We have screen wall updates!!! Pics coming THIS week!!

(I promise)

:)

SWEET! Can't wait to see them Jason. I know you've been busy with other projects as well. Sometimes difficult to juggle everything. Glad to see some more progress on the HT.

IBIWISI

(I'll believe it when I see it) :D

Three months between updates and then only to tell us pictures are coming??? :p

I heard he got a table saw...

,,,but I think we have a better shot at hokie injuring himself with said table saw than us seeing pics of his screen wall progress.


:D

Looking forward to it!

So we've been tossing around the idea of when the time comes, whether we should expand on our current home or build a new one. This probably won't be for another few years, but I wanted to at least get an idea of what made the most sense financially.

We had a few builders come out to give us some estimates on adding a 500sft addition over our family room that would give me a space for my studio, as well an updated master suite with a modern bath and walk in closets. The estimates (as expected) ended up being more than what we figured, yet still cheaper than building, so we still aren't sure at this point. However, I must say that I'm currently torn between the idea of eventually losing this theater here vs. building a bigger one from scratch at the next play..

See if they'll give you a quote on finishing your screen wall (or maybe toss it in with the purchase of an addition).

See if they'll give you a quote on finishing your screen wall (or maybe toss it in with the purchase of an addition).

Funny

Wow Jamis, that was low. LOL.

My guess is that it will be more expensive in the long run to build, simply because of the poor economy and selling your current house might not bring enough to justify starting over. With that said, you know what you are doing now so the build process should go much faster. And you will be able to build it better than the current theater because you know what you would have done differently if you had to do it over again. Good luck in whatever you decide.

So we've been tossing around the idea of when the time comes..

How old is your current house? Even though adding on will not require as much as an investment in time and money, there are trade offs. My last house was built in the 1950's and my new one was built in 2007. They both are the same square footage and my new house costs about half to heat and cool throughout the year. I tried to justify the cost of retrofitting new building technologies in my old house and it always cost more and I would never see that back when I sold the house.

-E

So we've been tossing around the idea of when the time comes, whether we should expand on our current home or build a new one. This probably won't be for another few years, but I wanted to at least get an idea of what made the most sense financially.

We had a few builders come out to give us some estimates on adding a 500sft addition over our family room that would give me a space for my studio, as well an updated master suite with a modern bath and walk in closets. The estimates (as expected) ended up being more than what we figured, yet still cheaper than building, so we still aren't sure at this point. However, I must say that I'm currently torn between the idea of eventually losing this theater here vs. building a bigger one from scratch at the next play..

See if you can get a realtor to give you an estimated value before leaning too far either way, it could be very humbling. Home values in Maple Grove have tanked - big time (at least mine did!).

Personally, we chose the addition route. We had purchased property a couple years ago to build, but found it more feasible to pay a premium( which is usually accompanying an add on to existing structure) instead of building a new house. The market is coming around a little, but it made more economic sense to do what we did in our situation.

My .2

See if they'll give you a quote on finishing your screen wall...

LOL!!!

I just scanned the first few pages of your thread and I don't see a floor plan of the home. Building "over" an existing room can't be the cheapest solution. Is there anyway you can build "out" rather than "up". My dad just put an addition onto the home I grew up in and because he built out, it wasn't really that difficult. He also built with 2x6 walls which makes it the most efficient area of the home. He was able to add a large kitchen, bath, laundry and mud room without having to change out the furnace.

Six years ago we considered putting a 2nd floor on a 3 bedroom ranch built in 78 but building what we wanted made more sense at the time. We were able to get full asking price without ever listing back then. I literally had a neighbor knock on my door that heard I was interested in building that had a friend that was looking for a house like our's. It doesn't get any easier than that.

Maybe that neighbor was just trying to get rid of us???:o

How old is your current house? Even though adding on will not require as much as an investment in time and money, there are trade offs. My last house was built in the 1950's and my new one was built in 2007. They both are the same square footage and my new house costs about half to heat and cool throughout the year. I tried to justify the cost of retrofitting new building technologies in my old house and it always cost more and I would never see that back when I sold the house.

-E

I know what you mean. Our home was built in 1978, and it's a 4 level split. While we love it, there are 3 main things that are an issue here. First, we'd love to have a 3rd stall for a garage, instead of 2. Also, our master bath is super tiny. Finally, the house is a 4 level split, so heating and cooling are a bit of an issue sometimes. I'm constantly playing the "close this register, open this one" game to try and equalize things. In addition to these things, the kitchen needs to be updated. We've been hanging back on that one because I know it will cost some serious cash.

