The Spud Cellar Home Theater - Version 1.2

Current Status of The Spud Cellar:


Finalizing Design and Layout

Input from Forum Members desired for:




Edited by sillywilly - 2/5/13 at 10:39pm

INTRODUCTION:

I started the original Spud Cellar build (As seen HERE) in May 2012 with plans to have a smaller (11' x 17') room be the theater room with a wall-mounted plasma and a retractable AT screen. The larger room (13'6" x 27'3") the basement was going to be used as a play room . It was to have a computer desk/nook and under-stairs play area for the kids and the rest of the room for multi-purpose family use. For those who followed that thread, you will note that I said that the chance of using the larger room was a 98% "No-Go" to use as the theater room.

Well, after a long break from any HT talk in the house, we found that our needs and plans have changed and we have now completely flipped the rooms so now the larger room will serve as the theater room and the smaller room will serve as a game/play room! The lesson to be learned is if you are having any resistance from a spouse on plans: Take a break from the stress of HT builds for a while and they will likely come around with time.

So since the previous discussions in the thread do not completely apply to the new plan, I started a new thread.

I haven't seen any theaters from Idaho so I decided to represent with THE SPUD CELLAR

DISCLAIMER: This home theater is not (unfortunately ) built in an actual spud cellar. No Spud Cellars were injured in the making of The Spud Cellar Home Theater. Any resemblance to actual spud cellars - whether Idahoan, currently used or abandoned - is purely coincidental





HDR photos above taken by the photogrpaher Caryn Esplin and used with her permission. Check out more of her incredible work @ http://carynesplin.com/

I am excited to use her HDR and Light Painting techniques on The Spud Cellar Theater when it reaches completion.
Edited by sillywilly - 2/5/13 at 11:08pm

Reserved 3

The Space:
Unfinished basement that is 1815 sqft. There are 3 bedrooms, one bathroom, large room (currently 27'-6" x 13'-6") that will become the theater room. In this room there is an under-stairs playspace with a small loft. There is a smaller adjoining room (11 x 17) that will be used for game room, play room, reading room and general TV watching. Behind the theater room is currently a 9'-6" x 13'-6" storage area and an additional 6'-4" x 7'-10" storage space. These will be used as storage and a tanning room respectively.


This is the original layout of the basement



Design Style and Objectives and Family Needs:
While we have changed our plans on where the theater vs. game room will be, we are still firmly committed to having an open plan between the two rooms where they will not be closed off which also exposes the rooms to the stairs and the main floor. Yes, it is well-understood from previous discussion that this will not allow for soundproofing but we actually don't mind if some sound from the theater room and game rooms travel upstairs to the main living area because they are also an open layout and that just fits our lifestyle. What we do not want is the sound traveling to the far end of the basement and main floor where the bedrooms are all located so our soundproofing efforts will be placed within isolating those rooms instead. We will, however, be treating to ceiling in the theater and game rooms to minimize footfalls from above from entering those rooms. We have already begun consulting directly with The Sound Proofing Company on our plans and needs and are looking forward to working with them.

We ultimately want these 2 rooms to be a multi-purpose area that will typically seat 4 - 6 people comfortably. We anticipate that we will want to adapt the area for different entertaining needs and also want to adapted the area over time to the changes in our family. We want the areas to be able to be BRIGHTLY lit when not in use for movies so other activities can be done in the rooms. Most of all, we want it all to be cozy, inviting, free-flowing and still feel like a home.

Here are the design elements that we are looking to incorporate between the Theater and Game Rooms:

So how would YOU incorporate these things into my space if it were you?


The first thing we decided to do is get a little bit more room in the Theater Room so we are going to push the wall back a few feet into the storage area. The starting dimensions now for the theater room will be 29'-1" x 13'-6". We are also planning on changing the original computer nook at the rear and will use this space for the AV rack. So now our room will look like this:







As I thought about all of our needs, I started to wonder if I could make the rooms a little more flexible to accommodate certain entertaining situations. For example: More or less seating if needed in theater; Move the bar seating if not wanted; Place the game table in either room depending on the situation. What I have come up with as a result is a more portable riser option that can be moved in and out of the room, the seating could be moved between rooms as needed, and the bar seating would be 2-piece to where it can be positioned into a square game table and placed in either room. Certainly this is an unconventional approach so I would love to get some input on the whole idea.


Here are some sample floor plans and renderings of how this might work and look:


Theater Room








Game Room with Portable Riser






Theater Room: 2-Piece Bar seating(3rd Row), Portable Riser with 2nd Row Seating, Front Row seating.
Game Room: Seating and Air hockey








Theater Room: Bar Seating, Front Row Seating.
Game Room: Air Hockey on Portable Riser, Seating in Front








Theater Room: 2-Piece Bar turned together into Game Table, Front Row Seating.
Game Room: Seating with Air Hockey on Riser.









Theater Room: 2nd Row seating on Portable Riser, Front Row Seating.
Game Room: 2-Piece Bar turned together into Game Table, Air Hockey






Theater Room: 2nd Row Seating on Portable Riser, Front Row Seating.
Game Room: Air Hockey in center and 2-Piece Bar Seating moved to rear of room.

Edited by sillywilly - 2/5/13 at 11:18pm

Reserved 5

To clarify before someone posts commenting that I don't know what an Air Hockey table is - my program didn't seem to have a model for an Air Hockey table so I substituted with a pool table to the measurements of our Air Hockey table. I certainly wouldn't want to move a pool table off and on a riser from time to time!

Here are photos of the physical space I have to work with. Are my plans practical? What would you do with the criteria I have?


Theater Room Toward Screen Wall






Theater Room Toward Rear






Theater Room (Left) and Game / TV Room (Right)

With the Theater room dimensions and proposed layouts, where would speaker placement be recommended? I assume 7.1 would be the right configuration. Does placing the sofa/sectional against the wall cause any problems? Where would rear speakers go in a room like this -- Can they go all the way back on the rear wall 27 feet back or so without problem?

Here is a rough conceptual drawing of how the Bar-into-Game Table would work.
The pieces would be Bar height of somewhere between 36 - 43" with bar stools so it can be placed at the rear of the theater and watch/eat from the long bar or watch while playing from the game table at the rear. Again, the main idea here is to be able to adapt to different entertainment scenarios and to save space by not having additional furniture in the room if not needed.

I agree with you about the computer desk. I would prefer to keep it out of the theater area, even if it is just at the very rear, but that is one that my wife really wants to have there. Maybe the build will have to go on another hiatus for her to change her mind ..... The last time we took a 7 month break, she finally ended up agreeing that the theater and game rooms could/should be switched.

Thanks for the reminder about future pre-wiring. I will plan for 11.2

That area under the stairs has been claimed by the kids since we built in 2005. It is an arched entry to an under-stairs play area. You can see in some pictures/mockups that it is also open at the far end. I wonder if the space where the stairs start to reach the bottom would be a place to possibly put a sub.
Edited by sillywilly - 2/13/13 at 10:40pm