I'm trying to find out what's the minimum space that you can have between two rows of berkline's 088 or 45004. I have searched the forums but nothing answers my question. I know that Roman says a minimum of 72" but I was wondering if anyone has done less than that. I do not need the space for walking if the chairs are reclined (2nd row). The 088 said that fully reclined takes 66" and the 45004 65". Can I get away with 67" or 68"?

Thanks

You really should have 72" because the rows in front will move back a few inches when reclined and you should have some room for your feet to hang off if necessary. Have you used Berkline's Interactive Room Planner here?

http://www.berkline.com/secure/planner/intro.html

Ken

Thanks Ken for the quick reply. I have used the planner but it is not that helpful.

you wont' be happy with less.

i am somewhat confused by the question if i am understanding correctly. The overall length required to recline the chair and the minimum distance in between two separate rows are totally different questions.

In between row 1 and row 2 with in this case the 45004, the minimum spacing needed is 42 inches. I may be over analyzing the question but for other members i just wanted to be clear on this. So minimum 4 inches away from the back wall and 42 inches in between rows as minimums. Of course more is better for reasons Ken already mentioned (front row moving back slightly when reclining and members feet protruding from the footrest when reclining in the back row)

In between row 1 and row 2 with in this case the 45004, the minimum spacing needed is 42 inches. I may be over analyzing the question but for other members i just wanted to be clear on this. So minimum 4 inches away from the back wall and 42 inches in between rows as minimums.

So that's 42" of space between seats + 3" to 4" from backwall + the seat depth (which for the 45004 is 37.5") = 82.5" to 83.5". That's way more than the 72" Roman recommends as a minimum (for a platform).

My riser is 74 inches and I wish it was another 12 inches deeper. When the rear middle seat (rear seats are straight) is fully reclined and the front middle seat (front seats are curved)is reclined, you can actually touch the front seat with your feet. Since the front seats are curved, the two rear outside seats have more reclining space. Would pics of the seats reclining help you? I can take some tonight and post. BTW my seats are 090's.

My riser is 73" deep and is about 10" from the back wall. Assuming that you are butting the back of the front row of 088s up against the front edge of the riser, 72" is the minumum unless you are okay with your front row viewers smelling the feet of your rear row viewers. :p

My second row is as far back on the riser as possible, and there is maybe 12" between the second row footrest and the front row seat back when both are fully reclined. I would not go any closer than that.

I have noticed that most of the time the second row viewers are not fully reclined, while the first row is almost always fully reclined.

I would also note that if my rows were much farther apart, I would find it odd looking.

Randy.
That would help me a lot. I've look around my area and the furniture stores that carry berkline do not have the 088 or the 45004 stocked.

Thanks

I have two rows of 45004 and there is 36" of space between the back of the front row and beginning of the second row. With this spacing, I have the same issue as HeyNow^ - my kids fully recline the front seats and they'll run into my feet when I'm reclined in the back (I'm 6'2"). In this case, another 6" of spacing would help a lot (this would then be the 42" min. mentioned by Serge, I believe).

If it was 12-18" more then people could walk between the two rows when reclined. Of course to do this, I'd need a larger riser, room, and pocket book.

At this point, I just tell the kids to not recline them *all* the way back. :)

And, I have 3" of space between the back of the 2nd row and the wall, if that helps at all.

James

Glad we are clearing some things up...

Please note that the 42 inch spacing between rows was the number i used off the Berkline room planner for the 45004 specifically. Some models require 36 inches as a minimum...


Now in terms of riser depth i would agree with Roman at 6ft deep (72 inches) with the back of the second row seating being at 8 inches or less from the back wall. This will allow for full passage but i would definitely allow extra room to move the front row closer to the screen if needed. Of course this depends on model because the specs vary from model to model for recommended distance between rows.

The point is if a members plans on utilizing the two rows frequently he/she should design the room so that it is more comfortable/user friendly for everyone. This usually involves compromises at some point. No one likes moving the front row a foot closer to the screen (unless depth is a non issue) but that extra foot added on to the riser will make the theater more comfortable for everyone. Everybody is different...some members will purchase back row seating for extra seating on special occasions meaning the seats will rarely be used so the added riser depth may not be critical for these members.

Design, compromises and room use are all key factors to carefully weight. Each members situation is different. Room layouts will then vary depending on what is decided...rarely are their not compromises but the point of this thread is to make sure they are well thought out in terms of spacing. Knowing why a member must compromise or not compromise by being informed makes moving forward without errors/miscalculations so much easier.

My riser is 74 inches and I wish it was another 12 inches deeper. When the rear middle seat (rear seats are straight) is fully reclined and the front middle seat (front seats are curved)is reclined, you can actually touch the front seat with your feet. Since the front seats are curved, the two rear outside seats have more reclining space. Would pics of the seats reclining help you? I can take some tonight and post. BTW my seats are 090's.


The first pic is of the chairs in the front and back in the upright position (stopping before the back begins to recline) Most folks stop here when watching movies. http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y84/HeyNowWV/chair1.jpg

The second photo is both rows fully reclined. This is where the folks snoozing may stop the chairs :) Hope this helps.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y84/HeyNowWV/chair2.jpg

Excellent. A picture is worth a thousand words...
Thanks again Randy and nice chairs by the way

Nice blankets too :)

Nice blankets too :)

:) :)

Excellent. A picture is worth a thousand words...
Thanks again Randy and nice chairs by the way


Thanks! Roman made those in his garage in New Jersey. ;)

"Now in terms of riser depth i would agree with Roman at 6ft deep (72 inches) with the back of the second row seating being at 8 inches or less from the back wall".

Thanks for the picture! I'm relieved that I saw this now rather than later. I can see clearly that 72" is too short a depth for my riser. So- should the new minimum riser depth reccomendation be at least 78" (my guess) and not 72" to allow for (feet) space between the front of back row (when recline is fully extended) and the back of front row? I am planning my riser now for two rows of Berklines #45003. I would have made the MISTAKE of building it at a minimum of 72". By the picture 72 is too short. Riser needs to be longer with these chairs.

timatraw,

When I recommend 72" min riser depth, I always say "this is a min depth required in order for the front row seats not to collide with the back row seats while both rows are in fully reclining position". Many people do not have a luxury of longer rooms, so they are looking to save every inch they can. You can always build a deeper riser, and that will serve two purposes:
1. increase of the "in between rows space"
2. moving the chairs away from the back wall for better surround sound.