Wow, I can't believe it's already been over a month. Time definately gets away from you with the neverending list of projects that comes with a new house. I've been spending the last month or so basically gettting the garage cleaned up for the winter. Built a workbench and hung a bunch of shelving and track systems for tools, etc.
Anyways, I actually do have an update on the basement.
First, an updated floor plan:
Keep in mind that the lower level is currently fully finished from the builder. All of the dark walls are in place, along with the column at the corner of the bar, and a carpeted floor throughout. Rather than provide the full plan showing the dimensions of the back bedroom and bath, I chose to cut it off and focus on the area for the theater / game area. One thing to note - the panelboard is in the back bedroom.
Ok, so here's where we're at. The soffit around the perimeter of the bar is already there. It's essentially 13" square. I'm planning on building an additional soffit to run from the corner column back to the exterior wall, essentially anchoring the theater area in place a little better. The good news is that the projecter is under 12" in depth, so I do think it will fit nicely in the soffit, rather than hanging below it or in front of it. I'll come up with some elevations to show what I'm thinking about, but I'm currently debating on either keeping it as a flat soffit or adding some curves to the corners to create more of an arch effect when looking at the screen from the game area.
One other thing to note regarding the soffit. We'll need to build it out slightly at the exterior wall (as shown) to account for the 2 1/2 foot jog that the wall makes back there. I'll probably add a can light in that space since I think it will be a cool corner when done.
Moving on.... The stage will run the entire length of the front wall. I originally planned for a 36" stage, but have since moved that back to 30". Reason being, there is a cold air return on the wall at about 34", and I don't want to relocate it. This should still allow enough depth for my sub to fit on the stage.
I had a 128" 2:35 Carada in the last theater. Obviously, you have to go bigger each time, so I'm looking at a 135" this time around. I've decided to frame the space better by installing a column on each end approximately 36" in from the side walls. This allows some breathing room for the subs on the outside, and also frames the screen with a 12" reveal on both sides.
I'll also draw up an elevation of the screen wall. In the meantime, the plan is to build two wood columns that run from the stage up to the ceiling. The columns will have a base that's 12"-14" square. The upper part of the column will be reduced slightly to 10-12" square (I haven't played with the dimensions enough yet to settle on a final number). The columns will be wood, stained dark, and finished out with some type of picture frame or corner molding, as well as crown along the top. I'd like to design them a well to accomodate tower speakers, so the front will most likely have a fabric frame of some sort. I love my Klipsch RB-35 speakers, but I think the larger space calls for something with a little more kick, so I'm looking into the RF-35s or perhaps a newer design. The center channel will rest on a stand under the screen.
Surround placement is up for discussion at this point. Here are my initial thoughts - Side surrounds will be in ceiling and reside to the left and right area (in-line with the columns) of the bar. For rear surrounds, I have a couple of options; (A) mount them to the front side of the new soffit or (b) against the wall seperating the game room from the back bedroom. While option B would stretch the sound more into the gaming area, I think it might be too far back from the viewing location. Thoughts??
Additional framing will be required in the rear corner of the game area to build the rack. Pretty much just a single wall that I can then work from to install the rack. Since I won't have access from the rear (insert joke here), I'll most likely need some kind of sliding / rotating rack system (yea, I know.. $$$$) to allow access to cables.
The bar is still very early in the design phase, but I wanted to at least document the space with a countertop to show what we're going for. On that note, seating can probably move forward a foot or so to provide more traffic space between the bar and well, the other bar.
Seating!!! - I received a gazillion leather samples from Palliser and currently really like the Palliser Pepper seats
http://www.palliser.com/furniture/Pr...=&category=HTS.
We'll most likely go with a row of 4, with a loveseat being in the middle. I'd love to do power recline on these puppies, but I can't for the life of me figure out an easy way to get electrical to them without running some kind of track along the floor. Aside from that, I'll need wiring for bass shakers, but those can easily go under the carpet.
The plan is to finish out the space with a granite topped bar as a second row. I think I'm going to hold off on the design though until the room gets closer to completion. This will allow me to determine exactly how long the bar needs to be.
Plans for the game room include a mix of pinball, MAME machine, poker table, etc. Not sure yet on the details.
And there you have it! Looking forward to the comments and feedback.