While the addition would be updated with new wiring and a seperate HVAC system, and the basement is totally new stuff, we do run into the occasional electrical glitch upstairs since the circuits in the 70s covered more square footage than they do today.

Ultimately, we're thinking it probably makes more sense to build when we're ready. The kids are 8 and 9 right now, and the initial push was going to be when they hit Jr. High, so I've got a few more years, but if we see something sooner we may make the move. We've been looking at lots down the street from us. They're pretty awesome locations, but they want anywhere from 180-200K just for the lot. We've considered possibly purchasing a lot and then just hanging on to it until we're ready to build, but a lot of developments require that contruction begins within 12-24 months, so I still need to do some more research.

And yea, it would suck to have to start back over with the basement, but we'd ultimately be able to add some things that I wasn't able to fit in on this build, like a 4th seat in each row :) I hated giving up my last theater when I moved into this house, but now that I have this one, I don't miss it.. so I'm guessing it would be the same moving forward :)



P.S. Jamis, you bastard :) I'm sending strong winds up your way next week to take on that umbrella of yours!

See if you can get a realtor to give you an estimated value before leaning too far either way, it could be very humbling. Home values in Maple Grove have tanked - big time (at least mine did!).

Where in Maple Grove are you again? I know what you mean though. We've seen new contruction drop a good 150K in most of the bigger neighborhoods over here. When things began to tank, it didn't help that Maple Grove had a ton of new construction going on.

LOL!!!

I just scanned the first few pages of your thread and I don't see a floor plan of the home. Building "over" an existing room can't be the cheapest solution. Is there anyway you can build "out" rather than "up". My dad just put an addition onto the home I grew up in and because he built out, it wasn't really that difficult. He also built with 2x6 walls which makes it the most efficient area of the home. He was able to add a large kitchen, bath, laundry and mud room without having to change out the furnace.

Six years ago we considered putting a 2nd floor on a 3 bedroom ranch built in 78 but building what we wanted made more sense at the time. We were able to get full asking price without ever listing back then. I literally had a neighbor knock on my door that heard I was interested in building that had a friend that was looking for a house like our's. It doesn't get any easier than that.

Maybe that neighbor was just trying to get rid of us???:o


Yea, I don't have a plan posted. Basically, when looking at our house, the left side is 1 story, and the right side is the split. The split is only 4 steps, so it's not noticeable. We have vaulted ceilings on the left half, so we'd be looking to bring those down to 8 foot height and build on top. I actually do cost estimating for a living, so I had some rough numbers to work off of before going after some builders. Demo would involve removing the roof, adding a new supported floor, bringing the exterior walls up on top of that, and then closing it off. A good chunk of money was going into the master bath for tile, but otherwise it was a pretty plain-jane remodel with basic windows, carpet, and painted walls. I even designed the addition to make things easier for routing of plumbing and electrical, and we requested a seperate HVAC system in the room of the addition, rather than try to tie into what would have been an undersized unit in the basement. I guess contractors still aren't starving as much as I thought they were. Oh, and add to that that I had to follow-up with each one after 2 weeks to ask when the bids were coming in. Is it just me, or do contractors just work on their own schedule??

Personally, we chose the addition route. We had purchased property a couple years ago to build, but found it more feasible to pay a premium( which is usually accompanying an add on to existing structure) instead of building a new house. The market is coming around a little, but it made more economic sense to do what we did in our situation.

My .2

I hear ya. That was one factor we were considering. Also, we really like our neighborhood. I have a good size lot with some nice old trees and established landscaping, so that is something to be factored in. I hate new developments with no trees. I think for us, it ultimately comes down to what makes the most sense for the money. Even after spending the money on the addition, we'd still need at some point to update the kitchen to completely finish off the house. At that time, we could probably build something new and already have it in there for the price. Also, our basement is only 480sft. with new construction in the area, we'd be getting anywhere between 1000 and 1700 sft down there, which I must admit is pretty appealing.

Yeah. Our kids are three year old and fifteen months old. We love our area. Sitting on two unrestricted acres without any deed restrictions at all. My dad built the house and we are close to everything without the hassle of a "neighborhood". We had bought thirteen acres to build on about 25 minutes from our current location to build on.

We decided to bite the bullet and spend the money to add on two rooms and expand and update the kitchen. We just couldn't find anything of the quality with which my dad built the house in the size we needed for the price we could afford, let alone try to build one.

These are decisions families have to make on their own personal needs and abilities. For us, I think we made the right call. Tough to do nowadays.

Oh yeah, in my neck of the woods, no basements allowed per mother nature. ;)

Good job, the way. A bit belated, but still...

