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We completed the basement project (HT, plus)

post #1 of 44
11/11/09 at 8:15pm
Thread Starter 
Three month post-completion update here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...2#post18136802


After a short while planning (and far too much time reading AVSForum threads), we finally got underway, then completed our basement remodel and HT installation. Thanks to the AVSForum folks for the good suggestions during the HT portion of the build.

Here's a few pics I took of the completed project:

We're using a Carada CIH Masking system, a JVC RS20, and Prismasonic A-lense. We couldn't be more pleased with the result. Jason Turk installed the mount, projector, and lens.


The electronics are located in the cabinets in the media storage area, in an alcove to the left of the screen


Here's the rest of the project:

Wide-angle view of the main room:


The bar turned out nice, as did the buffet area. We wound up putting in a wet bar, it's been a nice place to hang with friends.




The kid's electronic dart board is up now, but we switch out to a horsehair board for competition matches with friends.


OK, OK, I promise to use the exercise equipment daily! (NOT)




Here's a sample of what the basement looked like before the remodel:
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post #2 of 44
11/11/09 at 8:21pm
Thats un-freakin believable!! Thats a huge basement. Just for a little scope of that project think you could post an outside shot of your house. Those barstools look really comfy, what kind are they?
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post #3 of 44
11/11/09 at 8:24pm
Now that's a basement I could live in! Very nice job indeed.

Has anyone thrown a dart into the lights yet?
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post #4 of 44
11/11/09 at 8:28pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Moggie View Post

Now that's a basement I could live in! Very nice job indeed.

Has anyone thrown a dart into the lights yet?

Nope, but I found two punctures in the drywall below the dart board. The kids must have found the steel darts. Ah well, that was expected...
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post #5 of 44
11/11/09 at 8:35pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pfdjr1 View Post

Thats un-freakin believable!! Thats a huge basement. Just for a little scope of that project think you could post an outside shot of your house. Those barstools look really comfy, what kind are they?

I'm on the road tonight, but will look at the chairs when I get home for a manufacturer's tag. We've had them for a few years -- I can't recall where we bought them...

We live in the land of comparatively cheap real estate (NE Ohio), so yes, the house is big. We finished off a little over half the basement and added 1,800 sq ft.
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post #6 of 44
11/11/09 at 8:49pm
Impressive
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post #7 of 44
11/11/09 at 8:55pm
WOW! Well done, very nice and classy space. Congrats on a great space. What are the dimensions of your theater room. I also live in an area of pretty cheap real estate but to have a home with a basement that is half finished with 1800 sq feet? That is awesome in onto itself. I would love to have that kind of space to work with!

Regards,

RTROSE
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post #8 of 44
11/11/09 at 9:00pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by RTROSE View Post

WOW! Well done, very nice and classy space. Congrats on a great space. What are the dimensions of your theater room. I also live in an area of pretty cheap real estate but to have a home with a basement that is half finished with 1800 sq feet? That is awesome in onto itself. I would love to have that kind of space to work with!

Regards,

RTROSE


Thanks for the nice comments, all. We're very pleased with the way the project turned out. It's been done about a month and we've used it a lot!

The HT is about 18x20, not including the media alcove.

Brad
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post #9 of 44
11/12/09 at 7:42am
Could you post a rough drawing of your basement? Why did you go with a drop ceiling?
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post #10 of 44
11/12/09 at 8:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by HD in Ohio View Post

After a short while planning (and far too much time reading AVSForum threads), we finally got underway, then completed our basement remodel and HT installation.



Incredible: it only took you one single solitary word from getting underway to completion! That's gotta be a record!

Awesome.

Time for me to quietly slink back into my multi-year, never-ending project now.
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post #11 of 44
11/12/09 at 9:11am
beautiful
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post #12 of 44
11/12/09 at 9:20am
Awesome
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post #13 of 44
11/12/09 at 11:00am
Wow, that is one very large, very well done basement. Nice work.

...except for that old CRT sitting in the main room...

Sorry, just couldn't resist. All in good fun.
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post #14 of 44
11/12/09 at 11:20am
what kind of flooring did you use in workout area?
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post #15 of 44
11/13/09 at 7:47pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pfdjr1 View Post

Thats un-freakin believable!! Thats a huge basement. Just for a little scope of that project think you could post an outside shot of your house. Those barstools look really comfy, what kind are they?

Here's a shot with roof fungus and all...

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post #16 of 44
11/13/09 at 7:49pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by steeler View Post

Could you post a rough drawing of your basement? Why did you go with a drop ceiling?

Here's a cheapie home-made drawing of the basement. We went drop ceiling to keep access to the mechanicals. I also like the look of a drop ceiling better than drywall - perhaps I'm not normal...

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post #17 of 44
11/13/09 at 7:57pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hanesian View Post


Incredible: it only took you one single solitary word from getting underway to completion! That's gotta be a record!



The best part of the project turned out to be our builder. He is a friend of the family and typically is employed by a high-end home building firm. He's been out of work for quite a while and was rejected for unemployment because his turd of a boss never paid into the state fund.

We wanted our basement remodeled and he needed work. Great opportunity for both of us. He and his wife both worked at our place full time from mid-March through mid-October.

