Updated 12/27/2009:

The theater is pretty much done (as of November 2008). Here is an index to the most interesting parts and milestones of the thread. There are other interesting posts and pictures in between each step, but these are the ones that immediately jumped out as worthwhile to mention.

Thanks to everyone who helped in this 5+ month project!

Take the video tour! (http://www.mostlyharmless.org/theater/theater.avi) (24MB)

My theater was featured on Electronic House! (8/11/2009) (http://www.electronichouse.com/article/diyer_turns_basement_into_theater_kitchenette/)
My theater was written up on HackedGadgets.com! (3/15/2009) (http://hackedgadgets.com/2009/03/15/home-theater-build-from-start-to-finish/)

01/24/2007 - Started this thread. Posted first ideas and designs. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13624126)
04/12/2008 - Permits pulled and design revised. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13624126#post13624126)
04/21/2008 - Lumber has arrived and the project starts for real. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13694633#post13694633)
06/16/2008 - Framing, conduit, HVAC, plumbing done. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14096800#post14096800)
06/25/2008 - Insulation, rough electrical done. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14161404#post14161404)
07/13/2008 - Drywall done. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14280928#post14280928)
07/20/2008 - Bathroom tile and paint. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14330899#post14330899)
08/11/2008 - Cabinets installed, picking out carpet and flooring. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14420761#post14420761)
08/17/2008 - Hardwood installed in Kitchenette. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14463918#post14463918)
08/25/2008 - Granite installed (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14520855#post14520855)
08/31/2008 - Acoustic panels installed and the start of the screen wall. Put tint on sliding glass doors. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14562883#post14562883)
09/03/2008 - Kitchenette and bathroom complete. Starting to tackle basement stairs. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14580047#post14580047)
09/05/2008 - Carpet installed. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14597217#post14597217)
09/06/2008 - Speakers, screen and seats installed. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14605057#post14605057)
09/13/2008 - Stairs done. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14655612#post14655612)
09/25/2008 - Bass shakers installed. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14740645#post14740645)
10/30/2008 - Projector Installed (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14976581#post14976581)
10/31/2008 - First screen shots. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14983802#post14983802)
11/02/2008 - More screen shots. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14993149#post14993149)
11/11/2008 - Movie posters framed and hung. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15052156#post15052156)
11/15/2008 - A few more finished pics. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15080441#post15080441)
12/02/2008 - Installed Littlites on the bar. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15201289#post15201289)
01/08/2009 - Popcorn machine and a finished rack! (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15502069#post15502069)
03/14/2009 - Cleaned up the equipment closet a bit and my 1000th post! (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=16042101#post16042101)
04/05/2009 - Under cabinet lighting in the kitchenette. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=16200213#post16200213)
04/24/2009 - Treated screen wall with acoustical cotton. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=16339904#post16339904)
05/13/2009 - Built a new HTPC! (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=16456452#post16456452)

Final Equipment List:

Panasonic PT-AE3000 Projector
129" wide SmX ProLine Screen - 2.37:1

Denon 3808ci Receiver
Playstation 3
Sony BDP-N460 Bluray player + streaming media (netflix)

Monitor Audio RS6 left and right front speakers
Monitor Audio RSLCR center channel speaker
Monitor Audio RSFX surround speakers
Monitor Audio RSFX rear speakers
SVS PC-13 Ultra Subwoofer

6 Aura Pro Bass Shakers
300 watt BASH subwoofer amplifier
Berkline 13175 seating

Nintendo Wii
Comcast HD DVR
Thecus N5200 NAS (1.5TB RAID5 network attached storage)

HTPC -

2.7GHz dual core Pentium
4GB RAM
GIGABYTE GA-E7AUM-DS2H motherboard (geForce 9400 - HDMI)
500GB hard drive
DVD +/-RW drive
Silverstone LC17B case
MS Entertainment Desktop 7000 keyboard/mouse
Mythbuntu (Linux)


Harmony One universal remote
X10 Powermid IR repeater



-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well... after a year and a half (almost), I've finally decided to start planning the basement theater. Not quite sure on when construction will begin especially since I have yet to finalize my plans. In fact, I'd love to hear feedback on my current sketches.

Some basics (updated 3/16/2009):


Finished width of the theater is approximately 13'4"
The final length of the theater comes out to around 32'
7.1 surround sound
Acoustically transparent screen with 2.37:1 aspect ratio
Ceiling was drywalled with 2x3's used as furring strips to clear some copper plumbing.
Soffits/beam will be approximately 6'9" in height
Blue rectangles on the open wall in the pictures are a window and sliding patio doors.
Lighting will be primarily 4" can lights. There will be cove lighting (rope) around the soffits and as step lighting for the riser.
Seating is comprised of Berkline 13175's (two rows of three) and four bar stools.
Equipment rack would go under the stairs
Moving the lolly columns is not an option.


Update - 3/16/2009 - the information below is from the original post and contains some out of date information.

I'm not sure if I want a wet bar or not, but if I do it will have to be adjacent to the utility room for best access to the sewer pipe. I am also having a tough time deciding what do to in the rear of the theater (wall? wall with french doors? leave it open and just put heavy curtains over the sliding glass doors? Leave it open but continue the wall along the beam?).

I've also been playing with different sized utility rooms (from the entire corner to right up against the oil tank). My wife would like a good compromise of storage + usable space, though again, any sort of wet bar or plumbing should be adjacent to the utility room.

Any feedback or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! See my attachments for the bare basement mock-up as well as a partially finished layout I've been playing with...

Thanks!
Chris (jamis)

sounds exciting... keep us posted

Some updated layout sketches....

The colors/carpet probably aren't what I'll use... I just wanted something consistent. The kitchenette/sink layout is also undecided, though the location is about where it will be with the drain going under the stairs to a gray water pump in the utility room. I will probably also put some overhead cabinets above the sink for glasses and such. There will also be a large euro-cave style wine cellar as well as a small (probably under counter) mini fridge (possible instead of the angled cabinet).

The aisles are just over 3' on each side of the riser and if I decide to do lighting or transducers in the riser, I will most likely come down from the ceiling though faux columns on the bar.

Any ideas or suggestions?


http://www.mostlyharmless.org/theater/new1.jpg


A few more mock-ups...

Image2 (http://www.mostlyharmless.org/theater/new2.jpg)
Image3 (http://www.mostlyharmless.org/theater/new3.jpg)
Image4 (http://www.mostlyharmless.org/theater/new4.jpg)

what cad software are u using for these images

Looks pretty good. Where will the wine cellar go? Also, have you thought about extending the the pass-through counter on the theater side to provide some additional bar seating?

Good luck with the project.

what cad software are u using for these images

Looks like Sketch Up to me, it is really some cool software, not CAD by any means, but they have a free version on Googles website...

Yep... Google SketchUp. www.sketchup.com


As for extending the bar, I had thought about doing a L-shape from the pass-through all the way across, but the wife liked having aisles on both sides. Even extending the counter there would potentially block that aisle.

My current thoughts on the wine cellar would be to the right of the sink (with some cabinetry around it to give it a built in look) where the angled counter is, or right next to the small closet that blocks off the water main. If i did the latter, i'd get a more furniture looking wine cellar.

I had thought about doing a walk in cellar adjacent to the utility room, but that would probably be overkill.

I was motivated this morning and put a little more effort into the kitchenette layout. I'm liking this version much better...

I am particularly proud of my homemade EuroCave wine cellar. :D



http://www.mostlyharmless.org/theater/new_kit1.jpg

Another update... I've come around to widening the pass-through counter after realizing I could move the seats/bar forward a bit. In the drawing, the narrowest point between the pass-through counter and the bar is a hair under 36".

The front row is approximately 1.4X from the screen, the back row would be around 2.3X (reclined) and the bar at 2.5X.

I'm figuring berkline 880's for the first two rows... the berkline website suggests a minimum of 36" between rows. Is this 36" when fully reclined or simply to allow enough room to recline? Can anyone recommend a good riser depth for this line of seats? How about clearance in the back to recline?

http://www.mostlyharmless.org/theater/new_kit4.jpg

Back from the dead!

The permits have been pulled and I just bought an air compressor (17 gal Porter Cable... good for the sprinklers too!) and a three pack of nailing guns (frame nailer, finish nailer, brad nailer).

Some before pics to follow... now to figure out my lumber requirements and get to get started. :D

Looking down the length of the theater at the screen wall (tape lines subject to change.. I'm thinking of going CIH):
http://www.mostlyharmless.org/theater/before1.jpg


Future equipment closet/rack to go under the stairs as well as the gray water pump for the kitchenette sink. Kitchenette will be immediately to the left of the stairs with the pass-through into the theater:
http://www.mostlyharmless.org/theater/before2.jpg


Looking from the screen wall back:
http://www.mostlyharmless.org/theater/before4.jpg


The view looking through the kitchenette/passthrough. The doorway into the theater will be to the left of the left-most metal column:
http://www.mostlyharmless.org/theater/before5.jpg

The project gets bigger... Adding a half bath.

This will require a macerating toilet. We were going to need at least a grey water pump for the kitchenette anyway.

http://www.mostlyharmless.org/theater/floorplan2.jpg

room deminsions and rack location are simillar to mine. it is nice that you have no HVAC to deal with. do you have boiler providing house heat? later.

Were are you putting your equipment. 2 things I would do is either extend the bathroom to the back wall, or I would use that space behind the bath to put in an equipment rack. or I might move/rotate the bathroom.

edit. nevermind on the equipment rack part, I just looked at the pictures again. I would just move the bathroom some.

For the bathroom and sink look into this system I used. I didn't want to dig trenches. http://www.zoeller.com/zcopump/products/homeimprove/qwikjon.htm

The project gets bigger... Adding a half bath.


They always do... Just remember how many WAF points you're building up ;)

Bryan

Were are you putting your equipment. 2 things I would do is either extend the bathroom to the back wall, or I would use that space behind the bath to put in an equipment rack. or I might move/rotate the bathroom.

edit. nevermind on the equipment rack part, I just looked at the pictures again. I would just move the bathroom some.

For the bathroom and sink look into this system I used. I didn't want to dig trenches. http://www.zoeller.com/zcopump/products/homeimprove/qwikjon.htm

I was looking at this for the plumbing system... the sinks for the kitchenette and bathroom would both tie into it.

http://www.saniflo.com/products/saniplus.asp

The rack will be under the stairs and the space behind the bathroom will be for some of the plumbing (probably the macerating/pump unit instead of directly behind the toilet in the bathroom) as well as access to the equipment. I can only move the bathroom back so far before the access panel would be adjacent to the rack itself and restrict access into the equipment area.

My side goal is to space the bathroom in such a way as to use 1' tiles with 1/4" grout lines and not have to cut a single tile.

As for WAF... she originally didn't want a half bath down there... I actually convinced her we should have it. Amazingly enough.. she is completely on board with this project (she watches more TV than I do...)

room deminsions and rack location are simillar to mine. it is nice that you have no HVAC to deal with. do you have boiler providing house heat? later.

I am planning on either a mini-split heat pump, or a small ducted unit inside the utility room. Either shouldn't be too hard to manage. The mini-split would be cheaper, but I'd probably prefer the ducted unit so I can put a return in the equipment closet.

The boiler heats the rest of the house (forced hot water)

Id make the bathroom bigger. Go all the way to the theater wall, and put a door into the back of your rack.

Id make the bathroom bigger. Go all the way to the theater wall, and put a door into the back of your rack.

