Hi Everybody,

Well I have been lurking on this forum for quite a while now and I feel it's time to give something back. Most everything I know I've learnt from this forum. I am a fair way through my second Home Theater and I'll slowly bring anybody who is interested up to speed to where I am at this point. I don't work very fast but I'm consistent as I'm in there until the wee hours of the morning almost every night. I gave myself almost a 1 1/2 year headstart before starting this thread today.

Here is the plan:

1. Dedicated HT that occupies the rear 2/3 of my garage leaving the garage door functional and the front of the garage for storage.

2. Total room within room design about 13' x 19', CRT projector, proscenium, all speakers hidden in columns and proscenium, stage, two risers, acoustic wall treatments and bass traps, bass shakers etc, etc.....

3. Lobby with candy counter, soffit lighting, ticket booth hiding equipment rack, DVD storage, motorized pocket door with security keypad and LCD monitors.

4. Full automation of everything from all audio/video to climate control and lighting.

5. Everything will be done by myself including drywall, electrical and HVAC.

Here are some pics of the beginning:

From inside garage looking towards soon to be new entrance.
http://www3.telus.net/public/rob_cel/108_0839_1_1.JPG

New doorway and existing ceiling coming down so new ceiling joists can go between floor joists and I'll lose only one inch of height.
http://www3.telus.net/public/rob_cel/108_0850_1_1.JPG

New wall and doorway going up with about 2" airgap between walls.
http://www3.telus.net/public/rob_cel/108_0876_1_1.JPG

Exterior door about to be covered. Doorknob removed, door framed and sealed. This way the exterior of the house was not altered.
http://www3.telus.net/public/rob_cel/109_0930_1_1.JPG

All existing tin ceiling ducts were all removed and replaced. Round was replaced with insulated flexduct and cold air returns were replaced with double 5/8" drywall sealed with acoustiseal. This made an enormous difference in the amount of sound transmitted upstairs.
http://www3.telus.net/public/rob_cel/109_0941_1_1.JPG



I'll try to update this when I can until I get caught up to where I actually am now.

Hey Rob,

Looking forward to following your progress. You may not be aware, there is an option to change the skin for AVS from the black to a white background. For those that us that use the white background, yellow is realy, really hard to read. Take a look at the attached file.

Anyway, good luck with it and we'll be watching!

Bud

Rob,

Sounds like a great theater. You have some hefty goals for your HT (we all do). Keep those progress pic coming!

Hi Bud,

Thanks for the tip on the white background. I've been a AVS'r for almost 4 years and never clued into the white background thing.

Steve,

I'll try to update this thread regularly until it catches up to where I am now, then it will look like I work as fast as SandmanX :)

Rob

Here are some more progress pics........

This is the soffit above the candy counter in the lobby. It matches the lines of the counter and then blends into the existing HVAC duct.
http://www3.telus.net/public/rob_cel/110_1081_1_1.JPG

The following are of the new ceiling joists that I installed and lost only a couple of inches in ceiling height. Notice the recess lights are installed in MDF boxes that will seal up against the ceiling drywall.

http://www3.telus.net/public/rob_cel/110_1084_1_1.JPG

http://www3.telus.net/public/rob_cel/110_1086_1_1.JPG

http://www3.telus.net/public/rob_cel/110_1098_1_1.JPG

Here is a shot looking out of the HT room into the lobby.
http://www3.telus.net/public/rob_cel/110_1088_1_1.JPG

The new 16 circuit subpanel I installed (yup, I had it inspected)
http://www3.telus.net/public/rob_cel/110_1090_1_1.JPG


More to follow.......

Rob

Here are some more pictures.......

This one is kind of interesting. To try to deaden any sound from being transmitted upstairs I used a lot of different methods. Sharing HVAC with the rest of the house is a certain way to allow sound to escape to other rooms. To help alleviate this I incorporated many ideas from this forum and a few of my own. Previously you saw that I replaced as much of the tin as I could but the boots were a bit of a problem. To deaden these and seal them at the same time I used a brush on automotive undercoater used to deaden roadnoise. This worked fantastic I should have used my SPL meter to test the results but just playing loud music and listening at the registers upstairs both before and after made a huge improvement. I have also incorporated mufflers on the trunk lines in and out of the theater.
http://www3.telus.net/public/rob_cel/110_1012_1_1.JPG


