Picking up where someone else left off...

Hi All,

(Feel free to move me to the 'general media room' if this doesn't make the grade for 'dedicated'!)

We moved into a new (to us - we are the third owners) home late last summer. The house is equipped with a 'dedicated' theater room which was a nice novelty for people used to apartment living.

Now, it is clear (as you can see from the photos) that this is a project that one of the previous owners had left unfinished - that said, it is perfectly serviceable as a room for watching films and playing some Xbox/PS3. Having spent a lot of time marveling at some of the construction in these threads, I am sure one and all will agree that, as a dedicated theater room, there is serious room for improvement.

Here are some photos (excuse the amateurish camera work)





The room is 158" wide by 286". The rear riser is 74" deep, and the stage is 36" deep. The current screen is 4:3 and 84" wide. The recess in which it sits is 100" wide. As far as I can tell there have been no acoustic treatments.

So - what to do? I need some creative help to get this theater to completion - which is tricky as I have no idea why some things are the way they are, or what the end game was for the previous owner. It is a strange mix - it has a riser and a stage and custom carpet which says they were at least taking it semi-seriously...but some fairly crude shelves for equipment, and some poor finish on the paintwork.

I am not an audiophile - I enjoy films and playing console games and want to get the best experience I can without going crazy. Ripping this room out and starting again is not really an option.

So - appreciate any feedback on the room in general (dimensions etc) and steps to improve it. Off the top of my head

• New screen - constrained to 100" wide. Considering bringing it forward slightly and going AT?
• New speaker system - rear surrounds are just bookshelf sat in the cutouts of the columns. Front speakers don't even bear describing
• Rack options? Getting access to the rear of the equipment is nigh-on impossible right now
• The room has a regular window with blackout curtain - drywall over it?
• Additional speaker in the other columns (challenge: the columns on the left and right of the room do not line up with each other exactly due to the window
• Sofits, cans?
• Cable management - right now there are some trailing wires for the light rope that runs under the edge of the stage and riser
• The stage and screen are draped in fairly tacky, loose curtain fabric. Needs some GOM. Bad. On the left is a set of shelves for media, the right side houses the equipment shelves.
• Acoustic treatments - without anything drastic like ripping down drywall

All sounds very vague - I know. I guess at this stage I am just trying to get some thoughts and feedback. It would be easier with a blank canvas!

Any help appreciated - thanks in advance

BIGmouthinDC - thank you for the warm welcome. I will post some more pics in the morning, but to answer your question - the left corner is cut at 45 deg behind the curtain (similar to the rear columns). The right corner is a regular square corner.

Currently the left has a shallow (DVD depth) set of shelves over the angled corner. The right has a set of equipment shelves.

Under the screen, the curtain hides a pair of speakers and a consumer sub. It is clear under there all the way to the back wall.

I read that screen width shouldn't exceed 85% room width (rule of thumb)? That goes to 130" or so...but would obscure the (current) equipment location. Could go beneath the screen...but I can't recall ever seeing that layout before in a dedicated theatre?

Pics will follow...to clarify my ramblings!

I should add - this is on the second floor. Attic space above...living area below. No shared walls with other rooms - two external, two internal (galleried).

Ok, here we go:

From the front - with the lovely curtains removed


Scary speaker. Looks like it was bought at auction...labelled as a 'suspension' speaker. Gotta go...


Left hand side - you can see the 45 degree angle the wall is taking. I can only assume there are some works going on behind it.


The construction of the current stage.


The right hand side - MDF shelving


Regarding the PJ - yes, the existing one was a very old Sharp 4:3 projector that was more for business/laptop use. I interim replaced it with a consumer Sony projector - works fine for 720p - but I have no emotional attachment to it

I owned a 1980 MGB Roadster when I lived in the UK - and had it fully restored with the Sebring racing kit. I still wake up in cold sweats when I remember how much money I sank into that thing.

