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Omaha Area Dream Theater Build

26K views 244 replies 37 participants last post by  Eventually 
#1 ·
After a long wait, I finally get to build my dream theater. The house construction is "done" and it's time to get to play in the basement. The theater room is under garage and is essentially a concrete bunker. It is 21' 8 " wide by 28' 9" long with a 12" riser in the concrete 18' 4" off the front wall. Lower tier ceiling is 9' 3" and upper tier is 8' 3". The entrance is in the back left corner.


Framing is starting next week and will be a slow process as this project will be DIY. After struggling with how to make soffits without drilling into the span-crete my framing buddy suggested spanning the room with I-joists and supporting them in the outer framed walls and then putting some dabs of PL400 on the top side of the joist to set up against the ceiling. I will be using these soffits for HVAC and a place to put the projector. I absolute loved the idea and will let you know how it turns out.


One thing I don't have figured out yet is what to do with the ceiling. The span-crete is made up of 4' wide panels with the equivalent of drywall joints in between. What can I do to "mud" them? My friend W00lly on the forums suggested fabric panels and I like the idea as it made the joints a moot point but then started seeing some of the star ceilings and thought that might be cool. I think I'd have to do a painted one though since there is no "area above" to work in and I don't want to sacrifice any height. Any suggestions on how to make this a smooth ceiling? Durabond?


I'm a woodworker by hobby and will be wainscoting the room and putting up columns with crown and sconces for some of the lighting. One thing I'm contemplating is insulating the walls with unfaced fiberglass and spraying it black where there is no woodwork and then mounting fabric panels over top. Any thoughts on that? Seems like I'd be able to have great sound treatments and avoid the drywall mess all in one shot. It would also give me the freedom to easily run future wiring upgrades as needed. Again would love your thoughts on this. Thanks in advance!
 
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#3 ·
I'm excited you actually got a build thread up.


What about the skynightmurals guy that paints the ceilings? Maybe he has ideas. I'm hiring him when I ever get to the 2.0 HT.


I'm still thinking on your seating arrangement, but I'm super jealous of your sound isolation. That thing is a bomb shelter.
 
#4 ·
I'm not married to the seating arrangement and open to thoughts. The knee wall between the lower and upper tiers is a fixed deal though. After discovering how it helps with bass response in the middle of the room two theaters ago, I'd never do one without it.
 
#8 ·
I'll get some photos up tomorrow.
Side walls are framed and secured at the bottom. I'm using PL400 to secure them but can't use the ram set. The concrete contractor did such an uneven job on the floor that I had to have a gypcrete contractor come in and level things up. They did a fantastic job but advised not firing a ram set into their product as it's simply not as strong as concrete. Once that is set up I will level the walls and secure at the top. I glued cleat blocks to the foundation every 4' along the wall towards the top and will let those set up and then drive screws through the studs to straighten/level the wall at the top.


The back wall is cut and ready to be assembled and tilted in place but I didn't want to nail after 9:00 as the kids are in bed. Firing the air nailer in the "echo chamber" is right up there with firing the ram set in terms of volume. Should have you or Michael bring you your mic to measure the decibles.
I will start framing up the soffit jacks for the I-joists in the back after the back wall is up. Still doing some finishing touches on the design of the front wall framing but should have that in place by the end of the weekend if all goes well.


I was also going to mention that the more I look at it now that things are coming together, that back row of seating will probably be iffy at best. Any ideas for option "B"?
 
#9 ·
#10 ·
You can invite us Omahans over when the theater is up and running.


Good luck with the build and lots of pics, please.
 
#11 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexanderDelarg  /t/1506638/omaha-area-dream-theater-build#post_24122349


You can invite us Omahans over when the theater is up and running.


Good luck with the build and lots of pics, please.

It will only be a matter of time. The question is how much though.
I went on the Omaha Theater Tour in 2012 and got lots of ideas and met a lot of great people. It wouldn't be right not to return the favor.
 
#12 ·
A view from the doorway...







A view of the back wall with the halogen hanging in the doorway. You will see some 2x4s leaning against the cleat block I mentioned in an earlier post. They are there to simply to keep the cleat blocks from falling while the glue sets up. Will let them set up over night and then level in the top tomorrow







Here you can see the right wall. You'll notice some wider spacings in some of the studs. That's where the columns will be. There will be no insulation behind the columns which will give me another 4" of depth for the surround speakers to sit in the columns. You'll also see an extra stud 4' out from the front wall which is where I plan to tie in the front wall.


Going across the room you'll see where the first I-joist is ready to go up for the front of the "projector soffit". I need someone to hold the chalk line on the ceiling at the other end so I can ensure it goes up straight. Going to have to wait to do that as everyone else decided to go to the zoo today since it's 59 degrees outside in December!

 
#13 ·
Made some progress today. Hit 60 degrees outside though again and had to savor it a bit. Tomorrow's high is 6. Had to enjoy some time with the family before the deep freeze.


One thing I learned today is the hollow cores are arched ever so slightly. When putting up the first I-joist, I found the center to be about an inch away from the concrete. I put the level on the I-joist to make sure it wasn't sagging. I then put up a second I-joist to find the same thing. I guess trimming things out at the ceiling going across the room has just become a little more interesting.


Front wall is all cut and just needs to be nailed off and raised. Still need to frame the knee wall and rest of the soffit but hope to finish that tomorrow. Pics will come shortly after.
 
