass insulation as possible and put cotton batting on the underside as well as top side then cover with GOM fabric.

Would this work? Does anyone have any experience with this type of bass trap? I looked at some of the offerings from Realtraps (http://www.realtraps.com/products.htm#soffittraps) and they looked great but I really would like to try the DIY method as I am trying to keep the budget somewhat sane. I could also use 703 rigid insulation, but was hoping people with more experience could point me in the right direction.

Drew

hands down 703 or even better 705 is going to work much better then fluffy fiberglass. Spend the extra money you will thank yourself later. Why not just go with panels?
Sorry I have not gotten the picures as of yet. Will try tonight when I get home from the plant.

You really can not over do bass traps
Oh, you most certainly can.

Check the height of your seating riser it looks too low, the second row's view will be obstructed. Try the riser height calculator sticky thread.

Check the height of your seating riser it looks too low, the second row's view will be obstructed. Try the riser height calculator sticky thread.

The riser is 8 inches and I did use the riser height calculator (great piece of work BTW) and it said I needed at least 7inches. I can go higher if I need to...I will look at my calculations one more time to make sure they are correct. "measure twice cut once, right!"

Drew

Drew,

Made some progress on my cove/light trey, check out the posts in my thread. Where are you now with your theater?

Bud

Bud, thanks for asking but unfortunately I have not progressed too much further. I have been very busy at work and now with the holidays who knows. I have finished all the framing though to include the soffits. I need to upload the pictures. I am now starting the plumbing/electrical and HVAC. I hope to have all the electrical done by Jan 1 with the plumbing and HVAC shortly after that. If I don't talk to you sooner have a good xmas and happy new year.

Drew

Happy New Year Everyone...

I finally got around to starting the electrical work. Yes I am tackling the entire job myself. Of course since I pulled a permit I won't fear to much about burning down the house once it passes inspection of course... I also rely on a neighbor who is an electrician.

This is where I am at. I added a 100amp subpanel in the basement. Of course the panel is rated for 100 amps with 12 slots. I am only bringing in 60 amps from the main panel. So since I am feeding the entire basement plus a dedicated circuit for my garage this is what I have planned:

1 20 Amp circuit for HT projector
1 20 Amp circuit for HT equipment
1 15 Amp circuit for HT lights
1 20 Amp circuit for the garage (Power tools are great!)
1 15 Amp AFCI circuit for the workout/bedroom
1 15 Amp circuit for the hall lights, equipment room light, storage room lights, 3 outlets
1 15 Amp circuit for game room lights
1 20 Amp GFCI circuit for bathroom
1 20 Amp circuit for bar, 4 outlets

Does this all sound about right? Is having 3 dedicated circuits for the HT overkill? I have read through the forums at length about this very topic and the opinions vary greatly. Since I have the space it is not a big deal, I am just looking for some general guidance on what others in similar situations have done.

So far I have installed the subpanel brought in the power and created the garage circuit and the hallway light/outlet circuit. So I am just beginning this adventure. After this is will be the plumbing and then the HVAC.

Drew

I am well on my way to being 50% complete on all of my wiring. It really is amazing how easy electrical is once you figure out the basics. Not only is it easy to figure out doing it yourself saves a bundle. I now have the following:

60 Amp subpanel
15 Amp circuit for hallway/Equipment Room/Storage room lights and 4 outlets
15 Amp circuit for Game Room lights and outlets
15 Amp circuit for Bar Area lights and outlets
20 Amp GFCI for the Bathroom
20 Amp AFCI for the Workout/Bedroom
20 Amp circuit for the PJ in the Home theater
20 Amp circuit for the HT equipment
15 Amp circuit for HT lights

The only areas left to wire are the HT and the Bathroom. I would like to have all the electrical done by Feb, but we will see. It is finally nice to see some more progress, as well as not working in the dark...

I am now down to finishing the rough-in of the bathroom and the workout room. Should be finished in a week or so. I may wait on the bathroom until I finish the HVAC. I figured out I have a small problem with routing the HVAC lines. Not much space to work with and installing can lights/etc does not make it any larger. Oh well, roughing in the wiring was actually fun aside from the cut up hands, and the many trips to Home Depot to buy more boxes, cable, etc.

A bit of advice to those doing the electrical rough-in themselves: Buy more than what you think you need and return what you don't use. I used 600 feet of 14/2, 250 feet of 12/2, 80 feet of 14/3 NM cable. I used 11 adjustable Carlton boxes in the HT and 18 Single boxes, 2 double boxes, 2 triple boxes and 1 quad box. I have 28 can lights and 4 wall sconces. Of course this is all for a 1400 square foot basement.

This part was enjoyable but will be glad when it is down so I can move on to the plumbing rough-in and HVAC, and finally drywall. I will post some pictures this weekend of my progress.

Drew

Took me a little longer than I thought but the electrical is now 100% done. Now it is on to the plumbing and HVAC. That should go fairly quickly as there is not too much to do with that. So then I can get an inspection on finally onto drywall.

After following all the excitement on Sandman's thread I too have decided to go with a 2.35:1 screen and will more than likely use his Phifer Sheerweave 4000 when he decides to sell it! I am going to go with a constant height 2.35:1 (110.4"x47") screen. I am still deciding on projectors but am leaning towards the Panasonic AE900. I am also looking at the Panamorph 752 lens.

Also I decided to redo the soffit so I spent some time ripping down what I had already done (DIY fun) and will tackle the new soffit very soon. I will also post some pics this weekend. Of course electrical pics are not as exciting as drywall.

Drew

Took me a little longer than I thought but the electrical is now 100% done. Now it is on to the plumbing and HVAC. That should go fairly quickly as there is not too much to do with that. So then I can get an inspection on finally onto drywall.

After following all the excitement on Sandman's thread I too have decided to go with a 2.35:1 screen and will more than likely use his Phifer Sheerweave 4000 when he decides to sell it! I am going to go with a constant height 2.35:1 (110.4"x47") screen. I am still deciding on projectors but am leaning towards the Panasonic AE900. I am also looking at the Panamorph 752 lens.

Also I decided to redo the soffit so I spent some time ripping down what I had already done (DIY fun) and will tackle the new soffit very soon. I will also post some pics this weekend. Of course electrical pics are not as exciting as drywall.

Drew

OK, gotta ask, what are you doing to your soffits? Bass traps or something cosmetic?

Bud

Hey Bud, to answer your question....yes. I will be putting in bass traps along the side soffits. I am also going to be extending the front and rear soffits from 12" to 24". That way I will have room under the front soffit to put in a screen wall and proscenium. The 24" rear soffit will allow me to put the projector inside the soffit as you were initially planning on doing.

As for the bass traps along the sides my plan is to put in soundboard from HD on the top portion of the soffit, followed by Owens Corning 703, Cotton Batting and another layer of 703 all covered by GOM.

Drew

As prommised here are some pics of my progress....

New Propeller for above the bar!
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album2/Large/propeller.jpg

The Game Room
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album3/Large/Game_room_framing.jpg

The Bar
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album3/Large/Bar_framing.jpg

The new subpannel
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album4/Large/Service_Panel.jpg

The home theater entrance
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album3/Large/HT_with_insulation.jpg

HT side wall were the equipment will be
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album3/Large/Equipment_wall.jpg

HT front wall
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album3/Large/Front_wall_insulation.jpg

HT rear wall
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album3/Large/Back_of_HT_with_insulation_and_wiring.jpg

HT equipment room
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album3/Large/Framed_dehumidifier.jpg

Drew

In my HT is my main water shutoff for the house. You can see it in this picture:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album3/Large/insulation_of_HT1.jpg

My question is other than just putting in a small panel to access it, is there any other way/better way to get to it without disrupting the final look of the theater?

Drew

Sweet prop. That's gonna look great. Nice job and progress. Where exactly in the theater is the water cutoff?

Bud

The water cutoff is in the back left corner of the theater as your looking at the rear wall. I framed a wall around the whole area. If you look at the plans below you will see a hollow area where the second row riser is located. That space is where the main shutoff valve is.

http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album2/Large/Basement_Layout.jpg

Drew

My question is other than just putting in a small panel to access it, is there any other way/better way to get to it without disrupting the final look of the theater?

You might want to steal an idea or two from this recent thread on hiding racks. Greg Powers worked wonders hiding his rack, which might be adapted to your water shutoff.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6998814&&#post6998814

I agree with Dave's suggestion on hiding your water meter.

Does the white wire coming out of the meter lead up to a radio powered meter reader located between your joists? If so, you will need to be sure the access panel allows access all the way up into the joists.

I noticed that you have a mold mitigation fan located in your equipment room for your crawl space under your structural wood floor. I have a similar set up in my basement. The fan on my system is amazingly loud and I'm finding that I am having a bit of a tough time keeping the sound from getting into my theater area. Is your fan loud? If so, do you have plans to isolate it from the rest of the equipment room?

Great prop!

- Scott

You might want to steal an idea or two from this recent thread on hiding racks. Greg Powers worked wonders hiding his rack, which might be adapted to your water shutoff.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6998814&&#post6998814


Dave, thanks for the info, that hidden rack access panel may do the trick. I was thinking of something along those lines but now I have an idea to borrow! Thanks.

Drew

No problem. Nice work, btw.

Looks like you water shutoff is actually opposite your rack. Perhaps it might be worthwhile to duplicate whatever design you come up with, and hide your rack while you are at it.

Just a thought.

I agree with Dave's suggestion on hiding your water meter.

Does the white wire coming out of the meter lead up to a radio powered meter reader located between your joists? If so, you will need to be sure the access panel allows access all the way up into the joists.

I noticed that you have a mold mitigation fan located in your equipment room for your crawl space under your structural wood floor. I have a similar set up in my basement. The fan on my system is amazingly loud and I'm finding that I am having a bit of a tough time keeping the sound from getting into my theater area. Is your fan loud? If so, do you have plans to isolate it from the rest of the equipment room?

Great prop!

- Scott


Scott, right you are. The white wire is for an external meter reader in front of the house. Good eyes BTW. Yes as I am sure you are aware living in Colorado we either deal with mold or shifting soil :( so I have a mold mitigation fan. It works well as I have control of the humidity setting which I keep around 20%. So the fan does run often. However my fan is not tremendously loud. I would say that in sones it is about 2.5 So by throwing in some insulation and drywall-panel in front of it I think I can cut down the noise factor.

I know when I am in the theater now I can hear it but it is more of a low rumble than anything else. I will have a problem as obviously the noise factor from the fan under the floor will always be present. There is nothing I can do about that I am afraid. Although I could hook the power to the fan up to the graphic eye and kill it when a movie plays.

Drew

Your basement is coming right along, a lot faster than me. good luck can't wait to see the final product.

I'm so jealous! How I long to rock! Tell me the electrical, low voltage, duct work, pj exhaust, wall sconces, resessed lights, rope lights, stair lights, cove lights, etc....., will end some day soon! :-) I can't take another trip to the big ornage to buy any more work boxes!!

Drew, your theater looks real good. Look fwd to seeing the next round of pics.

----------------------
Doc

Rooster...

Nice pics. It appears that you have two wall separating your HT from the rest of your basement. Good construction technique. I would recommend that instead of placing two layer of drywall, use a resilient channel over your second stud wall then place one layer of 5/8" over the resilient channel. Your STC (sound transmission coefficient) will ultimately be higher by separating the walls like you have and using the resilient channels directly over the stud walls.

Resilient channels on your ceiling would be preferred, however not completely necessary. There is not a lot you can achieve at your ceiling level besides basic insulation install. STC's are transmitted more by resonance and vibration than through opening in your system. I would recommend that you acoustically caulk the base plate of your studs before installing drywall, etc... In addition, once you install drywall, use an acoustic caulk at the intersection of your ceiling drywall and your wall drywall.

