Hello All,

This is my first post on this amazing forum, and so I figured I'd start by quickly introducing myself and posting the dimensions of the unfinished space I will soon have access to in the basement of my new home.

Unfinished Basement Space: (slab floor & block walls, exposed beam ceiling)
23.5' Long X 14' Wide X 7.5' High.

The main support beam for the whole basement runs horozontally across the middle of the room, so that brings the total usable height down to around 7'. I may have to relocate a lally column, as well.

I've starting the daunting task of reading through some of your posts and am quite impressed with the depth & wealth of knowledge in this specific field.

I am in the Commercial A/V Integration industry, so I'll have access to various products such as screens & projectors, but I'm looking to DIY (with support from members of this site) for the design/build phases & other critical decisions for this project. The Commercial side of the Integration business is quite different than the Residential market, as the other pro's on this site can attest to, so I'm not as experienced on the home theater-specific side of things as you might think. I'll need help, for sure.

I'm looking forward to meeting some of you as things progress.

Thanks in advance for any/all help that comes my way!

That being said......how do my room dimensions look so far?

Room dimensions look fine. That's close to my actual room size. You'll be able to build a nice sized theater in that space.

And welcome to AVS!!

Thanks, Cathan! I'd like to hear more about your room, as I was concerned with the size and room modes, etc. Do you have a link, or should I search?

I haven't gotten far in my construction, but it's all there for you to look over. The link is in my sig. :)

And yes the 7.5' and 14' are really close to being direct multiples. My final size will be closer to 23x13x7.3 depending on how it all comes together at tthe end.

My room is also close to that except my ceilings started at 9'. I am a bit further along then cathan :) check out my build for some ideas also.

Get yourself signed up on photobucket and post us some pics of the space. then we can really give ya some input

The additional length is nice to have. You're very close to breaking one of the 'rules' in that your length is approaching double the width. It's not the multiples it's the tunnel effect. You should be fine though.

I'd try to keep your ceiling up as high as possible and just drop it around the beam if at all possible.

Bryan

My room is also close to that except my ceilings started at 9'. I am a bit further along then cathan :)

Oh just rub it in why don't you.... :( ;)

/Counts the hours left in the day before this weekend's first HD run.... soffits, must build soffits...

Hey Guys,

Thanks for all of the responses.

Phew- I just read for a l-o-n-g time through the whole Flemmig Oak and Copper Fields pages. I think I need a nap now.... ;)

You guys have awesome rooms there that are really taking shape! The Delta flooring material that W00lly used looks fantastic. I wish I had 9' ceilings to start, but the reality is 7.5 or so, more like in the same situation as Cathan and his space.

I'll try to get some photos posted soon, but I don't have access to the space for another couple of weeks, as the wife and I are in-contract on the house & waiting for our closing date. I did measure the whole basement out (total space = 38'L X 27.5'W) when I was there last week for the inspection, and so it seems I have plenty of room for the following (if I get creative - open to ANY other ideas, too)

1. theater 14 x 23.5 x 7.5 (rough space before framing and any other rear or front walls, etc.)
2. generous-sized home office 18.5 x 24
3. utility room 7 x 9
4. storage room 6 x 9
5. work shop 8 x 9

I'm still considering a bathroom and possibly wet bar/sink deal, but not sure I want to take that big of a plunge :confused:

I need to get Visio so I can plot this out for you guys to see.

I have a screen cap of ModeCalc showing a pretty nice-looking graph for a 22.5' X 13' X 7' space....hmm.....

cheers

Phew- I just read for a l-o-n-g time through the whole Flemmig Oak and Copper Fields pages. I think I need a nap now.... ;)

Here are three of the many fantastic builds that you may want to read (or skim, huge threads) when you can:

Sandman's http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=574704
Chinadog's http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=549924
SWithey's http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=620108


1. theater 14 x 23.5 x 7.5 (rough space before framing and any other rear or front walls, etc.)
2. generous-sized home office 18.5 x 24
3. utility room 7 x 9


Any thought about swapping 1 & 2? Is it windows? The width would be an asset in a theater. Be mindful of the ventillation requirements for the utility room, especially if they are gas powered. Not a deal breaker, just needs to be addressed.

I'm still considering a bathroom and possibly wet bar/sink deal, but not sure I want to take that big of a plunge

Bath's are potentially expensive/a good bit of work, but I think they add a lot of value.

I need to get Visio so I can plot this out for you guys to see.

Doesn't have to be visio, can be sketchup, MS paint, pen+paper+scanner, etc (I used excel/powerpoint for a while). Try to mark where the beams, HVAC ducts, and other constraints are.

I recomend a photobucket account. The third link in my sig spells it out.

I second Dave's suggestion about read other threads beside mine and W00ly's. The one's he posted are an absolute must. Warning, you'll need more than one nap to get through these threads. Plan for a couple of days...

I would even throw in about 10 more builds but I don't want to search for them :) all I can say is just look through and read as many as you can to see how others have dealt with some of the problems that have come up as they have moved along in there construction. I spent at least a month reading before I drove my first nail and learned alot ;)

Well, this had certainly been an eye-opener, and thanks to all of your support I'm off on the right foot & running.

I will heed your advice and read-up on more builds, and eventually get a few pics posted of the plans & rough basement.

<------starts reading....

thx.