I got a few ideas about paint color ( SW 7584 ) and type ( Duration Matte ) from you.. thanks for sharing your experiences and chronicling your adventure. I keep hearing mixed things about Duration Home...

Three quick questions:

Did you consider the SW Cashmere Flat?
How is the paint color holding up?
If you could do it all again, would you pick the same color or go with one of the options I'm facing in my sig?

Thanks!

Thanks!... I assume you were responding to my post. I usually troll and respond using my phone, so I can't see signatures;).

I do like the colors I went with and would choose them again. The paint had held up to countless hours of construction guys and I hope it will continue once the room is finally put to it's intended use.

I picked matte duration because I wanted the walls flat, but wanted to be able to wipe them clean. According to the SW people, this is the best product they had that fit the need.

I am not familiar with cashmere. I just picked flat for the ceiling and they sold me on the duration/matte mix.

When I get to a computer, I will check back on your signature. Sorry.

I just flipped through several pages on my phone and realized I made a faux pas. You have a very nice theater there and the prior poster was obviously typing to you. ;). I am I also interested in how your paint is holding up. I went with a similar color scheme... Great minds, I guess. I went with stolen kiss on top and coconut husk on bottom in duration matte.

Oh, did I tell you, you have a wonderful room there.

?

:p

I haven't painted yet, I tried a boatload of samples and narrowed down my list to five. I have to take advantage of big discounts at the local SW stores.

To be honest, I think I know what I want. Subconsciously, I've ranked all 5 colors, but I set up a poll anyway, and it's always cool to see if think alike/share common tastes etc...

Thanks for the compliments. Wouldn't call it a theater, lol, just picking up other peoples' leftovers mostly...

Where in Maple Grove are you again? I know what you mean though. We've seen new contruction drop a good 150K in most of the bigger neighborhoods over here. When things began to tank, it didn't help that Maple Grove had a ton of new construction going on.

Sorry, missed your reply a week ago. I'm one block north of Weaver Lake (the lake, not the road). You?

I am just east of the lake facing Dunkirk. Cool.

I am just east of the lake facing Dunkirk. Cool.

Cool, do you have a thread with info about your setup by chance?

Cool, do you have a thread with info about your setup by chance?

Wow. Had no idea we had another so close.

Just a quick update. After getting a few quotes back on an addition and weighing the pro and cons, we ultimately decided it would be better to move. Our current plan is to start marketing the house after the first of the year. There's a new neighborhood going in down the road that actually has a ranch model with a HUGE basement that would work really well. Even with the basement finished off, there's still a completely dark blocked in room in the corner (unfinished) that's 31x19. Assuming this is where we indeed build, I went ahead and drew up a quick sketch of what I could envision the room being. I'll certainly have room for an AT screen, as well as 3 rows of seating with a 3rd row bar. We're toying around with the idea of having a false wall behind the last row as well to mimic a commercial theater that requires you to go left or right around a wall upon entering the theater.

Wow. Had no idea we had another so close.

Just a quick update. After getting a few quotes back on an addition and weighing the pro and cons, we ultimately decided it would be better to move. Our current plan is to start marketing the house after the first of the year. There's a new neighborhood going in down the road that actually has a ranch model with a HUGE basement that would work really well. Even with the basement finished off, there's still a completely dark blocked in room in the corner (unfinished) that's 31x19. Assuming this is where we indeed build, I went ahead and drew up a quick sketch of what I could envision the room being. I'll certainly have room for an AT screen, as well as 3 rows of seating with a 3rd row bar. We're toying around with the idea of having a false wall behind the last row as well to mimic a commercial theater that requires you to go left or right around a wall upon entering the theater.


Beautiful dimensions. Maybe you can work in a projection room as well?

Beautiful dimensions. Maybe you can work in a projection room as well?

Cool Idea. I had also thought of having an elevated entry into the back of the room (either keeping level with the lower landing coming into the basement or having people step up going in the door) to give that whole "stepping down" feel as you moved towards the front.

My wife thought the wall in the back of the room would be a cool place to put up movie posters while still having a built in refreshment area along the far back wall.

We'll know more about everything as the new year starts to unfold. Typical build times on this home are 5 months and builders here pretty much refuse to break ground until you have a contract on your existing home, which could mean living in temporary housing (talk about a pain) for a few months.

Wow! 31x19 is freaking huge! Where "down the road" is this development? (You don't need to be super specific but I've not seen too much building activity lately...)