Good Luck!

I am not sure how it would apply in double walls, but Dennis Erskine frequently cautions people against RC. While it improves STC at the mids and highs, apparantly, it is lousy with bass (which is off the STC scale).

Rooster,

Excellent job so far! That theater (not to mention the rest of the basement) is looking very good! The only problem I see with your setup is that in the layout drawings, your foosball table is missing 1 rod. 50% of your guests are going to be very unhappy with that! ;)

Joking aside, keep up the good work. I look forward to having a space in which to build my own!

If he manages to allways play the team with all the rods then I think 100% of his guests will be very unhappy ;)

funny observation.

Keep up the good work,
Brian

Very nice start. I will be following your progress.

Thanks guys, I have decided to redo the framing around the main water shutdoff in the HT so I can do a hidden panel a little easier. So I will need to rewire the electrical box and change out some of the framing but no biggie. Should be able to do it easily this weekend.

I will also be getting my drywall in the next few weeks, thanks to Uncle Sam! So I need to finish the hvac and plumbing and get my inspection. I jut want to buy the drywall before the price goes up again. :)

As for the foosball table, I need all the advantage I can get to win! ;)

Drew

I figured I would post my latest figures on cost here since I was going over it today. So here are the numbers for the entire basement thus far:

PERMIT: $303.72
CONSTRUCTION: $1188.33
ELECTRICAL: $1160.74
HVAC: $151.20
PLUMBING: $196.91
INSULATION: $291.16
FLOORING: $40.04
MISC: $683.15

GRAND TOTAL (So Far 2/25/06): $3599.00

I will be purchasing the drywall in a week or two and it should cost around $1100 for 110 sheets. I also need to purchase more copper tubing and ABS drain pipe for the rough in plumbing as well as the remaining HVAC duct work.

My goal is to be ready to begin drywall in about 2 months time, but we will see. The plumbing should not take me too long. Unfortunately work keeps getting in the way :D

Drew

I have been busy the last two weeks. I got some of my neighbors and co-workers to help me bring in the drywall - 120 sheets. That was not fun but at least it is done. I had to remove a window in the HT to bring in the drywall. You can see the de-construction in this picture:

http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/Window_removed_for_drywall.jpg

Here you can see the handy work of stacking all the drywall:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album5/Large/Drywall_Stack.jpg

Since I am doing a wet bar and did not have the ability to run a vent stack easily I went ahead and used a stutor valve:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album4/Large/Bar_drain_studor_vlalve.jpg

I worked in the plumbing this weekend and it is mostly complete. I just need to make the final connections. Need a time when I can shut the water off without the wife around :rolleyes:

The only thing left after that will be HVAC and an inspection and I will finally be doing drywall. As a side note I also ripped out all of the soffits in the HT so that I can put up the drywall first then add the soffits. I will put up some more pictures later this week.

Drew

Those stacks of drywall look intimidating! I think you should cover them up with a sheet or something so they don't psych you out before you even start. If you are working by yourself in your basement and you think you here them quietly laughing at you, don't tell me I didn't warn you! :D

Just passed my framing/electrical/plumbing/hvac inspection! So let the drywall begin :D I actually need to still buy some more insulation before I start hanging drywall but I will be hanging sheetrock very soon.

Drew

Drew,

Did you decide to do the drywall yourself?

Bud

Oh yeah I am a glutton for punishment ;) Besides I can save a few bucks in the process to go towards better equipment. I probably screwed up cause I purchased a screen from Sandman (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7431664&&#post7431664) so I will probably end up watching movies before finishing the drywall!

All kidding aside I don't really mind drywall, hanging it is not a problem, just the taping and mudding. But it is no problem. I plan on taking a week or so off of work to work on it full time. I can't stand having drywall dust around the house.

Now that I think about it Bud, since yours is almost done want to come out to Colorado and have a second helping of drywall :)

Drew

Will drywall for beer.... :D Good luck with it man, its a reale milestone when you get over that hump.

Bud

Thats funny so will I. Tell me your preference and I will ship you a case or two :D I need to fly mine in from Ireland just so I know it is fresh. In fact I am still trying to convince the wife that a Guinness tap in the wet bar would work....She is not sold yet however could be convinced if it were Corona!

Bud I wanted to ask you on your PJ installation you put in a thermometer to kick on the exhaust fan when it gets to hot but i wanted to know if you put that exhaust fan on the same circuit as the PJ or did you tap off a different one?

Drew

I have it on a different circuit. I ran the power from an outlet in the gamreoom on the back wall that's shared with the theater room.

I plan on a keg fridge in the bar as well and love Guinness, but plan on doing a simple tap. Man, that'll be one great tasting beer when I get done with all this!

Bud

Well, I still have not got around to the drywall yet, but I now have all the rest of the insulation purchased for the entire basement. So I know what I will be doing on Saturday. Have to get it all done since Sunday is Mothers day and I think I would be in the dog house if I spent it working in the basement :D .

Any way I just received my AT screen from SandmanX. Great looking screen BTW and if you are interested in a Accoustically Transparent screen you should check out his thread (http://www.reefin.com/smx/). Unfortunately Fedex did a number on the box that the screen was shipped in.

However, while the box was very flat, I will more than likely be able to salvage the screen. Right now it is tightly rolled onto a 3" PVC pipe in a warm room. That should take care of the creases, etc. If not I will try a steamer to remove them.

I also got around to ordering my projector today. I decided to go with the Panasonic AE-900. The placement options plus throw distance is what convinced me to go with the Panny as opposed to the Optima HD72. Now I just need to decide on an anamorphic lens. I am leaning towards the Panamorph U80 since it is a good price right now. Does any one have any experience with the AE-900 and an anamorphic lens. I have checked the 2.35 CH thread and there are a few but I thought I would ask anyway.

More pictures soon.

Drew

Drew,

I haven't kept up with the anamorphic stuff, but I believe there is a bunch of talk in the Offical AE900 thread. It's very long though. I''ll be curious once you have it all working in a 2:35 setup how it works out for you. It may be a phase II thing for me.

Bud

Bud, I have read that entire thread and it appears not too many people are doing the anamorphic thing with the 900. There are a few but no details. I am thinking I may go with a very large 16:9 screen since I can make a 2.35:1 screen the same width. I would just need to drop down a mask from the top about 2 feet and it should work out. I will let you know.

Drew

Drywall should be started in about 2 weeks. My plan is to get the entire basement done in about 7 days. I will be doing it my self with help from my brother-in-law and my neighbor. Should be fun ;)
I decided to take today off and finish up the insulation.

Drew

I also got around to ordering my projector today. I decided to go with the Panasonic AE-900. The placement options plus throw distance is what convinced me to go with the Panny as opposed to the Optima HD72. Now I just need to decide on an anamorphic lens. I am leaning towards the Panamorph U80 since it is a good price right now. Does any one have any experience with the AE-900 and an anamorphic lens. I have checked the 2.35 CH thread and there are a few but I thought I would ask anyway. Drew,
Do you have a scaler and are you in the Denver area? If so, I have a Prismasonic H-1200R anamorphic lens that I'd be willing to bring over to let you try out with your AE-900. I don't know how the Prismasonic compares to the Panamorph, but it may give you an idea how your projector will work with 2.35 CH. Drop me a PM if you are interested.

Scott, thanks for the great offer. I sent you a PM.

Drew

I am toying with the idea of NOT insulating the rest of my basements ceilings. The HT has insulations on all 5 walls. The rest of my basement has insulation on the walls now. I was wondering if the added cost /work of insulating the ceiling would be worth it.

I only ask as the ceilings in the rest of the house do not have insulation (except in the attic).
What are everyones opinions?

Drew

Drew,

I don't believe the AE900 has the required vertical stretch in order to use a lens with it - you'll either need a scalar or one of the few DVD players that can do it. In addition, the Panamorph lens is a vertical compression lens, which means you can't just move it out of the way for 16:9 (you'll have to squish 16:9 horizontally and get black sidebars and then the lens will compress it vertically). You should probably find a place to demo the projector (if you haven't bought it yet) to test the various aspect ratio settings to make sure it has both of the required scaling options for the lens you're looking at.

As far as insulation, I'm not sure about climate control, but since you're already treating the room for isolation (somewhat), I don't believe the ceiling insulation will make a difference from the sound perspective.

I am toying with the idea of NOT insulating the rest of my basements ceilings. The HT has insulations on all 5 walls. The rest of my basement has insulation on the walls now. I was wondering if the added cost /work of insulating the ceiling would be worth it.
I only ask as the ceilings in the rest of the house do not have insulation (except in the attic).
What are everyones opinions? Drew,
I went pretty much "all out" on my sound isolation for my entire basement -- double drywall, green glue, RSIC, hat channel, insulation, fully sealed with caulking, etc. I am not completely done yet, but I have to say that I am extremely impressed so far with the isolation I seem to have. I don't know how much the insulation added to the overall result, but from all the reading I did, it seemed like most of the experts recommended using insulation -- so I did. Insulation is not really all that expensive in relation to everything else, and other than being a bit itchy, it is pretty easy to install. The way I look at it, I would rather spend the time up front to put it in rather than wishing I had put it in after the drywall is up.
- Scott

Man, I thought about drywalling my basement (1,750 sq ft +), then I woke up and hired someone. The crew had it hung, around 140-145 sheets in 1 day. They spent 3 days mudding and sanding and they were done.

I'd still be thinking about where to start. Good luck my man!

James, I was going off of the Panamorph website. They have a new compatibility page (http://www.panamorph.com/Compatibility.html) which shows that the 900 should work. Of course that does assume the PJ or DVD player can stretch the image, or by use of a scaler. I was hoping the PJ could do it, but if not I will get a DVD player that can and maybe in the future get a scaler.

Thanks for the info though

Drew

Scott, thanks for the info. Man you really did go all out to do that kind of sound isolation in your entire basement. Wow what a cost that must have been. I am doing the 2 layer drywall plus green glue in the theater but could not imagine doing that in the entire basement. You are a better man than I ;)

Drew

Man, I thought about drywalling my basement (1,750 sq ft +), then I woke up and hired someone. The crew had it hung, around 140-145 sheets in 1 day. They spent 3 days mudding and sanding and they were done.

I'd still be thinking about where to start. Good luck my man!

Jerrod, yeah I have 1200 sf ft so not as much as yours but still a lot. That is why I am bringing in my brother-in-law and my neighbor plus my neighbors dad. Actually I am trading services. I am helping my neighbors dad build his house. So he is going to help me hang drywall. So I get experience in home building and get my drywall done and he gets cheap labor ;) I think we should get it all done in about 7 days. I will let you all know how it goes.

Drew

Drew,

James, I was going off of the Panamorph website. They have a new compatibility page which shows that the 900 should work. Of course that does assume the PJ or DVD player can stretch the image, or by use of a scaler. I was hoping the PJ could do it, but if not I will get a DVD player that can and maybe in the future get a scaler

The AE900 will only scale 480 input. Anything else and you will need an external scaler. As Lindahl said, the Panamorphs are vertical compression lenses, so when you go to any other AR besides 2.35:1, you will need to rescale and mask as moving the lens will cause some alignment issues.

Scott

Drew,



The AE900 will only scale 480 input. Anything else and you will need an external scaler. As Lindahl said, the Panamorphs are vertical compression lenses, so when you go to any other AR besides 2.35:1, you will need to rescale and mask as moving the lens will cause some alignment issues.