This is an excellent idea. I put the back of my rack into a closet and the extra room back there is rather helpful when adding equipment/rack maintenance tasks/etc.

This should be a cool build when done. Keep us posted along the way.

The one reservation I had with extending the bathroom all the way back, was the plumbing (mostly, the drain).

As I have it laid out now, the drain for the sink in the kitchenette would run under the stairs and along the back of the bathroom wall in one practically straight run, tying nicely into the bathroom sink and finally the macerator/ejector pump from the toilet. If you look at the earlier drawings I have of the kitchenette, you'll see the sink location in relation to the bathroom and since the rack will be under the stairs, I can't move the drain pipe too far towards the theater.

If I move the bathroom all the way back (or change the layout), I have to work some magic with the plumbing. Running the pipes along the center wall will be difficult due to the metal lolly columns.

well, then my idea of adding a window from the bathroom to the theater, so you dont miss any of the movie when nature calls, is probably a no go then.

well, then my idea of adding a window from the bathroom to the theater, so you dont miss any of the movie when nature calls, is probably a no go then.


Put a small TV in the bathroom. Problem solved. :D

I've mentioned putting a TV in the bathroom... I could see the WAF points going down the tubes. For some strange reason, she couldn't imagine the need.

I'll at least wire for it... :D

I've mentioned putting a TV in the bathroom... I could see the WAF points going down the tubes. For some strange reason, she couldn't imagine the need.

I'll at least wire for it... :D

I have a friend who has a small LCD in his HT bathroom. Guests seem to love it butt when I brought it up to the wife I got "the stare". Perhaps a butt kicker attached to the toilet too?

I think I am most interested in seeing how you do your entertainment/bar area. I think I designed mine to be too boring.

Perhaps a butt kicker attached to the toilet too?

LOL! That could certainly facilitate some things....

Holy crap, it's been a busy weekend.

In order of completion...

Saturday AM - Lumber arrives. Lug it all down to the basement.
Saturday PM - De-thatch lawn, rake, overseed, start-up irrigation system for the season.
Sunday - Frame out three sections of wall in the basement. Two of the sections are staggered studs.
Monday AM - Stain deck, railings and stairs (14x16, 12' off the ground)
Monday PM - Build blocking around poorly placed pipes.

I think I'm going to take the rest of the day off. :)


The lumber pile after framing out the three sections of wall...
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/4_21_1.jpg


The three sections of wall. The screen wall is where the miter saw is... the kitchenette will be against the stairs where I framed.
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/4-21_2.jpg


The blocking around the pipes. Add the drywall, and you have the finished ceiling height. (~7' 5"). I will be putting up blocking on all the joists and using 2x3s as furring strips. This will allow me to span all pipes and wires.
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/4-21_3.jpg

That nook under the stairs is really lucky for the equipment rack, wish I had something similar.

The only thing I'm not crazy about is the opening at the rear right for the bar and then the open doorway. The surround soundfield will be a little unbalanced and "weak" as some will get lost into that open area.

That nook under the stairs is really lucky for the equipment rack, wish I had something similar.

The only thing I'm not crazy about is the opening at the rear right for the bar and then the open doorway. The surround soundfield will be a little unbalanced and "weak" as some will get lost into that open area.

Yeah.. it's a trade off. I originally had thoughts of putting a wall at the back of the theater to keep the sliding glass door completely out of the space, but it would have shortened it more than I would have liked. Instead, I opted for a more open entertaining space. I was also limited by my plumbing options on the location of the kitchenette/wet bar.

I'll just have to up my budget on the surround speakers to compensate. :D

I would make those soffits on the left & right wall go all the way to the back of the room and maybe even go around the back wall (optional). Stopping the soffits in middle of the room looks incomplete.

I would make those soffits on the left & right wall go all the way to the back of the room and maybe even go around the back wall (optional). Stopping the soffits in middle of the room looks incomplete.

Yeah... I was going to at least take them all the way back (obviously not in the drawings). Hadn't thought of running one along the back wall too... might have to give that some thought.

HVAC guys were out this morning.

Sounds like a 1.5 ton ducted unit is the way to go instead of a mini-split due to the shape of the room, plus having the bathroom. At first they were all for a mini-split, but after describing the project in more detail, they agreed that ducted was the way to go. These guys have done work for me before, so quality and price should be good.

The plan is to add another zone to the boiler and run that to the air handler for heat. Current plan is for 4 total supplies and two returns. They would also add a fresh air supply to the utility room for the boiler, since it will be closed off from the rest of the basement.

The main duct would run along the utility room side of the beam and branch off through the joist bays into the theater. There would also be a supply in the bathroom.

Bathroom is mostly framed out. Just have to add some blocking here and there.

Looking towards the bathroom entrance and stairs:
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/4-30-0.jpg


Looking through the equipment rack area into the hallway behind the bathroom:
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/4-30-1.jpg



View of the bathroom from the utility room/boiler area.
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/4-30-3.jpg

I need some framing advice.

Take a look at the pictures below. I am trying to figure out how I want to frame in the last section of staggered stud partition wall with the sewage pipe. You can see the tape line I was originally planning for the wall (to match the bump-out for the foundation on the other side).

The easiest solution would be to build the staggered stud wall out to where the tape line turns into the theater and finish the rest of the wall with standard 2x4 construction (though this would kind of defeat the whole purpose of a staggered stud wall).

Another option would be to follow the tape line with a 2x6 (and/or staggered stud wall), though the bump-out would have to increase in size to clear the pipe (and on the other side to match) thus reducing the overall width of the stage area.

Yet another option would be to have the top and bottom plates of the partition extend all the way to the foundation wall and frame out the studs right to the pipe (staggered) and box in around the pipe. I'd then do a vertical soffit out of 2x4's to cover the vertical part of the pipe and follow the original tape line.

I hope my descriptions make sense...

http://www.mostlyharmless.org/theater/before1.jpg

http://www.mostlyharmless.org/theater/4-21_2.jpg

It looks like you might have to kick the wall out on the left hand side so I would just suggest doing the same for the side with the pipes. That way your screen wall is uniform on both sides. You can see what I am talking about in my highly detailed architectural grade drawing.

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/8591/before1ul2.jpg

It looks like you might have to kick the wall out on the left hand side so I would just suggest doing the same for the side with the pipes. That way your screen wall is uniform on both sides. You can see what I am talking about in my highly detailed architectural grade drawing.


Yeah.. I had accounted for that. The bump-out I was originally planning for the pipe side would match the bump-out to cover the foundation. You can kind of see it with the blue tape on the floor. :)

Any one else wanna take a stab at it? :)

Looks good so far.

Just keep the progress pics coming!

Regards,

RTROSE

Any one else wanna take a stab at it? :)

I was thinking you could build the wall on the left of the picture in line with the "bump out" on the screen wall. Therefore you wouldn't have that in the finished space. I'd look at re-routing that drain pipe if possible. You have a cleanout overhead already (I'm not sure this is actually necessary, but I'm not a plumber either.) Could you route that pipe over the beam and along the other side of it? Or otherwise route to the other side higher (such as in a soffit) so avoid having to construct a wall around it?

-Ryan

I was planning on having a soffit/bump-out combo of some sort to cover the pipe. Unfortunately I can't reroute it without significant work.

I think my plan of action will be to build the staggered stud wall all the way to the foundation wall, boxing around the pipe, and then building a 2x4 bump-out (vertical soffit) to cover the pipe and house wire runs. Then fill the whole thing with insulation and cover with drywall. The bump-out/soffit will be attached to the theater side of the staggered studs, so will remain mostly decoupled from the utility room side.

HVAC guys were out today to deliver the equipment, do the fresh air vent for the boiler, and start running the duct work.

I hope to continue framing tomorrow.


Fresh air vent:

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/air1.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/air2.jpg


A few of the ducts and line set:

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/ac1.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/ac2.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/ac3.jpg

That looks like a pretty neat install for the fresh air intake. Very unobtrusive. When my parents put in a new furnace a couple of years ago the HVAC guys plumbed some type of PVC monstrosity without much thought to how it actually looks.

Regards,

RTROSE

Made some framing progress today. Finished up the screen wall. There will be a false wall with an AT screen a few inches behind the end of the bump-outs on each side.

You can also see what I came up with as a solution to my pipe problem. It's hard to see in the pics, but where the bump-out attaches to the staggered stud wall, it is completely decoupled from the utility room side. I may still add some more blocking here and there.

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/swall1.jpg


http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/swall3.jpg

The HVAC guys were back out today while I was at work. Mostly a decent job.. some stuff I'm not wild about but not much I can do about it.

I was kind of hoping the primary return on the side wall of the theater would have been lower, but not a huge deal. They also removed a couple studs that I need to make up for.

I'm surprised that the second return goes into the primary return's plenum before going back to the air handler. Its a 16" box on the wall (primary return) with an 8" flex coming from the second return and 12" flex going to the air handler. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like the 8" return feeding into that box wouldn't have much air moving through it.

Boiler guy comes out tomorrow to add a zone to the boiler and feed it to the air handler.

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/ac4.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/ac5.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/ac6.jpg

Did you just frame in that clean-out?

The clean outs I framed around could be accessed if they really had to be. There is another clean out in the utility room that will not be obstructed at all.

I've been making steady progress since my last post...

Framing is pretty much done except for the soffits, equipment closet and kitchenette half wall. I am not looking forward to doing those soffits.

HVAC is done except for startup, electrical and registers.

Plumber is here doing the rough work as I type this. Drains, PEX for hot and cold, vent, and a SaniPlus toilet with macerator/pump.

Electrician is lined up to do the HVAC portion next week, and the rest of the basement when the framing is done.

Bought 200' of Smurf tubing and boxes for the speaker wire runs.

Bought a diamond blade for my skil saw, cold chisel, some 3/4" and 1/2" PVC conduit, and a bag of quickcrete so I can run the electrical and wires for buttkickers on the riser under the concrete floor. If the chisel doesn't cut it, I'll rent an electric jackhammer at the local rental place.

I will post pics when I'm done for the weekend. :)

HI jamis,
It's all looking really good. You had mentioned soffits so I thought I'd pass on another AVS thread that talks about making soffits that are sound isolated and increase headroom. Check it out at: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13933712#post13933712
It's got some good stuff in there.

Done for the weekend!

What I still have left before the drywall can go up:

1. Soffits
2. 2x3 furring strips on the ceiling to support the drywall below the pipes.
3. Finish rough-in for A/V closet
4. Run 2" PVC conduit for projector
5. Riser/bar
6. Stage
7. Rough electric
8. Insulation


Looking at the screen wall and the Smurf runs for L/C/R and sub...
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/5-26_0.jpg

Looking towards the back of the theater... you can see the Smurf runs, the rough out for the A/V closet (I will be shrinking it down to fit a standard 19" rack)...
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/5-26_1.jpg

Another shot of the A/V closet and pass-through to the kitchenette...
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/5-26_3.jpg

Rough plumbing for the kitchenette sink...
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/5-26_4.jpg

Rough plumbing for the 1/2 bath. You can see the SaniPlus macerator/pump. All the fixtures (including toilet) tie into the pump.
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/5-26_5.jpg

$40 for a diamond skil saw blade, 3/4" and 1/2" grey PVC conduit, PVC cement, 40lbs of quickcrete, a cold chisel...

