Three years ago, my wife and I purchased a larger home affording me the opportunity to construct a theater of our own. Dream Theater is the result of many, many hours of work. I think back to when the foundation was poured. I would jump down into my "Dream Theater" to verify measurements, plot my strategy, and yes ... Dream. It was around this time that I stumbled upon AVS forum. You guys helped me build a quality product that both family and friends will enjoy for years to come. Since I've always been good with my hands, I was able to enjoy the build on my own with the exception of electrical, carpeting, and door installation. You guys are the only ones who truly realize the detail that comprises a theater build. People love the stage but do they know about roofing felt, 6 mil plastic, 2,400 lbs of play sand, and three layers of ply? People love the sound but do they know about GOM, linacoustic, cotton batting, furring strips, and thousands of staples carefully hidden behind crown molding, chair rail, and base molding? I borrowed many ideas and learned many methodologies from this forum. I just want to say thanks.

Dream Theater Particulars

1) Panasonic PT-AX 100U LCD projector
2) Carada 106” brilliant white screen w/velvet trim
3) Pioneer VSX-54TX receiver
4) Oppo OPDV971H DVD player
5) Samsung DVD-V9650 DVD/VHS player
6) Sony Beta SL-HF400 (how else can I watch my old fights?)
7) Comcast Hi-Def satellite receiver H20-100
8) Furman PL-Plus D II rack mount power conditioner & surge protector
9) Paradigm Monitor 5 fronts
10) Paradigm ADP-170 surrounds (4)
11) Paradigm CC-370 center
12) HSU VTF-2 MK2 sub
13) Lutron Grafik Eye 3104 (ceiling lights, sconces, step lights, rope lights)
14) Lutron NTGRX-1S single button entry switch
15) Xantech IR control equipment (connecting block, power supply, emitters)
16) Speakercraft IRC-1.0 flush mount mini IR receiver (built into screen wall)
17) Mid-Atlantic 68.5” Slim 5 rack w/smoke door, shelving, custom face plates
18) Berkline 090 dark burgundy recliners (7) w/grade 4 leather/vinyl match
(4 power/3manual)
19) Aura Bass Shakers (8), 2 mounted in 1 chair for even current distribution
20) Parts Express 250watt remote controlled plate amplifier (for shakers)
21) Stage 12” - ¾”, ½”, ¾” deck construction containing 2,400 lbs sand
22) Rise 13” – ¾’, ¾” deck construction filled w/R-19 insulation
23) Theater Door, 1.5” solid wood w/adjustable spring hinges
24) Linacoustic – installed floor to slightly above ear level and entire area behind screen wall except floor (carpet)
25) Cotton Batting – installed above linacoustic
26) Guilford of Maine FR701 Black installed on screen wall and 6 columns
27) Guilford of Maine, style 4137 Out & About, Color Indigo 020, on walls
28) Sconces (Lowe’s)
29) Blue Rope Lights & Tracks (Platinum Lighting)
30) Step Lights (Contractors Choice Lighting, Inc.)
31) All quarter round covered w/fabric (used hot glue)
32) Custom Intro by Custom HT
33) Theater Dimensions – 15’ x 20’ x 9’, screen wall reduces length to 18’5”. Ceiling height above screen and several feet out drop to 8’ due to I-beam
34) R-13 insulation above ceiling and inside walls
35) Unfinished business – installation of dark burgundy velour drapes. Curtains will hide access doors to rear of screen wall and to equipment/dvd storage room
36) Equipment room dimensions 4’5” x 5’8”
37) IKEA Benno DVD shelves (8) holds approx. 640 dvd’s
38) Labor – All labor provided by myself except electrical, carpet, & door installation

Looks very nice... congrats!

Very nice! Congratulations!

More Pictures

Hell yeah, looks nice! Hope I can do one some day.

A Few More Pictures

Appreciate the shout

Several To Go

Looks simply Awesome. :D

Finally, the Equipment/DVD Room

Congoratz too yeah It must feel really good :)

Beautiful. I love it.

That is VERY nice!!

Wow, looks outstanding! Congratulations, and enjoy the shows - and the last bits of work that probably never end ;-).

Great looking theater. Love you woodwork.

love the choice of colors. Looks very nice indeed.

Kjelli

WOW! That's one neat looking theater! You must feel SO proud every time you walk into that beautifull room and even more so when your friends and family see it for the first time. Enjoy your nice HT and think about the poor sods like us who are still in the planning fase.

