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Dedicated Theater Plan Help Needed!

post #1 of 51
12/19/10 at 6:35pm
Thread Starter 
Gentlemen:

I'm back!!! After finishing my build in September, I have had a number of guests over for a movie. All have been impressed...some have been quite impressed. This is the story of my friend Shawn. Shawn and his wife were one of the first visitors to my finished space. Needless to say, Shawn's story is unique.

Shawn and I worked together and he was really the one who convinced me that a DIY basement was within my skill level. While we were building my home, Shawn and I frequently talked about a dedicated HT. As I began the planning process, Shawn watched with mild amusement, lending tips as I went along. I secretly think he was convinced that I was crazy to dedicate as much square footage to a dedicated HT. As I went through the planning process and learning about sound containment and attenuation, Shawn;s amusement grew. By the time I was 3/4 of the way done, he thought I was certifiable! The money and effort that I expended to keep sound in the theater seemed too much to bear.

Along the way, Shawn kept talking about finishing the basement in his new home. He wanted a bigish screen (100") and a projector, but didn't want anything fancy and surely didn't want a dedicated space. I think his wife agreed.

Fast forward to his first visit to my space for a screening of Gladiator on my 141" 2.4:1 screen. Both he and his wife were impressed. They were so impressed that on the ride home, the decided on a dedicated space.

When I visited Shawn's home to help him plan things out, he was committed to a dedicated space with a largish (120" - 130") 2.40:1 scope screen. He was on the fence about sound containment, but after estimating the cost of clips, hat channel, and GG, I think he's all-in. He really needs some help with a design, so I thought I would get him kick started by positing this to the forum for him and asking for help.

Here's the plan for the basement:



He's locked into the craft room on the right side (It's much too small for a good theater). The stairway in the center is also fixed. The storage room houses the hot water heater and the furnace, as well as some other mechanicals. The rest of the area is pretty open. The ceiling height to the joists above is 8'.

Here's the detailed area where he thinks a theater will be most viable:



Here are some of the goals for the basement finishing project:
  • Bathroom with shower
  • Area for a bar with a full sized fridge
  • Area for his young children to play (dedicated play area?)

Theater area:
  • Dedicated room
  • 120" - 130" 2.40:1 AT screen
  • Projector
  • 2 rows of 3 or 4 seats
  • Not opposed to in-wall speakers if needed
  • Sound containment measures include clips, HAT channel, 2 layers of 5/8" drywall, and GG
  • Rear riser
  • Sound treatments inside room
  • Sound His favorite seating location in my theater is in the front row middle seat (eyes are 11.5' away from the screen)

We would like to channel the design talent of this forum to help come up with a plan for the layout for the room. He has a pole in the middle of the open space that will complicate the design, but he's looking for feedback to provide some options for his dedicated room. Shawn, did I miss anything?


So forum, can we help Shawn out?

Thank you, and let the design ideas fly!

CJ
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post #2 of 51
12/19/10 at 6:56pm
You pretty much summed it up Charles. I am very excited to get started on the theater. Like Charles mentioned, I am all in with clips, hat channel, 2 layers of drywall with green glue. I have to admit I was a little skeptical at first, but after visiting Charles' theater a few times I am completely sold.

I am really open to any suggestions. I am leaning towards in-wall speakers for the front and standard surround speakers mounted on the wall in the rear. As Charles stated, my favorite seat is the front row in his theater, which puts you about 11.5' from his 140" screen. My initial design for the theater has it at 17.5' by 14'. Although this will make it a little tough to get 2 rows. I am open to 1 row of seating, but really would prefer 2 rows. If I have to, I am open to using seats in the rear that do not recline. I definitely want reclining in the front row.

Can't wait to hear the opinions from the experts!!!
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post #3 of 51
12/19/10 at 7:12pm
Is there any chance of carving a hallway out of the utility room adjacent to the stairway?
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post #4 of 51
12/19/10 at 7:23pm
Well, there's certainly more experts here on this than me, but IMO, I'd make the entire top part of the image the playroom.

For the theater, I'd use the bottom part. I'd have the theater be the main rectangle that goes side to side (14'10" X 30.5'). That's plenty of room for two rows of seats and a stand up bar with barstools behind the second row. I'd use the other smaller area (8' X 12.5') to place a bar along with possibly the equipment.
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post #5 of 51
12/19/10 at 7:24pm
It would be pretty tough placing a hallway there. The stairs are roughly 5-6 feet from the foundation, but in this area I have the furnace, water heater, main water supply, sewer clean out, sump pump and my propane distribution is mounted there too. It would require a lot of stuff to be moved, so I would prefer to leave that area alone if at all possible. Although that would definitely give me plenty of length in the theater.
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post #6 of 51
12/20/10 at 6:46am
OK - heres my stab (not to scale)..... Equip Rm bit overkill but can use it for other storage too.



Good Luck!