#14 ·
The wind while is crazy cold today compared to the last few days. Welcome to Nebraska. Looking forward to the pics. Do you know what projector, screen, speakers, receiver, BD player you will be using yet?
 
#15 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexanderDelarg  /t/1506638/omaha-area-dream-theater-build#post_24131985


The wind while is crazy cold today compared to the last few days. Welcome to Nebraska. Looking forward to the pics. Do you know what projector, screen, speakers, receiver, BD player you will be using yet?

I have no idea on the projector yet. Had an Epson 8500UB at the last house and really liked it. Don't know if 4k is cost justifiable at this point. I listen to concerts as much as movies and tend to invest in sound over picture. The screen will likely be a Seymour AT screen. I had Chris cut me a piece last time on an angle to avoid the moiré effect and was very happy with it. I stretched it over a hard wood frame and reinforced it with angle iron on the back side to prevent warping. Worked like a charm.


LCR will be a set of LS9s I picked up about a year ago. Subs are TBD but I'm excited to see Josh's review of the SI HS 24. Sounds promising.
Everything else is still TBD. Everything will run on it's own amp and as a result won't be relying on the receiver to have good power. I'm interested in the Onkyo 929 but need to probably spend more time researching. I had the 3007 last time and was fairly happy with it but was almost too much in terms of frills. I did like the video handling though. Any suggestions to consider?


Better get back to work.
 
#16 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexanderDelarg  /t/1506638/omaha-area-dream-theater-build#post_24131985


The wind while is crazy cold today compared to the last few days. Welcome to Nebraska. Looking forward to the pics. Do you know what projector, screen, speakers, receiver, BD player you will be using yet?

Don't let the thread title fool you, this guy lives in I O W A.
 
#20 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by rkinmoval  /t/1506638/omaha-area-dream-theater-build#post_24132850



I have no idea on the projector yet. Had an Epson 8500UB at the last house and really liked it. Don't know if 4k is cost justifiable at this point. I listen to concerts as much as movies and tend to invest in sound over picture. The screen will likely be a Seymour AT screen. I had Chris cut me a piece last time on an angle to avoid the moiré effect and was very happy with it. I stretched it over a hard wood frame and reinforced it with angle iron on the back side to prevent warping. Worked like a charm.


LCR will be a set of LS9s I picked up about a year ago. Subs are TBD but I'm excited to see Josh's review of the SI HS 24. Sounds promising.
Everything else is still TBD. Everything will run on it's own amp and as a result won't be relying on the receiver to have good power. I'm interested in the Onkyo 929 but need to probably spend more time researching. I had the 3007 last time and was fairly happy with it but was almost too much in terms of frills. I did like the video handling though. Any suggestions to consider?


Better get back to work.
SVS and Rythmic make outstanding subs in the same price range as the SI you're looking at.  I would take a look at a few of those to compare. I am going to get the Epson 6030 with a Carada screen, a Pioneer Elite receiver with Definitive Technology speakers, a Rythmic LV12R sub , Oppo 103 and ATS acoustic panels. Spent lots of time researching and now saving up and waiting to see what the tax man has to say. 
 
#21 ·
As promised...


Will frame the knee wall and the steps tomorrow and then need to start calculating my hardwood order. I'm not looking forward to that bill but know it will be worth it in the long run.



Soffit and front wall are in. Still need to do a cleat board along the front wall for the "back" of the soffit too.





Back third of the room from the entry. Leaning towards just putting a counter along the back wall now as I don't think there is enough room for a third row of seats comfortably. Will likely put a small fridge in it but need some ideas for other "nice to haves" in a theater. I have a small popcorn popper that will likely go on the counter as well. All of the equipment will be in a closet outside of the room so no need to worry about space in the room for that.





Right wall... Note the soffit dividing the two sections of the room. This is where my projector will be. I did the same thing in my last theater and loved it. The throw ends up being about 16' in a ~25' deep room. It's also nice and quiet in there. I've read a lot of threads where people seem limited in terms of their projectors because the throw is too far. This addresses this.
One other purpose the soffit serves is it will hold accent lights over a bar for the second row of seating.





Front wall... Screen opening is over 13' across. The final screen will not be this big but should give me plenty of flexibility if I choose to do a 2.35:1. I need to read up more on those.






From the right side....





Standing in the front left corner...





Standing in the front right corner...
 
#22 ·
Very nice. Keep up the good work and the pics.
 
#23 ·
Wasn't feeling so hot today. Ate something I shouldn't have. Still managed to get the knee wall done and the duct ran. Will start electrical and speaker wire tomorrow. I'm planning on pulling 2 high speed HDMI and a cat 6 to the projector. Anything else you guys can think of that needs to be in the walls besides speaker wire? I did see the suggestion for the projector outlet to be on a UPS. I love that idea and will incorporate it into the wiring as well.
 
#25 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by warrenP  /t/1506638/omaha-area-dream-theater-build#post_24139729


Sooooo, is it too early for me to start driving there, for your upcoming HT meet?

Maybe a little early.



Progress will continue at a good pace today but there is a lot of woodwork to come and I don't even have my table saw set up yet from the move. It will be a key tool in the columns and wainscoting work that lies ahead plus if you can't tell, I've had the last few days off. Unfortunately that will come to an end as well.
 
#26 ·
You're off to a great start! I'm so glad I stumbled across your build. I haven't been to the forums in awhile. I was milling around looking for a good demo disc. It's also good to see you're from the right side of the river.
I learned a lot from all these guys four years ago when I was working on my home theater. I look forward to watching your progress.
 
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