Scott

Scott, thanks for the info. Do you know if the 900 will scale 480 over HDMI? Or will it only scale it over analog? I am also assuming that 720 is completely out? Hopefully I can find a DVD play that can do the scaling for me. I was thinking about the samsung HD950 but I am still reading about the DVD players in other threads.

I knew about the alignment issues and was planning on a masking system that would either raise or lower. I was hoping to align the image on the bottom of the screen so that way I would only need to mask the top for 2.35. That is what I have gathered from the 2.35 thread and from panamorph but I could be wrong.

Drew

Have you thought about looking at the Prismasonic lens instead (or any other HE lens)? That will save you the masking headache, as you can just move the lens.

Have you thought about looking at the Prismasonic lens instead (or any other HE lens)? That will save you the masking headache, as you can just move the lens.

I have considered it and am still assuming the price is right. The price for the panamorph right now is very good. It is $750 cheaper than the prismasonic H-600M. Do you know of a cheaper or even local place to get them in the States? I really do like them especially since they have the pass through feature. I am just being frugal and should spring for the H-600... :confused:

Drew

I am toying with the idea of NOT insulating the rest of my basements ceilings. The HT has insulations on all 5 walls. The rest of my basement has insulation on the walls now. I was wondering if the added cost /work of insulating the ceiling would be worth it.

I only ask as the ceilings in the rest of the house do not have insulation (except in the attic).
What are everyones opinions?

Drew

Drew,
My wife and I purchased our house which was a spec home 5 years ago. The only problem was the basement was completely finished. It has been a struggle trying to retrofit it for a dedicated theater without completely demoing the existing finish work.

A huge issue of mine is that the master bedroom on the main floor is above a guest bedroom in the basement. The builder decided to save a couple bucks and did not insulate the ceiling. As a result there is very little sound isolation between the two rooms.

My suggestion would be to do yourself a favor and stuff some insulation in the ceiling. It is an added expense but worth it. If your budget does not allow insulating the entire basement ceiling I would at least insulate any areas where sound transmission between floors could be an issue.

Good luck with your build,
JD

JD, thanks for the input. I have thought about that as well. So I have decided to bite the bullet, suck it up and put in the insulation. Better to be happy later after spending the money than regretting it later on.

Drew

I have considered it and am still assuming the price is right. The price for the panamorph right now is very good. It is $750 cheaper than the prismasonic H-600M. Do you know of a cheaper or even local place to get them in the States? I really do like them especially since they have the pass through feature. I am just being frugal and should spring for the H-600... :confused:

If you give them a call, and let them know you're from AVS, you might be able to get the DIY version which is almost 50% cheaper(?). I emailed them recently about this and the response wasn't a confirmation, but it sounded positive if you pursued it further (grew a few thorns ;) ). Another option, would be this (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=676352) at ~300$. It's a little early to buy one at this point in time, but if you're willing to wait it out a little, it may be very worth it.

Do you know if the 900 will scale 480 over HDMI? Or will it only scale it over analog?

Tried this with my AE700 last night and it seems that once the HDMI input is used, the aspect ratio locks out. Didn't matter what res I was inputting. I assume the 900 is the same as that is what I have seen on the constant height forum.

Scott

If you give them a call, and let them know you're from AVS, you might be able to get the DIY version which is almost 50% cheaper(?). I emailed them recently about this and the response wasn't a confirmation, but it sounded positive if you pursued it further (grew a few thorns ;) ). Another option, would be this (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=676352) at ~300$. It's a little early to buy one at this point in time, but if you're willing to wait it out a little, it may be very worth it.

James, many thanks for that info. I will try that and see what happens. But as you have said I am a little far out for that just yet. Thanks again.

Drew

Tried this with my AE700 last night and it seems that once the HDMI input is used, the aspect ratio locks out. Didn't matter what res I was inputting. I assume the 900 is the same as that is what I have seen on the constant height forum.

Scott

Scott, thank you for trying that out. I thought that may be the case. But, that is where a scaler will come in handy I suppose. I need too save some more money I guess so I can get one in the near future.

Drew

I think I will fly in. What's nearest with 4000' of concrete?

Um, 4000' you could use my street. Actually there a 4 small general aviation runways within 15 miles of my house. I have flown around a few of them but only used one. Last time I was there my brother had just flown in. He was ferrying a AD-4 Skyraider to an Air Show:

http://www.imcat.com/images/chino/A_AD4_11.jpg

Love flying the warbirds. Even though the AD-4 is not a true WWII warbird as it did not enter service until '46 it is still an impressive plane.

Fly-in anytime. I think you will enjoy the finished product. The beer will be ice-cold.

Drew

Well, Since the big orange box is having a sale on insulation (buy $250 get a $75 gift card) I went out and bought 9 bags of R30 for the basement ceiling. I already had 3 bags for the theater.

I also bought the Master flow attic thermometer to control the 6 inch inline duct fan for the projector and equipment. You can see it in the attachment. You can buy them from HD in the attic fan area. This set up is the same that Bud has in his theater (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7457646&&#post7457646) . Thanks for the info Bud!

I also bought 9 small 25 watt halogen lights from HD that I will use in the theater. I decided not to use wall sconces because of my space. So I went for the smaller light look around the perimeter of the room. I attached a sample of the lights. They should work out fine.

I will be posting my feeble attempt at my sketchup drawing soon so that everyone can see my desired look. Drywall will be starting very soon.

Drew

I'll be bring the Aerostar out there this Sept...I'll likely keep it at BJC but I've flown it out of 1V5 and APA ... it eats alot of runway.

I said I would post some design pics of the theater. Well here is a first draft. I spent about 2 hours playing with sketchup and put these together. The next task will be to learn blender!

Drew

Here are two pics of the hidden door:

Drew

Drew,

Love the logo!

I like option 2 for PJ placement. At ~ 16' you have quite a few options on screen size with most projectors. Only question I had was will the Projector be able to vent properly in the soffit?

Sorry, I was looking at your HT link and made my comments about your HT plan pics in there. Didn't even see the new pics. Great job on sketchup.

There is joy in Denver. I just received my Panny 900 this evening. So I can no begin the process of finalizing the position :D :D . I also received a Guinness is good for you sign that I bought from ebay. Bud should like that ;)

I am almost done with the insulation and the conduit for the PJ. I have also run a 6 inch vent powered by a thermostat for the PJ. I will post pictures of the set up in the next few days. I am just counting down the days to drywall, 13 and counting.....

Drew

I just caught a picture of your sign on Bud's thread... does that one have the smiley face in the head of the beer?

Grats on getting the proj.

Nelson

Here is the Guinness Sign I just got:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album2/Large/guinness-sign.jpg

Nelson, no it does not have a smiley face in the beer. Although that or a shamrock would be cool. Don't know how to pour a Guinness unless you can make a shamrock in the head. (I have spent way to much time at the Guinness brewery in Dublin :o ).

Drew

I just got an ae900 that now needs mounting. Do i need to install an outlet in the cieling near the PJ? or can I simply run a long extention cable to an outlet where my equip is located? sorry for the hijack.

You should run an outlet by the PJ. Most people do it that way. But using extension cords to bring in power is generally not approved for code. You cannot use an extension cord inside walls. If you have the ability it is not hard to bring in a dedicated outlet for the PJ.

As an additional note you should use a dedicated outlet that has both an isolated ground as well as surge protection. In my setup I ran a 3 wire (black/white/red/ground) from a dedicated 20Amp breaker to a dedicated isolated ground/surge protection outlet to my PJ. You should do this as the PJ is a primary element of your theater. Video sources are very sensitive to electrical problems (dirty power, surges, spikes, brownouts, etc) and using an isolated ground with surge protection will really help you out.

Of course you can do this with power conditioners/cleaners from manufactures like panamax or monster, but then the PJ is not on it's own circuit.

I am using a Leviton 5380-IG receptacle that I got local from Cost plus for $30.00. You can see an example of one here (http://www.twacomm.com/Catalog/Model_5380-IG.htm) .

Hope this info helps.

Drew

thanks, it helped a lot. i may order that same product.

thanks, it helped a lot. i may order that same product.


No problem. Not sure how well you know electrical or not but here is a link on how to wire an isolated ground (http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=Improve/IsolatGnd) receptacle.

Just keep in mind that there are different types of receptacles. Some are just isolated ground (IG) and some are both IG and surge protection. The Leviton link I posted earlier is both.

Drew

I decided that since the PJ would be in the soffit that I am building I needed some way to place it. So I started looking around for mounting options. I decided to try and make my own. I found this great thread that Monkey_Man started here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=232749). This was a great resource.

I am going to change his design a little, but not much. I only need to hang the PJ from the ceiling and will build the soffit around it. There will be a trap door below the PJ for access. I will of course take pictures as I go along so everyone can see what I mean.

In the meantime here is the photo of the mounting parts:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/PJ-mount-parts.jpg

Here is the list of the parts from the Blue Box store:
(4) M40-.70x50 Hex screws
(4) M4 wing nuts
(4) Lock washers
(4) Flat washers
(4) Nylon insert lock washers
(4) Fender washers
(4) Rubber washers

Total: $9.34

Parts from the Orange Box:
(1) 24x48 1/4 inch Plexiglass panel
(4) 1 inch compression springs
(8) Finishing washers
(2) 3/4 flange
(1) 3/4 X 10" Black steel pipe

Total: $27.28

Here is a photo of the mounting screw parts lined up in order:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Mounting-screws.jpg

Here are the screws together:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Screw-together.jpg

I will post more pictures after I get the plexiglass cut so you can see the step by step.

Drew

I will be running the new isolated ground line for the PJ tonight. I will take photos of that so people can see how to run their own isolated ground line.

Drew

I've seen the MonkeyMan mount in a few places. Great idea, especially if hidden. Should have done that myself.

Bud

I will be running the new isolated ground line for the PJ tonight. I will take photos of that so people can see how to run their own isolated ground line.

Drew

Drew, will you be running an isolated ground for your other equipment too in the AV closet? I a`m trying to read up on allot of this since I am getting ready to get a new house where I will be able to have a theater, and thought that would be good, but wanted to know what others thought.

Drew, will you be running an isolated ground for your other equipment too in the AV closet? I a`m trying to read up on allot of this since I am getting ready to get a new house where I will be able to have a theater, and thought that would be good, but wanted to know what others thought.

Actually there will not be a need for that as I will be using a dedicated Power line conditioner and surge protector from panamax which has an isolated ground built in.

The model number is: Panamax MAX® 5100-EX and you can get these for a decent price on the net. The only reason the PJ is not connected to this is because I wanted it to be on it's own dedicated circuit.

Drew

As promised here are the screen shot from the isolated ground rewire job I did. I ripped out the old 12/2 wire and replaced it with 12/3 wire. I also replaced the blue single gang Carlton receptacle box with a metal one.

Here is a shot of the subpanel before the wiring is installed:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album4/Large/Electric_panel_breakers.jpg

Here is the same shot but with all the wiring in place:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album4/Large/breakers2.jpg

And here is the other end showing the new metal box with wires:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album4/Large/HT_projector_wiring.jpg

The receptacle that will be used will be a Leviton. You should be able to pick these up for less than $30 at a electrical shop. The box stores (at least mine) do not carry these models.

Again this only for the projector so that it is better protected than just a standard receptacle.

Drew

Since I was finishing up the electrical in the HT today I took some pictures of my inline fan. This fan will be used to dissipate heat from the PJ and equipment room into another part of the basement. This is a 6 inch inline fan that is relatively quite and very inexpensive ~$25.