And welcome to the madness
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post #7 of 51
12/20/10 at 7:31am
Not ideal but doesn't eat the whole basement

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post #8 of 51
12/20/10 at 8:26am
^^^

I was toying with that plan too but was thinking with 120"+ screen that front row would be a bit close (would be for me) and pushing front row back makes rear entry (no smutty thoughts please) difficult.

[EDIT] I liked your idea of having hallway thru storage/Utility area as that would make for a great space on the left side.
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post #9 of 51
12/20/10 at 9:07am
Thread Starter 
That looks good. BIGGY, can you draw out the idea with the hallway in the storage area under the stairs?

I know Shawn said he would prefer to not move stuff, I think the HT bug has bitten him really hard and if the space is worth it, he may well reconsider moving stuff.

CJ
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post #10 of 51
12/20/10 at 9:23am
If moving some utilities is an option I'd go with something like this (again not to scale)



May need to flip depending on height of that beam.
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post #11 of 51
12/20/10 at 9:30am
You could also consider flipping Big's plan and placing the screen wall at the narrower end of the room. A 120+ screen would fit, Berkline has narrow seats (13175, 48088) that would allow a 22"-28" aisle with 2 rows of 4 seats. Similar to this:





Here is the thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1060627

Good luck.
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post #12 of 51
12/20/10 at 10:01am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by BritInVA View Post

If moving some utilities is an option I'd go with something like this (again not to scale)



May need to flip depending on height of that beam.

There's a pole under that beam too. It's about 6' from the wall on the left.
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post #13 of 51
12/20/10 at 10:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by carboranadum View Post

There's a pole under that beam too. It's about 6' from the wall on the left.

Arh - then I'd go with my original plan if remaining area is sufficient for other needs...... while Bigs plan leaves more usable Basement space for other purposes I fear your going to start making compromises - so depends how important the HT is. I know I now regret my basement layout which was based on giving the kids rec area the bestr space.

[EDIT] Or move pole to dead centre of beam, flip room and incorporate pole between center of rear seats
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post #14 of 51
12/20/10 at 10:50am
First, I want to thank everyone for all of the feedback so far!! This is great and extremely helpful!! Everyone's ideas are really making me think of some options I hadn't considered. As for making a hallway next to the steps, there really isn't much room. My stairs actually take a 180 degree turn, so they take up more space than shown. Basically I might have 5 ft between the stairs and the foundation wall, which would be enough room for a hallway.....but I would have to move so much stuff. The main water line comes into the house here, sewer clean out, furnace, return air from 1st floor, sump pump and gas distribution center. So this would probably be my last option. Here is a sketch up that I did real fast. Hopefully it shows up ok. To sum it up, I basically copied the layout of Charles'. Guess I am trying to relive my school days. Copy from someone who did it well. LOL!! Do you guys think this would work in the space? I would really like to keep the little area with the window somewhat open since it is the only window in the basement. Your thoughts are very much appreciated.
LL
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post #15 of 51
12/20/10 at 10:56am
Thread Starter 
OK, see. We're a lazy bunch, see. Photos should be embedded not attached. :-) I didn't tell you that last night...it was for the advanced class.

Here's the photo that you meant to embed in your post. Here are instructions on how to embed photos: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...php?p=10368758



That looks good, big space for the HT. Couple of things that I notice right off the bat:

Hallways must be 36" by code. At the corner, it looks as though yours is well below that. I would also look to flip the bar and the poker table. It may make that area look lopsided, but it won't feel so cut up into little chunks.
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post #16 of 51
12/20/10 at 11:08am
Sorry about attaching the pic. I am using the AVS forum app on my HTC evo and attaching was the only option. I was just anxious to write something back and didn't want to wait until I was in front of a computer. So the hallway should be 42". I probably didn't draw it to scale. If I make the back wall 11.5', that should leave me 42"....but I will have to measure it tonight to make sure.
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post #17 of 51
12/20/10 at 11:38am
Any possibility of modifying the stair design? Take a little off that corner and make a small wall parallel to the opposite side of the hall? Even it is just a one foot long wall cutting off the corner it will help visually. Don't ask me how. I would have to see it.
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post #18 of 51
12/20/10 at 12:37pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by BIGmouthinDC View Post

Any possibility of modifying the stair design? Take a little off that corner and make a small wall parallel to the opposite side of the hall? Even it is just a one foot long wall cutting off the corner it will help visually. Don't ask me how. I would have to see it.

