Greetings AVS Forum members! Before I go into anything I have built, I would like to say thanks and am very grateful for this forum. I spent many hours researching my project and got some great intel! I don't think I could've finished this project successfully without the help of this forum.
I am going to detail the entire build with pictures I took along the way. The project is complete (99%). Some of this thread will be the progression of finishing the basement and some will detail my theater specific details. I will have to break this up into several sections and complete as time allows. For anyone (newbies I guess) looking to do their own basement finishing and theater creation, I hope this thread will give you ideas, heads up on pre-planning, and idiot mistakes I made that you should watch out for. I'll put my short product reviews in as well of the equipment I purchased.
For any pros out there reading this... I am new to the theater scene so if I did something that isn't right, please let me know so I can stay up late at night cursing myself for the mistake. This is my second basement finishing. I did all my own work except for the drywall. I hate drywalling and I have a job to go to everyday. It would take too long for me to do and I don't own a drywall lift. It's one of those things that was worth it to me to hire out. Also, it's amazing to come home and see the sheetrock hung! It's the turning point to the back 9 in the job.
To the newbs out there... anyone can do this. Do your homework first. Plan everything ahead of time. Don't wire for outlets and lights if you don't know how electricity works. Also, I have lots of tools. A table saw, chop saw, router, an infinity of hand tools, nail guns of varying sizes, power sander, and every other obvious thing one builds things with are all a must for this kind of job (it surprises me how many people I know who do house projects yet do not own a table saw). Do things right the first time, to code (if applicable). Be ready to spend money. I did this basement on my "open" budget. I didn't have one, but I like to work frugally. I knew it was going to be expensive but man, all the little costs add up over nine months. Hardware, wires, wood, etc... my credit card bills each month were "surprising". 3 pages of Menard's visits. With that all being said, I'll get on with it...
I moved into a relatively new house last spring 2015 (about 8 years old). It had a full very partially finished basement. When I say partially, I mean the builders put in a full bath and the walls around the bathroom had drywall already hung as well as one partition wall that separated the furnace room from the rest of the basement. Everything else was concrete foundation and the entire ceiling was still open. Plenty of space down there to do whatever I wanted to do. But I definitely had my work cut out for me.
I allowed my family to get settled in for about 6 months and then decided it was time to make what I've always wanted...my own basement theater. I knew I wanted a big screen, Dolby Atmos ceiling speakers, a built-in component rack, tiered seating, a pool table, bar, pinball machines and a poker table. Because the bathroom was put right in the center of the basement, it divided the space into essentially two sections. The main section would be for me, and the back section would contain a bedroom for my son and an office (AKA crap storage room) for my girlfriend.
With my plan set in my mind, it was time to get to work in figuring out how I wanted to do this. I decided I was going to do the basement in two phases. Phase one would be the back two rooms and hallway, and then phase two would be the main room. Since we seem to be hoarders here, the basement contains a lot of stuff. A lot. If I did it in two pieces then I could shift all the stuff to one side and work on the other. Since my son needed a bedroom (he was sleeping on the sofa down there out in the open) I decided to do the back first. This made sense anyway due to the stairs leading into the basement entered in the main area. Better do the back first. Photos are looking at the back section and the hallway leading to them from the main area.
I am going to detail the entire build with pictures I took along the way. The project is complete (99%). Some of this thread will be the progression of finishing the basement and some will detail my theater specific details. I will have to break this up into several sections and complete as time allows. For anyone (newbies I guess) looking to do their own basement finishing and theater creation, I hope this thread will give you ideas, heads up on pre-planning, and idiot mistakes I made that you should watch out for. I'll put my short product reviews in as well of the equipment I purchased.
For any pros out there reading this... I am new to the theater scene so if I did something that isn't right, please let me know so I can stay up late at night cursing myself for the mistake. This is my second basement finishing. I did all my own work except for the drywall. I hate drywalling and I have a job to go to everyday. It would take too long for me to do and I don't own a drywall lift. It's one of those things that was worth it to me to hire out. Also, it's amazing to come home and see the sheetrock hung! It's the turning point to the back 9 in the job.
To the newbs out there... anyone can do this. Do your homework first. Plan everything ahead of time. Don't wire for outlets and lights if you don't know how electricity works. Also, I have lots of tools. A table saw, chop saw, router, an infinity of hand tools, nail guns of varying sizes, power sander, and every other obvious thing one builds things with are all a must for this kind of job (it surprises me how many people I know who do house projects yet do not own a table saw). Do things right the first time, to code (if applicable). Be ready to spend money. I did this basement on my "open" budget. I didn't have one, but I like to work frugally. I knew it was going to be expensive but man, all the little costs add up over nine months. Hardware, wires, wood, etc... my credit card bills each month were "surprising". 3 pages of Menard's visits. With that all being said, I'll get on with it...
I moved into a relatively new house last spring 2015 (about 8 years old). It had a full very partially finished basement. When I say partially, I mean the builders put in a full bath and the walls around the bathroom had drywall already hung as well as one partition wall that separated the furnace room from the rest of the basement. Everything else was concrete foundation and the entire ceiling was still open. Plenty of space down there to do whatever I wanted to do. But I definitely had my work cut out for me.
I allowed my family to get settled in for about 6 months and then decided it was time to make what I've always wanted...my own basement theater. I knew I wanted a big screen, Dolby Atmos ceiling speakers, a built-in component rack, tiered seating, a pool table, bar, pinball machines and a poker table. Because the bathroom was put right in the center of the basement, it divided the space into essentially two sections. The main section would be for me, and the back section would contain a bedroom for my son and an office (AKA crap storage room) for my girlfriend.
With my plan set in my mind, it was time to get to work in figuring out how I wanted to do this. I decided I was going to do the basement in two phases. Phase one would be the back two rooms and hallway, and then phase two would be the main room. Since we seem to be hoarders here, the basement contains a lot of stuff. A lot. If I did it in two pieces then I could shift all the stuff to one side and work on the other. Since my son needed a bedroom (he was sleeping on the sofa down there out in the open) I decided to do the back first. This made sense anyway due to the stairs leading into the basement entered in the main area. Better do the back first. Photos are looking at the back section and the hallway leading to them from the main area.