Check out this guys build; he used the front of his room to build an IB chamber which is super cool. Your dimensions are a bit bigger than his so you'd have even more space:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1117148

Wow! 31x19 is freaking huge!

That's what SHE said!!!


It's actually in Plymouth, back over off of Vicksburg where they're doing all of that building around the Lennar neighborhoods.

I'll have to check out that site. Never really been a huge fan of IB though. There's a sump pump in the front of that room, so the screen wall would hide it, but I'd need to build some secret squirrel access panels.

I'd need to build some secret squirrel access panels.

You would reach the upper echelon of dedicated theaters with this.

You would reach the upper echelon of dedicated theaters with this.

If he actually completes it.

If you'll notice, 2.0 isn't even done yet (still). How long has it been, Jason? :D

Jason, just curious if you are able to get the house, do you think you will be upgrading your front soundstage since your room will be much larger?

Jason, just curious if you are able to get the house, do you think you will be upgrading your front soundstage since your room will be much larger?

Oh, definately!! :)

Oh, definately!! :)

Yes, but will you be finishing the front soundstage... that is the question... :D

I'll give you a free tip on that sized space (almost exactly what I'm in)....you can't play around with audio! It takes a VERY capable system to handle that sized space. Ask my wallet how I know. :)

Yes, but will you be finishing the front soundstage... that is the question... :D

zing!


:D:D

Man, these guys are hard on you Jason....but I guess you deserve it huh?

If he actually completes it.

If you'll notice, 2.0 isn't even done yet (still). How long has it been, Jason? :D

hahaha.....

exactly, his current room isn't quite complete ;)

-Josh

Oh come on, you can't imagine the thrill of selling a house with an incomplete theater. Rushing to get it into a saleable form, enjoying a few weeks of your theater, then moving into your new house and having a list of other priorities spend your HT money (or steal its sq footage).

Don't knock it till you try it!

Dave..Thanks!! I never wanted to admit it, but yes, it's that final rush that I'm yearning for :)

Soooooo.... It looks like our house will be going on the market next month. That being said, I have a laundry list of things to finish around here (yea yea.. I know).

Anyways, we've been bouncing back and forth between two home designs that we've seen locally. One has a monster basement that would let me put a mega theater in it, but the kicker is that it's only 3 bedrooms upstairs, with the 4th being in the basement (not a favorite with the family). We found another home that we really like as well that is more traditional with the 4 bedrooms upstairs, but the basement is more of an open concept. I need to revisit some of the threads here to get an idea of what can be done if we go that route, because right now I can't get my head around anything other than a closed off dark room with no windows like I currently have.

If anyone has any images or links, please feel free to shout them out. I've attached a floor plan of option #2 just to shed some light on things. The dotted 9x9 area at the bottom is a rough in for a bar. We'd most likely have the builder finish that area off. Oh, and did I mention that they're currently offering to finish the lower level at no additional charge? It would basically be what you see here, minus the fireplace. The back bedroom will be for my music studio, which is quickly finding a way to climb to the top of my favorite hobbies list when it comes to $$$$.


Oh.. and a shameless plug for my new mixing/production side business :)
http://www.krakenrecords.com

Cool stuff Jason. Now you will get the opportunity to "If I were to do it all over again, I would...." with the new HT.

If you go open concept, this is my favorite version of that. I am sure you have seen it. HT in the game room space, entertainment scene in the other space. Or lose the fireplace and switch them up?

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/507/HT3pano.jpg
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=628588

If you go open concept, this is my favorite version of that. I am sure you have seen it. HT in the game room space, entertainment scene in the other space. Or lose the fireplace and switch them up?

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/507/HT3pano.jpg
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=628588

I think I do remember this one. Actually, the fireplace is an option that we wouldn't be getting. As popular as it is up here, I'm just not a fan of the whole fireplace in the basement. To me, it needs to be a theater / game room / bar. That being said, I think this is a fairly unique plan too. Every walkout basement we've run into always has windows across the back, unllike the screen wall in this build. It definately gives me a better idea of how a theater would look in relation to a bar. I'll try to snap some secret squireel shots the next time I'm in the model to give eveyone a better idea of the finished space.

So I went out this past weekend and took a quick video of the basement for the plan I previously referenced. Again, this would be if we went with an open concept design. Sorry for the shaky cam, but it's a tiny HD camcorder, so the shaky stuff is hard to avoid. The shot is from the bottom of the stairs, showing the bar area, proposed theater area (there would not be a fireplace) and game area behind it. The room in the very back corner is the bedroom (future studio) and full bath.

