I'm working on plans to finish out my basement. Here is an overview of the layout I'm planning to go with:
However, I'm very concerned bout headroom. Whoever had this house built originally obviously had no plans to finish the basement, based on how the air ducts were run. My primary problem is that the main trunk line runs right down the middle of the basement. Here are some pictures to illustrate. I apologize for the awful quality. I can take better pictures if necessary.
This picture is looking straight on from the garage area:
Looking toward the proposed theater area:
Theater area closer up:
Proposed workout area from the garage area:
Proposed hangout area:
From the concrete to the floor joists, the basement right at 8ft in height. At its lowest, the trunk duct is just over 6 feet off of the ground (this would be the area right by the fuse box in the last picture). As you can probably see from the pictures, there are also sewage lines, water supply lines, and gas lines to deal with.
Are there any viable ways for me to increase the headroom in this area? Would it be worthwhile/feasible to switch to non-insulated rectangular ducts to save space? Is there something else I could do that I haven't thought about? I would prefer to have a dry walled ceiling. I'm afraid that it won't be worth finishing out the basement if I end up with a super low ceiling. I would also rather not have a low soffit running the length of the finished basement if I can avoid it.
Also, if anyone has any other general tips or suggestions then I am all ears! Are there any special considerations I should make toward soundproofing the theater room itself?
However, I'm very concerned bout headroom. Whoever had this house built originally obviously had no plans to finish the basement, based on how the air ducts were run. My primary problem is that the main trunk line runs right down the middle of the basement. Here are some pictures to illustrate. I apologize for the awful quality. I can take better pictures if necessary.
This picture is looking straight on from the garage area:
Looking toward the proposed theater area:
Theater area closer up:
Proposed workout area from the garage area:
Proposed hangout area:
From the concrete to the floor joists, the basement right at 8ft in height. At its lowest, the trunk duct is just over 6 feet off of the ground (this would be the area right by the fuse box in the last picture). As you can probably see from the pictures, there are also sewage lines, water supply lines, and gas lines to deal with.
Are there any viable ways for me to increase the headroom in this area? Would it be worthwhile/feasible to switch to non-insulated rectangular ducts to save space? Is there something else I could do that I haven't thought about? I would prefer to have a dry walled ceiling. I'm afraid that it won't be worth finishing out the basement if I end up with a super low ceiling. I would also rather not have a low soffit running the length of the finished basement if I can avoid it.
Also, if anyone has any other general tips or suggestions then I am all ears! Are there any special considerations I should make toward soundproofing the theater room itself?