Hi all,

http://members.home.nl/walterfang/art/blackhole/blackholetheater.jpg

After lurking this forum for years and sometimes posting, we decided last year to start construction of our garage based HT. Thanks to Steve for encouriging me to start Yet Another Home Theater Construction Thread... :)

Since here in Europe our garages aren't that big as they are in the US, i don't have a lot of space to work with.
Below, you can see the garage how it once was...
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/location/Garage2.jpg

The design process can be viewed in full on my site. What it's going to look like however (if all goes well) you can see in a short video by clicking this link. (http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/design/HT-final4colored-1.wmv)

As a screen image i used a still that was made from the intro generously provided by AVS member Reaper!
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/design/HT-final4c2.jpg

Pre-construction started somewhere in march 2005 IIRC. The first thing i did was build a seperation wall inside our garage:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/pre-construction/DSCF1790.JPG

Next, a water line had to be rerouted to the front of the garage, and from there to the garden:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/pre-construction/DSCF1782.JPG

A seperate electrical group was made just for the HT:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/pre-construction/DSCF1882.JPG

The yellow PVC pipe will be used to get the TV-signal (coax) and the ethernet-cable to the equipment closet:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/pre-construction/DSCF1783.JPG

The hose reel that was inside our garage had to be moved outside aswell:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/pre-construction/DSCF1793.JPG

With that, everything was ready to start construction of the HT itself.

With the concrete floor not being completely flat, i put in felt tiles. Not only do they even out the concrete, they should also provide some thermal and accoustic isolation. The wooden floor on top of the felt is detached from the side walls.
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction1/DSCF1794.JPG

A pic of the finished wooden floor:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction1/DSCF1885.JPG

After that, fiber wool was put up against the walls:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction1/DSCF1898.JPG

All around the room:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction1/DSCF1968.JPG

OSB plates are used to cover up the fiber wool. They are the inner walls of the HT (to be covered with drywall):
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction1/DSCF1975.JPG

http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction1/DSCF1980.JPG

The house wall also treated with fiber glass, with a panel to allow access to the water supply for our water tank:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction1/DSCF1985.JPG

The house wall covered as well:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction1/DSCF1991.JPG

Back of the HT, where all cables are coming into the HT from inside the house:
1 x Cat5e (network)
2 x COAX (1 x TV, 1 x Satellite)
2 x Power (1 x Dedicated HT, 1 x Main house power):
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction1/DSCF2338.JPG

Ceiling beams are fastened to the OSB walls only:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF2347.JPG

The ceiling is stuffed with fiber wool, and the HT ceiling is covered up with wood:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF2745.JPG

We filled up the ceiling with 1 layer of fiber wool, more layers to follow:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF2747.JPG

Den,

Pictures look great. I know it's cold there now (and hard to stay motivated) but keep up the work and continue to move forward !!!

I know it's early in the game but have you decided on screen size yet? Are you planning a DIY screen or pre-made model?

Thanks Steve,

Well, seeing your thread should keep me going for some time to come :).

Re Screen Size: the room is 2.8 meters wide, so i could do a 2.0 - 2.10 meter wide screen in (with room for the speakers on both sides). I do have to keep seating distance in mind though. Distance from screen to middle seat is about 2.7 meters, which would give a calculated max. screen width of 1.8 meters, i think...

As for DIY or pre-made: I think due to cost i'll start our with a DIY, but in time who knows what can happen... :)

Hi DenW -I dont see any studs in your pictures. How are you attaching the insulation to the wall. How are you attaching the OSB to the insulation?

Hi Exipnos,

The insulation was glued with a dots of glue to the wall to keep it in place.
The OSB was put up against the insulation, and acts as one big stud for the drywall.

OK so the insulation is keept in place with the glue. How did you attach the OSB to the insulation then?

The OSB is not attached to the insulation, but just pressed up against it. There is no hard physical connection between the wall to which the insulation is glued and the OSB wall. The insulation is "locked in" between the 2 walls.

Ceiling construction is finished.

http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF3004.JPG

Now, ready to start drywall...

Den,

Wow -- that must have been a neck-breaking task. Did you get some help from a friend? Looks great!