Let me know what you think.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7279360@N05/5386081354/


Soooooo.... It looks like our house will be going on the market next month. That being said, I have a laundry list of things to finish around here (yea yea.. I know).

Anyways, we've been bouncing back and forth between two home designs that we've seen locally. One has a monster basement that would let me put a mega theater in it, but the kicker is that it's only 3 bedrooms upstairs, with the 4th being in the basement (not a favorite with the family). We found another home that we really like as well that is more traditional with the 4 bedrooms upstairs, but the basement is more of an open concept. I need to revisit some of the threads here to get an idea of what can be done if we go that route, because right now I can't get my head around anything other than a closed off dark room with no windows like I currently have.

If anyone has any images or links, please feel free to shout them out. I've attached a floor plan of option #2 just to shed some light on things. The dotted 9x9 area at the bottom is a rough in for a bar. We'd most likely have the builder finish that area off. Oh, and did I mention that they're currently offering to finish the lower level at no additional charge? It would basically be what you see here, minus the fireplace. The back bedroom will be for my music studio, which is quickly finding a way to climb to the top of my favorite hobbies list when it comes to $$$$.


Oh.. and a shameless plug for my new mixing/production side business :)
http://www.krakenrecords.com

Well, the home went on the market yesterday. The pictures turned out well. I figured I'd post the 360 shot that was taken of the theater. I really like how it turned out.

That looks really cool. Do tell your secret? I use Photoshop every day but have never tried a panorama shot. Did you have 4 photos that you merged with Photoshop?

That looks really cool. Do tell your secret? I use Photoshop every day but have never tried a panorama shot. Did you have 4 photos that you merged with Photoshop?

Oh, it wasn't me. I got that pic from the realtor. They used a wide angle lens (10mm) and then stiched a few shots together for the 360 degree virtual tour.

Gotcha. I thought it might be a fisheye lens.

Any bites?

One way to do the panorama shots is a free Microsoft app, ICE (Image Composite Editor):

http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/groups/ivm/ICE/

Here's an example I did using it - you can also output to an interactive format, I haven't tried that yet:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_YTd3B8yL8uA/TWX9ZggSnVI/AAAAAAAAEGE/oD7qtP4GKA0/s640/frames-panorama-front.jpg

Any bites?

We had a couple of showings, but no offers yet. We actually just reduced the price some yesterday, so hopefully things will pick up a little.

Still chugging away here. After a few price reductions, we're up to roughly 25 showings on the house with no offers. We did have a showing this weekend that looks promising, as the buyers have asked about the possibility of purchasing the theater as is. I must admit, it's been a little fun looking at the new stuff to see what I'd need to replace things with at the next house.

Hang in there. Your house will sell soon. I live in Maple Grove. Houses are selling but it is taking longer and right price make it happen.

Hang in there. Your house will sell soon. I live in Maple Grove. Houses are selling but it is taking longer and right price make it happen.

Thanks. Yea, we're in it for a little longer, but decided that we'll probably call it quits about mid summer if nothing has happened. The last thing we want is to wait this long for nothing to happen, only to miss out on a summer vacation or something.

I agree with you about not missing your summer vacation due house sale effort. Sometimes it also helps to take the house off the market. Most buyers look at the number of days in market and start making low ball offers. One more option you might want to consider is renting your current home. I was in a similar situation and I bought a new home and rented my home for 1 year. I had a good renter. Market improved and I was able to sell it. That one year was stressful but I knew what I was getting into before I made my decision.

I will love to get some ideas from you. I am not a DIY so mistakes are very expensive to fix. Looking at your theater will help a lot.

My soffitts are framed. Electrical work is taking place today and tomorrow and Low Voltage wiring will take place on Wednesday.

Next challenge is false wall design and make sure soffits look nice.
I was thinking of painting the soffitt black and the ceiling brown.

Hi Jason,

What is the appropriate time to build the false wall?
Is it after drywall and before painting and carpeting?

Thanks

I had my false wall built after carpet and paint. Worked great for me.

Yea. I think you can actually go either way. Personally, I'd probably do it after the drywall, but before the carpet and paint. I've also known people that have built it during the framing stage as well.

I guess it depends on whether or not you want carpet under and behind your false wall or not. I wanted my walls painted behind the wall and carpet under the wall so to me, the logical thing was to have mine built after carpet and paint.

Well, I know it's been awhile...but.....

I HAVE UPDATES!!

So.. after 3 months on the market and a few price drops, we started to get an insane amount of activity on the house. As of last week, I think we are about 28-30 showings total since we listed, with a good 8 of them being in one week. We had our first request for a 2nd showing and the buyer was asking about the theater equipment (which wasn't included in the list price). While the 2nd showing was going on, we actually received a SECOND 2nd showing request from another buyer.