My wife worked with him on the design. She also picked out all of the colors and accessories and used slave labor (me) for the painting.

With an experienced carpenter doing all the major work, even though the project turned out a little larger than we had expected, the work progressed at a pretty good pace.
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post #18 of 44
11/13/09 at 8:05pm
A house like that around these parts would cost a mil to a mil and a half easy. Beautiful peice of property, thanks for the outside pic. That much work on the basement and you still have all that unfinished area. Might as well put another HT down there, maybe a little his and hers action.
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post #19 of 44
11/13/09 at 9:17pm
Congratulations this is one of the nicest builds I have ever seen. Love it.
and I think the carpet and tile I just put in in my basement is extremely similar to yours, what color did you do the walls in the theater space?
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post #20 of 44
11/14/09 at 6:50am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcdonaldb View Post

what kind of flooring did you use in workout area?

It's a rubber flooring product with flecks of color embedded. Product link is: http://www.rubberflooringinc.com/rub...bber-roll.html. Nice folks with great customer service.

We used the 3/8" product. Very nice stuff, but extremely heavy. We needed five 4' rolls, each cut to 28'. They weighed 260 pounds apiece.

When it was delivered to the house (forklift drop in the driveway), I was away on a business trip. The wife happened to see the neighbor's lawn service guys next door - she paid 'em 20 bucks to haul the rolls downstairs for her. Best deal she's ever made and the worst one those two guys made.
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post #21 of 44
2/14/10 at 6:24pm
Thread Starter 
Three month update: The HT and entertainment areas are a wonderful addition to our home. We should have done this years ago!

It's been the catalyst for re-connecting with friends and family - we're now doing a semi-regular Movie Night with a small group of friends that had slowly drifted apart over the years. It's a nice change. The projector already has seen about 250 hours of use...

So far, we've not encountered anything we would have changed - with the possible exception of the RF remote (I should have spent more money on a system that handles complexity better than the Harmony 900).

One word of warning: Fasten down anything you use to accessorize your HT. The large ceramic plate leaning against the back wall in the media storage area (see picture, below) was 'secured' with four sticky pads on it's corners. Last weekend, audio-generated vibrations caused the plate to fall off the shelf with a crash -- it fractured the stone countertop, ruining it. That will end up costing me about $2,500.

Other than that unfortunate incident, we remain pleased with the entire project. Well worth the effort and expense!

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post #22 of 44
2/14/10 at 6:42pm
hey brad, I check daily for new posts, simply because im in the middle of my build. we are in bath as well, kind of cool to see someone in the neighborhood, on the site. your build looks great.

jamie
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post #23 of 44
2/14/10 at 7:49pm
Sorry to hear about your "little" mishap. Tough lesson to lean that your bass is running hot. Note to self "anchor everything down before watching a film heavy in LFE". Glad you are enjoying your room and that you have found that the investment was well worth it.

Enjoy!

Regards,

RTROSE
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post #24 of 44
2/14/10 at 9:25pm
Now THAT is one sweet set-up. It's really nice to see that you guys are reconnecting with friends thanks to your new set-up. I hope to make some friends in Utah (we just moved here). My basement is within 2 weeks of completion!! I am so stoked.

I would like to see more pics of the theater as I am still in the designing stages of our theater.
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post #25 of 44
2/15/10 at 10:59am
Nice space. Have you ever gotten bored?
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post #26 of 44
2/15/10 at 3:44pm
That's just an amazing space!
Be nice to see some Non wide angle pics if you ever get a chance.

Congrats!
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post #27 of 44
2/15/10 at 6:02pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks, guys. I'll grab some more pics and post this weekend when I return from a short business trip to the Big Apple.
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post #28 of 44
2/23/10 at 5:41pm
Wow, very nice.
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post #29 of 44
2/24/10 at 2:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by HD in Ohio View Post

Three month update: The HT and entertainment areas are a wonderful addition to our home. We should have done this years ago!

It's been the catalyst for re-connecting with friends and family - we're now doing a semi-regular Movie Night with a small group of friends that had slowly drifted apart over the years. It's a nice change. The projector already has seen about 250 hours of use...

So far, we've not encountered anything we would have changed - with the possible exception of the RF remote (I should have spent more money on a system that handles complexity better than the Harmony 900).

One word of warning: Fasten down anything you use to accessorize your HT. The large ceramic plate leaning against the back wall in the media storage area (see picture, below) was 'secured' with four sticky pads on it's corners. Last weekend, audio-generated vibrations caused the plate to fall off the shelf with a crash -- it fractured the stone countertop, ruining it. That will end up costing me about $2,500.

Other than that unfortunate incident, we remain pleased with the entire project. Well worth the effort and expense!


If the countertop cracked it can be epoxyed by a countertop company. I had one crack during a move and it cannot even be found now that it was repaired. If it is chipped in one piece and you found it, it may also be repairable.
Hope that lightens the load on the wallet a little.

Bob
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post #30 of 44
2/24/10 at 7:09am
That theater room is huge. What is the height at its tallest point, and did you have to dig a floor to accomadate that height??
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