Steve,

Thanks!
Yup, fortunately my dad helped me out with the ceiling. The ceiling plates were quite large (2.5 x 1.25 meters) so we had to cut them up into smaller pieces. On top of that, there are three layers of fiber wool between the HT ceiling and the garage ceiling, which were a pain to get in. In all, it took us about 8 hrs in total for the ceiling...

I started drywall on the rear HT wall as you can see here:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF3006.JPG

To all here:
I mentioned that i'm ready to start putting up drywall, but the other thing i need to do is finish closing up the 2 doors. The entrance door to the HT can only be done when drywall is finished for that wall (because of the hinge system).
The other door however (the one you can see in the pic above, leading out to the garden) still needs to be insulated, sealed etc. etc.
There are 2 techniques i can use to do this:
1) Only use the existing door and make a "box" on that door that fits exactly in the opening.
2) Make a second door of OSB, filling up the space in between them with fiber wool.

I'm inclined to go for the second option. Can anyone offer any suggestion on which technique is better?

Den,

Just curious (and sorry if you answered this before), but why did you plan to put up the plywood then the drywall on ceiling? Could you have just attached the drywall to the ceiling joists saved a step (and some $$)?

Hi Steve,

Yes, i could have attached the drywall directly to the ceiling joists. But building it that way would have meant that i would have to build the structure of the entire inside of the HT before doing the drywall, and (although i know that is what most here are doing) that was not what i had in mind. The design goal was to have an empty and "square" room, and build the HT inside the empty room. This way, the room could be used for other purposes in the future (when the house is sold or who knows what may come up).
Drywall is not the ideal material to fasten an inner construction to, so i chose to have wood beneath all the drywall, making it much easier and sturdier to build something inside.
Hope this explanation makes sense.

As far as cost is concerned, the ceiling wood only costs about 5 euro's per plate, so 20 euro's for the entire ceiling. The ceiling wood is not that thick but relatively dense.
To put them up was more work than i expected however... :)

Friday the 14th, 2006: drywalling has started...

http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF3085.JPG

http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF3087.JPG

http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF3092.JPG

Quick update on progress:

Did some work on the outer door:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF3691.JPG

http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF3690.JPG

And the entrance door:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF3693.JPG

http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF3694.JPG

And mudding drywall is almost finished:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF3696.JPG

Here's a top-down view of the interior with measurements in centimeters:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/design/PlattegrondCM.jpg

And one in inches:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/design/PlattegrondInches.jpg

Den,

3 platforms/risers? Are you still planning to make them movable or will they be stationary now?

BTW -- what is that green wire coming out of the wall? That looks like some heavy duty stuff.

Hey Steve,

Well, Riser 1 is the smallest one, and the only one that does not need to be movable. The other 2: yep, that's still the plan. No real idea yet on how to realize that, i wish i could borrow your thinking chair for a couple of hours.. :)

The green wire is the main power coming from the house, and is needed to light part of the HT when the HT is not in use. There is a light switch near the entrance door that turns on the light in the garage, and it will also turn on a light behind the entrance door so we won't have to power on the HT when we just need to make a quick run to the garage.
The way our house is built is that electrical main power (220, not 110) is put directly into the poured concrete and into the walls. This thick wire carries 220, neutral and ground, and also has a metal shield protecting the cabling inside. It's basically the same type of wire as what we use when running electrical outside, with an extra color coating.

It's really great to see your HT coming along so nicely, by the way! You (and several others here at AVS) are doing a terrific job, much better than i can do at the moment...

Den,
Nice job so far. I'm always impressed with what people are able to do with garage HTs. BTW, I like the name: "The Black Hole" Good luck with the rest of the build.

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for taking the time to chime in. Glad you like the name.
Hope you'll visit again in the future.

Den,

Looking great so far! I will EVENTUALLY be building a theatre that's almost exactly the same size as yours. Most here seem to have a much wider space then what's available to me (about 9') so it's great to see someone making it work!

I'm looking forward to see how yours will turn out!

p_og

Hi P_Og,

Welcome to the forum, and i'm honored that your first post is in my thread.. :)

Thanks for the heads up! Very much appreciated.
Due to space limitations i inevitably have had to cut corners on some issues, which is why my build process is different from most HT builds you'll see here (i.e. no staggered studs, no double drywall etc.). Be prepared and not afraid to make those decisions.
So far however, the result is quite good: there is a whole lot less sound coming in to the HT than before (even with unfinished doors and no weather striping).