The first buyer decided to make an offer. When we heard about this, our agent contacted the 2nd buyer who was ALSO interested in making a 2nd offer. (let's say it together.. 1... 2..... 3... "SWEEEEEEEEEETTTT!!").

The first offer came in at full asking price with no closing costs requested on our end. However, they wanted the entire theater, which we had planned to decline. We wanted to wait until the 2nd offer came in that afternoon and determine which one to pursue. At about 4pm that day, the 2nd agent called and said their clients decided they didn't want to be in a bidding war (can you say Bummer????), so they wanted to "stand on the sidelines" until we decided what we were doing. I wasn't about to go down that road, so we said screw it and went with the first offer.

At the end of the day, we ended up offering the seats, screen, acoustic panels, and 2 in-wall speakers in the back of the room. The projector just got a new bulb about a month ago, so we're good there. Everything will move to the next place (more on that in a second) and will take a little time to setup. Oh, did I mention the buyers want to close on June 20th? yea.. JUNE.. (insert "wtf").

So the scrambling began and we started looking at what was out there. We had been leaning towards building, but it was going to be a 5-6 month process from the time we had a contract on this home. We also didn't want to rule out existing construction, but just weren't finding anything. My wife and I started looking for short term rentals. However, due to the foreclosure rate and everything else that's wacky about today's economy, the vacancy rate in the area we're looking is only at 3%. You wouldn't believe the arrogance we encountered at apartment complexes when asking about short term leases.

So, to make an already long story at least a LITTLE shorter, we took another look at a spec house that was near completion in the neighborhood we were talking about building. What it didn't have that a new build would have were:

1) a 9 foot finished ceiling in the basement (instead.. it was 8'4" I believe).
2) a full or lookout basement (this one is a walkout)
3) some various upgrades we were looking to do, like granite counters in the master bath, additional prewiring, etc..

Now the good..

1) the view from the back of the house is of wetlands, with no neighbor directly beside us on one side or behind us.

2) it's ready to move into now
3) price! (this one has been for sale for a bit and has been reduced a good chunk)

We sat on this for a day or two and then decided we could make it work. I like the challenge of working with an open concept theater. It's something I haven't done before, so I like the ability to be a little creative. We went in with a fairly low offer and after a couple of counters we ended up walking away with what is currently the lowest sales price to date in the neighborhood. The home is fully finished and has a finished 1200sf basement that will accomodate the theater, game area, bar, and my studio in the back bedroom.

After some back and forth, we've been able to get the closing to work for us as well. We'll be closing on our existing home in the morning of the 20th and closing on the new one that afternoon. With a little magic, the moving van will be on time and we'll have a bed to sleep on that night.

I'll post a picture of the floor plan and throw my rough ideas out there for everyone to see. Initially we'll be using a large sectional sofa for seating and most likely projecting onto a blank wall until a screen can be sized out and ordered. The ceiling has the open truss design, so snaking wires should be a breeze.

15 days to pack and then it's game on! I'll be starting up my Theater 3.0 thread very soon with some snapshots of the area and some ideas. I'm looking forward to logging everything about it as I have this one!

Sounds pretty awesome Jason. Can't wait to see the new build thread. Be sure to post a link to it from this thread so we can all know about it. Best wishes on the closing.

Congratulations - that's incredible. We're also considering putting our house up, but not real excited by what's available right now. It's encouraging to hear a good success story. What area did you end up settling on?

I'll be sure and add a new link once things are wrapped up. For now, I'll work on getting a floorplan up in this thread to get the creative juices flowing :)

blldo. we're making a short move from Maple Grove to Plymouth. I think the total distance between the homes is less than 6 miles.

Congrats Jason! Sounds like everything is going to work out for you pretty nicely, aside from the fact that you again missed out on living in St. Paul! ;)
Looking forward to watching your new build, which will probably be done before my ongoing "build!" :o

Congrats Jason! Sounds like everything is going to work out for you pretty nicely, aside from the fact that you again missed out on living in St. Paul! ;)
Looking forward to watching your new build, which will probably be done before my ongoing "build!" :o

LOL! Well, the good news is that I'm now 3 miles closer to that Buffalo Wild Wings. I think we're in need of another get together soon.

Congrats on the sale (& buy). Nerve wracking stuff, huh?

Sounds like the theater was a factor in the buyers interest (finally).

Congrats on the sale (& buy). Nerve wracking stuff, huh?

Sounds like the theater was a factor in the buyers interest (finally).