This one shows two of the IC recess light boxes within MDF boxes and the projector outlet also within an MDF box. The black Linacoustic is covering one of the flexducts for a little more absorbtion as there is less insulation where the ductliner runs are. If you look closely you will see that the joist on the left is sistered as are two others to support my 150+lb CRT projector.
http://www3.telus.net/public/rob_cel/111_1134_1_1.JPG


The second layer of drywall (5/8" over 1/2") going up and using Acoustiseal to seal all gaps
http://www3.telus.net/public/rob_cel/111_1185_1_1.JPG


Picture of the doorway looking out of the theater shows the airgap between the walls. About 2" airgap that is stuffed with white fiberglass insulation.
http://www3.telus.net/public/rob_cel/111_1192_1_1.JPG


This picture is from the lobby and shows the beginning of the faux ticket booth that will hide my equipment rack. When finished the sign above the doorway will be backlit. The TICKET sign is just a temporary mockup that I printed from my computer to see how it would look.
http://www3.telus.net/public/rob_cel/IMG_1322_1_1.JPG

Great idea on the "boot" and the use of the automotive undercoater. Looks like you are moving faster than Sandman ;) You must have (5) helpers :D

Great idea on the "boot" and the use of the automotive undercoater. Looks like you are moving faster than Sandman You must have (5) helpers
Thanks swithey the undercoater worked very well at dampening any vibration in the tin.

That's the illusion I'm going for! :D

I actually started this project on 09-01-2004 and I didn't want to bore everyone with my slow progress. Due to the fact that I'm doing everything myself there was a lot I had to learn ie. electrical, HVAC, subwoofer design, automation etc. plus all the research into the room design itself.

I actually work on the rooms almost every night for about 4 hours. Now that I'm progressing at a satisfactory rate I thought it was a good time to start my thread.

I wish I could work as fast as Sandman but he has past me now, I'm about as far along as Bud.

Rob

A few more past progress pics..........


Looking to the back of the room at the soffit. This is where the back end of my Barco 808s CRT projector will butt up to the soffit projection to vent the hot air.
http://www3.telus.net/public/rob_cel/IMG_1485_1_1.JPG


Stuffed into the soffit are conduit for speaker and projector cables, HVAC, rack and projector venting.
http://www3.telus.net/public/rob_cel/IMG_1486_1_1.JPG


Front of the room, framed stage and Proscenium prior to sand etc. The door is solid 1.75" exterior with full wheather stripping.
http://www3.telus.net/public/rob_cel/IMG_1502_1_1.JPG


My poor mans Grafiik Eye that almost costs as much as the real deal. These are Smarthome X-10 compatible 2-way dimmers with feedback.
http://www3.telus.net/public/rob_cel/IMG_1604_1_1.JPG


Inside of the soffit that will vent the projector before sealing it up.
http://www3.telus.net/public/rob_cel/IMG_1609_1_1.JPG


All sealed up. It's hard to see here but the lower lip on the soffit extends several inches out for rope light and crown moulding soon to come. There is no lip on the projector extension part of the soffit. I like this little detail it kind of ties the projector into the room rather than having it hanging there all by itself.
http://www3.telus.net/public/rob_cel/IMG_1610_2_1.JPG

Rob,

Looks great. You're making great progress. Keep it up.

Bud

Rob

The theatre is coming along great. I noticed you used automotive undercoat to seal the HVAC boots and I had seen this used on another thread here somewhere. I was wondering if there is any lingering "oily" smell or similar smell from the undercoat? What is the brand name and where did you purchase it? Thanks

Rob,

Nice progress pictures. Keep up the good work and more pictures are good.

Could you elaborate more on how you dealt with treating the ductwork?

I saw that you used duct liner to cover existing ductwork and used automobile coating for the boot. I also have seen people do different things such as replacing existing metal ductwork with flexi ones or use raamat to cover the metal ductwork.
Based on 4 years of experience you gleamed from this forum, which method is cheapest and allow decent treatment of the ductwork?

Also, are you using 2 2x4 double walls? If so, are you planning to put in 2 doors? The reason I'm asking is i'm planning on double walls with 2" gap in between and plan on using 2 doors for the HT entrance but haven't finalized the plans yet. Just want some feedback and sanity check on how to do this.

thanks,

Rob,

It looks great.

Maybe I will start a thread in about 6 months on my HT which I started about 6 months ago. Thats if it turns out as nice as yours, Sandmans and Chinadogs are looking.

William

Thanks for the compliments everybody.