I have access to the roof space above without much problem. I am intrigued by any ideas you have for equipment in a similar location...as I just can't see many other options other than relocating it all to a closet somewhere else on the same floor (which is tricky - as I would definitely want to keep a games console in there).

Give me everything you have got!

I spent some time sat in the room this morning - with all the curtains removed to let plenty of light in. First time I have been able to take a good look in 'the cold light of day'.

Here is my thinking right now. Rip out all the construction at the screen end of the room - apart from the low stage piece. Then build a new AT fabric screen out from the back wall using as much width as is appropriate given my seating distances.

The question is regarding the equipment location. Do I go with a MA slim rack on the right hand side and leave a similar width on the left (20" or so) and have the screen centered....or, go wider with the screen and have the equipment underneath?

Appreciate any bright ideas on the equipment. Locating it at the back of the room is a no go given the room's location.

Wow. Time flies.

While I have been pondering the theater I have managed to do a bathroom remodel...but that is about it. Oh, and a nursery as we are expecting our first child (which I know could likely destroy any chance of starting let alone completing this project)

The main question at the moment is 'how far'. Do I do a surface remodel - or strip it back to stud and do a more complete job. I appreciate this is my question to answer...but i would appreciate some input.

This room is on the second floor of a standard 2001 construction house. While I understand by reading the forum what the options are for decoupling the walls and ceiling (GG, Double drywall, clips etc)...what are the options for the floor on a second storey?

Almost every theater I see is first floor or basement. My (limited) understanding of sound 'insulation' is that the benefits are only truly reaped from a 100% job. Is there any point in trying to achieve isolation on a second floor - without 'room in a room'?

appreciate any guidance examples of this being done?

Fall back options are to accept this and carry on with a 'lite' remodel, or delay for a future room addition that is more conducive.

Thanks guys

Petew - this is definitely my current line of thinking. I think the lower 'stage' can stay - it is maybe 5" high - but clearly the higher platform needs to go.

Ripping it down to the stud is probably more than I am willing to take on right now...!

Thanks for your feedback - much appreciated

I have definitely seen better drywall finish - it is not helped by the paint not being as flat as it could be.

Agreed on 7.1 - I have pretty good access to the loft space above - but am mindful of the comments regarding running cable through the columns.

The 45' in the rear right is a result of the design of the house - I am pretty sure the rear
left is aesthetic just to make it match. As the front corners don't match I can only assume that it angled for a reason. I might be able to go on a reconnaissance mission in the loft to see if I can see why.

Well spotted! The room in the original design of the house was an open gallery to the first floor - the open landing has been filled in and a door put in. The evidence points to it having been done post-construction though...the switch placement looks to just be the closest place to where the original switch was pre-door (there is a blanking plate on the other side rather than patched drywall!)

Yes, the speaker wire runs (conduit-less) up into the attic then down the columns. The PJ was indeed just hanging off a s-video cable - I pulled a HDMI through in the same fashion as a stop gap.

As there is no wire behind dry wall (in so much as not 'sandwiched' between dry wall) am I right in thinking that I can run conduit in the attic and be more comfortable with the situation?

Yep, yep, yep!

I think the next task (after the holidays...and if I ever finish the Nursery!) is to get going on tearing down the screen/shelves/stage area and getting a good look at it. I am sold on a DIY 2.4:1 acoustically transparent screen. As I have no existing PJ investment, I am happy to go as big as I can and get a model that will adequately light it.

Really appreciate all the comments guys - once I get going I will have a ton of more specific questions...especially about screen construction, masking etc. I will post more pictures and accurate measurements once I clean the screen end out.

Thanks to everyone for their feedback. I am under no illusions that this is going to be a quick process - but as of today I have at least started.

Began by starting to remove the existing screen wall and shelving.



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The construction of the wall and stage seems pretty good to be honest...and it came out pretty cleanly. Only other thing of interest at this stage is the back corner - given the little 'cubby' cut out I think it is pretty likely there is some pipe work or something tucked back there...



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