A few hours and some sore knuckles later... future electric and LFE hookups for the riser. A jackhammer would have gone much quicker than the chisel and 3lb sledge, but the rental place was closing soon and I was too impatient to wait a day. I also saved $90. A local cutting company wanted $600 (ha!).

All in all, it went fairly well. I made three cuts with the skil saw (one on each side and one down the middle), and just went to town with the chisel. I kept the area wet as I cut and the shop vac nozzle inches from the saw.
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/5-26_2a.jpg

Grafik Eye 3106 (6 zone) ordered as well as two entrance controls.

Also ordered some rack shelves (2U ventilated 2-post) to use with my scavenged rack rails that I pulled from the dumpster at work. Just need to cut them down to size. :D

I was also playing around with my soffits last night. I finally decided on using OSB as a front face and I will cut the horizontal braces to fit (probably 2x3's or 2x4's). I had Lowes cut 4 sheets of 4' x 8' 1/2" OSB into 12" strips at the store. Made bringing it home so much easier. I hope to have the soffits and ceiling furring strips done this week, riser and stage as well (if I get lucky), and the electrician soon after.

If all goes well, I'd like to have the drywall up by the end of June.

Made some decent progress with the soffits this weekend. I've got all the vertical OSB pieces hung and most of the horizontal blocking on one of the 30' runs. All said, there are ~90 feet of soffits in two 30 foot runs and two 13-15' runs.

Also picked up the materials for the riser/bar.

I am going to try and power through the soffits this week so I can start the furring strips on the ceiling this weekend.

I will post pics when the soffits are done.

150' foot spool of rope light, 17 4" IC-rated can lights, and black baffle/trim also ordered.

Roughed out and mounted the A/V rack. I used two rails that I grabbed from the dumpster at work and bought four 2U shelves from cableorganizer.com (I'll probably get 3-4 more) ... You can also see the one completed soffit. I didn't photograph the incomplete ones. :)

Grafik eye arrived today, rope light comes on friday, and the rest of the cans should be in next week. Hopefully I can finish the soffits this weekend and start on the riser.

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/rack1.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/rack2.jpg

Yet another busy weekend... :)

I finished the soffits in the theater (just need to finish the one in the kitchenette) and about half of the ceiling. The rest of the ceiling in the theater will be 1.5" lower than the front of the theater due to pipes and other obstacles .

I also finished the riser. The finished dimensions of the riser will be 8" tall, 8' wide, 7' deep. There will be a 2" overhang for rope lights (included in the overall dimensions). If you look carefully. you can see the conduit I ran for electric/buttkickers.

I keep saying it, but I hope to finish the framing by next weekend (ceiling + kitchenette soffit) and have the electrician in following week.

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/riser1.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/riser2.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/riser3.jpg

Huzzah!

Framing is done (except for a curved front to the stage, should I feel industrious enough to attempt it). A friend came over this weekend and helped me knock out the rest of the ceiling. Only took three trips to Lowes, stepping on a nail (ouch), an incident with the framing nailer (ouch), and a sore back.

The electrician should be in tomorrow and I am starting the process of getting drywall quotes.

Pics:

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/frame1.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/frame2.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/frame3.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/frame4.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/frame5.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/frame6.jpg

Ran the vent for the bathroom fan last night...

Rough electrical is 95% done...

Contemplating insulation...

Starting to get drywall quotes...

Pics soon... :)

Rough electrical is done and passed inspection.

Rough plumbing passed inspection.

Waiting for a call back from the building dept. to schedule the framing and mechanical inspections.

A few small items I have also accomplished recently:


Ran speaker wire (through 1/2" ENT conduit)
Ran RG6 for subwoofer (through 1/2" ENT conduit)
Ran HDMI, Component, VGA, cat6 to the projector box (through 2" conduit)
Put in boxes for the buttkicker connections on the riser.
Blocked out and secured all HVAC supplies and returns in their proper places
Ran a 25' flex duct and vent for the bathroom exhaust fan to the outside
Used some scrap 2x6 to block out the two most likely places I will put the projector mount.
Put up some double gang LV openings for access to two water shut offs in the ceiling. I will cover these with black 2-gang covers.
Ordered (almost) all of my wall plates for speakers, sub, etc.
Started bringing home a few rolls of R-13 with each run to Lowes. I should have all I need in no time given how often I'm there. :rolleyes:


After I get the framing/mechanical inspection out of the way (hopefully this week), I will start insulating, followed by drywall.

I will post pics when I am done for the weekend.

Grafik Eye goes here. I would have preferred a metal box, but this one is very deep and fits everything just fine. I may pop out some of the punch-outs for ventilation and put some aluminum foil on the left side of the stud to block EMI from the rack. :D
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/elec1.jpg

The tenticles of my currently unorganized A/V closet. Most of the wall plates and such have arrived. I can't wait to wire 'em all up.
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/elec2.jpg

Blocking around one of the HVAC supplies...
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/elec3.jpg

4" IC-rated can light from USALight.com...
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/elec4.jpg

Outlet for the rope light which will lay in some crown molding.
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/elec5.jpg

Electrical in the riser. The outlet in the upper right corner will be for some rope light under the bar counter.
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/elec6.jpg

Grafik Eye 3106 (6 zone) and two entrance controls.
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/elec7.jpg

Looking at the screen wall.
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/elec8.jpg

Kitchenette/pass-through. There will be two pendants above the pass-through.
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/elec9.jpg

Blocking for the projector mount. I will mount it to the 2x6s...
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/elec10.jpg

Electrical in the riser (part 2)... the blue boxes are for the buttkickers/transducers.
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/elec11.jpg

Looking back through the theater towards the back...
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/elec12.jpg

Passed the framing inspection and the wife and I finished the insulation tonight. I hope to get the insulation inspection this week and finish up the riser and stage this weekend.

We pretty much filled just about every bay (except the one the grafik eye will live in) and the soffits with insulation. Probably overkill, but whatever. :)

Drywall should start July 7.

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/ins1.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/ins2.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/ins3.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/ins4.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/ins5.jpg

Just got word that we passed the insulation inspection. Drywall should be a go for July 7th!

I will post pics this weekend if/when I complete the stage and riser.

Gotta do more cleaning and organizing too before the drywall crew shows up.

Any last minute suggestions on things I should do while the walls are still open?

Riser and stage are done!

Thanks to BIGmouthinDC for the homemade 2-by 'c' scribe idea to mark the curved stage. I ended up using a couple 2x3's with a scrap of 3/4" ply in between. Having the gap be the same thickness as the floor made the scribe more steady.

It was the slowest, most careful use of a jigsaw I've ever done. Not a perfect cut, but the carpet will cover the waves. :)

It feels weird having pretty much nothing left to do until the drywall is done... the calm before the storm. ;)

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/rs1.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/rs2.jpg

What do you all think?

Should I have the underside of the soffits textured (and painted) to match the ceiling?

I was probably going to paint them to match, but I am undecided if they should be textured as well. Probably doing a stipple (brush) texture similar to knockdown.

I went back and forth over which color to paint the underside of my soffits as well. I ended up using the ceiling color and wrapping it from soffit to ceiling (see my thread in my signature for pics). Personally, I like the smooth look, but that's just my opinion. :)

I like your soffits/ceiling. Very nice!

I think the biggest motivator will be how well I framed the soffits and how good the drywall crew can hide any defects. If it looks wavy, I'll probably texture it for sure. :)

I was originally thinking of doing all vertical surfaces (walls, sides of soffits) the same color, and the horizontal surfaces the same color/texture (ceiling, under soffit).

More suggestions/examples would be appreciated. :)

That's true about textured surfaces hiding imperfections. I considered painting all vertical surfaces the color of the walls as well. The one thing I like about having the soffit/ceiling the same color is that the entire ceiling area fades away seamlessly as the lights dim.

Thanks again for the comments.

I just painted my soffits yesterday...last pics in my HT build. I just kept it simple with the same color combination going.

Looking good! Keep the pictures coming after the drywall gets installed.

Drywall was delivered today... the crew starts on Monday. :)

Following your work closely. My room is almost the same size and I love the setup you picked. I will be doing roughly the same setup. Just trying to acquire some skill with sketchup before I post. Nice little program.

The strategy I used to learn Sketchup was to make a flat 2D floor plan, including the outlines for all the walls and use the 'push/pull' tool to pull the walls out of the floor from the outlines. Made things REALLY easy to build up. Once I got the hang of that, it became easy to do the more complex aspects.

Drywall - Day 1

Two man crew (one of them the owner of the company), no lifts or stilts required.

Before anyone asks... there were a couple extra sheets of 8' MRD (moisture resistant) and rather than cut some 12 footers, they used the MRD in a couple places instead. :)

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/dw8.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/dw1.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/dw2.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/dw3.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/dw4.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/dw5.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/dw6.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/dw7.jpg

Looking good dude. I like the creative solution to hiding the water shutoff.

Drywall - Day 2

Corners, tape, and first coat of mud on the butts/screws done...


http://www.mostlyharmless.org/theater/dw_2_1.jpg

http://www.mostlyharmless.org/theater/dw_2_2.jpg

http://www.mostlyharmless.org/theater/dw_2_3.jpg

http://www.mostlyharmless.org/theater/dw_2_4.jpg

http://www.mostlyharmless.org/theater/dw_2_5.jpg

http://www.mostlyharmless.org/theater/dw_2_6.jpg

http://www.mostlyharmless.org/theater/dw_2_7.jpg

The drywall makes completely changes the look, doesn't it! It starts to feel like a real room!

Drywall is done! Walls have been vacuumed, floors have been mopped.

The cabinets for the kitchenette have been ordered (med-dark cherry) and should arrive by the end of the month.

We also picked out our granite for the kitchenette, pass-through, and bar. It's called 'Antique Brown'. In person in lower lighting conditions, it looks black with large crystalline structures that shimmer a bit as you change angle. Under brighter lights (such as a camera flash), you can really see the brown.

My wife starts priming and painting tomorrow while I'm at work. :D

Shown in the last picture are the two boxes of 12" slate tiles for the bathroom. I figured I'd put my diamond blade to more use! I'll start that project after the bathroom is painted (hopefully this week).



http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/gran1.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/gran2.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/dw_done1.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/dw_done2.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/dw_done3.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/dw_done4.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/dw_done5.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/dw_done6.jpg

I think i have almost that same granite in my kitchen... it looks black until you hit the can lights and looks really good against the wood cabinets.

You'll really enjoy it, minus the fact that you will see EVERYTHING on it... one peice of toast in the toaster looks like you dumped entire thing of bread crumbs over the place.

I think i have almost that same granite in my kitchen... it looks black until you hit the can lights and looks really good against the wood cabinets.

You'll really enjoy it, minus the fact that you will see EVERYTHING on it... one peice of toast in the toaster looks like you dumped entire thing of bread crumbs over the place.

We currently have a black granite in the kitchen (nero impala).. so I know that feeling. :)

We are making steady progress with paint.

Everything has been primed. The bathroom (grey) is done. The ceilings, screen wall, and soffits (black) are all done. The kitchenette area (brownish-tan) has one coat. The theater (dark red) has one coat.

Theoretically, we could be done painting tomorrow if we can finish the second coat in the kitchenette and theater areas.

Potential projects for this weekend include the tile for the bathroom floor and starting to hookup the speaker face plates.

The electrician should be coming in sometime next week to do the finial hookups.

I will post pics when the paint is done. :)

Hey man, looking good. Keep up the good work.