I ran 6 inch flex duct from the PJ location through the wall into the equipment room were it tees. You can see the fan assembly below:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album4/Large/Cooling_fan.jpg

This is a suncourt inline fan and requires line voltage to run. Here is a shot of the fan itself:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album4/Large/Projector_cooling_fan.jpg

The attic fan I described a few posts ago will control this fan. Here is a shot of the finished install:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album4/Large/Cooling_Fan_Installed.jpg

This set up really seems to work well as the opening by the PJ has quite a bit of air being pulled through it. Of course I think it will work even better when the equipment room duct gets connected ;)

Drew

What a night. I accomplished a lot today. I finished the temporary PJ mount:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/assembled-mount.jpg

Here are the parts for the downrod assembly:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Downrod-mount.jpg

This is only temporary as I want to modify it so that it is easier to put up and take down. I will post more on that later. But first I wanted to put up the PJ to test my location. As I said before I can measure all day long but I need to see to believe. So I threw up the PJ:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/PJ_closeup.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/PJ_up1.jpg

And I watched Star Wars:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/testing_PJ.jpg :D :D

Of course this was only on an old sheet (which was not even big enough) but I was able to determine the exact mount point of the PJ and determine my screen size, etc. What do you know my math was right. I guess my 7th grade geometry teacher would be proud ;)

Any way once that was done, as hard as it was, I packed up the PJ and proceeded to install all of the remaining insulation. What nasty stuff, but I must say it does definitely make a difference. So now all that remains is a date with the drywall gods - 9 days and counting.....

Drew

This drywall god will be on vacation in 9 days... well, 14 days, but er, I'll be busy doing something. I forget, did you get a lift yet?

Bud

Nope, will be going to reserve one in a few days though. Darn and I bought all this beer too. Guess I will have find more help now :cool:

Drew

As promised here are the screen shot from the isolated ground rewire job I did...Drew,
What does the isolated ground do? Is it just a second ground from the plug to the breaker box for added safety? I couldn't quite tell from the picture, but did you just attach the red/green wire to ground bus in the breaker box along with the bare copper wire or is it attached differently?

Nice work on the projector mount!

- Scott

Scott,

An isolated ground system can be used to improve noise reduction in power distribution systems for computers and distributed data networks. It works very well for A/V systems. An isolated ground is not a grounding wire run to an unbonded electrode. Instead, it is an insulated grounding conductor (red wire with green tape) terminated directly at the building equipment grounding conductor terminal.

Because this ground is not bonded to the receptacle, the isolated ground won't pick up any noise at that point. Per the NEC, you still must ground the outlet box [Sec. 250-146(d)], hence the bare copper wire.

It is probably not necessary, but for an extra $35 dollars to implement on a $2k PJ I thought why not. The real protection comes from the receptacle itself which has the built in surge protector.

Drew

Ok Drew, I am assuming (yeah I know what that does) that you have the projector on a dedicated circuit. If that is the case, is there any particular reason you used a 20 amp circuit instead of a 15?

It is on a dedicated circuit. It is on a 20 amp circuit because I had one extra 20 amp breaker lying around and did not feel like going to HD to exchange it for a 15 amp one. I could have easily just used a 15 amp breaker though so there really is no reason to use a 20 amp breaker if it is dedicated.

Drew

Great thread, Drew. I'm not sure how I missed this.. I think I may have seen your thread a few times, but now I'm subscribed. :) I'm starting to read from the beginning straight through...

From an old post...

A bit of advice to those doing the electrical rough-in themselves: Buy more than what you think you need and return what you don't use. I used 600 feet of 14/2, 250 feet of 12/2, 80 feet of 14/3 NM cable. I used 11 adjustable Carlton boxes in the HT and 18 Single boxes, 2 double boxes, 2 triple boxes and 1 quad box. I have 28 can lights and 4 wall sconces. Of course this is all for a 1400 square foot basement.


I laughed out loud at this one, because as I was reading from the first page, you said you were getting 200' each of 14/2 and 12/2... I thought, "heh, I bet he'll have to go back for more after the first day..". I just buy in 1000' rolls now. It gets used in the next house, etc..

My regards to you for doing the electrical yourself. It's so simple and so much cash can be saved on that, it's crazy. Many are just intimidated by it I guess. I'm curious as to whether you're using a Grafik Eye (or similar), but will patiently read on... :)

Tim, thanks for the comments. I finally learned after countless trips to the store to just buy more than you need and return the rest. Saves on gas and frustration ;) . My plan is to use a 6 zone graphic eye in the future, but for right now I was going to an alternate/cheaper route and use insteon dimmers. Although I must admit I have not figured out which ones and the cost. If the cost is not much less I will just go with a graphic eye.

Drew

BTW I am now at 5 days and counting on hanging drywall...... Stay tuned for pics.

Of course you can do this with power conditioners/cleaners from manufactures like panamax or monster, but then the PJ is not on it's own circuit.
Actually, there are quite a few people who are running a 12/2 between the projector location (outlet), and their equipment rack (a male outlet). Then they use a short extension cord between the power conditioner and the male outlet to provide power to the PJ outlet.

If you use a power conditioner that isolates the grounds between each of its power outputs, you don't need a dedicated circuit for the PJ. However, you could also get two of them, and use one exclusively on a dedicated circuit for the PJ.

Oh, and you're very correct about no extension cords inside walls.

Do you know if there are differing wiring requirements between the different graphic controllers (Insteon, Lutron, etc)?

Tim, I had thought of that wiring solution but for some reason decided against it. Although I cannot remember why. That would definitely work though.

As far as I know there is no wiring differences between the Insteon/Spacer/Maestro/Graphic Eye systems. The major differences being the gang boxes you use and how much wire can be "legally" put into them. But other than that they are all wired the same (someone correct me if I am wrong.)

Drew

Well, I went out and rented a drywall lift and a screw gun from HD. I also bought some drywall shims, a few boxes of nails and I am ready to start drywalling. I already had a 30lbs box of screws from a previous basement as well as all the other necessary tools. So I am ready to begin.

Of course the goal is to get the drywall hung in the entire basement in 2-3 days, get the inspections and then tape/mud in 4-5 days. So if all goes well I should have the drywall done in a week and a half :D .

Drew

Of course the goal is to get the drywall hung in the entire basement in 2-3 days, get the inspections and then tape/mud in 4-5 days. So if all goes well I should have the drywall done in a week and a half :D .

Drew

Does you area require inspection after drywall is up but not mudded? after my plumbing, mechanical, electrical an framing are passed I don't need to get another inspection until completion.

Does you area require inspection after drywall is up but not mudded? after my plumbing, mechanical, electrical an framing are passed I don't need to get another inspection until completion.

Yeah, The county I live in requires an inspection of the drywall prior to tapping and mudding so they can see that you put in enough screws or not too many. Very anal, but they must have seen people doing silly things to warrant it.

Drew

Speaking of the inspection, when is the final? In other words, what is the bare minimum to get a final inspection? I'm thinking about finishing the basement and home theater at the same time, but saving some money by not completely finishing the home theater... just getting it to the drywall-complete stage. Can you get a final inspection at that point? (The last project I did I didn't get a permit, but this next one I will)

Speaking of the inspection, when is the final? In other words, what is the bare minimum to get a final inspection? I'm thinking about finishing the basement and home theater at the same time, but saving some money by not completely finishing the home theater... just getting it to the drywall-complete stage. Can you get a final inspection at that point? (The last project I did I didn't get a permit, but this next one I will)

In my area, you can't. For instance, for your mechanical final, you have to have the HVAC up and running. For the electrical, all the lights and outlets need to be operable. For plumbing, sinks and toilets and showers need to work. So, if you want to finish say 1500 square feet, it either all has to be finished or you have to do it in stages.... at least where I'm at.

In my area, once you get your first inpection, you have up to 1 year to get the next inspection.

Speaking of the inspection, when is the final? In other words, what is the bare minimum to get a final inspection? I'm thinking about finishing the basement and home theater at the same time, but saving some money by not completely finishing the home theater... just getting it to the drywall-complete stage. Can you get a final inspection at that point? (The last project I did I didn't get a permit, but this next one I will)


Tim, you can probably get by with the final inspection by finishing all your walls, but you will need to finish the flooring as well. Inspections (at least in my county in Colorado) include:

1. Plumbing
2. Electrical
3. HVAC
4. Framing
5. Drywall Screws (prior to tapping/mudding)
6. final (finish drywall/molding/flooring)

You have 6 months between each inspection otherwise you buy a new permit. Of course you can call for an incpection just to circumvent the 6 month window.

As for my final it will be a few months ;)

Drew

Well, today was day one of drywall for the basement. My Brother-In-Law arrived at 7:30 from Houston, TX and we got to the house at 8:30. My other help arrived at 9am and we drywalled until 7 pm, stopping only for lunch.

We hung 72 pieces of drywall and got around 80% done. I think we did very well and will finish hanging the drywall tomorrow. The only rooms left are the HT and the workout room. Then will come the finishing. Here are a few pics to show what we accomplished:

Game room looking into the workout room:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album5/Large/Game_Room.jpg

Looking into the game room:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album5/Large/Game_Room2.jpg

The bar:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album5/Large/Bar.jpg

The HT entrance/hall
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album5/Large/Hall.jpg

The bathroom:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album5/Large/Bathroom.jpg

Another shot the HT entrance:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album5/Large/HT_entrance.jpg

Drew

Wow, that's incredible. Very nice to have that kind of help, and encouraging to know that it can be done that quickly. Did you use a lift, or just muscle-power?

Thanks for the info on the inspections, guys. It's good to get a sample of how it's done at various places. I'll have to look into the local requirements for where we buy our next house. It'd be very nice to be able to extend it, that's for sure. I'm considering doing a major addition at some point, but will probably take over a year total. By far the biggest time consumer is from drywall on, at least for me. All that finish work takes forever, because you have to make sure you do a great job since it's the visible element of the construction. That, and I find framing, electrical, and (some) plumbing much more fun than finish work, so that gives me the motivation to work on it more.

Wow Drew, its really coming along now. I'd offer to lend a hand but right now my wife would kill me. We are getting our house ready to sell, because we put money down on a house just west of you at Jordan and Main Street. We should be moving in end of year (they haven't put a shovel in the ground yet). But seeing your room coming along is really getting me excited and anxious to get dimensions on mine and start planning. I may have to bug you about our local building codes.

Drew - man wish I had help. So far just got help with 12' sheets for ceiling......other than that I'm on my own :( hence why taking so long :( I hope to complete by the end of week and then onto taping/mudding. Only good thing is I don't need perfect finish on my walls (just ceiling & soffit)

Noticed in bathroom you appear to have used standard drywall for much of the walls. Thought you needed to use moisture resistent thru out.

Mark,

I did greenboard throughout, although I think here it's only required around the shower. Good be wrong. I think it weighs more too.

Drew,

You can really crank when you've got help, it's nice to have. Looks good! I bet mud takes you a little bit longer though.

Bud

Not drywalled bath yet but I got a new paperless moisture resitent board and going to use thru out.

And I don't envy Drews tapping/mudding task :D

Hey guys, well I am happy to report that the drywall is now 100% hung. 1200 square feet in 2 days with 4 guys is quite a feat, IMHO. I am really happy that that portion is now done. I am having my inspection tomorrow so I will let you know how it goes.

Tim, I did have a lift but decided it was more in the way than anything so I took it back to HD. With 4 guys muscle power is much better than a lift. If I ended up doing it myself I would have used the lift as it works great.

As for the greenboard, in CO, it is only required in the wet areas, ie. shower stalls, sink/toilet areas and no where else. So I put green board only in the entire shower and around the permitter of the room 48" high.

