I want a Little Room Down Under! - Page 3

Thanks Nick. It was definitely trickier then having someone else help, but even though it took longer, I got there in the end.

Here's some more updates on the sofitt and screen casement.

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This is the projector alcove showing the edges where the rope light stops. I didn't want the rope light glow affecting the image, so stopped it short. Should also create a nice little feature.

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The area reserved for the screen casement. At the back left you can see the start of the front of the ropelight sofitt section.

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Testing the casement fit using the gyprock lift. This will enable me to get the exact fit with the gyprock around the lip and the top/rear support pieces. Bit of extra work, but doing this now before I gyprock and install the insulation will pay off if there is any errors.

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It fits! I'm a bit concerned about the length actually. The screen maybe too big for the height I want the bottom cabinet to be. Either a different screen, a lower cabinet, or a speaker behind the screen seem to be the only answers.

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Now that the casement was in there I was able to work out the back supports for it.

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This is one of the holes where the ducting comes in. I've started to contain it with mdf and green glue and extra insulation inside. Hopefully it contains some of the sound escaping and getting in.




So what's up next?
Well I've been doing some research on the in and out exhaust fans for the projector alcove. Originally I was just going to place the projector in the space, and since the AE7000 vents forward, was hoping there would be enough space in there to intake and vent from the front, and maintain a decent temp. Well after testing the projector with the screen mounted, I see the heat it generates is quite substantial, and also the noise is not something I want to listen to while watching a movie. So I've been exploring venting options, and also researching hush box builds. I have a few ideas on what I want, so that's what I'll be working on next.

Haha, yeh I might of went a little overkill. After putting them up I was hanging from them to test their strength, so guess I went a little overboard. Not used to building when they are going to be covered and not holding any real weight I guess. Ah well, better then being flimsy and encouraging cracking once the subs kick in

Well when I have a swingers party, I'll be sure to invite you

HushBox
After deciding to build a hushbox due to the noise of the projector and the heat generated in that small space, I've been looking at exhaust fans and powering them from the projector.

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I'll use 2 of these 120mm 12v computer fans. I was worried they wouldn't have enough grunt to push the required air volume, so also purchased 2 x 180mm 1000cpm fans as well. Will see how they go once I hook it all up.

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The one at the back is orientated to vent in, taking the air from the room, while the left one will vent out, pushing the air out the hole in the ceiling. I'll also have the duct run sealed inside a box to assist with sounds escaping/entering.

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It's very painful to do all that work with the soundproofing, and then cut a massive hole in it to run a vent.

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Shot of the the enclosed box leading to the hole.

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Snaked the box a little to help with sound dispersion as well.

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Placed one of these on the other end in the ceiling, as I was getting cold air coming back in at night, and also should keep the crawlies out of there. My tests showed the fan had enough push to open the louvers, so very pleased.

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This shows both fans connected and a start on the gyprocking as well. Still need to put some trim around the fans to clean it up a bit.




Next
I started doing some testing on the electronics to control the fans. I'll go through how I hooked it up and enabled the fans to be controlled by the trigger on the AE7000.
Edited by TheSly - 11/7/12 at 6:52pm

In relation to the running of the fans, I connected both fans to a power supply and to a 3.5mm cable/adapter which is connected to the trigger of the AE7000. I had tried connecting the fans directly to the trigger, and found they turn on for 10 secs or so when the projector starts, but then turn off, as the projector is sending a signal only. You need the relay and a power supply to make it run for longer.

For those that want to do this, I'll list the items and steps, as I couldn't find anywhere online which showed this process. In the end the guy from Jaycar Electronics drew the diagram below for me, which worked a treat.

I purchased a 3.5mm stereo plug, 2 x 12v fans (1 x intake, 1 x exhaust) a relay, some thin 2 core cable and a power supply (I just used a 1.5A 5w power supply with adapters so I could make it all modular).

Wire it up as the diagram shows, and then attach the 3.5mm to the projector. Ensure you leave the external power supply turned on all the time. In the projector trigger settings, enable the output option for the trigger you've plugged into. Now when you turn the projector on the fan will start and continue to run until the projector turns off. Will post a pic of the completed work when it's all up.

Suffice to say I was extremely happy when this solution worked. Many expletives were expelled in my jubilation.

Hey Greg! Happy New Year to you mate. You know why I haven't replied in here...every night I've been stuffed and going to bed after working in the room all day. Progress has motored along. Let me gather some pics and post an update now. Thanks for the kick up the ass

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Started running the connectors for the hush box. Cat5 to front, cat5 to GE, 3.5 mono to screen and 12v power connector, plus some std power cables.

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Mount box for the GE is in. The cables to the right are for the damper air con switch.

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All cables have been run for the zones.

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GE installed temporarily for testing.

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Basically wanted to determine the best downlight placement before doing the gyprocking. I look back at these pics and wonder how I managed to work in that mess :|

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Very happy with the look of the wall lights. They are tungstan, and are needed to share a zone with the rope light, otherwise the drop off for the LED ropelight through the GE is from 5% power to 0% instantly, which doesn't give the nice fade I want. So to counter it these lights will share a zone and up the power requirement so the zone fades like I want.

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Next I'll be starting to gyprock the soffit and get all those ducts/wires/lights covered.