"Eventually" sounds like a distant future but if you do start to build, I and i'm sure others would like to see your progress too. Until then, visit this forum often, read as much as you can, do searches on subjects and ask questions. There is much to learn here.

Hey,
I've just started planning something like this myself like P_Og, again in a garage. Though as its my dads garage, it will also have a car in it so I have some careful planning to do to make it fit.

Good luck with yours, looks good in the space already. Are you within the UK, DenW?

Nick

Hey Corpse,

Would love to know why you chose that name... :)

Thanks for your comments.
I had to do the same thing: my wife's car needed to fit in the front part of the garage, and it does. She has about 3 inches to spare when parking... :)

No, i'm not in the UK, i'm in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands.

Another update:

Finished drywalling the entrance door:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF3857.JPG

Started building the equipment rack:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF3860.JPG

Close-up of the metal rails embedded into the studs:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF3856.JPG

Yesterday i got a call from my brother. The local cinema where he lives is selling their theater seats. At first, i thought i'd pass on them since i have seats and everything is calculated around their dimensions, but after talking to my wife about it we're going to go and take a look at them...

Hi P_Og,

Welcome to the forum, and i'm honored that your first post is in my thread..

Thanks for the heads up! Very much appreciated.
Due to space limitations i inevitably have had to cut corners on some issues, which is why my build process is different from most HT builds you'll see here (i.e. no staggered studs, no double drywall etc.). Be prepared and not afraid to make those decisions.
So far however, the result is quite good: there is a whole lot less sound coming in to the HT than before (even with unfinished doors and no weather striping).

"Eventually" sounds like a distant future but if you do start to build, I and i'm sure others would like to see your progress too. Until then, visit this forum often, read as much as you can, do searches on subjects and ask questions. There is much to learn here.

Hi Den,
Thanks for the warm welcome! I have already learned lots from being here and I'm sure I'll have some to teach by the time I start my theatre...eventually ;)
Good luck with the theatre chairs! I hope it works out for you!
p_og

Yesterday i got a call from my brother. The local cinema where he lives is selling their theater seats. At first, i thought i'd pass on them since i have seats and everything is calculated around their dimensions, but after talking to my wife about it we're going to go and take a look at them...
Make sure you take pics of the seating. Maybe they will be more comfortable than the ones you already have. Buy (2) of them for the front MONEY seats :)

P_Og,

You're welcome!

& Steve,

Well, the seats were OK i guess, but worn down and far too big for my room. It would mean a complete redesign of my risers (not that bad) and even less space to walk in (very bad!). With the seating i have now, the seat springs upright when you stand up, and the chairs we looked at were just big chairs, no moving seats. Both my wife and I feel that for a true theater experience, the current seats are better. However, they will take more work to make them presentable. Re-upholstering them is going to be the biggest problem, but hey.. i wanted a hobby project... :)

I have 10 seats now, but only 8 wil fit in the room. I'll keep the other 2 for spare parts, i think. The middle row of seating will be the best spot, as the front row may be a bit too close to the screen for some people.

Bump to prevent this from disappearing into the archives...

Updates coming soon! :)

Hey Den -- I've been meaning to query you on your HT build. I'll be waiting for those pics!

Well.. it's been a long time, but here they are...

http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4514s.JPG

http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4517s.JPG

http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4518s.JPG

http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4527s.JPG

The door, now with handle and keyhole finished.

http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4520s.JPG

Den,

That's your equipment closet -- right?
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4514s.JPG


Question about the conduit have on the right. Do you plan to frame out a small soffit to cover that up?
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4527s.JPG

Hi Steve,

Yes, that is my equipment rack. Way too big ofcourse, but better too much space than not enough. As you can see on an earlier pic, the metal rails are embedded in the studs.
The big hole on top is meant for the projector...

The conduits on the right will indeed be covered by something of a lowered ceiling, as will the left side. Conduits for the cables will also be built on the left side. I am going to put in halogen lights in these soffits, both left and right.

No, i'm not in the UK, i'm in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands.

Anywhere near Eindhoven?

You've got an interesting thread going. Going to be interesting to follow.

Craigo

Hi Craigo,

Depends on what you would call near, i guess... :)
I'm about 1 hr more south, near Maastricht. Familiar with the area?