Tapping and mudding starts tomorrow assuming the inspection passes. I also don't envy that part as it will only be myself and occasionally a second helper. So we will see how it goes. The plan is to go 4 days straight (10-12 hour days) and see where I am at. I really hate drywall dust so the faster I get it done the better :D

I tell you what though, the biggest thing is getting help. I hired a guy for $25 an hour cash ($500) for two days of work and it was worth every penny. Of course the guy I hired does drywall hanging for a living so he was an expert. I learned a lot from him and was very pleased to part with the $500. That is a small price to pay to get it done that much faster. If I would have hired the entire job out it would have cost me well over $2k. I just saved money for an anamorphic lens :D :D

Drew

Here are a few picks that were taken today:

This is the 5/8 sheetrock under the stairs wich is fire code here in CO:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album5/Large/Under_stairs.jpg

Here is the new drywalled entrance:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album5/Large/HT_screen_wall.jpg

Here is the HT front before drywall:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album3/Large/insulation_of_HT3.jpg

Here is the HT front after drywall:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album5/Large/Screen_Wall2.jpg

Here is the HT rear before drywall:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album3/Large/Back_of_HT_with_insulation_and_wiring.jpg

Here is the HT rear after drywall:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album5/Large/HT_back_wall.jpg

Of course you will notice the nice blue tape outlining my screen 10'x4'3" 2.35 AR :D
I had to do it, just could not resist. Plus I had to give the demo to everyone.

Drew

I think that blue tape screen outline is a right of passage of sorts....everyone does it....

Looks good, looking forward to following your thread to completion

Robert

Well, I have the tape coat on all the walls and ceilings, plus the first coat of mud on the screws. Tomorrow I will get all of the corner beads installed and start the remaining coats of mud. There seems like way more drywall than I initially thought but I am still plugging away. Hopefully get it done in the next few days to a week.

The good news is the online calculator (http://www.cyberyard.com/calculators/index.php3?dealerid=&view=4) I found to calculate drywall/insulation etc is fantastic, as I had no extra drywall and very few pieces of waste.

I will post some pics later on. I am going to have a few well earned beers. ;)

Drew

I thought I was a work horse. Keep up the great work.

Oh, and "clink"!
http://www.animation-station.com/smileys/images/beerchug.gif

I used simple logic for my drywall calc - 2 sheets short - but loads of 15" off cuts. Mainly because I used 12' lengths on soffits to avoid joins so hopefuly better finish for painting.

Slow down - you making me look slow (no action my side this weekend as off the Hershey with Brownies camping) but going to take week of 19th off to plough on.

I'll slow down when the drywall is done as I will be out of money ;) So I will have to take a short break to fill up the cash reserves again. Besides taping and mudding will take a little while longer as I have lost my help, so it is just me. But I should have it done in a few days to a week. It really helped taking off a whole week to do nothing but the drywall.

Drew

Most of the mudding is now done. I just finished up the 3rd coat on all the screws and the tape. So all that is left is to do a light sanding and texture. The plan is to texture on Monday. So it took me two weeks to hang/tape drywall in 1200 square feet. Not bad for a DIYer! Granted I did have tremendous help hanging the drywall. ;)

The taping and mudding was not bad of course my arms feel like they are going to fall off. But I found the best method is to use 3 different types of mud: Tapping mud for the first tape coat, then all purpose, and for the final coat use topping mud. I have very little sand to do at all. I promised pictures and I will post them shortly so you can see the progress.

Drew

Great progress - for multiple reasons I've not been in my HT for a week :(

Intrigued about different types of Mud - did you get it from Blue or Orange?

Man, I don't envy you at all doing all that drywall and mudding! I just couldn't think about doing it and would have had zero help. Glad you've got it behind you!

Great progress - for multiple reasons I've not been in my HT for a week :(

Intrigued about different types of Mud - did you get it from Blue or Orange?

You can get all purpose and topping mud from both HD and Lowes but you can only get the tapping mud from a drywall specialty store. The tapping mud is more adhesive than all purpose and sets a little faster.

Drew

Glad you've got it behind you!

Yeah me too :D

Now I can get on to some fun stuff....wood floor, carpeting, stage, riser, etc......

Drew

Here are a few pics I took tonight to show the drywall progress:

The game room: (Only need 1 more top coat for the tape joints)
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album5/Large/Game_Room_taping.jpg

The Bar, which will eventually get covered with wood:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album5/Large/Bar_taping.jpg

The recess for the pool cues:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album5/Large/Pool_cue_wall.jpg

The hallway to the HT:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album5/Large/Hallway_taping.jpg

Under the stairs with 5/8 sheetrock, which is code in CO:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album5/Large/Under_stairs_taping.jpg

The back of the HT (lots more work to be done in here):
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album5/Large/HT_side_wall.jpg

The front of the HT:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album5/Large/HT_front_wall.jpg

Drew

The fun is just getting started.... I get to consider colors and flooring now. The doors and trim were easy as I am going to duplicate the stained pine I have upstairs. However the hardest decision is going to be my hidden door. Here a a small few of the design concepts that I have for the painting:

http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album2/Large/Door1.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album2/Large/Door1a.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album2/Large/Door2.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album2/Large/Door3.jpg

Of course there are more. I just have not yet put them together. I will detail the plans on how I am going to build the hidden door later. I want to get more done in the basement first.

On another note I ordered 6 samples of laminate wood flooring which should arrive tomorrow, so hopefully I will be ordering my flooring in the next week or so. :)

Drew

Speaking of ordering, I will be picking up my Linacoustic this week. I got it for a great price at Southwestern Insulation in Denver. The price for a 100 foot roll that is 47" wide was $158.14. I am going to be looking at the JM Whispertone Wallboard as well. I was thinking about using those to construct my side soffits which would then also become bass traps.

Is anyone familiar with the Whispertone products from JM? Would I just be wasting my money?

D

Great progress Drew! You're a machine. With people like you, Bud, and Ruben, setting the DIY pace in this forum, the bar is set pretty high for the rest of us!

Gotta say I like the "Fly In Yellow Rose", but not sure about the WAF.

No experience with Wispertone...

Amazing progress.

I vote for #2 if you can get WAF.

The theater looks like its coming along great and I can't wait to see the place finished up. My vote for the entrance was one you posted back on page 1 with Donald Duck. Might be easier to pass the WAF with that too. Whatever you chose for it though I will be impressed.

Nelson

Drew, I like #2, but the door seem on the face is distracting, and the "I" in fly in seems to close to the "Y" - or it could be the seem throwing it off too.

Well, I went out and got my linacoustic today:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/Linacoustic_for_HT.jpg

I also worked on the drywall a bit, but mostly cleaned up. Our neighborhood is having a dumpster day where I can take all of my large garbage (drywall, wood, etc) and get rid of it tomorrow, so I needed to clean up and load up the truck with trash.

I will be posting a poll with pics of the door in the next few days. I (with WAF approval) have decided to let the AVSers decide on which nose art will go on the door. I will be posting 10 pictures that the wife will approve and then I will leave it up to you... So stay tuned.

Drew

Wow, now that is the sign of a truly democratic man. :)

Oh, and I hope I can find linacoustic that cheap when it comes time...

Ok, so as I am finishing up the drywall (sanding the ceiling really sucks BTW) I think to my self, you know wouldn't it be really cool to have a star ceiling in the theater. Since I keep changing my mind on the stage and soffit design why not go ahead and redo the ceiling with a star field.

I calculated what I would need from fiberopticproducts (http://www.fiberopticproducts.com/Ceiling.htm) and saw I can do the entire ceiling for around $500. Of course I need to run it by the wife and see what she says. Of course I have already finished sanding the ceiling in there :p .

I know Ruben did an incredible job with his star ceiling, has anyone else worked on one? Specifically worked a star field around can lights and duct work as they are already in the ceiling.

Drew

Well, I am still deciding on the star ceiling, but I am finished with the drywall :D :D :D . All that is left is to texture. And speaking of texture since I am doing the old world type theme (WW1/WW2, etc) here is what my plans are for the walls of the game room and bar area as well as the hallway leading up to the HT.

Which one do you think looks better:

Number one:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album2/Large/walls1.jpg

Or number two:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album2/Large/walls2.jpg

Drew

Since I am on the topic of walls, I may as well show you what the wife and I have decided on flooring for the entire basement with the exception of the HT and the workout room of course:

http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album2/Large/floor.jpg

This flooring is from Alloc. It is a high pressure Pine laminate flooring that has been hand scraped and distressed. I think it will fit in very nicely with the motif. We got a GREAT deal on it from diyflooring.com (http://www.diyflooring.com), it was more than 50% cheaper than brick and mortar stores. So if you don't mind installing flooring than it can be a great savings.

BTW did I mention the drywall is done? :D :D :D

The poll for the nose art is coming soon....

Drew

I think the walls would look best with #2 but thats probably because I think teh first one looks a bit industrial..unless thats the look your going for....
Hope you get the WAF on the star ceiling......most of them I have seen here look great once completed.

Robert

#1, would be darker and fit better with the theme IMO.

I like the first wall choice and the flooring looks great! I am very curious about the door's operation. Won't this thickness of the door require that you either a) bevel the outside corner to allow for the swing into the theater? or b) use some very cool hardware so it is nice and tight around the edges.
I wish I would've read this sooner I was just in Denver and cold beer would've been great. PLus I work for beer.
zack

Drew, I vote for wall option 2. The first has too much green, the second probably too much red. Would you be able to do something with more grey in it?

The floor looks great and will fit in terrific with your theme. Thanks for the link on where you got it. I will have to check it out.

I have to agree with Chiahead. Something gray would be more along the lines of WW1/WW2 theme.

Floor is going to look great. Keep up the good work.

I can tone down option number two and make it darker - not a problem. I think I may go that route because the wife and I just decided on the wall colors for the HT:

http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album2/Large/GOM.jpg

I am going to get a few more samples of GOM so it is not set in stone yet but it looks like we are finally getting there. It is funny because those are the same colors that are in the rest of the house. Funny my wife had to point that out to me when I am the one you painted the darn walls those colors. :o

Drew

Just so I don't confuse anyone. The wood floor is NOT going into the HT. I am still deciding on the carpet for that. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions for carpet that will somewhat follow the theme/colors.

I really like the Masland carpet that Ruben put in his theater but in a different color:
http://www.maslandcarpets.com/Broadloom/OfficeToHome/Quadrate/18403_small.jpg
This is the Quadrate 18403 Market Square.

I am just not sure it will match. I am going to look tomorrow at a few stores.

Drew

Well, the wife really liked the quadrate carpet so we pulled the plug and bought 228 square feet of the 18404 Times Square today for a great price of $3.59 a square foot. I already had the pad so my cost was less than $900 for the entire theater. I will be installing it myself so there will be no labor charge :D It should come in sometime next week. Although I will not be ready for it for a few more weeks.

I am going to start on the faux finish for the walls tomorrow so hopefully I will get that done in a week or so.

Drew

BTW did I mention the drywall is done? :D :D :D

Drew

Only a few times - just don't rub it in toooo much.

Glad to see your finalizing your finishes, the distressed pine laminate looks great as does the carpet (how much of a closeup is that picture?).

Cheers,
Mark

Glad to see your finalizing your finishes, the distressed pine laminate looks great as does the carpet (how much of a closeup is that picture?).

Cheers,
Mark

Picture of the carpet or of the laminate floor? The carpet sample was taken from the Masland website, but it is fairly accurate. Although I am going with the Times square like what Ruben used:
http://www.maslandcarpets.com/Broadloom/OfficeToHome/Quadrate/18404_small.jpg
It is the 18404 Times Square Quadrate from Masland.
I managed to get it for $3.59 a sq ft. and it looks like this installed:

http://www.maslandcarpets.com/Broadloom/OfficeToHome/Quadrate/QUADRATERS.jpg
or you can check out Rubens theater:http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=574704&page=47&pp=30&highlight=Quadrate

As for the pine flooring it is a very good sampling of the real wood. Probably the closest match I have seen from real life to computer monitor match. Much better than GOM fabric!