I think we are at about the same place. I just finished priming and am waiting to put a 2nd coat up. Trying not to get primer all over the keyboard :)

Another busy week!

My wife did a good deal of painting this week (I helped in the evenings when I got home from work) and she finished up the last of it this weekend.

I also put in all the speaker wall plates and wired up the AV closet. Not pretty in the closet, but I'm not shooting for a 'finished' look in there. I put up the recessed light baffles as well. Hopefully the electrician will be in this week to do the rest.

We bought the remaining light fixtures and a vanity for the bathroom on Friday. I'll get pics of those when they are installed.

I also put down the slate tiles today and will grout tomorrow when I get home from work. I must say.. the diamond blade I bought a few weeks ago to cut the trench in the basement floor for the riser electrical has definitely paid for itself. It cut those slate tiles very nicely.

It's always tough getting an accurate representation of colors with the camera, but I tried anyway. The red is a bit darker and more muted in person. The camera flash makes it look much brighter than it is.

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/paint1.jpg


http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/paint2.jpg


http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/paint3.jpg


http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/paint4.jpg


http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/paint5.jpg


http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/paint6.jpg


http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/paint7.jpg


http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/paint8.jpg

You two are flying :eek:

I wish My wife would have had more of a interest in painting but she did help supervise ;)

I'm not sure it's really so much of an "interest" in painting as it is, "I'm unemployed at the moment so I better be useful at home." I'm DONE painting for at least a year. Plus, I felt guilty not helping with the framing at all, and at least I can do this :) I suspect I would have had less say on the colors if I wasn't going to be helping, too...

(Hi there! I'm Mrs. Jamis. Nice to be here. Although, his comment is, "There goes the neighborhood.")

selianth

:D hehe taking care of the home front is a job in itself especially if you have little ones tearing around. Plus helping you can say look at the Theater WE built ;)

We don't have any little ones (except cats), so as far as I see it... she is just earning her keep. ;)

With the painting done, the big question becomes... will she cook dinner tomorrow?

I think the lawn needs to be mowed, too... :D

We don't have any little ones (except cats), so as far as I see it... she is just earning her keep. ;)

With the painting done, the big question becomes... will she cook dinner tomorrow?

I think the lawn needs to be mowed, too... :D

I wonder how long it'll be before you're SLEEPING in the theater. :)

I wonder how long it'll be before you're SLEEPING in the theater. :)

Does Berkline have any theater seating with a fold out bed? I haven't placed my order yet...

The electrician is in today finishing up. Hopefully the HVAC will be finished in the next week as well (startup + registers).

I've probably spent 15 minutes this morning just dimming the can lights up and down through the grafik eye. :D

I ordered the flooring for the kitchenette (Kahr's engineered wood 3-strip oak).

Cabinets will be in next Monday.

Project list for the next 1-3 weeks:
1. Finish baseboards in the bathroom and secure the vanity in it's final resting place.
2. Crown molding and rope lights on the soffits.
3. Install cabinets (and get granite templated).
4. Install floor in kitchenette/hallway
5. Install pre-hung doors.
6. Start to build screen and screen wall.
7. Research carpet.

Recap and some new pictures:

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/lights1.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/lights2.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/lights4.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/lights3.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/lights7.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/lights8.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/lights9.jpg

Most of the cabinets went up this weekend. I will do another panel to the right after the floors are in and the fridge will go in between. The granite gets templated today. The cabinet above the fridge was racked slightly, so I had to compensate by leaving the back of the cabinet out of level. It wasn't bad enough to wait two weeks for a replacement cabinet.

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/cab1.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/cab2.jpg

The flooring that will be going in the kitchenette. Kahr's 3-strip engineered click-lock oak flooring.

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/cab3.jpg

The current front runner for carpet. I believe that is an 18x18 sample to give you an idea on the size of the pattern.

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/cab4.jpg


Last but not least, FedEx showed up with these last week. I found a great deal on Audiogon and now just need to get another set of rsfx surrounds. I hooked them up to my current TV setup and they sound great.

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/cab5.jpg


A few last notes and upcoming projects:

- Install the hardwood floor
- Order carpet and have it installed.
- Paint and finish installing trim (after floors)
- Finish cabinets (after floors)
- Install acoustic panels.
- Order Berklines (still going back and forth on 088's or the 45004's).
- Order receiver (leaning towards the Denon 3808)
- Order projector (leaning towards the Panasonic PT-AE2000U for the motorized zoom)
- Order subwoofer (leaning towards an Epik Castle)
- Build wall/mount-points for the screen. I ordered a 129" wide 2.37:1 SMX screen last week. :D

I really like that carpet.

Me too, gonna have to show it to the Mrs. Very nice work. Didn't realize till now your in Mass. any chance of a future meet when your done. I've yet to go to one :D, well I did visit Dave's(dcpilgrim) home before he left but it wasn't an official meet.

A New England meet could indeed be fun.

I think I can hear my wife choking on her lunch right now...

Awww, sweetie, of course you can invite your weird internet friends over. I just need to talk to their parents first and make sure they're okay with it.

A New England meet could indeed be fun.

I think I can hear my wife choking on her lunch right now...

He,he :D I know the feeling. When I went to Dave's for some things I was getting from him, :eek:they thought they would never see me again;).

I so wanted that carpet. I haven't looked at it in awhile (and still need to order) but may look again when it comes time to pull the trigger. I really like the larger squares. I think I was afraid how dark it looked so I was looking at the gray version (which was too light).

I have the same speakers (and they are still in the box).

Don't you like the print on the boxes that says "Useless if dropped"? I don't know why but I found it pretty funny.

We are going to end up with fairly similar rooms. (3rd row bar seating, long, fairly narrow rooms, equipment under the stairs). If you get that carpet down before I order I will be very interested to see the pics.

Maybe I missed it scanning your thread but what surface are you putting on the third row seating countertop?

We are doing granite on the bar top (Antique Brown) as well as the kitchenette and pass-through. They templated today. :)

nice design! i can't wait to see the finished pics!!! keep it up!!!

Sweet. I saw your sample for the kitchette but I wasn't sure your were using the same on the third row bar. Just went back and reread and sure enough it said bar as well.

How deep is your third row bar counter top. I notice you only have supports on the ends. What (if anything) are you putting under the counter top to support the span. I have been planning 16" deep and wonder what other use.

Are you planning a switch for the rope lighting under the bar? I have gone back and forth with that and now plan on putting a switch under the counter, in the left most leg. Running electrical to one of the other legs so I could plug in a lap top.

Looking Great. Keep it going.

The counter overhangs just under 12 inches which makes it about 17.5" overall with a 1" overhang on the other side of the wall.

The granite people said that with that configuration I didn't need any additional support. They recommend supports for overhangs over 12" and with the 10" side walls, I was well supported. Since they are warrantying it, I'll believe it. :)

I made the rope light under the bar to be on the same zone as the rope step light for the riser (Grafik eye). I couldn't think of any time where I would want them to be dimmed at different levels and if I want to turn off the bar light at some point, I can just unplug it. :)

Since they are warrantying it, I'll believe it. :)

Amen to that.


I made the rope light under the bar to be on the same zone as the rope step light for the riser (Grafik eye). I couldn't think of any time where I would want them to be dimmed at different levels and if I want to turn off the bar light at some point, I can just unplug it. :)

When I was wiring not only did I not plan a zone for my riser but did not plan rope lighting for the bar counter at all. Since then I have seen some very cool examples which sent me down that path. I have been going back and forth on the bar lighting and whether to put it on the same zone as the riser... I just ran a second box yesterday to put them on separate zones...

??? Man, I just wish I could make up my mind and get on with it...:eek:

Keep those pics coming... Looking great.:)

I really like the progress you've made, and I think it's great your wife got into the spirit of it too. This build is one of my favorites, and I've already mentally stolen a few of your ideas for when I do mine.

I really like the progress you've made, and I think it's great your wife got into the spirit of it too. This build is one of my favorites, and I've already mentally stolen a few of your ideas for when I do mine.

Thanks! Just let me know if you have any questions when you get to implementation. :)

Some quick updates:

1. Subwoofer purchased (should arrive next week): SVS PC-Ultra 13
2. Granite should be installed next week as well.
3. Carpet measure was done this morning. Not sure on an install time frame yet.
4. I will probably start the hardwood install this weekend.
5. Baseboards will be painted and installed after the flooring is done.
6. Stairs will need to be treaded/stained.
7. Getting closer to ordering the projector and receiver.
8. Ordered the seating. (2 rows of 3 - Berkline 13175s in black leather/vinyl w/ power recline)
9. Finish plumbing once the counters are in.
10. SmX screen should arrive next week... I will finish the screen-wall/mount points once the carpet is in.

Thanks! Just let me know if you have any questions when you get to implementation. :)

Some quick updates:

1. Subwoofer purchased (should arrive next week): SVS PC-Ultra 13
2. Granite should be installed next week as well.
3. Carpet measure was done this morning. Not sure on an install time frame yet.
4. I will probably start the hardwood install this weekend.
5. Baseboards will be painted and installed after the flooring is done.
6. Stairs will need to be treaded/stained.
7. Getting closer to ordering the projector and receiver.
8. Ordered the seating. (2 rows of 3 - Berkline 13175s in black leather/vinyl w/ power recline)
9. Finish plumbing once the counters are in.
10. SmX screen should arrive next week... I will finish the screen-wall/mount points once the carpet is in.

Why are you waiting on the baseboards? Just to ensure they're not knicked during the install?

Why are you waiting on the baseboards? Just to ensure they're not knicked during the install?

I'm doing a floating floor and don't want to use the quarter-round trim against the regular baseboards. The baseboards alone will cover the gap between the wall and floor (expansion space). If the floors are in place, the baseboards will be much easier for me to install.

There are also a couple places were the room transitions between wood and carpet and with the flooring in place, I can be sure that the trim is level/even and looks right.

Jamis I was wondering, where did you get the carpet from? Me and the Mrs. are going to look at carpet tonight and I wanted to show her your selection before we go out. If it's anywhere near the South Shore I might be able to check it out in person. Also carpet folks had no problem with no baseboards yet? Also planning on doing mine afterwards.

Jamis I was wondering, where did you get the carpet from? Me and the Mrs. are going to look at carpet tonight and I wanted to show her your selection before we go out. If it's anywhere near the South Shore I might be able to check it out in person. Also carpet folks had no problem with no baseboards yet? Also planning on doing mine afterwards.
We picked out the carpet at Rotman's in Worcester (FAAAANTASTIC!) The brand is Lee's and the style is "Unanimous" so you may be able to find it at other carpet/furniture stores closer to your area, especially if they are a "Carpet One" dealer.

Edit: Ahha, found the Lee's homepage. There's a store locator. http://www.relaxitslees.com/carpet.aspx

selianth,

Thanks for chiming in, I love it that the Mrs. participates in the thread. Ya Worcester would be a hike, my wife and I have a niece and some friends who live up that way so we know the trip quite well.

Funny how you did that "(FAAAANTASTIC!)" popped the commercial right into my mind.

I appreciate the info we'll have to look for it tonight and see if we find it or at least something similar.

Funny how you did that "(FAAAANTASTIC!)" popped the commercial right into my mind. Anyone who watches Red Sox games can hardly help but say "Faaantastic!" whenever Rotman's is mentioned. It's like a Pavlovian response. :rolleyes:

Man, this thread has been great to read, you two are flying! I think it is great that Mrs. Jamis is so involved in the build and I cannot wait to see the final outcome. Your drywall guys moved pretty quick. I also really like the carpeting as well.