Meddy

I did not notice any lingering smell and they are now closed up in the ceiling. The product is something that should be easy for you to find because I got it at Canadian Tire in the automotive Dept. I believe it is available in a spray or brush-on version. I used brush-on as it appeared heavier.

jbhungvt
I actually replaced all the round duct with flexduct one size larger (5" to 6"). It wasn't too costly to do this and now I don't fear rattles in my ceiling, also cuts down sound transmission room to room significantly. Due to the fact that my HT room is directly below my two young childrens rooms I have spend a great deal of time reducing sound transmission from my room so that I can enjoy the room without fear of disturbing the kids. This was done as effectively as possible while keeping costs in check. The room is a full room within a room design. Walls are standard 2x4 construction with 5/8" drywall on the exterior and 1/2" over 5/8" on the inside. All framing was glued and nailed and drywall was glued and screwed. Wall cavities are filled with insualtion. Ceiling is 2x8 joists hung on the new walls with 1/2" over 5/8". The ceiling cavity is stuffed with R35 I believe and all ceiling penetrations (lights and projector outlet) are boxed in with MDF and sealed. I also replaced the tin cold-air returns in the ceiling above my room with new ones built from double drywall and sealed. I did not bother with a double door as my lobby is directly outside the HT room and it has a door on it. This room is kinda like my sound (air) lock. The door is a solid core fire door with full wheather stripping. If my lobby was not a sealed room outside the HT I would have done a double door.
I just finished my latest project and one I'm rather proud of, I'll post pictures soon as my thread catches up to me. I built an HVAC silencer that is very effective, this is often overlooked as a source of sound escaping a room. It is basically a large box with a U shape duct within it lined with rigid acoustic insulation. What a difference this made! Prior to this if I put my ear up to the open duct coming from my room I could clearly make out the sounds from within the room. After it was completed I performed the same unscientific but real world test and I could not hear anything at the same high volume setting.

sportrac

Thanks for the kind words. Gave me goosebumps to be mentioned in the same sentence as Sandman and Chinadog. Those two are truly inspirational with all their progress and constant updates.

Rob

Hey Rob

Is that MDF you are using for the soffits, if so what made you chose MDF as opposed to doing drywall on the soffits.

Thanks
Steven

Hi Steven,

I chose MDF for two reasons.

One reason was ease of installation due to the fact that I did not have to build an elaborate ladder type framework to suspend the drywall from as many people do. This also offset the added expense of MDF as I didn't need to buy additional materials for framing the soffit. I ran a 2x3 on the wall and another on the ceiling and screwed directly into these, it doesn't get much simpler than that.

The second reason was to reduce sound transmission. I only needed one layer of 3/4" MDF to cut done on sound transmission into my soffit as apposed to double drywall. The soffit contains multiple runs of 2" conduit, HVAC & ventilation ductwork. I was trying to reduce sound transmission into these wall penetrations.

Rob

Hey Sharms (Steven),

I just noticed that you are in Vancouver as well! I am actually in Chilliwack to be precise.

Rob

Thanks Rob. I'll be off to CT tonight. What about the Acoustiseal you used, I didn't see any at the local HD?

Hi Rob

Thanks for the info I think now I'm leaning towards MDF. (like you said easy to use)

One more questions? Where the seams are what are you using to fill them in.

I was going to ask were you live in my last post but forgot. It's nice to see more HT fans and AVR's in BC

Steven

Meddy,

The product I used is Lepage Bulldog Grip PL Acousti-Seal and is a available at both HD and Rona in the sealant/adhesives aisle. It comes in a tuber similar to silicone.

Steven,

Just for the sake of filling the cracks I used regular drywall mud but I didn't bother to tape it as it is getting covered by either Mahogany veneer or GOM anyhow. I haven't finalized that particular detail. Some of the MDF will be painted and visible so these areas were filled with DAP "Natural" Wood Patch.

I think we need to hold a local meet here sometime in the near future. If I ever get completed I would be interested in hosting such an event.

Rob

hello Rob

You have taken great care in the control of sound you will have a great isolated theater. Looking forward to more pictures. Keep up the great work.

Larryep

Hey Rob,

Just started following your thread.....it looks great!!