Good idea, I don't know if it's feasable. If he started monkeying with the stairs, I'd flip the stairs at the bottom to the other side of the storage side. BUT, that sounds like a lot of work.
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post #19 of 51
12/20/10 at 12:40pm
There is also a pole right in the corner of the stairs. So it would be a little difficult to move. I also forgot to note that there is a beam running between the wall that is 18 ft to the other side of the foundation. This is by the room with the window. So the ceiling height is about 7 ft under the beam. That would probably cause some issues turning the theater sideways and placing it from the window to the stairs.
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post #20 of 51
12/20/10 at 3:38pm
I will go with BIG's plan, much cleaner and waste no space and you don't waste space for hallway accessing the bar area. I can imagine in BIG's plan, you can place you bar at south west corner. You can use under stair space for equipment rack (may have to access it from mechanical room). BIG's plan gives you the possibility to go larger (12'+) screen, if you flip BIG's plan 180 degree, then you can accommodate maybe one more person in the second row, so you have the choice, go bigger screen or seat more people.

That being said, if I were you, I will use the entire lower part of the basement as theater, then you can have 14' wide room, 3 row seating, last row is by bar and you can have your bar inside theater in the back, the 12x8' bump out area, you can mount a flat screen TV for kids playing games.
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post #21 of 51
12/20/10 at 5:11pm


This is one case where simply walling off the bottom portion of the basement and keeping it one big room my be the best long term solution for the usability of the space.
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post #22 of 51
12/20/10 at 5:51pm
A few other ideas. You would have to pick and chose as several would not work together.

Yellow: Moving the rack to the utility wall to save room outside the bathroom for kiddies to play.

Green: A third row bar like mine or biggies

Blue: Moving the any cabinets to the other side of that small square. You could also put your rack here.

Red: Moving the sink/cabinets to the utility wall to make plumbing much easier.

Lastly, is the location of the bath fixed? Is it already stubbed? If not could it be moved up the drawing to less otherwise useable space to keep the large room open for kids?


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post #23 of 51
12/20/10 at 7:54pm
Ok, so I am running into a wall. I'm having trouble trying to decide the best option. Basically I am torn between Brit's suggestion where I make the entire rectangle the theater and then make the area with the window a equipment room. The other option I am considering is making a small hallway behind the theater to the room with a window and using that for our workout equipment. After talking to my wife and spending a few hours just staring at the basement space I am pretty convinced on moving the bar area to the front of the basement. What I am leaning towards is having an L shaped counter top and then a couple of high top tables in the open area with bar stools. After talking with her we really want a bar area that is pretty open and easy to get to. Usually whenever we have people over we all tend to gather in the kitchen area, so I want a pretty open area for gathering. So here is my next take on the basement. Option 1 is with the small hallway to a workout room. Here is the pic. Option 2 would be Brit's, but with the bar up front. What are your guys' thoughts? I am really hitting a brick wall on this one.

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post #24 of 51
12/20/10 at 7:59pm
IMHO, I would stick with the making the room a rectangle. It is much harder to get a room to behave acoustically if it is not.
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post #25 of 51
12/20/10 at 8:05pm
Ok, here is option 2. What do you guys think? Well the concession stand label must have moved up on me. Should be in between the bathroom and theater.

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post #26 of 51
12/21/10 at 4:56am
I still like BIG's original plan, you can make the workout room and rack closet on the left side of the space.
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post #27 of 51
12/21/10 at 5:50am
Personally I like Option 2 and do this....make your equipment room the workout room and move the equipment under the stairs.

Looks like a great project. You're in good hands with CJ.
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post #28 of 51
12/21/10 at 6:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by BIGmouthinDC View Post

Not ideal but doesn't eat the whole basement

So I really like Big's plan, but I am concerned with a beam that I have in the room. I added it to the picture below. So my beam height is at 7' 2" and I would have a riser under this. That would leave me with just a tad over 6'. I can push the riser step so it is past the beam. This would eliminate the chance of bumping your head when stepping up on the riser. Do you guys see any issue with this? I really like the layout as it doesn't waste any space. I know this wouldn't be an ideal room layout, but I it would still meet my needs. Thanks for the recommendation Big.

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post #29 of 51
12/21/10 at 6:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by WV_MountainMan View Post

So I really like Big's plan, but I am concerned with a beam that I have in the room. I added it to the picture below. So my beam height is at 7' 2" and I would have a riser under this. That would leave me with just a tad over 6'. I can push the riser step so it is past the beam. This would eliminate the chance of bumping your head when stepping up on the riser. Do you guys see any issue with this? I really like the layout as it doesn't waste any space. I know this wouldn't be an ideal room layout, but I it would still meet my needs. Thanks for the recommendation Big.

You could consider building a 3-4" "mini-riser" on top of your main riser which just covers the area where your rear seating would be, which would essentially let you build your main riser lower gaining headroom in the amount of whatever your mini-riser height is.

I like BIG's plan the best as well for maximizing space. You could still get 4 seats in the rear as well with the smaller width seating that's available. The one thing that bugs me though is where you would locate your left side surround so rear seats can hear it. Maybe you don't need to go quite as wide on the main room width which could help locate that speaker further into the room?
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post #30 of 51
12/21/10 at 6:58am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by tlogan6797 View Post

You're in good hands with CJ.

Hey, thanks for the kind words.

CJ
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