Keep it up!

Got most of the hardwood done this weekend. Just need to do the thresholds, trim, reducers, etc.

Finally finished off the cabinets as well. The crown molding was a PITA as the standard miter/bevel angles weren't working for me. Something must have been out of square. Had to do quite a bit of coping and made use of the wax filler stick that came with the cabinets.

No big mistakes anywhere.. just a few smallish ones I hope no one will notice in person (and that the baseboards/trim will cover up). :)

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/floor1.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/floor2.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/floor3.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/floor4.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/floor5.jpg

Swear count: remarkably low.
"Honey, can you get me a band-aid?" count: just once.

I call that a successful weekend.

Succesful indeed. Looks nice, keep up the good work.

Christmas comes early tomorrow...

SVS PC-Ultra 13 and the SmX screen both should arrive tomorrow.

While I am still a week or two away from assembling the screen, the sub may get some testing on the current TV setup. :D

Heh... delivery #1 has arrived. The SVS PC-Ultra 13 cylinder sub woofer.

The look of pure horror on my wife's face as the FedEx guy unloaded the box while she was leaving for work made the purchase price worth it. :D

Hooked it up to the current TV setup just to give it a quick test and it seems to work (some near by pictures were shaking on the walls during the automatic speaker calibration). I'll have to tune it later.

The look of pure horror on my wife's face as the FedEx guy unloaded the box while she was leaving for work made the purchase price worth it. :D


:D and my wife thinks I'm over the top with this stuff. That is funny though.

The box was, well, HUGER than I was expecting. :eek: If I didn't know it was going to be hidden by the screen I probably would have put up a fuss.

I got a screamin deal on a JBL 12" sub which was huge in comparison to my old Sony sub which came in a 7.1 setup. My wife had the same reaction when she came in the door (jaw drop, look of horror) as I was setting it up to play some War of the Worlds :D Can't even imagine what would happen if she walked in on me with something like that SVS:eek:

Can't wait for the wife to get home....

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/boxes.jpg

Can't wait for the wife to get home....
Like I'm not already rolling my eyes enough at the picture?

Can't wait for the wife to get home....

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/boxes.jpg

Put it in your pocket. She's happy, you're happy... it's win win!

What, there's a problem with that cute little sub? I don't get it!

Gotta love it when you have to go to the second floor to take a picture of the packaging and your still having difficulty getting it all in the shot.

Jamis, been quite on the build thread since you got the deliveries. I hope selianth didn't beat you silly when she got home then had to stick you in the SMX box, wait she probably stuck you in the SVS box, possibly both:eek:

If you thought the "look of horror" was good when I saw the sub being delivered, you should have seen the look on my face when I saw the *actual* sub. I thought there was just a lot of padding in the box. Apparently not, as the subwoofer seemed to be even bigger than the box itself was. And there was the screen. The screen. Good LORD. I'm pretty sure I had the crazy eyes going.

What do you mean "justifiable homicide" isn't a valid defense here in the U.S.???

Another busy weekend...


Mounted cabinet hardware...
Installed vinyl blind on window which will be covered with an acoustic panel...
Finished hanging doors and puttying the nail holes...
Dad came over and put in a threshold into the bathroom. I had to trim the bottom of the door to fit, unfortunately.
Installed all of the baseboards and touched up the nail holes.


Stuff for this week:

Paint doors and the rest of the trim.
Misc. paint touch-ups.
Granite should be installed on Monday.
I hope to have the plumber in this week to do the final hookups.
Berkline 13175's should be in this week (2+ weeks early). Those will probably have to sit in the garage until the carpet is in.
Expecting my Denon 3808 and last set of Monitor Audio RSFX surrounds in this week or next.
Hoping carpet will be in by the end of next week.
Hoping acoustic panels will be in by the end of next week.


I will post pics tomorrow after the granite is in.

Counters are in and look fantastic!

You can definitely tell a huge difference in color between different lighting conditions. In the kitchenette where it is might lighter, you can definitely see the browns (see the closeups) when the lights are all on full. In the theater where there is no direct lighting on the bar (or in the kitchen with the lights on low), it looks completely black.

I couldn't get a good picture of the under bar lighting due to the ambient light. That should be addressed soon enough. :)


http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/counters1.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/counters2.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/counters11.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/counters3.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/counters4.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/counters5.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/counters6.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/counters7.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/counters8.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/counters9.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/counters10.jpg

Very Nice...

You are officially leaving me in the dust... I have to get back to work!!!:D

Counter tops look great Jamis.

Be sure to check all your 13175's when you get them as I received mine today and unfortunately a couple of seats have some issues. I'm in communication with Roman who I'm sure will take care of me, but dissapointed none the less. When you assemble lay them on their back and look towards the bottom of the legs for any evidence of damage. Good luck.

Counter tops look great Jamis.

Be sure to check all your 13175's when you get them as I received mine today and unfortunately a couple of seats have some issues. I'm in communication with Roman who I'm sure will take care of me, but dissapointed none the less. When you assemble lay them on their back and look towards the bottom of the legs for any evidence of damage. Good luck.

What exactly should I be looking for? Is it cosmetic, structural or both?

Great... now my paranoia is kicking in. :)

Jamis, as Roman is working on this with me right now I will send you a PM.

I'm sure he'll take care of you. :)

Jamis
Looks awesome man cant wait to see the finished product :)

looking nice!!! nice color combo too!! :)

Looks great Jamis, cant wait to see the finished product!

Acoustic panels should be waiting for me when I get home tonight. I prepared some 1/4" plywood last night (painted the edges black) to cover the window and to mount the panels on. I will probably do that tonight.

I also should be receiving the TAP plastics 94% removable tint film for the sliding glass doors. That will hopefully go up tonight as well. This way I can block most of the light and not require super thick/heavy curtains. It was cheap enough to experiment, so no big loss if it doesn't work too well.

The chairs should be in Friday as should the Denon 3808 and last set of RSFX surrounds.

It's all coming together! I just wish the carpet would hurry up. :)

We used the privacy window tint from Lowe's around our front door instead of blinds. stuff is super dark you cant see in but you can see out. I'm thinking if you use what you are getting in combination with some drapery you should get really good light control.

Jamis, your cabinets look great !!! can you give me some info on them like what brand are they ?

It's really coming along great. Love the counter and cabinets!

Jamis, your cabinets look great !!! can you give me some info on them like what brand are they ?

We got the cabinets at Lowes...

'Shenandoah' brand, 'Solana' model, cherry spice finish.

The panels are up and look decent.. I just hope they stay up while the adhesive cures (they are 'puncture' mounted).

The tint will work out well assuming i can get it to cut right. My first attempt didn't come out so well.

Finished the acoustic panels the other day and they seem to be staying put... and the cats haven't done anything horrible to them (yet).

The Berkline 13175's arrived today.. They all look to be in good shape though I only fully unpacked one so far. Very comfy and I'm happy with the purchase. I was tempted to take a test nap. :)

The Denon 3808 arrived as well but I haven't unpacked it yet.

My last set of Monitor Audio RSFX's also arrived. I hung them up as the rear surrounds.

Also got a dumpster dropped off today and reclaimed my garage (or most of it). The chairs are still taking up one bay but at least I can get a car in now. An old sofa and a bunch of construction debris as well as other household crap we've been meaning to get rid of pretty much filled a 15 yard dumpster. Money well spent (only about $325 for a week's rental though I finished with it in a day).

No major plans for this weekend except to finish tinting the sliders and paint the doors/trim.

The plumber is coming next Wednesday to do the final hookups.

The carpet is the last big thing I'm still waiting on. Once that goes in, I will build my screen wall and hang the SmX screen who's box has been dominating the living room for over a week.

The last piece of the puzzle will be the projector. This may be the only thing that could delay the opening night. With CEDIA and all the new projector announcements, I'm going back and forth on waiting or buying a (hopefully discounted) older model.

Pretty cool Jamis,

Your close to the finish, glad the chairs came in ok. If you wanna check the rest of them without taking them out of the box, flip the box upside down and open it that way. This will allow you to check the bottom front of the chair which was my area of concern.

There used to be a window here! Much darker now. :)

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/misc2.jpg

A view of both acoustic panels. Each panel is made up of 3x 20x40x1" panels wrapped in black GOM mounted on a piece of 3/8" plywood.

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/misc3.jpg

The SMX screen's mounting rail will be secured to these 2x4's as the upper part of the screen wall (the paint is still wet).

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/misc7.jpg


Building the lower panel for the screen wall. It will be wrapped in black GOM and velcro'd to some 2x4 boxes which you can kind of see behind the saw horse and in the lower corner of the first pic (they will be screwed to the floor and back wall after the carpet is installed).

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/misc1.jpg

Tint installed. I didn't do a very good job cutting the edges but it gets the job done. You can see the difference with the part of the door that is open. I would say movie watching would be possible with the doors like this, but I will still invest in a curtain of some sort (mostly to hide my cutting job).

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/misc4.jpg

One of the new Berkline 13175's and the freshly painted closet door/trim.

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/misc5.jpg

Monitor Audio RSFX in the rear of the theater.

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/misc6.jpg

That's coming along really well Jamis. I like the color scheme too :cool:

Still waiting impatiently for the carpet.

Spent today wresting with this:

http://www.mostlyharmless.org/theater/dw_2_2.jpg



Did the trim along the sides (1x12's with a small 1" molding on top), primed the risers and stained the treads. My wife primed the 1x12's.

Tomorrow the treads get at least two coats of polyurethane and the risers get installed and painted. I'll probably start installing the treads Wednesday or later, after the polyurethane sets.

I'll post pics eventually. :)

Took the day off from work and finished the stair risers and gave them and the trim a coat of paint. They will need another coat this week.

Finished the stain and polyurethane on the stair treads. They will probably go in this weekend so the urethane has time to fully cure.

The fridge showed up unexpectedly today and is a nice fit for the cabinet space.

Still waiting on the carpet. :rolleyes:

We also have a bunch of paint touch ups to do and I need to stain and urethane the hand rail for the stairway.

The plumber will be in tomorrow hopefully to do the final hookups. I will take some pics after he finishes.

But the big news for the day... I ordered a kegerator! :D

Mmmmmm..... beer.

Jamis, got yourself a keeper!!!;)

Shh... don't let it go to her head... ;)



Some pics as promised:


Kitchenette pretty much complete... now with faucet and fridge.

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/fp2.jpg

Fridge glamor shot...

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/fp3.jpg

Bar faucet...

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/fp4.jpg

Bathroom complete...

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/fp5.jpg

Stairs in progress...

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/fp6.jpg

Treads ready for install...

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/fp7.jpg

Crap!!! That looks sweet...

The bar looks awesome... The fridge is too cool (no pun intended). What is the bottom seciton of the fridge with all those drawers, a freezer?

I pass right past that type of cabinet when looking for them but man, the set up looks sweet... Great, now I have to rethink that!!!

Bar faucet very nice choice. The bathroom is a little artsy fartsy for me but I know many people like those and many are using. I am sure it will impress.

Stairs look sweet. What are you going to use for the riser of each step (what will cover). I have been putting my stairwell off as I can't make up my mind. I ran a second switch so I can run rope lighting up the steps but don't know how I am going to trim it out.

Ok... One point. Your rooms look awesome.... You have to replace that window tint. Those rough cuts stand out like crazy. Your build is sweet and with such attention to detail don't let that be what people see. I hate installing that crap too but your build is way to sweet to let that stand.