Nerve wracking is one heck of an understatement!! :) It's amazing how many things the stress of the whole buying and selling process affects. I know I'll sleep SO much better once it's all wrapped up, and it will probably seem like one big dream.

Yea, it sounds like they really wanted the theater, so it was nice to get some positive feedback around it.

Bdub! Another mn company!!

Congratulations on the home sale. Both my mn homes sold in summer,in august. one being a quick close with 15 days. 8 of which I was in Alaska! We packed and moved that house in 3 days, bummer it wasn't a company move that time.... We made sure we didn't let it screw up our summer plans. Actually going on vacation or taking the boat out meant it was easier to show.

Robert

Forgot to add the theater helped sell our first home, glad to get rid of the Sony d50. 3 gun pj, bummed to have to leave the triads silver surrounds.... I swapped out the other triads for some pioneers I had. Worked for everyone but probably like you, the ht was up because you didn't want to take it down, but the buyers wanted a WHOLE lotta gear for free...... Yea that ain't happening... In the end I got a fair price for leaving what I did.

Now if I could JUST get that boat!!! ;)

Awesome timing on everything Jason and I cant wait till 3.0 version thread starts.

Forgot to add the theater helped sell our first home, glad to get rid of the Sony d50. 3 gun pj, bummed to have to leave the triads silver surrounds.... I swapped out the other triads for some pioneers I had. Worked for everyone but probably like you, the ht was up because you didn't want to take it down, but the buyers wanted a WHOLE lotta gear for free...... Yea that ain't happening... In the end I got a fair price for leaving what I did.

Yea. We originally listed the house without the equipment. The idea was to get people in that really liked the room and then have them ask about the equipment. I had a number in mind that I would have let the equipment go for. We actually offered that in our counter but they didn't want to do it. That's why we're taking the majority of stuff with us. I'll need to get some seats and a screen, but the other expenses should be minimal at that point (fingers crossed!).

Awesome timing on everything Jason and I cant wait till 3.0 version thread starts.

Thanks Doug. If all goes well, I'll be starting it on the 20th of this month :)

Ok. So I pulled a quick floorplan down and added some markups. First, this is a walkout basement, so the doors and windows that I highlighted will be a concern. Also, there is no fireplace in this unit. Because of the door location, the fireplace wall will most likely be the screen wall. We'll ultimately add a bar and a wine cellar, and the current game room will become an expansion of the theater with the lobby / arcade area.

Let the fun begin!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7279360@N05/5815233055/

Excellent news for you! But I am feeling a bit deflated... you are on your second theater, and I haven't even finished my first!

-WannaTheater (Fellow Hokie)

Excellent news for you! But I am feeling a bit deflated... you are on your second theater, and I haven't even finished my first!

-WannaTheater (Fellow Hokie)

Actually, this will be my 3rd :)

7 days and counting!

Hope everyone had a good 4th! Sorry I haven't posted in a bit, but the last 2 weeks have been crazy. As of yesterday, we are officially in the new place for 2 weeks.

The move was a bit crazy. Although the total distance ended up being only 3 miles between homes, the movers completely underestimated the size of the moving van needed. What started as just a 26 foot van ended up as a 26 foot, 16 foot, cargo van, and the back of 2 SUVs. Who knew?

We also ran into a small issue after closing where the new buyers thought a piece of property was staying that actually wasn't. After a few phone calls with our agent, that was all sorted out.

We've actually managed to already watch 2 movies in the basement. I'll have to post a picture of the ghetto setup I have going on right now. Basically, the projector is stacked on top of 2 storage bins and projecting over my sectional onto the painted wall. I think that image will mark the end of theater 2.0 and the beginning of 3.0 :) Stay tuned for the new thread!

Congrats Jason.

I think I once had you beat on a ghetto setup.

First it was this awesome setup...

http://www.soleproductions.com/forumfiles/klipsch.jpg

Then I upgraded to this

http://soleproductions.com/forumfiles/elitescreen.jpg

http://www.soleproductions.com/forumfiles/panny16.jpg

For awhile, I didn't know Bar Stools were used for anything except for a Home Theater. :)

i hate the title of this thread

i hate the title of this thread

Is it the font? :)

i hate the title of this thread

I shall be sure to alert all the media outlets. :rolleyes:

Jason,

Congratulations on selling your home and finding a new home in the NW Suburbs.
Since this is your 3rd theater I am sure we will do well with it by applying the lessons learned in the 2 previous builds.