Cheers,

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Started to install the gyprock for the underside of the soffit. Because I had to leave a hole in the middle for the casement I chose to install a whole piece on either end, and then cut the gap out. Worked out well in the end.

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The first piece of gyprock for the back section, using the gyprock lift again - nod to Greg

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Coming along well.

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Some noob drilling holes for the downlights. Actually, that's me with a face full of gyprock dust.

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Underside is all done now. I cut edges with an upside down jigsaw flush against the wood afterwards, which gave a really nice and sharp edge all around.





You can see some colour samples on the wall I was testing. Didn't like any of them in the end. Think I spent around $70 on sample pots, but in the scheme of things, it's worth it.

Started doing the vents before completing the gyprocking. This one is the return.



Fits, phew!



Nice!

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Started testing out what the trim will look like. Seems like it will work. It's actually an architrave I found at Bunnings, turned upside down, but it seems to fit well.

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All the gyprocking is finally completed, wohoo!!

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Next is the arduous task of cleaning it up for plastering. Time is getting short, so I've decided to hire someone to do the plastering. Also plastering is one of those things that will really influence the final look of the walls/joins, so even though I've done some plastering before, I know 2 guys working over 2 days will beat me by a few weeks, and do a much better job then me, so it will be worth the investment.

Coming up, a plastered room

haha, well I have you to thank for the extra work I've done in the last few months. Seeing and hearing your 90% completed cave really has motivated me to get my act together. There's more to come

haha, it's been xmas/NY mate...quiet time to reflect and enjoy family time, not update posts. Ok, truth is I've actually been working hard on the HT, with little time to update here. Plan to up some stuff soon.

G'day David,
Like most people around here, I just used Google Sketchup. It's free and very intuitive to use. The room render was done with an add on though...can't recall it's name, but can find out if you need. Cheers.

So I finished off the remaining gyprocking, and spent a few days cleaning up various parts of the room in preparation for plastering. I considered doing the plastering myself, but time required and the quality of my work was what I had to weigh up. In the end I got a few quotes, and found a good plasterer who could do it in 2 days with his offsider, for around $1000. Would take me weeks on and off, and the quality would not be the same. Considering how important this part is, I wanted a quality finish, so went with this option.

He also helped me with the sofitt by discussing what options I had for the hard edge. In the end I supplied some L bead, and they used that to create a crisp finish all the way around. He also gave me some options on the hush box edging. I ended up finishing the plaster with the clean edge all around the opening, meaning they only had to clean it up a little, and no L bead was required.

Here are some pics of the finished work after 2 days.

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Next part to apply was the trim around the sofitt edge. I had purchased some pleasantly designed skirting board which I could turn upside down to make an interesting trim. Spent some time to ensure my corners were precise and clean, which required some unique cutting and calculations around the area below the hush box, as the angle was not your standard internal 90 degress, but a more complicated 135 degress. Tender coping saw and dremel work was needed to ensure a smooth fit in the end.

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Next up is the trim around the doors and windows.

Ghastly! hey, watch it....that's actually just a tint above the colour we chose. Thought it would make painting faster if it matched the walls.

Few more updates....

I finished the door off with the outside edge of the gyprock as I still wasn't sure what I was doing around the edge of it, and how the architrave was going to be applied, so I wanted to at least have options available. The thickness of the gyprock meant it sat beyond the edge of the frame too, so I'd need to fill the gap with some trim before applying the architrave.







So in the end I applied a small piece of trim all the way around and then the architrave sat nicely on the edge. Cleaned up any small gaps and nail holes with filler and it was ready for painting. It looked clean and like it had always been there. The gap at the top of the trim where it meets the underside of the soffit is around 5mm, and it's universal the whole length, so my measurements for the soffit and the trim/door frame were all spot on. Very happy with the result, as the top of this, and the top of the window frame, would be where any errors were highlighted.

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I wanted the soffit a certain height, and didn't want the window shorter, so in the end there wasn't enough room for the architrave to sit between the frame and the soffit, so I added a 40mm piece to the top, inside the frame, for the architrave to sit on. This will never be seen, as there is a venetian blind that will sit in the frame flush with the bottom of the architrave. The window opens out as well, so this will have no effect there either.

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Next up I'll spend some time cleaning the walls, filling any small holes, looking for imperfections that will show up in the final, as painting the undercoat is next.

Thanks Dale. Just checked out your whole thread, and your HT is looking awesome, and coming along at a similar place in time to mine. Regarding the paint, I've actually got the paint on the wall now, but don't have the images uploaded yet, so in saying it feels closer to a finished room I totally understand where your coming from. The change is dramatic and gives you a natural boost to push through the final stage....that's the high I'm on at least

The first layer of undercoat is up, and things are looking good. Amazing what difference some paint makes.

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Next up another layer of undercoat, and then to decide what colour for the walls/ceiling. Have purchased about 10 sample pots, and have been painting MDF boards and moving them around the room to get an idea of the look in different light. In the end we've purchased 2 different colours, one for the wall and one for the ceiling. Walls will be Gaiety Tan, the ceiling colour escapes me at the moment...will have to go look it up.
Edited by TheSly - 2/10/13 at 3:43pm