Keep up the progress. Looking very good.

Crap!!! That looks sweet...

The bar looks awesome... The fridge is too cool (no pun intended). What is the bottom seciton of the fridge with all those drawers, a freezer?

I pass right past that type of cabinet when looking for them but man, the set up looks sweet... Great, now I have to rethink that!!!


Yeah.. the drawers are the freezer.

http://us.lge.com/products/model/detail/home%20appliances_refrigerators_bottom%20freezer_LRBP1031.jh tml


Bar faucet very nice choice. The bathroom is a little artsy fartsy for me but I know many people like those and many are using. I am sure it will impress.


As for the bathroom, the others in the house are pretty basic, so we wanted something a little more classy/artsy. :)


Stairs look sweet. What are you going to use for the riser of each step (what will cover). I have been putting my stairwell off as I can't make up my mind. I ran a second switch so I can run rope lighting up the steps but don't know how I am going to trim it out.


In that most recent picture, the risers are installed. They are plain pine risers, primed and painted. The treads are stained/urethaned oak and still sitting in the garage. There will be about a 1.5" overhang with the tred on each step. I also have some stained trim to go under the lip of each step to cover the edge of the old tread. If I was going to do rope light for the stairs, I'm not sure how I'd do it either, but I wouldn't want to see it. It would have to be hidden.


Ok... One point. Your rooms look awesome.... You have to replace that window tint. Those rough cuts stand out like crazy. Your build is sweet and with such attention to detail don't let that be what people see. I hate installing that crap too but your build is way to sweet to let that stand.

Keep up the progress. Looking very good.

Yeah.. the tint still bothers me a bit. At the very least, there will be curtains blocking it. I'll cross the bridge later on though. :)

In that most recent picture, the risers are installed. They are plain pine risers, primed and painted. The treads are stained/urethaned oak and still sitting in the garage. There will be about a 1.5" overhang with the tred on each step. I also have some stained trim to go under the lip of each step to cover the edge of the old tread. If I was going to do rope light for the stairs, I'm not sure how I'd do it either, but I wouldn't want to see it. It would have to be hidden.


I was wondering if you were replacing the treads or going over the top. Again, I have never done a stair well so I thought it might be a dumb quesiton but... If you have a current stair well with treads and the steps are equal in rise... then you add the finish board to all the steps, doesn't this make the top step a shorter rise (because you are adding a board to the top step but not to the finish floor upstairs) and the bottom most step taller (as you are adding a board to the first step but not adding height to the lower level floor). OR is that planned into the build with the current riser in place?

Does that make sense?

If all steps are equal (say a 7 inch rise) then you add a 1" board to all steps... the first step from the basement is now 8 inches... all steps in the middle are still 7" inch rise... then the very top step is only 6 inches.

Heck, maybe variation in the top and bottom step is normal and I just never noticed.

I only mention as I was wondering if I would have to remove the current treads to replace with wood if I go that route...

Anyway... Looking good. Keep those pictures comming.

I was going to remove the treads but they are glued and nailed down so I'm not going to bother.

The top step will indeed be shorter by 3/4" (the thickness of the new threads), but the bottom step, due to the new hardwood floor will be about the same as the others.


And another surprise... the carpet is being installed tomorrow morning. Finally! Apparently they were backed up due to the number of people who bought carpet over the recent Massachusetts 'no sales tax holiday' weekend.

Dark and blurry, but I was in a rush.

Just passed the plumbing and final inspections.

A short to-do list:

Build the screen wall
Finish the stairs
Re-install the riser rope light (the carpet guys couldn't work around it).
Paint touch-ups
Hook up the electronics
Move the chairs in.


http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/carpet1.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/carpet2.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/carpet3.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/carpet4.jpg

awesome! I really like the carpet pattern!!

Looks Awesome. Very close to the end now.

Since the carpet went it yesterday I decided to delay the stairs and finish the screen wall. I secured the 'boxes' and wrapped the front panel with GOM. I then wired up the Denon 3808 and all the speakers. The panel worked out nicely as the top bar of the panel is exactly between the woofers on the fronts. We also ran the calibration software.

After that was done, my wife and I put the SMX screen together and hung it up.

God, I want a projector bad.... (October for the Panasonic PT-AE3000... *sigh*)


http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/s1.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/s2.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/s3.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/s4.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/s5.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/s6.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/s7.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/s8.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/s9.jpg

It's coming along really nice. Do you mind sharing who is the manufacturer of the carpet and the style name?
Thanks

It's coming along really nice. Do you mind sharing who is the manufacturer of the carpet and the style name?
Thanks
The brand is Lee's, the carpet is "Unanimous," the color "Tuxedo." Lee's is a Carpet One brand so you can go to http://www.carpetone.com to find a dealer.

9:45pm, Saturday night. The Red Sox are losing.

Jamis: Wanna go downstairs, sit in the Berklines, and stare at the blank screen?
Selianth: Okay.






...So, so sad.

Jamis,

I feel your pain with the AE3000. I'm anxiously awaiting some reviews on this soI can see if it's worthwhile to get this over the AE2000 due to the ability to recall the 2.35 zoom preset.

Wow Jamis and Selianth,

The room really looks great. The berks look great, can't wait to get the rest of mine out of the box. The Mrs. comes down to the basement every now and again to jump into the one chair I have down there. She loves it, now thinks it is the best thing I've bought thus far. We think they are super comfy, how do you like them now that you have them set up?

Gonna be tough waiting for a projector with such a great room but it will be worth it.

We are definitely happy with the chairs. It still would have been nice to have a 4 seat front row (088's or 45004's) with a love seat in the middle, but the savings was worth it. We just couldn't justify the cost for the more expensive model AND the extra seat... and then add buttkickers and upgraded leather. Overall, a very good purchase. I just need to look into retrofitting bass shakers or mini buttkickers.

We also finished most of the paint touch-ups this weekend and the glass for the a/v rack should be done and installed this week. We hung some blackout curtains last night over the sliding glass doors and started purchasing various necessities such as glassware, towels, toilet paper holder, etc.

I will make a point to do the stairs and hand rail sometime this week(end). After that, it's mostly just hardware and accessories. The kegerator comes Friday and the barstools should hopefully be in this week as well.

You can do a 4 seat love seat with the 13175's. In fact that's what I'm doing in my rear row. I have to armless seats which go in between two 2 armed chairs. You could get an armless chair that can go next to your one armed chair in the front.

Reason I went with the 13175's vs. 088's besides price was the higher backs. The width was about the same if I recall correctly.

Not sure if you knew this already or not?

I'm pretty sure the 13175's are wider than the 088's. Not sure what the exact numbers are for the chair/loveseat/chair configs are, but in the 4-chair config the 13175's are about 10" wider than the 088's. I think we figured out that it would be just too wide to really have comfortable aisles to get 4 seats across though. Maybe we'll take another look at it. :D

Edit: Okay, looking at the spec sheets again, a chair/loveseat/chair config in the 13175's should be 118" (4 seats/4 arms at 29.5" for one of each.) Our room is 159" across, so that would mean a 20.5" aisle on each side, which we decided was not big enough after testing it out with our patio furniture. A couple inches shorter might have worked but I think this was just a bit too much.

Per Roman from rtheaters.com the width of the 13175's in a straight arm loveseat config is 118"

Your right though about the 088's being shorter than the 13175's by 10" 112.5" vs. 122.75" with arms inbetween each seat. Basically would add another 24.75" to your current set up.

Either way still looks great, I really love how it turned out. Also love seeing that Bus, I mean Sub woofer back there, must be awesome.

Your build and my build are progressing in the same stages. My projector will probably be the last thing I do. On the upside, you can always watch shadow puppets HD in 7.1 sound. The contrast is amazing.

You may have told me this before, but I don't remember. How far back is your first row, and what's that screen size?

Your build and my build are progressing in the same stages. My projector will probably be the last thing I do. On the upside, you can always watch shadow puppets HD in 7.1 sound. The contrast is amazing.

You may have told me this before, but I don't remember. How far back is your first row, and what's that screen size?

The first row is at about 11 feet from the screen. The screen is 129" wide (136" with frame) 2.37:1.

The brand is Lee's, the carpet is "Unanimous," the color "Tuxedo." Lee's is a Carpet One brand so you can go to http://www.carpetone.com to find a dealer.

Thanks a lot for sharing that info with me.

The bar stools (http://www.allbarstools.com/Alston-4214-XV1103.html) arrived today. Black frame with 'gunmetal' vinyl. They go well with the carpet as the vinyl matches pretty closely to the lighter grey squares.


http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/stool.jpg

I was going to stop by for a drink tonight, but DAMN you're far!

I have found the solution to my 4-8 week projector delay.















Check out that contrast level and the beautiful color saturation of the massive (temporary) 44" diagonal display...

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/tv.jpg

(at least the sound is fantastic...)

Speaking of which... I just came to the realization that amazingly every cable and connection has worked flawlessly so far. Ever single speaker connection, video connection, subwoofer... everything has worked on the first shot. I hope I didn't just jinx myself for the projector hookup.

Cute little TV. If my grandmother was still around, she'd try to pinch it's little cheek. ;)

Jamis

I must say it was worth the wait you and selianth did a pretty sweet job. looks awesome. :)

To be fair, it was mostly just him. He did a lovely job. I probably delayed things more than helped (especially when it comes to the decorating decisions....) :rolleyes:

Cute little TV. If my grandmother was still around, she'd try to pinch it's little cheek. ;)
haha. It's crazy to see how large the screen really is, dwarfing what would be an acceptable size TV in many homes.

Jamis

I must say it was worth the wait you and selianth did a pretty sweet job. looks awesome. :)Agreed. Looks really nice. And I'm sure the pics don't do it justice.

The stairs went a lot faster than I expected. Only two small mistakes, but good enough not to care. That was the last big project. The rest is just small stuff (projector, hook up kegerator, face plates for rack, etc) and more paint touch-ups!

Also, the glass for the AV rack came in. A perfect fit.


http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/av1.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/stairs1.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/stairs2.jpg

Probably a silly quesiton but how did you attach the stair treads. I keep putting off mine cuz it just scares me...:eek:

Looks very nice.

I used 2 1/2" finish nails (9 per tread) around where the stringers are as well as ample amounts of liquid nails. :)

I also put a piece of 3/4" molding under the lip of each step. There is about 1.5" overhang for each step.

I used my finish nailer for the treads and brad nailer for the trim.

I filled in the holes with some wax filler that came in touch up kit for my cabinets.

Awesome Job! How wide is the screen?

Awesome Job! How wide is the screen?

129" wide viewable, 136" with frame. It's an SMX ProLine.

The corner of sin!

Wine cellar, humidor, microwave for heating bad-for-you foods and the latest addition... the kegerator. :D

I also ordered some MA faceplates for the rack as well as some blanks.

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/keg.jpg

How are you liking the carpet???

Some months ago I was looking at that style but wasn't ready to commit to black carpet so I was looking at the gray version. There wasn't enough contrast between the squares so I have tenitively been planning another style.

Now that I have made the plunge into theater mode I am better able to accept darker carpet and am thinking of you color again. I am just not sure. That is the type where one square is cut and the other is loops, right?

I just wish I could get past that decision.:(

Yeah... the black squares are cut pile and the greyish squares are loop.The piles are slightly different heights as well for a bit of added contrast.