I was going to go with the Optoma H79 DLp but after reading some things about it I didnt like I am now considering CRT (the dark side as I have heard it reffered to, lol). Obviously you like CRT or you wouldnt be using it but I was wondering if you started out with it or switched from LCD or DLP as many have?
Also think they idea of incorperating the pj soffit into the room soffit...your right, much smoother and cleaner look...superb work I must say!!
Keep it up and I look forward to more progress pics...they hold me over till I actually get to start my own theater in about 6 weeks. I get my "fix" form all you fellow AVSers...lol
Great name btw... :)

Robert

So, Rob, you keeping everyone out of the loop? Any progress being made in the last month?

AAAGGHHHH! Typing a long reply and lost it all, I hate that!

Hi Rob thanks for the kind words.

In my opinion if you can tolerate the size and inconvenience of calibration with regards to a CRT it is worth it. Due to the fact that CRT's have come down so much in price recently I don't believe you can come close in picture quality for the same price on an LCD/DLP, although you will be buying a used CRT as apposed to a new LCD/DLP. They both have their advantages/drawbacks. For me a CRT was the way to go as my room has complete light control, I can run it up to 1080P and black is black and I have not seen an LCD/DLP for the same price that I paid for my CRT come close in PQ. It also doesn't hurt that I found the CRT guru Curt Palme is practically my neighbor.

Please don't flame me guys I'm not a DLP/LCD hater I just got what worked for me. There are some definite advantages to the LCD/DLP's especially if you want to go constant height.

Sorry no posts for a while but I am still plugging away. I am sure everybody understands the difficulty in balancing your personal life, job, HT work and trying to keep up with the threads I'm following on AVS etc.....etc.

I am currently working on my two subwoofers that I'm building for the room. They are based on the 12" Dayton Titanic driver. For the subwoofer savvy DIY people they are a 4.8 cu.ft. each EBS (Extended Bass Shelf) design tuned to 19 Hz that allows these subs to perform very well at extremely low frequencies. In room response is essentially flat to 16 Hz. Amplification will be provided by a Behringer EP 2500 (750 w x 2 @4ohms) and I will dial them in with a Behringer Feedback Destroyer. One in the front of the room integrated into the proscenium and one in the back on the riser built into the two rear columns.

I have to construct these now as they are integrated into the structure of the room.

I'll post pictures as soon as I can although I will be out of town next week.

We're taking the kids to Disneyland. :)

Rob

Hello Scott, more to come ............................................

I'll post an update soon.

Rob

Rob, make sure you get some decent pics of the subs as well! I have the 10" Titanic kits (2) in my theater and have wondered "what if" about making my own cabinets and possibly putting both of them in the same cabinet up in the front corner of my room instead of one in the front corner and one in the back middle.

I will definitely have some good pictures of the subs to post when they are finished. I'm not sure about the 10" enclosures but the 12" enclosures available from Parts Express I feel are a compromise between size and performance. Mine are considerably larger allowing for deeper bass extension.

Rob

This is looking really good! Have you tried out the X10 lights yet? I didn't install any X10 b/c of initial cost. I wanted to get my rooms up & running first. I'll install them later (hopefully) when I get more mullah.

Thanks Neuner. I am currently using the X10 lights and they are great. I had them in my last theater as well and never had any issues with them. I keep all the x10 on the same leg of my electrical system which helps. The switches I'm using are the Switchlinc 2-way with Scene capability they have never gone off or on falsely. I recommend them to anyone that wants the same capabilities as a Grafik Eye but at a fraction of the cost.

Neuner, I checked out your HT project, what are your plans for your sub and what model/manufacturer is it?

Rob

Rob,

Dont suppose you could post a link for that lighting control system your refering to (x10 and Switchlinc), I guess being a newbie I dont exactly know where to find them..

Thanks

Robert

I'm not Rob and I don't know where he bought his X-10, but the homepage for Smarthome (http://www.smarthome.com) is a good place to start.

I think I need to switch out the light switch in my "studio apartment" to an x-10 dimmer, I just switched to front projection, and when I turn off the system after watching, I have to trip my way across the room to the light switch.

Later,
Brian

WOW been a while for any posts I hope we didnt lose the builder, lol

Anything new going on with this build?

Ok, I am still plugging away on this I'll post some new progress pictures soon and bring this thread up to date.

Rob :rolleyes:

This is probably what he is referring to......http://www.smarthome.com/2493.html#

I use these in my home and they work wonderful. I still prefer the grafik eye for my HT, if I ever get it done.

Hey Rob,

Nice to see a fellow Vancouverite on here, especially one with what looks like a great build. Cant wait to see your latest progress. Im still in the early stages of planning and trying to budget for different things. Was all of the material easy to find locally or did you have to order the bulk of it online?

