Garden Level Basement Wall Question

I'm not aware on any acoustic issues but you could just build the wall straight up for aesthetics if you want.

+1, that's what I plan on doing, BIG.

Right now, it's a playroom, and a perfect ledge for a row of stuffed animals.

Of course, unsure of what to do with the windows on that wall...

But why would you lose the ledge with the stuffed animals? Where will they sit now?

If the room is to be dedicated, I would do as big said and wall the whole thing, then make plugs for the windows.

On the otherhand, if it is going to be an open concept, you can keep the ledge and windows if you want, for the windows just get some blackout blinds.

You might want a door to cover the rack, located next to the screen; equipment LEDs may be distracting. Then you'd need some kind of venting/cooling for the rack closet.

What is the room behind the screen for? If just for the rack, you could put speakers there, and mount the screen on a broad opening in the wall.

Any relation to Peter Graves?

If you move the rack to the 'door' end of the equipment room, you could put your speakers in that room, behind the screen. Rack near door would continue to provide access to the rear of the rack. Slightly easier, IMO, than a pull-out rack. Wall behind speakers is usually treated with absorbant material.

You're right. Maybe I should leave them.

Look for my new build thread 'The Stuffed Animal Themed Theater!'.

That screen looks awful small, go big or go home...

^^^agreed...

Seems to be a ton of unused realestate on that screen wall

Ouch. Worst update ever!

If I may weigh in on the screen size...too small! I have 9" on either side of my screen. I went with a 130" wide screen and love it!

Hope things work out for you.

Sorry man.

I know of nothing up north there. Of course there really isn't much down south here either. My brother in law and dad are in the construction industry, and it is still really slow.

Well then, congratulations are in order! Sounds like right place, right time. I hope you bought a lottery ticket too!

time to celebrate, and enlarge that screen!!!

If the studs are 1” away and not significantly contacting that foundation by some other means, then the south wall is already decoupled.



I think Dennis would answer best.


OK, good.


Not so good. The ceiling will hold little sound back (they are not designed for this) and this means I would not recommend going too heavy on the other walls. Certainly no clips and GG

Drywall will give you better sound isolation. Ted is saying if you do drop, don't bother with green glue or sound clips. Sound isolation is like damming a river. You have to block it all or it will not work, just dipping your hand in a stream will not block the water, it just flows around your fingers to find a way downstream, same with sound. If you do the walls, but the ceiling is open, the sound will flank around your walls and continue into the rest of the house.

As for connecting to the joists, that wall is now not isolated from the house. I used RSIC clips to connect the wall to the joists. You can still continue, but now you need clips along the wall surface to isolate the drywall from the wall itself. (that is basically what I did to isolate my drywall on the ceiling from the joists above.

Next remember mass is best. 2 layers of drywall is always better than 1. Besides you need 2 to have something to place the green glue in between. next 3 is better than 2.

Next, HVAC, electrical boxes, lights, doors, and in Colorado, our floating walls (you did float right?) these are your next weak points that need to be dammed. I used MLV in the floated walls, many people build containment boxed for the outlets and lights, doors can be solid core, add more mass, and weather strip, even makeing a double door (go through two doors to get into the room, not a french door).

good choice, just don't go part way. conversations with Tedd at this point would be very helpful, and he can sell you the green glue and clips. Plus he can get you a better verbal price usually than what they can publish on the web site.