Drew

I decided to take off early tomorrow and buy the 2x8 for the stage and the riser and start building those. My plan for the riser is to lay down roofing felt and then a layer of the blue foam insulation and then the 2x8's. Fill the 2x8's with R-30 and cover them with a 3/4 plywood / felt / 3/4 plywood sandwich.

I will do the same for the stage but I will build it in 4 parts. I am doing that so the two areas for the subs will be separated from the rest of the stage (as much as possible) and filled with sand while the other areas will get insulation.

I will post progress pictures along the way of course.

Drew

Well, I got a good start today on the riser. I left work early and got 6 4x8 sheets of 1/2" MDF and 1x3x8's for the soffit. As well as 6 sheets of 3/4" Plywood for the riser/stage. A roll of roofing #30 roofing felt and 2 rolls of blue foam. 2 bags of R-30 insulation some smurf tube for the future bass shackers and some misc stuff.

I have the riser all framed out and wired. All that is left is to lay down the 3/4" plywood. I will work on that tomorrow. I have taken many pictures of the riser and will post them tomorrow as well.

Drew

Man you are cruisin right along thats great

I realized I never finished my venture on the isolated ground/surge protector for the PJ. I ordered the Leviton isolated ground/surge protector a few weeks ago and have had it in storage since I was hanging drywall. I just put it up and here are the final pictures:

Wiring the isolated ground is easy. The green tape on the red wire is to indicate it is being used as a ground wire:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album4/Large/Surge_outlet_for_PJ.jpg

Here it is turned on:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album4/Large/Installed_Outlet.jpg

Drew

Well I finished the riser today and am about 80% done with the stage. I should be able to finish it up tomorrow. Here are my progress pics... It sure is nice to finally see things coming together. The room is starting to look like a HT :)

Here are some of the products I used to make the riser/stage:

Lumber:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/lumber_for_stage_and_riser.jpg

#30 Roofing felt and blue foam on a roll:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/padding_for_riser.jpg

Before riser construction:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/riser_location.jpg

First layer of roofing felt down:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/roofing_felt_down.jpg

Riser framed. Notice the blue foam under each 2x8:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/riser_framed.jpg

Close up of one of the lights in the riser:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/electrical_in_riser.jpg

Close up of the power and the smurf tube for future LFE kickers:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/smurf_tube_in_riser.jpg

Riser holds a secret. The sump pump for the house under the floor so I needed access to it. No problem I just used some hinges:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/trap_door_in_riser.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/trap_door2.jpg

The first layer of 3/4" plywood plus second layer of felt is down:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/fist_layer_ofplywood_and_roofing_felt.jpg

The riser is finished after adding a second layer of 3/4" plywood:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/riser_done.jpg

The riser with the lights on:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/riser_done_with_lights.jpg

Drew

Since the riser is done I started on the stage. I graciously borrowed the stage design from Ruben :D Thanks for a great design Ruben. The stage is constructed in similar fashion to the riser. The only difference is that there were a lot more cuts as you will soon see. I have more to do on it but here is were I am at so far:

Stage before:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/stage_area.jpg

Stage with 1 layer of felt and partial frame. I still need to add the foam layer:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/partial_stage_frame.jpg

Marking all the kerfs to be cut for the radius. What fun that was :(
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/kerfing_the_stage.jpg

Here is were the stage is at now:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/stage_framed2.jpg

Will post the finished pics tomorrow.

Drew

Looks good. Ain't it nice once you start doing the stage and riser and it's coming together?

Looks good. Ain't it nice once you start doing the stage and riser and it's coming together?

I'll say. The room takes on a whole new look.

Drew

As promised the stage is done. Not bad 1 weekend and a stage + riser complete. :) Of course now I need to figure out something for the wife to get back on her good side. Oh, well here are the pics of the stage.

The stage fully framed out of 2x8's and a few 2x4's:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/stage_framed.jpg

The sand filled box for the sub:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/subwoofer_sand_pack.jpg

The filled stage:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/stage_packed_with_insulation.jpg

The stage finished. I figured no one would want to see another pic of roofing felt:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/finished_stage.jpg

Next, on to the soffit.

Drew

Drew - the stage looks great - might see a similar design in a HT very close to me (in fact my HT) :eek:

I see you only filled the section where your sub will sit with sand - is this sufficient? If it is I may do same as I'm sure will need 50+ bags to fill whole stage. Could do without expense and the lugging of the sand into the basement.

Wow, that stage looks awesome! That's pretty darn close to what I'm thinking of building. I've gotta bookmark that post.. :)

What are the dimensions of the stage? Overall width (12' I'm guessing, since that's what your room is), width of the step, and depth?

I see you only filled the section where your sub will sit with sand - is this sufficient? If it is I may do same as I'm sure will need 50+ bags to fill whole stage. Could do without expense and the lugging of the sand into the basement.


I would think so. After much thought I decided that it would have to be. I see everyone else doing stuff to try and decouple the sub area as much as possible but then screw/nail/glue the flooring on top of it - which is attached to the other areas. So IMHO I think what I did should be good enough for me. Besides I could not do sand in the entire area as my basement is a structural wood floor, meaning that it (the floor) is 3 feet above grade. So I did not like the idea of having that much weight on the floor.

Drew

Wow, that stage looks awesome! That's pretty darn close to what I'm thinking of building. I've gotta bookmark that post.. :)

What are the dimensions of the stage? Overall width (12' I'm guessing, since that's what your room is), width of the step, and depth?

Thanks Tim. But I really need to give the credit to Sandman as it was his original design. But you are correct the width is 12'. The depth is 3'. The step is 8' wide and 8" deep.

Drew

Stage looks good. You're really trucking along now. Have you heard anything from Guinness yet? ;)

Bud

Guinness, should be calling me any day now :p

Drew

Wow, nice stage!

Here's my beginner construction question. How do you achieve the curved look? Its easy to see you built out the supporting studs at the various lengths in the frame, but how do you curve/attach the front facing board onto them?

Wow, nice stage!

Here's my beginner construction question. How do you achieve the curved look? Its easy to see you built out the supporting studs at the various lengths in the frame, but how do you curve/attach the front facing board onto them?


Well there are several methods you could employ, but the easiest and what I did, is called kerfing. You make a cut every 1" along the board to be "curved" the cut should be about 3/4 the depth of the board. So for my 2x8's I made many-many cuts:

http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/kerfing_the_stage.jpg

Just use a circular saw and set the depth to not more than 3/4 the thickness of your board and cut away. Make sure you use earplugs ;) .

Then when you are all done the board can be curved. The radius I used was not large so the 1" kerfs worked very well. For a tighter radius you need more kerf cuts (every 1/2" or so).

Hope that helps.

Drew

Interesting. I only knew about wetting the wood and bending it that way, but couldnt imagine doing that with a 2x8! The wood maintains strength and doesnt crack at all, huh? Neat.

Just for clarity, do you mean 3/4 the thickness of the board? (You're saying 3/4" but it may vary depending on the thickness of the board). Anyway, I was thinking it would be less (but I've never had to do that... now that I think of it, I suppose to actually get a bend to it, you'd have to go past 1/2 way. I would imagine if you have a radial arm saw, that would be very useful in that situation as well.

Yes, your stage is VERY nice and I like your riser lighting. I wish I would have thought of that instead of using rope under the riser. The rope obivously runs the entire length, even behind the first row chairs, and I don't need light there.

Drew - keep the tips coming :D

Just for clarity, do you mean 3/4 the thickness of the board? (You're saying 3/4" but it may vary depending on the thickness of the board). Anyway, I was thinking it would be less (but I've never had to do that... now that I think of it, I suppose to actually get a bend to it, you'd have to go past 1/2 way. I would imagine if you have a radial arm saw, that you be very useful in that situation as well.


Tim, yes you are correct. Thanks for catching the typo. I will fix that. I meant 3/4 the thickness of the wood you are working with. 1/2 the thickness does not work very well. You really need to go 3/4.

Drew

Yes, your stage is VERY nice and I like your riser lighting. I wish I would have thought of that instead of using rope under the riser. The rope obivously runs the entire length, even behind the first row chairs, and I don't need light there.


Joe, I was originally going to use rope light as well, but decided on the other more complicated route. Thats me, go for the hard stuff... Actually it was not that bad- just takes a steady hand with a circular saw and a jig saw to make the cut outs.

Drew

Hi Drew,

I am an AVS newbie and love your thread! I live in Parker right now while our new house gets built in Aurora. We should be moving around the end of the year and I'm already mentally planning the theater. Thanks for the tips and local sources! Let me know if you need help, as I would be happy to pitch in sometime.

Justin

Drew - what is your total deflection on the stage. i.e. ignoring the step what is the measurement from the rear to front in centre of arc, and from rear to front at the edge of the arc.

Cheers,
Mark

Which one do you think looks better:

Number one:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/walls1.jpg

Drew

I really like the first one. Is this stamped concrete? I was going to cover my exposed concrete wall with real stone, but that got to be too expensive. I now plan on just acid staining it which is a lot cheaper, but if I could something like that, it would be great.

Hi Drew,

I am an AVS newbie and love your thread! I live in Parker right now while our new house gets built in Aurora. We should be moving around the end of the year and I'm already mentally planning the theater. Thanks for the tips and local sources! Let me know if you need help, as I would be happy to pitch in sometime.

Justin

Looks like we are getting a few more of us on here... I am in the same boat as you Justin, haveing a house built, and dreaming about what to build. Keep us informed when you start your build, and include plenty of pics. Drew, your going to have to have a showing for us locals, and maybe people who would want to "Fly-In".

If you need a hand I would be willing to come over and lend one also. (That way I could get a sneak peak...)

Looks like we are getting a few more of us on here... I am in the same boat as you Justin, haveing a house built, and dreaming about what to build. Keep us informed when you start your build, and include plenty of pics. Drew, your going to have to have a showing for us locals, and maybe people who would want to "Fly-In".

If you need a hand I would be willing to come over and lend one also. (That way I could get a sneak peak...)
Yes very nice to see Colorado being respresented. :)

I just closed on a house this month and I keep going down to the basement and imagining "Fly-In" Jr. being built. :D

I am there for the showing if you ever have one (or help if you need any).

Looks like we are getting a few more of us on here... I am in the same boat as you Justin, haveing a house built, and dreaming about what to build. Keep us informed when you start your build, and include plenty of pics. Drew, your going to have to have a showing for us locals, and maybe people who would want to "Fly-In".

If you need a hand I would be willing to come over and lend one also. (That way I could get a sneak peak...)
Right now I am absorbing this forum like a sponge. The volume of content is overwhelming. But, I'm starting to get some solid ideas on what I want and how to achieve it. Drew I love your simple and affordable DIY approach. Keep it coming!

Thanks guys! Glad I can help. I am sure that when it is all done I can arrange a "fly-in" movie night. :D Of course now I get all the offers to help now that the drywall is completed ;) . I appreciate the offers and will let you all know if I need any assistance in the near future.

Drew

I really like the first one. Is this stamped concrete? I was going to cover my exposed concrete wall with real stone, but that got to be too expensive. I now plan on just acid staining it which is a lot cheaper, but if I could something like that, it would be great.


This is actually a faux technique using drywall mud and plaster. I thought is was impressive when I first saw it and I must say it takes some patience and practice to achieve a similar look. So you are live in O'Fallon? My wife lived and went to HS in Mascoutah. Her dad was stationed at Scott AFB. In fact my best friend in college is stationed there now.