Hi Minhas,

I'm still here! I actually live in Chilliwack but that's close enough to be called a Vancouverite. I keep plugging away at the room and have done quite a bit since my last update but I had to make a choice between updating this thread and getting the room done ........ so the thread suffers. The last few evenings have been spent watching the Canucks though.

If you're planning your first HT room you've come to the right place. There is a wealth of knowledge here. I suggest finding threads that interest you and appeal to your taste and subscribing to them if you haven't already been doing that. A few great suggestions are: SandmanX, Swithey, Chinadog, EBR, Zinema, Ronnie_Jackson to name a few. These guys are all very helpful and friendly and have great rooms.

This is my second HT Room, I sold my house right after finishing the first so I could build a bigger and more elaborate one. I've learned alot along the way and don't mind passing it on. I can probably tell you where to get most anything you need to build a great HT Room and much of it is available local, you just need to know where to look. I just ordered my GOM fabric.

MY room is now functional and I will try to get a few minutes in the next few days to update this thread.

Good luck with the build and if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

Rob

Hi Rob;

I have a question about your coated duct work. I have a similar duct that is close enough to the ceiling drywall so that I couldn't stuff much insulation around it. The car body undercoat seems like a good approach to deaden the sound and vibration. I thought it was a great idea when I first saw it.

But I have searched in Ottawa for auto-body undercoat. It's available in brush-on cans, but I am concerned about VOC's (nasty fumes). Some is even cancer-causing and has to be used in a spray booth with the guy wearing a full space suit. So, did you find some non-harmfull undercoat for the duct? What did you use?

Don't be mad at me 'cause I'm a Sens fan, OK? Oh, and we're doing well so far. (We've paid our dues!).

Thanks a bunch, Tom.

Hi Tom,

The undercoat I used is available at Canadian Tire in a spray can form. There were no precautions on the can other than the regular ones you would find on a can of spray paint. I used it on the boots and elbows only and it was applied on the outside. After it cured I could not smell it at all. All the tin ducts were replaced with insulated flex duct.

I am not too concerned with the fumes for several reasons.
1. Very little of this product was needed as it was applied to boots and elbows only.
2. It was not applied to the inside of the ducts.
3. It is sealed-up in the ceiling which is air(sound)-tight.

The use of this product and flexduct made a huge improvement in the amount of sound transmitted into the rooms upstairs even before the ceiling was drywalled. With the open ceiling and existing ductwork you could clearly hear a radio playing in the rooms directly upstairs, after I was done the ductwork and before insulation and drywall you needed to put your head right to the register and you could faintly hear it.


I hope this helps.

Rob

Hi Rob;

Thanks for the detail. It sounds like something I'll have to look at. Canadian Tire wouldn't try to kill us, would they?

I'd be interested to hear the sound results in my application too.

Cheers, Tom.

Hey Rob,

Chilliwack is close enough! Cant wait to see your update. Yes I have been following the threads you mentioned and have learned alot from reading them and many other posts. This site is truly amazing and everyone is great. Im still a couple of months away before i even start building. I've passed the overwhelmed stage and now seem to understand most everything i read on here. However, I will definitely be trying to pick your brain as I get more ideas, hopefully not to the point where I severely annoy you! :p

GO CANUCKS GO hopefully we pull it off tonight!

Sunny

Hi Minhas,

I'm still here! I actually live in Chilliwack but that's close enough to be called a Vancouverite. I keep plugging away at the room and have done quite a bit since my last update but I had to make a choice between updating this thread and getting the room done ........ so the thread suffers. The last few evenings have been spent watching the Canucks though.

If you're planning your first HT room you've come to the right place. There is a wealth of knowledge here. I suggest finding threads that interest you and appeal to your taste and subscribing to them if you haven't already been doing that. A few great suggestions are: SandmanX, Swithey, Chinadog, EBR, Zinema, Ronnie_Jackson to name a few. These guys are all very helpful and friendly and have great rooms.

This is my second HT Room, I sold my house right after finishing the first so I could build a bigger and more elaborate one. I've learned alot along the way and don't mind passing it on. I can probably tell you where to get most anything you need to build a great HT Room and much of it is available local, you just need to know where to look. I just ordered my GOM fabric.

MY room is now functional and I will try to get a few minutes in the next few days to update this thread.

Good luck with the build and if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

Rob

Another Canuck here from Langley...any updates? :)