Excellent work. The thing that caught my eye were the step lights - I have been searching for these things - at a reasonable price - now I know where to get them - thanks for posting your sources.

How long did it take you to build the theater once you started?

Cheers,
Lewis

The woodwork definitely adds to the overall feeling. Great job, now go watch a show!

Unbelieveable attention to detail. Awesome job. Well done!

David

Outstanding! That's a lot of fabric and it looks like you did an excellent job with it.

Dan

Great job with clean lines. Enjoy!

Great looking theater, very detailed post, and I love the fact that you have a beta player in there, super old school.

Brian

Excellent design and workmanship. I really like the crown molding job.
is it DIY? What is the size? What fabric is on the walls? Congratsand enjoy!

Very nice!

Bobbejaan - A well thought out plan will yield great results. Take your time, research, and enjoy the ride . . . I did. Now I need a new project !!! I will volunteer that everything you need to accomplish your build resides in this forum. I rarely posted because I spent so much time soaking up forum information.

Lewis Cobb - I'm almost embarassed to say it took me "over" two years with the build. The house was new and we wanted to do so many other things besides channel all funds to the theater. Additionally, we have two sons in college so you see where we placed our priorities. It seems as if everything I bought cost $500. It's so true that building a theater takes on a life of its own. I walked into Lowe's so often I wanted to put on a disguise! I'm a very detail oriented person. That in itself contributed to the time it took.

Thanks to all for the great comments !!!

Sorry I over looked your specs posted already.

CaspianM - Thanks for the comments. The fabric is Guilford of Maine, style 4137 Out & About, Color Indigo 020. Although I'm very comfortable working with my hands this was my first time working with both fabric & crown molding. In putting up the fabric, push pins held long pieces in place until I stapled them. Fabric installation (also covering all quarter round with fabric) was very time consuming. It's a little harder working with a pattern because if you don't stretch the fabric equally you'll easily see the distortion. Yes, the woodwork is DIY. I only left carpet, electrical, and door installation to the pros. The fun IS building it yourself. The crown is 4 5/8". The crown was cut and installed using an advertised technique that is so easy you'll be able to start your own business! It worked so well I sent the author a testimonial ... Something I've never done. If crown intimidates you (as it did me) google compoundmiter.

Thanks for the shout

Borntobe,

Very nice. I like everything about your theater! Have a few questions. Are your speakers placed inside the columns to the side of your seating? How deep is your riser and how far are your chairs from the rear wall? I am still agonizing over my 18x16.5x9 theater. I used to just read, now I blab out random questions all the time! Also, what's the distance from ground to bottom of screen?

THANKS!

Check the link to see another neat looking step light.
http://www.pegasusassociates.com/NightLightLEDLouverHoriz.jsp

CaspianM - Thanks for the comments. The fabric is Guilford of Maine, style 4137 Out & About, Color Indigo 020. Although I'm very comfortable working with my hands this was my first time working with both fabric & crown molding. In putting up the fabric, push pins held long pieces in place until I stapled them. Fabric installation (also covering all quarter round with fabric) was very time consuming. It's a little harder working with a pattern because if you don't stretch the fabric equally you'll easily see the distortion. Yes, the woodwork is DIY. I only left carpet, electrical, and door installation to the pros. The fun IS building it yourself. The crown is 4 5/8". The crown was cut and installed using an advertised technique that is so easy you'll be able to start your own business! It worked so well I sent the author a testimonial ... Something I've never done. If crown intimidates you (as it did me) google compoundmiter.

Thanks for the shout

Thanks. I have done some crown work hence my appreciation for yours. Good job!

Check the link to see another neat looking step light.
http://www.pegasusassociates.com/NightLightLEDLouverHoriz.jsp

That's a nice looking one as well. I could not find a black option on this one though so it's out for me :(

I've already pilfered the picture of the other one off the mfg website and have it into my Sketchup model already (slow day at work :) )

Wow, I like it.

I will have one someday..... Someday.

Very well done!!

Enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Looks fantastic. I love all of the trim. Nice job. I'm in the planning and design phase of my theater as we speak and have been trying to think of a way to put up some rope lighting without doing a soffit, because I'm strapped for height in the back where the riser is. This is a nice solution.

How far down is the crown molding?

Great job, looks fantastic!

Heney - Crown is dropped about 4" and sits in a track. I think the track gives it more of an even glow. The crown is nailed to an angled (either 38 or 45 degrees)backer strip.

