3 Years In The Making - Dedicated Theater Construction Thread

wow, what can i say. i have been a 2 channel audiophile for years but have been planning my dedicated theater for over 3 years. i finally designed and built my home where i was able to design everything from the ground up. hence, my dedicated theater could finally take place.


Equipment

Klipsch KL-650-THX Ultra 2 Speakers (LCR)
Klipsch KS-7800-THX (Surrounds)
SVS PB12-Plus Subwoofer
SVS PC12-Plus Subwoofer (2)
Anthem MRX500 Reciever
Anthem MCA30 Amplifier
Denon DVP-602ci Scaler
Oppo BD-83 Bluray
Scientific Atlanta 8300HD PVR

XBOX 360

PS3
JVC RS35 Projector
Seymour AV Center Stage XD Screen



this post will be updated with equipment, setup and final pics after everything is complete.

Edited by Anthony A. - 2/26/13 at 8:34pm

Basics

this room will be constructed in the basement of my home, with 3 exterior walls, and 1 interior wall. my goal is to make it as quiet (soundproof) as possible within reason. i have not set a budget on the construction portion, although i am trying to save as much money as i can so i can splurge on a nice projector. my priorities are to make everything as concealed as possible, and be more on the contemporary modern side. i am going for a sleek look, with all the components hidden from view.

Equipment Closet

as mentioned, all the speakers, pj, etc. in the theater room will be hidden behind false walls, AT screen, etc. the speakers i have decided on at the moment are klipsch 650-thx lcr's with matching surrounds. the actual equipment is located in the small space underneath my stairs. it will have a door for access, as well as kitchen cabinet style doors accessible from the kitchen when loading dvd's, etc. from the kitchen, it will look like a pantry, but when you open the doors it will reveal the components as well as dvd storage.

Acoustics

as already mentioned, my goal is to keep sound inside as much as possible, while at the same time keeping outside sounds out of the theater as well. i will insulate all walls and ceiling with pink insulation as the first line of defense. a new, independant ceiling will be constructed, apart from the main floor joists above. this air void will be filled as much as i can with insulation. the entire theater will be double drywalled with green glue in between the 5/8" layers. if i decide on building a soffit around the room, i will install it after drywall. the front wall will also have acoustic treatments from top to bottom, including bass traps, all covered by a false wall with black gom fabric. the speakers will be installed behind an AT, and the surrounds hidden with the columns.

HVAC

this area is still up in the air, i have 3 rough-in supplies at the moment that i may end up keeping, although they are 2 at the rear of the room (near the seating), and 1 at the front. if i keep these the way they are, the 2 at the rear will be mounted close to the floor, 1 on either side of the 2nd row seating, and the front one will be a high wall close to the stage. the returns i have not decided on location yet but will consult my HVAC guy in the next week as to where he thinks the best placement would be. im thinking of 2 returns, 1 high and 1 low, but we'll see what he suggests.


here is a pic of the basement layout.

in regards to colors, im thinking of sticking with a grey palette. i would like to keep it as close to a bat cave as possible to improve pj contrast and brightness, but at the same time, it can't be too sterile and uninviting. my goal is to make it as sleek as possible within the grey color palette, unless i change ideas on the color scheme as time progresses.

here is a couple quick sketchups of the proposed theater.

some pics of the exterior wall framing complete with insulwrap.