Thanks, i'll try to work and update more frequently than i have been doing the last year...

More updates:

Soffit construction:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4531s.JPG

http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4535s.JPG

http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4536s.JPG

http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4537s.JPG

http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4538s.JPG

i'll try to work and update more frequently than i have been doing the last year...
Glad we could spark the fire a bit for you :D Great job on the soffits. They are coming along nicely.

Another update:

Drywall on the soffits:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4542a.JPG

Back of the HT:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4544a.JPG

Inside of the equipment closet. The house power line is now connected properly to the two power strips at the top. One is always-on house power, the other (top one) is switched by a switch at the entrance door:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4545a.JPG

PVC for cable runs and woodwork for lowered ceiling:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4549a.JPG

Drywall now caulked, lowered ceiling on the right side partially constructed with the lamp dangling out of a hole in the ceiling...
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4553a.JPG

Den,

Nice progress. Keep it going :)

Another update:

Shot of the cable runs inside a soffit:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4600a.JPG

Speaker cable has been pulled through, which is seen here (Left Surround):
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4601a.JPG

Left front side of the HT, shot of the soffit with Left and Center speaker cable:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4604a.JPG

The support system for the future media cabinet:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4606a.JPG

Filled the garden door with insulation:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4608a.JPG

Filled the lowered ceiling above the door with insulation:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4611a.JPG

and covered it with drywall, with hole for a halogen light:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4616a.JPG

Covered the insulated garden door with OSB:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4640a.JPG

Shot to the front of the HT:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4634a.JPG

And to the back of the HT:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4636a.JPG

Another shot of the equipment closet, now with smoke alarm:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4638a.JPG

This is the color that will likely end up on the walls, with the contrasting color being black\dark gray. The speaker system will probably be Silver:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction2/DSCF4644a.JPG

In the next couple of days i'll be finishing the ceiling (mud and sand again :( ), and start on the movable riser for the rear row of seats. Because of lack of space i am ditching the last row of 2-seaters, so the HT will have 6 seats in total. Should be more than enough anyway... :)

Den,

Nice progress. Keep it going :)

Thanks Steve,

I'm trying to get the HT finished this summer, i.e. before september, so i do have to keep moving forward.

Just finished mudding the ceiling for a second time, waiting for it to dry...
Then sanding and finally i can get to painting, which i think will make a dramatic change to the look of the room.

I've tried finding your thread this morning, but couldn't (quickly) find it. Would love to know how you are progressing...

Thanks,

Den,

Glad you have a deadline. Seems like that is the thing that really gets me motivated. I plan on doing some work on mine as well this week (but need to get taxes done 1st for some reason :rolleyes: ).

Check out my sig for a link to my build thread.

A lot has happened since the last update. OK, here we go:

Riser construction:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction3/DSCF4647a.JPG

Swivel wheels on the bottom:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction3/DSCF4652a.JPG

Inside the riser:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction3/DSCF4649a.JPG

Edge reinforcement and borders:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction3/DSCF4666a.JPG

Filling it all up with glass wool:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction3/DSCF4684a.JPG

Put the top on:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction3/DSCF4686a.JPG

Access to the lockable wheels from the back:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction3/DSCF4690a.JPG

Carpet color:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction3/DSCF4691a.JPG

Wall frame for accoustic treatment by Bryan Pape (the accoustic treatment solution, not the frame :) )
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction3/DSCF4778a.JPG

Painted the ceiling:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction3/DSCF4776a.JPG

Light fixture above the media rack, here with a halogen bulb:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction3/DSCF4782a.JPG

Replaced the halogen bulb with a LED bulb due to heat issues:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction3/DSCF4794a.JPG

This is what it looks like from within the room:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction3/DSCF4788a.JPG

Rope light installed on the side of the soffits, back to front:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction3/DSCF4790a.JPG

Front to back:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction3/DSCF4796a.JPG

Pic of the DaVision screen i bought:
http://members.home.nl/walterfang/NewHT/construction/Construction3/DSCF4787a.JPG

More pics are on my website. You are welcome to visit (see link in sig), and let me know what you think in this thread.

Thanks!

Den,

Making some nice progress. I guess the wife has allowed you some extra time to spend on the 'ole HT :) Don't get that pretty screen dirty with all your construction dust ;)