RxMan1 - Appreciate the comments. Yes, surrounds are inside the 2 columns that sit to the sides of the rear seats. Surrounds are also inside the two columns to the rear of the back row. The back row is my sweet spot so the positioning is great. The two columns towards the front of the theater are dummy columns. The one to the left of the screen was built to hide a support pole. I built one on the other side of the room to balance things out. My riser is curved so its depth is not uniform, however, its deepest point is at 74". I'd love to have another foot so that my legs are farther from the from row when I fully recline. Six feet would normally be adequate but the rear columns make me push the recliners at least three inches in front of them. The columns are about 9.25" deep. I was hoping that the two middle recliners of the 4 seat curved configuration would fit between the two rear columns but they don't. Perhaps you can design yours so they do should you design a similar configuration. I'm not home but there's less than 2' (I want to say 19") from the bottom of my screen to the top of the stage. If you need exact measurements I'll provide them later. Whatever you have will work in the end.

RxMan1 - Appreciate the comments. Yes, surrounds are inside the 2 columns that sit to the sides of the rear seats. Surrounds are also inside the two columns to the rear of the back row. The back row is my sweet spot so the positioning is great. The two columns towards the front of the theater are dummy columns. The one to the left of the screen was built to hide a support pole. I built one on the other side of the room to balance things out. My riser is curved so its depth is not uniform, however, its deepest point is at 74". I'd love to have another foot so that my legs are farther from the from row when I fully recline. Six feet would normally be adequate but the rear columns make me push the recliners at least three inches in front of them. The columns are about 9.25" deep. I was hoping that the two middle recliners of the 4 seat curved configuration would fit between the two rear columns but they don't. Perhaps you can design yours so they do should you design a similar configuration. I'm not home but there's less than 2' (I want to say 19") from the bottom of my screen to the top of the stage. If you need exact measurements I'll provide them later. Whatever you have will work in the end.

I'm still lurking here and watching all the accolades coming in on your new theater :) I am interested in this riser depth / seat spacing as well. When you get around to posting up some dimensions - I'd like to know the dimension from the rear of the front row to the rear of the second row. Say the rear of the armrest on one to the rear of the armrest on the other. I have been planning a 6' depth riser, but have recently realized that I may have to pull the rear row forward about 3-4". I'm wondering what you can get away with the 090 Berklines and not be kicking the front row with your feet when you are reclined in the rear row. Inches are starting to count in my design (I'll bet that comes as a shock to someone that has just finished his HT - haha)

Cheers,
Lewis

Excellent work. I have been dreaming of putting this type of effort, time, work, and money into my theater room. Unfortunately we are planning to move from the area within 2-3 years max. I would absolutely hate to sell a house after that much sweat and tears (not to mention cost) if I couldn't take it with me. The trimwork and fabric is awesome. Congrats.

Thanks RobZ . . . After finishing this baby they'll bury me here !!!

Lewis, I'll see what I can do for you a little later.

I would love to come over and take a look at your setup. And you can see my masterpiece.

RxMan1 - Correction, my curved riser extends from the rear wall 83" at its center most point to 88" on the ends. The screen and velvet frame sit 19" off the stage. The velvet frame is actually 3.5" so the screen is actually 22.5" off the stage.

LewisCobb - It's about 64" from the rear of the front row armrest to the rear of the back row armrest on the 090's in my configuration. Curved riser extends from the rear wall 83" at center to 88" on ends. My rear columns are 9" deep, therefore, my chairs sit about 15" off the rear wall. The aisle is 30". I'm 6'2" with long legs and sit at almost the centermost rear seating position. 83" minus 15" leaves me with a "riser equivalent" of 68" at that seating position. When I fully recline my chair I'd love to have another foot. If someone is in the seat in front of me I just don't fully recline, however, I'm still very comfortable.

Hope this information helps.

Gorgeous!!! Someday I will have a dedicated room like that.

Borntobe

I am I correct that the equipment/DVD room is on the opposite side of the room from the entry door? To me that seems to be an awfully long way between rack & player. I assume there were floor plan reasons for its location. If you had a "perfect world" would you have located the equipment/DVD room on the same side of the room as the entry door?

I was under the impression that the ADP-170 were dipole/bipole surrounds. What was the thought process associated with the choice & location of the surrounds?

How far is each row of seats from the screen?

Love your work, it looks great. Love the crown work.
George

Thanks Wingnut4772 . . . It's great knowing folks think my hard work paid off !!!