There was also a similar style from Shaw that was actually about 20% cheaper, but it was all the same pile and height I believe. The downside was that you could lose the pattern (harder to see) if the fibers shifted the right way (like after vacuuming).

All in all, we love the carpet and how it looks. I'd recommend getting a Roomba though, and running it every night. It shows stuff like crazy. Especially if you have pets (we have cats).

We tapped our first keg tonight.. a local brew: Wachusett Country Ale (http://www.wachusettbrew.com/beers_country_ale.htm)

Since I don't have much to report now (at least until the projector arrives), I'm kind of grasping at straws here for reasons to post... though beer is always worth mentioning. :D

Great looking theater room. I love the bar and stools at the rear of the room behind the theater seating. You have done a great job! How much roughly has this project cost you. I am looking at possibly redoing my basement/theater into a proper dedicated theater room like yours. I am relative handy so the majority of the work (framing, electrical) I can handle. Just wondering though.....what are the dimensions of your bar (height,width, depth) and did you use any particular design for it or did you "use the force"?

Nice work and I can wait to see some projector photos!!!!!!!!

Great looking theater room. I love the bar and stools at the rear of the room behind the theater seating. You have done a great job! How much roughly has this project cost you. I am looking at possibly redoing my basement/theater into a proper dedicated theater room like yours. I am relative handy so the majority of the work (framing, electrical) I can handle. Just wondering though.....what are the dimensions of your bar (height,width, depth) and did you use any particular design for it or did you "use the force"?

Nice work and I can wait to see some projector photos!!!!!!!!


Thanks!

I haven't added it all up, but minus equipment, I'd estimate the total cost at around 20-25K. This includes having the drywall, electrical, and plumbing professionally done, the expense of a sewage ejector pump, as well as the upgrades of granite, cherry cabinets, partial hadwood flooring, grafik eye, and going way over budget on the carpet. :)

If I had gone a little more conservative on some of my choices, I could have probably got it down in the 12-15K range.

As for the riser, I mocked it up in sketchup before i started. The counter overhangs the supports by 1.5" and the front of the bar by 1":

http://www.mostlyharmless.org/theater/riser.jpg

Edit: that total includes a new heat pump for AC and forced air heat and the ductwork as well.

With enough time and money, you can always find a project to keep you busy. :D

I have 6 Aura Pro bass shakers coming from PartsExpress tomorrow as well as a 300W BASH subwoofer amp that I will mount in my equipment closet. I should be able to wire them up in parallel/series for a 6ohm total impedance (2 sets of (3 shakers in series) wired in parallel). Total cost is around $400 for the 6 chairs including wires and connectors/adapters... not bad compared to Butt Kickers.

I think I have a good idea on where to mount them to my 13175's. I will post pics with the results tomorrow evening.

I installed the bass shakers tonight in my Berkline 13175's. It went pretty smoothly and while I haven't quite got the volume level just right, I am happy with the effect. I have the amp's crossover set to 50Hz and the volume around 75% with the receiver's subwoofer setting at -3.5db. The 300W amp seems more than capable to power the 6 shakers in parallel/series (6ohm impedance).


Back row, backs removed and the seats tipped onto their fronts.
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/kick1.jpg

A closer shot of the shaker mounted on 3/4" plywood which was screwed into the wood seat frame.
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/kick2.jpg

Back re-installed with the leather flap pulled up. This is how it looks from behind with the seat in the fully upright position.
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/kick3.jpg

Flap down. The plywood/shaker stick out just a bit, but you can barely tell. It's blocked by the riser for the front row and by the bar in the back row anyway, so no big deal.
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/kick4.jpg

The 300W BASH amp mounted to some wall studs in the equipment closet.
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/kick5.jpg

I was powering 4 of the shakers with a 100watt amp in my previous theater and still had plenty of breathing room.

Thanks for posting the shaker install, I have the 13175s as well this is going to make my install really easy. I'll only need 3 though so I dont think Ill get the 300 W amp, but very nice.

Thanks
Jared

What material did you use under you riser? I am considering Auralex U-boats to help with the Clark Synthesis transducers. Anybody ever use the u-boats?
RG

I used 30 weight tar paper (roofing felt). I didn't use U boats since the riser is floating out in the middle of the concrete floor (totally decoupled) and didn't plan on putting a sub or shakers on/in the riser.

I built the riser using pressure treated for the joists and 3/4" plywood for the flooring. I also filled the riser with insulation.

Sup Jamis..

I've been watching your thread from beginning to end. I will start framing my theater room within a year (hopefully). My wife wants a bar in the back of the room, and this is how I found your build.


Good job dude..


Any word on the Projector?

Sup Jamis..

I've been watching your thread from beginning to end. I will start framing my theater room within a year (hopefully). My wife wants a bar in the back of the room, and this is how I found your build.


Good job dude..


Any word on the Projector?


Thanks!

I love the overflow and party options our third row bar provides. I have no regrets so far. :)

Still no official word on the projector. I'm hoping for this month.

Awesome stuff Jamis, I hope to make something similar one day...
Have you thought to get a Marantz projector off secondact for about 8bills.. be a good temp that you should be able to sell for not much cheaper.. I'm considering doing that until I get out of this apartment and know what my theatre room will be like :D...
Matt

Awesome stuff Jamis, I hope to make something similar one day...
Have you thought to get a Marantz projector off secondact for about 8bills.. be a good temp that you should be able to sell for not much cheaper.. I'm considering doing that until I get out of this apartment and know what my theatre room will be like :D...
Matt

I've concidered getting a temporary projector... but I think I can hold out since I can at least use the room with the old TV (and the sound system is all working).

We'll see if I can keep my willpower up. :)

You need to mention your latest purchase in this thread :)

I have ALMOST talked my wife into one for me :)

You need to mention your latest purchase in this thread :)

I have ALMOST talked my wife into one for me :)


Ha!

In case people don't know.. the Panasonic PT-AE3000 is finally available for pre-order at an unbelievable price. Well under the expected MSRP. The moment I have been waiting for!

My sales rep at ProjectorPeople predicts the units to arrive by Oct 28th. I have my fingers crossed that it will be in my hands by Halloween (hopefully sooner).

So in about 2 weeks, I hope I can call my theater done. :)

Ha!

In case people don't know.. the Panasonic PT-AE3000 is finally available for pre-order at an unbelievable price. Well under the expected MSRP. The moment I have been waiting for!

My sales rep at ProjectorPeople predicts the units to arrive by Oct 28th. I have my fingers crossed that it will be in my hands by Halloween (hopefully sooner).

So in about 2 weeks, I hope I can call my theater done. :)

I was waiting to hear what it was you purchased. This is awesome timing for you. I will be watching this thread to hear all about it. Keep up with the updates. Good luck.

That's good news Jamis,

Seems by all accounts that this projector is gonna be one of the great contenders of this generation. Doesn't hurt that it came out at a great price to boot.

A few minor updates...

1. Ordered some movie posters over the weekend. Hopefully they will be in this week and I'll get some nice stadard sized poster frames for 'em.

2. Ordered some film reels with which to make some 'theater art'.

Still hoping for the projector to show up this month. :)

I'm also concidering getting some more acoustic panels. We'll see though.

Projector mount and AVIA2 DVD arrive tomorrow. I'll probably install the mount and pull a few more inches of cable through the conduit from the equipment closet.

Got word a couple days ago from ProjectorPeople that the first batch of AE3000's should ship Friday or Monday (I'm #2 on their pre-order list).

#2 I'm a little dissapointed there Jamis...

Ha jk, that's awesome news. Are you sure you want to try and put the mount up before you get the projector though. I think I would wait because things might line up slightly different than you might think. Good luck either way.

#2 I'm a little dissapointed there Jamis...

Ha jk, that's awesome news. Are you sure you want to try and put the mount up before you get the projector though. I think I would wait because things might line up slightly different than you might think. Good luck either way.

I have two spots I was thinking of mounting the projector. I've recently decided that one of those spots is WAY too close to the HVAC duct. The place I'm going to mount it is dead center, and right around the 17' mark from the screen, so I think it should be OK.

The Chief RPA-U mount is up and the projector should be here on Saturday assuming Projector People's first shipment arrives as expected today.

Used four 2" long 1/4" lag screws through the drywall and into the 2x6's i mounted between the joists for just this purpose.

The light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer...

It's looking like they didn't ship yesterday after all. *sigh*

Oh well. Looking like Wednesday for the projector now. At least I'll save some cash on the shipping. Overnight+Saturday delivery with UPS is NOT cheap.

On another note (ha!)... the wife talked me into getting RockBand2 last night, so at least we've been putting the sound system to use. It's fun how the shakers punch with the drums. This should be awesome on the big screen.

The wait continues...

It's looking like they didn't ship yesterday after all. *sigh*

Oh well. Looking like Wednesday for the projector now. At least I'll save some cash on the shipping. Overnight+Saturday delivery with UPS is NOT cheap.

On another note (ha!)... the wife talked me into getting RockBand2 last night, so at least we've been putting the sound system to use. It's fun how the shakers punch with the drums. This should be awesome on the big screen.

The wait continues...

Awesome looking build, a few more days and you can fully enjoy!

I like the idea of Rock Band 2 + shakers, that's pretty awesome hahaha.

Now if only I didn't live in MA and could afford a HT on top of Taxachusetts real estate! :mad:

Awesome looking build, a few more days and you can fully enjoy!

I like the idea of Rock Band 2 + shakers, that's pretty awesome hahaha.

Now if only I didn't live in MA and could afford a HT on top of Taxachusetts real estate! :mad:

Where there's a will there's a way. If you didn't notice jamis and myself and a couple of others are from Mass. as well. Actually now is probably a great time to buy in MA lots of deals to be had, plus some grant money is available from a lot of agencies especially for 1st time homebuyers.

It's looking like they didn't ship yesterday after all. *sigh*

Oh well. Looking like Wednesday for the projector now. At least I'll save some cash on the shipping. Overnight+Saturday delivery with UPS is NOT cheap.

On another note (ha!)... the wife talked me into getting RockBand2 last night, so at least we've been putting the sound system to use. It's fun how the shakers punch with the drums. This should be awesome on the big screen.

The wait continues...

Your almost there jamis, the wait will be worth it I'm sure. I bet the wife had to do a lot of arm twisting for you to get RockBand2. The Mrs. and I want to get this for the kids for Christmas(don't get me wrong I want to join in on the fund too:)). My son was debating between this and the new Guitar Hero which is also drums and mic as well, but he just read the reviews and it doesn't look good so it looks like RB2 will be the choice.

RockBand2 is quite fun... though we need another guitar. The wife prefers bass, but will play drums if needed. I prefer guitar or bass but hate drums. :)

It sounds great in the theater and will be really cool on the big screen.

Great build.

I wish my wife would be at least somewhat interested.

She's been giving a lot of eye-rolls when I try to talk to her about it.

I told her once that if she kept doing it, her face might get stuck that way. She hit me.

Congrats!

BTW, where did you purchase your Grafikeye from? I'm wanting to do the same but haven't found where I should get it, yet. Did you also get the 4 gang box from there as well? Any problems fitting everything in?

Great build.

I wish my wife would be at least somewhat interested.

She's been giving a lot of eye-rolls when I try to talk to her about it.

I told her once that if she kept doing it, her face might get stuck that way. She hit me.

Congrats!

BTW, where did you purchase your Grafikeye from? I'm wanting to do the same but haven't found where I should get it, yet. Did you also get the 4 gang box from there as well? Any problems fitting everything in?