FRONT


FRONT CLOSEUP


BACK


PROJECTOR CLOSET


PROJECTOR FAN/VENT


WALLS 1/2" SHORT FROM EXISTING FLOOR JOISTS

i've ordered dc04 clips to attach the walls to the existing floor joists. a relatively cheap tweak that should prevent sound transmission.

this coming week, the framing and hvac will be completed, and possibly most of the hv electrical. i will be doing all the lv stuff and video cables the following week. need to start ordering the cables, just have to measure the exact lengths needed.

finished framing and new independant ceiling.

some pics of the staggered wall and double wall construction of the front wall (disregard the 1x2 wood attached... it was for screen size reference and will be removed).









these are the equipment room pics located under the stairs. there will be a door at the side for access, accessible from the hallway.

so as we stand, the framing is now complete, and the electrical is close. all the low voltage and speaker cables will be done as soon as the items arrive in the mail. i am going to build a projector hush box out of mdf and cut out some vent grills to help get air in, since i already have a fan to vent the hot air out. also waiting for dc04 clips to arrive to make the ceiling a hair sturdier and attach the partition walls to the existing floor joists.

fully insulated room prior to drywall.









and of course, the first layer of drywall.


FRONT



SUB CAVITY



RAER (notice the pj hush box installed)

here are some closeups of the pj box. i wish i had taken pics of it during construction, but i built it super late one night as the drywall guys were coming in the morning to do the first layer.





as stated earlier, i designed the box to have a fan with an attic fan thermostat attached to vent out hot aire to the outside of the house. i will need to make some grills vents for the air to circulate inside. also need to build a faceplate for the box for access and the grills will be cut on each side of it. im thinking MDF will be the easiest to do, but haven't really thought about it enough yet since its a ways away.

and outside the theater we have the equipment closet with wiring hanging loosely.




whole house music wiring and keypad, doorbell, etc. drops for the russound mca-c5 controller.



lutron light keypad on bottom, and russound keypad rough-in on top

here is some structured wiring eye-candy!!!




wire acess to each panel for future runs (so i don't need to tear up drywall)



these were made to run the power cables to nearby outlet, as well as for battery backup plug in. the panels are too small to fit any of the battery backup units im looking at, and i want the router, switches and modem to always have power.



lutron homeworks whole home lighting control panel



and finally, the very messy electrical closet (other side of structured wiring panels). note that i need to install 2 subpanels (1 for the lights, and 1 for the theater/music stuff).

so as it stands, this weekend i need to caulk/seal all the joints in the theater and outside adjoining walls with acoustical sealent. once that dries sufficiently, i will have the second layer of drywall installed with green glue in between. i've tried really hard to keep this room as airtight as possible, especially in the design process and thanks so much to everyone who have helped with my many "soundproofing" questions.


*edit* i just realized that i didn't run a cable for the pj ir back to the equipment closet. crap. i did run an ir cable (cat6) from the equipment closet to the front of the theater which will have a sensor. i would like to go rf in either case.

so.... if the pj is hidden in that box, is there no other way to control it other than running an ir cable? if thats the last resort, can it be done with cat3?

thanks for the kind comments thus far. i forgot to mention that i did all the wiring myself, and let me tell you it took a lot longer than any other home i have wired. im pretty psyched about the lutron and hai as well since its the first time i will be doing anything of this sort.

thanks, im pretty psyched about the system. it is going to be the homeworks 4 system with 8 wallbox power modules installed next to the panel which will control 95% of the loads in the house. by going this route, i have a single keypad in each room that can control everything. the closets and baths will use maestro switches tied in with the processor.

yup, my office will have my 2 channel rig setup, with the components also in the equipment closet. my 2 channel rig consists of monoblock tube amps, pre, usb dac and music server.

no i haven't but i have heard from the automation forum that it supposed to be amazing. im still reluctant on using wireless, but lutron would, imo, be the one to do it right.

heres a few pics of the room completely sealed with acoustical caulk from "the green glue company". (its actually brown in color to avoid confusion).





outside wall




and finally, the rooms second layer of drywall with 2 tubes green glue per sheet both inside the theater and out.

equipment closet (opening on the right will have a pullout drawer that will house the dvd collection)



my office, which will have my 2 channel audio gear (note the cutout for my a/v stuff)

basement is 9' high, theater is just over 8'. i did manage to label everything, although the labels seems to not be sticking very well. i need to go and tighten them every week or so, so they don't fall off. should be okay until i organize them in the rack.