Drew

Drew - what is your total deflection on the stage. i.e. ignoring the step what is the measurement from the rear to front in centre of arc, and from rear to front at the edge of the arc.

Cheers,
Mark

Mark, here is a pic that may help you with the measurements. It is a little hard to see from the picture but there is a 1.5" overhang around the front perimeter of the stage frame:

http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Site/images/stage-finished-dim.jpg

let me know if you need more/other measurements.

Drew

On another note, I got a BIG raise today so the whole project is going to stop while I take a year off to go on vacation :eek:

Just kidding, about the vacation part and taking time off :) It means that I now have the funds to finish this project. So the star field ceiling in the HT is now definitely in. I also will not have to wait on the HT seats as long as anticipated. So my goal is to now finish the basement by Aug 31. Of course we all know how goals are.....

I did go out and purchase all the bathroom fixtures tonight so now I have a "crapper", vanity, mirror, etc, etc. So I can get started on that. But I think I will work on the soffit in the HT next ;) Besides I want to show you how I am going to do the soffit bass traps.

Drew

Drew - Thanks just as I expected.....I started (nearly finished) Stage build last night. I ended up with 48" on peak and 42" on side so a 6" deflection (very near yours).

Great news on raise........do they know how long you spend on AVS and your HT :D

This is actually a faux technique using drywall mud and plaster. I thought is was impressive when I first saw it and I must say it takes some patience and practice to achieve a similar look. So you are live in O'Fallon? My wife lived and went to HS in Mascoutah. Her dad was stationed at Scott AFB. In fact my best friend in college is stationed there now.

Drew

I'm in the other O'fallon in Missouri. I did live in Boulder for about a year, but it was too expensive at the time and the job market was in a stint. Do miss it, but not the traffic jam to the ski slopes.

Can you point me to more info about this faux technique on the brick? If it's with drywall mud and plaster, that's even better! I had been looking for something like this but never came up with a solution. Getting me on the right track would be most appreciated!

Thanks,
Neuner

Drew - Thanks just as I expected.....I started (nearly finished) Stage build last night. I ended up with 48" on peak and 42" on side so a 6" deflection (very near yours).

Great news on raise........do they know how long you spend on AVS and your HT :D


Yeah AVS has this uncanny power to take over your life doesn't it :rolleyes:
My says I am obsessed/addicted, but I can quit any time....no really..... Ok maybe I need some help. I keep telling her my addiction will subside when the basement is done. :D

Drew

I'm in the other O'fallon in Missouri. I did live in Boulder for about a year, but it was too expensive at the time and the job market was in a stint. Do miss it, but not the traffic jam to the ski slopes.

Can you point me to more info about this faux technique on the brick? If it's with drywall mud and plaster, that's even better! I had been looking for something like this but never came up with a solution. Getting me on the right track would be most appreciated!

Thanks,
Neuner


Should have paid more attention to your profile (St Louis) doh... Any way yes the faux finishes can be very cool if done properly. The one you see in the photo was done by a professional. I was using it as a guideline for what I want to do. I will be experimenting with different techniques in the next week or so and will post my results.

In the meantime here are a few web sites that show you some of the techniques. Of course you will have to combine them to achieve the same result as I posted:

Faux Brick (http://freezone.ssan.com/cgi-bin/recommend_it.cgi?ID=30620)
Crumbled plaster over brick (http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/lv_wall_coverings/article/0,2041,DIY_14133_2953059,00.html)
Another faux brick technique (http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=HomeDecor/FauxBrickFinish.html&rn=RightNavFiles/rightNavHowTo)
faux instructional video (http://www.fauxfun.com/)

Other options include buy real brick that has been cut down to 1/2" thick and mortar those to the wall and plaster over parts of them. Or you could use a textured brick wall paper and plaster over that as well:

Brick wall paper (http://www.lelandswallpaper.com/brickwall.htm)

Other options include buy real brick that has been cut down to 1/2" thick and mortar those to the wall and plaster over parts of them. Or you could use a textured brick wall paper and plaster over that as well:


I looked at face brick, but each piece costs just as much as real brick. The advantage would be in the installation. I was wanting more of a stone look than brick and that's why I liked your first selection.

I had seen the following webpage and am trying to get more info:

Stamped Concrete Overlay (http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete/stamped_concrete_overlay_revamps_walls/index.html)

I'm hoping the local NuWay store has something similar.

Drew...

I kind of like the tan brick and stucco look as opposed to the red brick.
You may have already made your mind up though.
I think the tan one looks more like an old european distressed building to me, the red brick one looks more like loft space in Boston.
Whatever way you decide to go, keep us in the loop as far as technique. I think it will be very cool!!
I might have to stop by and check it out in person!! :D

Sean

If you finnish on the 31st of August (my birthday) I had better get an invite to come see it :D

JUst teasin...but it does look great and I love the stage design...keep it up bud your cruisin right along.

Robert

I suppose it is too late to add this advice, but maybe it will help out on the next guys:

When building a stage, don't have the frame butt up against the walls - that will allow the sound to transfer into the walls easier and reduce the isolation from the rest of the house. It is best to be about 1/8 to 1/4" off the walls. I generally put acoustimat between the stage and the walls - the same material I use to float floors.

Mr. Poindexter. I see what you were talking about from my picture. There is a gap but not in the photos. I realized it later on and shifted the stage so that there would be an 1/8" gap all the way around. So the stage does not touch the wall at all. Thanks for the advice though I am sure it will come in handy for future builders.

Drew

Well, It is almost time to start ordering my GOM. I told you we had decided on colors, now we are trying to determine fabric style. Right now I am leaning towards the Anchorage style. Here is a mock up of what I have been thinking of:

http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album2/Large/HT-Colors.jpg

The side walls and back wall would be railroaded as Anchorage 2052 Henna. I would build the panels (2' wide by 5' tall) using Anchorage Vanilla? and Streetwise 718 Asphalt. The soffits would be covered with Spinel 021 Obsidian to match the colors in the carpet.

This is just a first crack on the interior design. I and my wife still reserve the right to change it :D .

I am still working on the final designs for the hidden door but will hopefully get those out very soon.

Drew

Those fabric panels will look cool. Congrats on the raise too! Now the rest of us need one!

My wife and I were going over the fabric colors and how much GOM we were going to have to order. It turns out that I am going to have to order 64 yards of GOM. Any way I was showing her Sketchup and playing around with different ideas and she liked the wood on the stage. So I am going to do both a wood finish and carpet on the stage.

Drew

On another note, I have contracted with bpape to analyze my room and provide me with his insight. I think it will be money well spent. So you will soon see whatever recommendations bpape has for me. Because of that the soffit is going to be put on hold for a little while until he has a chance to analyze the room.

Also I will be going on vacation after the 4th for a week so unfortunately I will not be around for updates :( I have been forbidden to bring the laptop or any forms of communication.

Drew

I think you'll be happy with Bryan. I have yet to really test anything in my room, but if I did it myself I would of been shooting in the dark. Some direction once in a while is a good thing!

I used Bryan too. Had I not used him, I would have not only "wasted" more money than what he charged, but my room would not have sounded as good. I love to see all the DIY theaters, but at times it pays to call on the pros. As a 17 year Air Force member I love your theme Drew. Keep up the great work.
Mike

Drew - rendering looks great....I like the adition of wood trim to steps....I'm probably going to do same.

I'm also using Bryan but as my design was pretty set I've not had a full analysis done (don't want to know how bad its is :o ). I'd recommend Bryan also, gives great advice, works within your design constraints and does not oversell - placing my order with him today. He came up with a great way of using my Bar to help with the lower frequencies (similar to Jerrods rear wall) - I'll document that when I come to it.

Another nice theater in the making. My wife is already on my case about this new found website. I've already broken the news to her that i'm gonna build a home theater. But first she finishes her PhD and we buy a house. lol.

Keep up the good work Drew, looks real nice. I like the theme as well. Navy/Army here... always had a thing for planes though.

I took full advantage of the 10% off at HD for military and vets today. I purchase 8 solid core pine doors, Door hardware, some more lumber for the false wall in the HT, and lots of paint. I save over $250 with the 10% off as well as the $6 off of 1 gallon Behr paint. How is that for frugal. :)

Of course now I have to stain the doors at some point. But first it will be on to the faux finish on the walls. I also decide to make the theater door smaller. I went from 36" to a 30" door. Not that much smaller though. Those solid core pine doors sure are heavy.

I also purchased the rest of the stuff, like light bar, for the bathroom. I want to finish in there this weekend.

Drew

But first it will be on to the faux finish on the walls.

Hi Drew,

Awesome work man, your theater is coming along sweet! I check out your thread everyday.

I see you mentioned Faux painting, well the funny thing is, one of the guys that built my curved screen is a Brazillian Faux painter. Anyway, he was out of work and I hired him to paint my house (just regular paint) but he insisted to do his artistic faux painting for the same price. He uses plaster, window screens, stencils etc. The funny thing is, he only used a 1/2 gallon of paint so far to paint about 1500 square feet of my house. The guy is amazing, he makes walls look like natural marble or anodized copper, and does aging etc. I went to his brothers house and I was blown away by his level of skillsmanship (is that a word? :) )

Anycase, here is one faux wall he's done in my house already.

http://www.smxscreen.com/images/faux/IMG_0056.jpg

http://www.smxscreen.com/images/faux/IMG_0057.jpg

http://www.smxscreen.com/images/faux/IMG_0079.jpg

Ruben

Hi Drew,

Awesome work man, your theater is coming along sweet! I check out your thread everyday.

I see you mentioned Faux painting, well the funny thing is, one of the guys that built my curved screen is a Brazillian Faux painter. Anyway, he was out of work and I hired him to paint my house (just regular paint) but he insisted to do his artistic faux painting for the same price. He uses plaster, window screens, stencils etc. The funny thing is, he only used a 1/2 gallon of paint so far to paint about 1500 square feet of my house. The guy is amazing, he makes walls look like natural marble or anodized copper, and does aging etc. I went to his brothers house and I was blown away by his level of skillsmanship (is that a word? :) )

Anycase, here is one faux wall he's done in my house already.

http://www.smxscreen.com/images/faux/IMG_0056.jpg

http://www.smxscreen.com/images/faux/IMG_0057.jpg

http://www.smxscreen.com/images/faux/IMG_0079.jpg

Ruben


Holy crap Ruben that is INCREDIBLE. :eek: So what will he charge to come out to Denver. Tell him I can speak a little Portuguese and will take him to some authentic Brazilian Steakhouses.

Seriously 1/2 gallon of paint. You gotta give me his secret. That stenciling is great.

Drew

Holy crap Ruben that is INCREDIBLE. :eek: So what will he charge to come out to Denver. Tell him I can speak a little Portuguese and will take him to some authentic Brazilian Steakhouses.

Seriously 1/2 gallon of paint. You gotta give me his secret. That stenciling is great.

Drew

Thanks :) He said after he finishes painting my house, he is going back to Brazil. He was trying to get into the Aluminum business out here but it was too competitive. However, I am filming the work he does in HD. We kind of traded off, I told him I would put together a professional DVD of his work to take back to Brazil to give to designers out there in exchange for the painting. So once he completes the faux work, I will have a completed DVD of his processes.

Ruben

Yeah , I will be needing to purchase a copy of that DVD. Aluminum business? Did you tell him he was in the wrong trade... Seems to me he could make a killing with his painting skills.

Drew

I forgot to mention that I took the wife to a HT store in Parker (Advanced Systems) so she could try out the Coasters. She had already tried the Berks and liked them just not the cost. But she liked the Coasters and I found a deal on the net were I can get 6 chairs really cheap. They would be less than the Panny 900 PJ (before rebate) with shipping.