Having the wife on board is definitely a good thing. Although she'll still want to help pick the colors and have a say in the decor and other things you might have set ideas about. :) In my case, we were mostly on the same page.

I got my GrafikEye and 1S entrance switches from Louie Lighting. At the time (at least 3-4 months ago) it was the best price I could find from a seemingly reputable dealer:

http://www.louielighting.com/

My electrician supplied the 4-gang box (plastic, but extra deep). If you have an electrician doing the work, just tell them ahead of time that you need an extra deep box (the installation instructions give minimum dimensions).

It was tight, but he had no problems getting it in. I watched him install it and I could definitely do it myself if I had to. It was a lot more simple than I expected.

Having the wife involved isn't such a bad thing, especially if they good taste. Mine was great in helping make sure the colors went together well.

In our case, he has most of the taste in the family. He got it from his mother, and I got my decorating sense from mine. Which is to say, basically none. So I probably didn't help as much as I think I did :)

Speaking of decorating... I put these up today!


http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/reel1.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/reel2.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/reel3.jpg




I ordered some posters which should be in tomorrow (without frames) and the projector arrives Thursday via UPS.

Man do you need a projector...

THREE pictures of the film reels... WOW...

Hey could we get a pic of one of your cold air returns... from three angles..

LOL.. Just kidding of course!!! Looking good.

The one advantage is that you will get things done that the rest of us that already have their projector will be finishing for months after we are "done"...

You know what would look good under that artwork? A popcorn machine. ;)

Man do you need a projector...

THREE pictures of the film reels... WOW...

Hey could we get a pic of one of your cold air returns... from three angles..

LOL.. Just kidding of course!!! Looking good.

The one advantage is that you will get things done that the rest of us that already have their projector will be finishing for months after we are "done"...

Just wait til the posters come in. Six posters, three angles each...


What can I say... I'm starved for reasons to post pics.. :)

You know what would look good under that artwork? A popcorn machine. ;)

Goodness... I hadn't thought of that. An intriguing idea! ;)

Goodness... I hadn't thought of that. An intriguing idea! ;)

I find the look of the paragon contempo very appealing. The price, not so much.

You know what would look good under that artwork? A popcorn machine. ;)
You need to stop causing trouble, mister. There's no need for one of those in our house. Expensive, a pain to clean, and we make better popcorn on the stove anyway. NO MORE EXPENSIVE ACCESSORIES.

Except, you know, the ones *I* want.

Great Jason,

Now you have the wrath of 2 women to contend with...

I was wondering, not sure if you've mentioned it or not. Is the plan to zoom in for 2:35 or do you have a lens?

You need to stop causing trouble, mister. There's no need for one of those in our house. Expensive, a pain to clean, and we make better popcorn on the stove anyway. NO MORE EXPENSIVE ACCESSORIES.

Except, you know, the ones *I* want.

I read somewhere about a study that was done where two groups of couples were given various types of popcorn over a 10 year period. Those that had microwave or stovetop popcorn did ok, but the couples that ate popcorn from an actual popcorn machine scored very high on the love meter. In addition to this, they lived longer, had lower blood pressure, and got better gas mileage out of their car.

Just saying....

I was wondering, not sure if you've mentioned it or not. Is the plan to zoom in for 2:35 or do you have a lens?

I'm going to zoom (at least initially). I plan to make full use of the Panasonic AE3000's zoom/focus memory settings. :)

That's cool, should do the trick with a flat screen. When I zoomed before throwing my lens back together, my curved screen was shifting the image at the sides. I could have zoomed it off the screen but then I would have cut parts of the sides off. Was for just one movie anyhow so I made the image smaller than the screen (forced me to work on my enclosure after that).

I'm very picky when it comes to lining up the image just so at every edge. I have to go early to meetings at my job just so I can line the projector up perfectly for presentations that we have :o.

So when does the AE3000 arrive? What a gorgeous theater! Shame about the Sox (I grew up for 18 years in Boston).

He's probably playing with it right now.

Talked to him today. He's dying to get it, but not until tomorrow :)

So when does the AE3000 arrive? What a gorgeous theater! Shame about the Sox (I grew up for 18 years in Boston).

What's a real shame is the lack of a popcorn machine in that theater.

Projector arrives tomorrow... moved the 44" TV up to the bedroom and put the speakers in their final resting places (raised the side speakers). Also adjusted the sub so that the plugged port (there are three ports) was closest to the screen material to prevent the material from fluttering on heavy bass scenes.

I'll post pics, screen shots, etc... sometime tomorrow.

A few pics with the projector installed. No screen shots yet as I am still tweaking...


A picture of the ceiling mount (Chief RPA-U) without the projector bracket. This is the rear of the mount.
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/proj1.jpg

Projector with the universal bracket installed.
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/proj2.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/proj3.jpg

A few shots of the projector in action....
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/proj4.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/proj5.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/proj6.jpg

The kids watching CSI...
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/proj7.jpg

A shot of the AV rack.
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/proj8.jpg

SWEEET.

Lookin good man. How's the picture on the AE3000? Mine arrives tomorrow.

SWEEET.

Lookin good man. How's the picture on the AE3000? Mine arrives tomorrow.

So far, out of the box it is very good (to my eye).

I found the Cinema modes a little dim and I liked the colors and brightness in Normal mode the best out of the box. That could change with some tweaking. Black levels seemed very good, though I have nothing to compare it to.

Brightness was also noticeably dimmer when switching between 16:9 and a zoomed out 2.35:1.. though after watching for a few minutes you get used to it.

I also noticed that out of the box, the sharpness is turned all the way down. I have not tried turning it up yet.

I had to do quite a bit of tweaking (with the projector and the game) to get rockband2 to play smooth and in sync. I'm still trying to decide which frame creation setting (1, 2, off) and which frame processing (fast, normal) combination I like best.

More impressions to come later.

Very nice!

Jamis,

I was trying to get off work early so I could come over and help you enjoy the new projector ;), then I saw the picture of your 2 cats and my allergies immediately started acting up, my left eye has been watery since then.

jk, if you ever decide to have a meet I will bring plenty of benadryl.

Everything looks great including the rack, looking foward to your pics.

Jamis,

I was trying to get off work early so I could come over and help you enjoy the new projector ;), then I saw the picture of your 2 cats and my allergies immediately started acting up, my left eye has been watery since then.

jk, if you ever decide to have a meet I will bring plenty of benadryl.

Everything looks great including the rack, looking foward to your pics.

I actually have 3 cats. :D


I figured out the shutter speed settings on my camera this morning, so I'll get a bunch of better shots. I'll also try to take a few comparison pics with the same camera settings with the 16:9 vs. 2.35 (to compare brightness).

I hope those cats are de-clawed!!

Nice theater man! I say perfect timing on it's progression/completion and the release of the AE3000.

A couple more shots with the shutter speed turned way down.

One of the room with the projector up...
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/sh1.jpg

Iron Man in 16:9... you can see the black bars (letterboxing).
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/sh2.jpg

The same scene zoomed in to fill the screen. You can see the menu bar from the projector in the black GoM, but other than that, the black letter box bars are pretty much invisible. The brightness was very good as was the picture quality. Bluray FTW! :)
http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/sh3.jpg

How far is your Panasonic mounted from the screen? Do you feel that this projector will eventually be too dim on a screen this size as the hours add up? I am looking at replacing my 120 inch diag 16:9 firehawk screen with a Carada 1.4 gain 133 inch diag. 2.35 - 1 screen. Just wanting to know if this projector is up to the challenge related to brightness?

Thanks,
CM

How far is your Panasonic mounted from the screen? Do you feel that this projector will eventually be too dim on a screen this size as the hours add up? I am looking at replacing my 120 inch diag 16:9 firehawk screen with a Carada 1.4 gain 133 inch diag. 2.35 - 1 screen. Just wanting to know if this projector is up to the challenge related to brightness?

Thanks,
CM

That's a 17' throw on a 140" diagonal 2.37:1 screen (1.16 gain). I would have put it closer if I could have but there is an HVAC supply there. :)

I think in my light controlled room, I'll be fine. A higher grain screen like you are considering can only help. :)

A few more screen shots (completely untouched)...

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/pats1.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/pats2.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/pats3.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/pats4.jpg

http://mostlyharmless.org/theater/pats5.jpg

Very nice. The pillar box stripes are nice and inky black looking. I don't even think you need masking (unless those pics are misleading). What do you think about masking those pillar boxes on 16:9 material? Necessary?

Also, it looks like your 2.37:1 screen is big enough so that even 16:9 (or 1.85:1) material looks plenty big. I'm planning to eventually get a scope screen and it looks like I need a bigger one than I previously thought. I was torn between the 16:9 or scope, but it looks like a nice, wide scope screen is a better option.

Enjoy your HT! :)

Dang that looks great. Which mode were you using? Was it calibrated?

Very nice. The pillar box stripes are nice and inky black looking. I don't even think you need masking (unless those pics are misleading). What do you think about masking those pillar boxes on 16:9 material? Necessary?

Also, it looks like your 2.37:1 screen is big enough so that even 16:9 (or 1.85:1) material looks plenty big. I'm planning to eventually get a scope screen and it looks like I need a bigger one than I previously thought. I was torn between the 16:9 or scope, but it looks like a nice, wide scope screen is a better option.

Enjoy your HT! :)

I thought the same thing. 1.78 looks plenty big to me. It really doesn't look like the perceived area lost switching between 2.35 and 1.78 is really that much.

Jamis

can you see any screen door effect from your front row? and if not how close do you have to get to it before you do if at all

Those are uncalibrated, out of the box shots (except for sharpness +3). Normal processing, Mode 1.

The pillars are slightly more obvious in person, but mostly because we watch TV with the lights turn up a bit (my wife likes to read while we watch). I haven't felt a strong need to mask it yet. It doesn't bother me at all for now. Under no-lights, the side bars as just barely more obvious than letterboxing.

We are very happy with the screen size. The 16:9 size is equivalent to about 110" diagonal. This was about the biggest 16:9 we would have done anyway due to ceiling height constraints... I then just added the extra width to get a scope screen. :)

In retrospect, I wish we had used 2x10's for the riser instead of 2x8's. As it is, its JUST tall enough for an adult in the back row to see the bottom of the screen with the front row not reclined.

As for screen door, I don't notice any... even right up close. I can actually see the weave pattern of the screen material more than any SDE. I really have to be within 2-3 feet to see it well. First row is at about 11 feet, second row is about 17'.

I did a bit more research into this projector last night and it look like panasonic hit a home run. I will be upgrading projectors next year and this ones on my short list. I myself watch a ton of 16:9 material and the bars on the side of my screen really dont bother me and I see no need to use masking

I did a bit more research into this projector last night and it look like panasonic hit a home run. I will be upgrading projectors next year and this ones on my short list

I'm very happy with it and have no complaints thus far. The colors seem excellent and I haven't noticed any convergence or focus issues.

Lots of people (Epson and JVC fans) in the $3000+ MSRP projector forum seem to be trying to bash it. For me, it came down to the features (power zoom, lens memory), release timing (available now... that wait was painful), price (cheaper than I budgeted!), and overall performance/specs.

Looks stunning Jamis,

Very nice, Panny makes a good product for great price IMO. Your sure to get tons of enjoyment from it.

I would love a JVC but I just don't think it would be bright enough to fill my 12' screen. the panasonic is double the lumen's of the RS1