GeorgeIII - When you say "player" I'm assuming you mean the projector. Yes, the rack is located on the other side of the room from the entry door. Directly behind the rack is the DVD/Equipment room, accessible via a door to the right of the screen. When the house was built 3 years ago the soon to be theater rooms dimensions were 15 x 20 which included the following. The room was constructed with this small 4'5" x 5'8" "bumpout" in the front right hand corner of the room. This actually made a portion of the front part of the room 19'5" wide. Of course I wanted the room to be rectangular so I walled off this bumpout. I installed both the rack and a small entry door into this new 5'8" piece of wall. It worked out well, as I was able to provide access to the rear of the rack and have storage for DVD's. Prior to the ceiling and walls going up all cables were run.

The front row is 10 feet from the screen (unreclined) and the rear row is 15 feet from the screen (unreclined).

The ADP-170's disperse surround sound in a manner that kind of fills the rear of the room. It's non-localized so you can't tell exactly where it's coming from but it's there. At times you will find yourself hearing sounds and wondering where it came from. In addition, they provide great bass. Their location resulted from me wanting to envelope my sweet spot . . . the rear row. I read that you should cater to your favorite seat and I did. The rear row has surrounds to the left and right, as well as, 2 rear surrounds pumping from behind the rear row. Hope this information helps.

RxMan1 - Correction, my curved riser extends from the rear wall 83" at its center most point to 88" on the ends. The screen and velvet frame sit 19" off the stage. The velvet frame is actually 3.5" so the screen is actually 22.5" off the stage.

LewisCobb - It's about 64" from the rear of the front row armrest to the rear of the back row armrest on the 090's in my configuration. Curved riser extends from the rear wall 83" at center to 88" on ends. My rear columns are 9" deep, therefore, my chairs sit about 15" off the rear wall. The aisle is 30". I'm 6'2" with long legs and sit at almost the centermost rear seating position. 83" minus 15" leaves me with a "riser equivalent" of 68" at that seating position. When I fully recline my chair I'd love to have another foot. If someone is in the seat in front of me I just don't fully recline, however, I'm still very comfortable.

Hope this information helps.

This is excellent information and really helps me in my design process - thank you very much. I have been assuming a 6' riser depth, with the front row right up against the riser. Pulling the seats about 4" off the back wall leaves me with 68" - effectively the same as you have. I'm really tight in the depth of my room for 2 rows and don't want to push it anymore so I am going to go with this. Hearing that you are very comfortable in the back even though you don't fully recline when someone's in the front is good enough for me ! Thanks very much for taking these measurements for me.

Regards from warm and sunny Canada (where it's currently -4F :eek: )

borntobe

how do have your fronts. do you have a bump out with your screen on it and the speakers hidden in it. would love to see a few more pics of the front end.

Wow, that looks amazing and mine looks like a bomb hit it. Oh wait, you have only 22 posts and I've got, well a lot more than you.

LewisCobb - Glad I was able to help. This is how we build our theaters . . . Through others experience.

Geek - Thanks, you should have seen mine in the early stages !!!

WOOlly - I built a screen wall 18" from the rooms front wall. It's hard to take photos of the front of the screen wall 'cause it's entirely black. The screen wall is nothing more than a frame of 2 x 4's and plywood resting on the stage. The screen wall connects to the ceiling via a horizontal 2x4 and connects to the stage in the same manner. All areas not "holding" a speaker (fronts, center, and sub) are filled in with 3/4" plywood. Some leave the wall open, however, I chose to close mine in making it extremely solid. Linacoustic was glued onto this plywood which was then covered with black GOM. The plywood was framed with furring strips and the linacoustic sits inside the strips. As usual, fabric is stretched across the furring strips and stapled. Molding hides the staples. I've attached two photos that show the area behing the screen wall. One flick shows the right front speaker and the other shows the HSU sub and center channel. The center channel pivots on a shelf and has two adjustable rear legs. Prior to installing the linacoustic I attached a mirror onto the front of the center channel speaker and had my wife sit in the rear centermost position (best seat). When her face was reflected in the mirror I adjusted the shelf the center channel sits on. The sound is now directed towards that position although the entire room obviously realizes center channel sound. Just a trick I learned on this forum. The ideal position for my non-transparent screen would be above the screen but there was no room.

Great job! Cant wait to finish mine. I seems to take forever

Nice job. Looks very nice and very clean build.

Attichometheater - "takes forever" . . . Tell me about it. Appreciate it.

Toxarch - Great knowing the effort is noticed by my peers !!! Thanks alot.