Sounds like a good deal to me....or is it too good to be true? I checked out the store and they have been in business awhile with no complaints. So I may be ordering the seats in a week or so.

Drew

Yeah , I will be needing to purchase a copy of that DVD. Aluminum business? Did you tell him he was in the wrong trade... Seems to me he could make a killing with his painting skills.

Drew

I was trying to get him to stay out here, but he has a wife and kids out in Brazil. I spoke to some faux painters out here that does this type of work and the going rate out here is $125 a square Yard for this :eek: The materials are very cheap, it's just the artist your paying for. One of the walls in my house is 23' x 25', at the rate above, that one wall would cost about $8k if I got it done by another person. Now that is ridiculous.


I guess that explains why you don't see this in too many houses. Only place I ever saw real faux walls out here was at the Cheescake Factory.

Ruben

Faux artists are expensive everywhere. But I would say they earn it. But unfortunately I don't have $125K to spend on painting, hence I am doing the DIY thing. I will of course take the step by step photos once I decide on the technique I will use.

I am interested in what he does with the screen. I have never heard of that.

Drew

I am interested in what he does with the screen. I have never heard of that.

Drew

He uses a window screen on the first layer of plaster to give you the effect of the wall falling apart and showing the chicken wire under the plaster. The results are really impressive. I'm going to have him utilize all his techniques in different bedrooms of my house. The aged copper look is the most fascinating thing he does. You can be 3" from it and it looks 100% real. It reflects light and has green mildew just like the real thing.

Ruben

Thanks for all the great ideas being mentioned here.


SF

Well, I re-framed the HT door today as well as framed in the window in the HT and the main water valve. The door was originally 36" wide. I made it that wide because I wanted to make sure the chairs would fit through. Of course being a dumb a.. I did not even realize that the basement door was only 30" :o So I thought I don't need a big HT door (save some $). :) I will post some pics tomorrow.

Now you may be wondering....what about your hidden door??? Well it is still going to be a hidden door. I found a great way to make a hidden door using a real door. Hard to explain right now but suffice it to say the door will be hidden.

I also tried a few various faux techniques for the walls. I may end up using a textured wall paper for the stones/brick as it will be quicker and easier.

I did try and use some screen material as Sandman's Brazilian painter did and I think I will use some of it on the walls. It does make a nice effect.

Drew

I need to make a final decision on my speakers so I was hoping I could get some input. Keeping in mind my room is 17' long by 11'5" (finished), I would like some good but NOT overly pricey speakers. I would like to keep the price right at or below $2k for a 7.1 setup.

Here are a few requirements:

My front false wall sits 1' in front of the real wall. So I am limited in depth to 12".
I would like to keep the surrounds (L/R and REARS) to be fairly small.

I was originally thinking of in-wall speakers and have not yet given up on that idea. I have looked at the following speakers:

Klipsch THX Ultra 2 (A bit out of my $ range, but nice I have klipsch upstairs)
Atlantic Technologies System 20 THX Ultra (Inwalls)
Axiom Epic Midi·125 In-Wall / On-Wall system
Ascend CMT-340 SE

Any ideas/thoughts would be appreciated.
thanks

Drew

Drew - I just ordered the Ascend CMT 340 SE for my fronts and centers.....and the Axiom QS8's for surrounds. I heard the Asends at Buds and for my ears they were perfect. I didn't like the look of the Ascend surrounds and as these were going to be visible I decided on the Axioms (based on recomendation from others with Asends)......Bud used Sonance In-Ceiling - they also do In-Wall.

Unfortunatly be at least a month before I'll start getting an idea on how thaey perform in my room.

Wow, you are a work horse. I am so impressed with what you have done. I like your plan so much I'd like to use it as my guide, if you don't mind. I have a room that can be 14'x17'. I was originally going to make it a bit longer but it would narrow after the first 17' to 10 feet wide for another 12'. I was going to have a wet bar in there and a fridge. After I saw your plan I decided to make it 14'x17' and use the rest of the space for a storage room and keep the bar and fridge in the rec room area. I too will be finishing my basement all at the same time. Mine is also roughly 1200 SF and will have a full bath, rec room and a extra room, probably office or gym.

The only thing I haven't seen you do is wall and ceiling isolation methods. What have you done to keep the sound in the room?

I'm planning on 1"x3" furring strips on the ceiling 24" O.C. and attaching all walls and ceiling drywall to that. GG and another layer of drywall. Then I'm going to Dricore the floor. We have a sump pump too and it runs a lot. I'm installing a backup for it I'm so paranoid.

You've got me excited to get started. I already have the framing and dricore!
Thanks! Oh yeah, my dad is a private pilot but only flys his Cessna 172, not quite like the machines you fly.

Drew,

I'd look hard at the Ascends. Klipsch's might be a bit too "bright" given your dimensions.

Wow, you are a work horse. I am so impressed with what you have done. I like your plan so much I'd like to use it as my guide, if you don't mind. I have a room that can be 14'x17'. I was originally going to make it a bit longer but it would narrow after the first 17' to 10 feet wide for another 12'. I was going to have a wet bar in there and a fridge. After I saw your plan I decided to make it 14'x17' and use the rest of the space for a storage room and keep the bar and fridge in the rec room area. I too will be finishing my basement all at the same time. Mine is also roughly 1200 SF and will have a full bath, rec room and a extra room, probably office or gym.

The only thing I haven't seen you do is wall and ceiling isolation methods. What have you done to keep the sound in the room?

I'm planning on 1"x3" furring strips on the ceiling 24" O.C. and attaching all walls and ceiling drywall to that. GG and another layer of drywall. Then I'm going to Dricore the floor. We have a sump pump too and it runs a lot. I'm installing a backup for it I'm so paranoid.

You've got me excited to get started. I already have the framing and dricore!
Thanks! Oh yeah, my dad is a private pilot but only flys his Cessna 172, not quite like the machines you fly.


Thanks. I really did not do too much in the way of sound isolation like GG double dry wall etc. I did not do that because of were the HT is located. There is nothing above it except the family room. So I did not feel I could justify the expense of RISC clips and really did not want to bother with double drywall. If my situation had been a little different I would MOST definitely used at a minimum GG. I did however insulate the heck out of everything since it was cheap and use 5/8" drywall instead of 1/2" Also the I used flex duct into and out of the theater and made several 90 degree turns to try and prevent sound from escaping into the HVAC system.

With the money I save on not buying extra drywall, GG, Risc clips etc I can now purchase more equipment - like the PS3 wich will probably cost more than all my other components ;)

Drew

Drew

Drew,

I'd look hard at the Ascends. Klipsch's might be a bit too "bright" given your dimensions.


Thanks, I will probably go that route, but still deciding. I agree on the Klipsch's being to bright though.

Drew

Ok, thanks for the reply.
Yeah, GG is expensive but I'm going to bite the bullet and go for it.

I can't wait to see pics of your finished product.

Well I am faux painting mode now. I just finished the first layer of plaster and brick in the bathroom. Need to let that dry for a day or so and then apply a second layer of plaster and then glaze it. I have been taking some pictures and will post them in a few days.

I decide to try and use some textured wallpaper for the stone pattern as I thought it might be easier. For those that have never worked with wallpaper - let me tell you that wallpaper does not stick to newly primed walls. As per the instructions "let the wall cure for 20 days" Who the heck has 20 days?? So I tried it anyway and sure enough it peels right of the walls. So a trip to HD was called for to buy several cans of 3M 77 adhesive spray (need some for the GOM on the soffits and ceiling anyway.) That adhesive worked liked a champ. Of course that wallpaper will never come of the wall :rolleyes:

Drew

Here are a few pics from the past couple of days.

4 of my 8 new solid core 6 panel pine doors. Just need to be stained:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album7/Large/Solid_Pine_Doors.jpg

I now have 3 24" doors, 3 30" doors, 1 36" door and 1 60" French door to install :)

Drew

I also did some work on the HT but not much.

Remember the window in the HT:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/riser_done.jpg

Well it is now framed in:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/framed_window.jpg

and insulated:
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/Framed_window_with_insulation.jpg

Remember the main water supply line well I framed and insulated that as well. The only difference is that frame is hinged so that I can access it when I need to. Just like the sump pump area in the riser:

http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/framed_water_main_door.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/framed_water_main.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album6/Large/water_main_door_with_insulation.jpg

I still need to drywall those areas as well as the HT door opening. Maybe sometime this week...

Drew

I spent the better part of today working in the bathroom on the faux finish. I have been trying different techniques and I liked this one for the bathroom. I did not take too many shots as you need to be quick when doing a faux finish:

http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album7/Large/Start_of_Bathroom.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~d.fahey/Albums/Album7/Large/Finished_Bathrrom_Wall.jpg

I will post more pics when I take them, but it is turning out fairly well so far.

Drew

Drew,

I havent heard them personally but from what I gather teh Axioms are a great mid priced speaker...may want to investigate them further.

Once I actually get around to starting my build (who knows when now, lol) I too have some issues with supply lines to deal with and I like how you have made your access to them....probably will copy that concept....

Looks great and I will continue to watch
Robert

Well, my final samples of GOM came in today so I am finally set on the fabric and colors for the HT. My wife and I decided on 5 different GOM colors. We are going to go with the following:

FR701 - 408 Black (ceiling and front wall)
http://samplecenter.guilfordofmaine.com/html/images/sample/large/2100_408.jpg
Spinel 3582 - 021 Obsidian (soffit)
http://samplecenter.guilfordofmaine.com/html/images/sample/large/3582_021.jpg
Anchorage 2335 - 2052 Henna (main wall panels)
http://samplecenter.guilfordofmaine.com/html/images/sample/large/2335_2052.jpg
Anchorage 2335 - 2130 Vanilla (V shaped design panels)
http://samplecenter.guilfordofmaine.com/html/images/sample/large/2335_2130.jpg
Streetwise 2721- 718 Aspahlt (V shaped design panels)
http://samplecenter.guilfordofmaine.com/html/images/sample/large/2721_718.jpg

So now I get to order 64 yards of material. The break down is:
30 yards for the walls
17 yards for the ceiling/soffit/front wall
8 yards for the soffit
9 yards for the decorative panels

Drew

We also changed our mind on the wood floor and went with a more scraped wood. The wood is now hickory instead of pine and looks like this:

http://imagelibrary.quick-step.com/QuickStep/United%20States/Eligna%20950%20Uniclic%20(Country%20Collection)/U1015U/_ProductPattern_U1015U.jpg

you can see the detail of the wood and grain in this picture:
http://www.quick-step.com/images/specifications/csSamp.gif

I think we will be happier even though it cost more.

Oh, yeah I ordered 500 sq ft of it plus underlayment.

Drew

Looking good Drew!

So you didn't do anything special to the outside of the window?

Looking good Drew!

So you didn't do anything special to the outside of the window?

No I did not because the window is below grade so you cannot see it from the side of the house. The window well is also covered, so even if you are standing on it you cannot see in.

Drew

I have made my speaker selection!!! :D Well I have not purchased them yet but I have decided to go with Axiom's. So my set up will be this:

LCR: Millennia M22
http://www.axiomaudio.com/global/images/products/main/M22CherryGrilleOff2.jpg
Surrounds/Rear: QS4
http://www.axiomaudio.com/global/images/products/main/QS4CherryGrilleOff2.jpg
Sub: EP175
http://www.axiomaudio.com/global/images/products/main/EP175CherryGrilleOff2.jpg

Still deciding on color though. I may go all black, but I do like the cherry look. They had some good prices, but I liked the free shipping and 30-day money back guarantee. Plus I am kind anal about keeping all the same speakers even though I know it is not necessary. :rolleyes:

Can't wait to get them in the room.

Drew