I moved from Plymouth to Maple Grove 5 years ago and my new theater will finish by the end of this month. This is the first theater I built on my own. My previous home was owned by the owner of Appollo Systems(Large Custom Integrator) so it already had a home theater. It did help in selling that home in a tough economy.

Looking forward to your new build.

Jason,

Congratulations on selling your home and finding a new home in the NW Suburbs.
Since this is your 3rd theater I am sure we will do well with it by applying the lessons learned in the 2 previous builds.

I moved from Plymouth to Maple Grove 5 years ago and my new theater will finish by the end of this month. This is the first theater I built on my own. My previous home was owned by the owner of Appollo Systems(Large Custom Integrator) so it already had a home theater. It did help in selling that home in a tough economy.

Looking forward to your new build.

Hey,

I was just checking out your build thread. Are you by chance over in Bonaire? If so, we're just right down the road :)

Yes I am in Bonaire. This is awesome. We will have to get together when things settle down for you. Welcome to the neighborhood.

Yes I am in Bonaire. This is awesome. We will have to get together when things settle down for you. Welcome to the neighborhood.

You bet. I'll shoot you a PM.

Is it the font? :)

I shall be sure to alert all the media outlets. :rolleyes:

xD, I don't know. Imagine if all of our build threads were "MY NEW THEATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!".

Actually if you look a couple threads down we have a very similar build thread called "something something - VERSION 2.0!!!".

I think we're all on version 2.0+ based on HTIBs. ;)

xD, I don't know. Imagine if all of our build threads were "MY NEW THEATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!".

Actually if you look a couple threads down we have a very similar build thread called "something something - VERSION 2.0!!!".

I think we're all on version 2.0+ based on HTIBs. ;)


Funny, I actually noticed that other thread yesterday. I do have to admit though, the name for my next thread does have "3.0" in it though :)

sigh, as long as you're the only one...
I will be 2.9.

mn_Hokie I saw the sectional couch in your Flickr stream and was wondering what kind is is and if you thought it was a good fit in your space. It looks really comfortable! http://www.flickr.com/photos/7279360@N05/5864488636/in/photostream/

sigh, as long as you're the only one...
I will be 2.9.

It will be. I will hunt down all others, like one of those Predator movies.

Patiently waiting for the v3.0 thread and HT meetup....

mn_Hokie I saw the sectional couch in your Flickr stream and was wondering what kind is is and if you thought it was a good fit in your space. It looks really comfortable! http://www.flickr.com/photos/7279360@N05/5864488636/in/photostream/

Hey,

It actually fits really well. It could even be larger and still work in the space. However, we pulled that from the family room of our old house and are currently using it as a placeholder until I get some theater seats (the others were left for the new owner). It's really comfortable and is nice when we're watching movies, but I think individual seats are going to be a better fit for what I have in mind (more to come on that later). Long story short - we'll be selling it soon I'm sure.

Ok guys - I'm closing this one out and starting up the new thread. Here's the direct link to Theater 3.0!

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=20664750#post20664750

See ya there!

Also, I'm trying to setup a get together for next week at Buffalo Wild Wings in Plymouth for everyone that's local. Feel free to comment on the new thread if you're avaialable and we'll go from there!

PGIPCGyihxw

Just wanted to mention in this thread that we're planning a local get together at 5:30 this Thursday at BWW in Plymouth. If anyone wants to drop by, feel free.

Just wanted to say it was nice to meet you guys last night. Can't wait to see how the projects turn out!

Just wanted to say it was nice to meet you guys last night. Can't wait to see how the projects turn out!

Thanks again for coming out!

Nice meeting you guys the other night, nice to see what you all have already done, nice to see how all our projects will turn out, if I'm free, I'm always open to lend a hand if needed.

TheaterChad and mn_hokie I can use some guidance on building the false wall and the platform behind it. I will send my design and have you guys review it.

It was nice to meet you guys in person.

TheaterChad and mn_hokie I can use some guidance on building the false wall and the platform behind it. I will send my design and have you guys review it.

It was nice to meet you guys in person.


Bad idea asking mn_hokie for screen wall advice.

I don't think he's ever finished one. :D

bad idea asking mn_hokie for screen wall advice.

I don't think he's ever finished one. :d

lmao!!!

Bad idea asking mn_hokie for screen wall advice.

I don't think he's ever finished one. :D

Bastard!

OMG!

Now I know I found the right thread here, lol!

Not getting a ton of traction on the new build thread over in the general forum, so figured I'd post the question here :)

What can you guys recommend in terms of decent front channel in-walls? I'm tossing around the idea of incorporating the L and R channels into some columns on the stage, but want something with some kick.