The Arthouse" (fomerly "The Grindhouse") - Planning and Construction Thread

EDIT:

I'll start things off now with the finished product:

















Just when you thought you have seen enough DIY theater construction threads, here comes another.

After sitting in my brothers theater for the first time (user Ryan Sprance), I was so blown away by what he had done that I decided to rethink that I needed a ridiculously large space in order to do this. Sure, I wouldn’t be able to do the awesome lobby and candy machine he made, but surely I could turn a decent sized bedroom into something worthwhile.

After brainstorming with my father (an architect) and my brother, I give you the somewhat final renderings of what I hope will be “The Grindhouse”. I have the demo set to be done in a week or two and with clean walls and studs, I will begin.

You will see some definite rip-offs from other threads in here, especially Bud’s stage design. Sorry Bud but it was perfect for what I needed. I also give honorable mention to Jason’s Royal Fortune Theater. Both of these designs definitely inspired me and showed me that I could definitely do this in the room size that I have.

And now for some details..
Room size: 15’9” x 11’ x 8ft h
2nd floor bedroom.

1st Row: 9 ft
2nd Row 14ft

Planned equipment:
EDIT: Panasonic AE2000u
EDIT:Axiom speakers (M50’s, VP150, Qs4s)
EDIT: AV123 XSub
EDIT: Pioneer Elite VSX-92TXH
Xbox 360 w/ HDMI + HDDVD
Playstation 3
DirecTV HD Reciever
Oppo 980H DVD upconverter
SA8300HD Cablevision DVR
Tvix Media Player
Berkline 088 seating, 2 rows ( 4 and 3)
EDIT: 108” Carada Criterion brilliant white screen


Below are some renderings on the finished space:


View from Corner


Back Row View



A few things to note:
• The “art” on the wall in the back is actually a removable frame covered in blackout fabric, then canvas that will be painted by my friend that is an artist. This covers a window and when removed will let in light and air.

• Viewing distance to the first row is approx 8.5 feet, 14 feet for the 2nd row.

• The current design is set up for a 110” screen. I am not sure if this will be too big and may go with a 100” instead. I designed everything based on this size and will test with the projector before ordering the screen. If a smaller screen is needed it will then fit with no problem.

• Some renderings show the center channel above the screen just sitting there, my plan is to angle the soffit to point the CC downward to the listening area. This is only visible on the soffit detail rendering.
• I am planning to stop the soffit on the left and right of the projector so that the projector can be nearly butted against the back wall

• The fabric panels will be either linen or burlap and the wood panels will be most likely oak plywood stained cherry.

• While the entry door does not show up on these renderings, it is located near the right front speaker about 2 1/2 feet off the screen wall.

• The surround speakers are not shown in the rendering but go in the back corners of the room, mounted to the soft corners.

• Planning on a Lutron light controller for the soffit downlights and wall sconces.

• The grills on either side of the stage are for the subwoofer ala Bud’s stage.

• I plan on building a large, GOM fabriced black frame to cover the speakers and all of the screen wall, to give it all the minimalist black look.

• The equipment cabinet is recessed into an adjacent guest bedroom. A small 24” x 24” x 8” enclosure with door will be built on that side to house it.

That is all I can think of for now, but I am sure there is much more to discuss. I will keep everyone posted with photos throughout, and I intend to post existing photos shortly. Thanks to everyone for these inspirational threads and to my brother and father for putting up with my annoying nonsense.

Time for the gurus to pick it apart!

Here's some shots of what the existing room looked like. It's only camera phone...sorry.


Old TV wall which is now the back row wall


Closet wall which will now be stage and screen wall


Here's the side wall where the window will get covered




More views of the entrance and side wall which now has the equipment cutout

And here's some shots of the room right after the demo was done.







Screen Wall



Ceiling mismatch after closet demo

Also reserved

To me, it's all about the flicks on the screen. That second one would require a lot less A/V power, but I'd have to scothguard the seats.

I was going to, but as of the beginning of August, all newly shipped 360 Premiums will have HDMI standard for the same price.

Looks like my work server hosting the pictures is down. I'll have to wait until monday to fix the images.

Looks like the pictures are fixed now. whew.

I am concerned about how to do the stage curves, both for the step riser and the cherry wood face. Is there any type of formula to use as far as how to space and regulate the stud lengths so that the curve comes out at a smooth angle?

I have also decided to cover the in-walls with GOM for the minimalist screen wall approach

sweet. thanks I will check it out

Okay so the demo has been done and thankfully didn't expose anything overly horrible. I have begun doing the basic power wiring and framing.

I had an electrician come in and run two fresh lines from the panel, one for the Grafik Eye lighting and one exclusive to the equipment. I began building the soffit on the projector wall (note the gap for the projector).

You can see the horrible old insulation that was there. No wonder why the room got so hot. Here are some pics of the progress.


Shot of rear soffit from screen wall.


Soffit detail with rope light channel.



So far things have been moving pretty smoothly. You will notice furring strips attached to the studs. This is because I am partially resizing the window and needed to extend the stud frames out 3/4 to extend past the window framing. Otherwise the sheetrock would come out flush with the window frame and i would not be able to cover it.

If I use linacoustics on the soffit and screen wall, can it then be covered with drywall or does that defeat the purpose?

I have also redesigned the stage area with columns to accomodate Axiom towers and center channel instead of in-walls.

I have definitely thought about that. A big problem when coming up with an alternating panel design is that you will always find something that doesn't match or follow sequence. One thing the rendering doesnt show is the opposite wall of that first panel, which is unfortunately a wood door. Or that right next to the door is the only place I can store the equipment recessed with a fabric border. Naturally, the pattern has to match in accordance with the door.

I was thinking once the room is done I can use an acoustic panel on the door and its opposite wood panel in a color that closely matches the cherry wood. Every other variance or alternating pattern I tried posed even more difficult problems such as a sconce / AV cabinet conflict and other things.

Okay first bonehead mistake of the project. On the rear soffit I built I estimated 1 1/2" of an extension for a rope light track. Only problem is I didnt figure for the 1/2 drywall going on the face of the soffit, which would leave me a paltry 1" for the rope light track.

I will cut 1" or 1/2" extentions and nail them to the ends of the soffit extension and try to use my brain for the rest of the soffit! Is 2" better for a rope light channel or can I get away with 1 1/2"?

That is definitely how i will handle the rest of it.

I will build the soffit square, add a 2x2 around the lower perimter then add a nice molding on the outside perimter. I wish i would have thought of it this way first as now i need to match the back portion that is already up. Either that or I can cut the pieces that are already pertruding and make the back square as well.

I am fighting for every inch I can and I know the recommended minimum is 6' for the depth of the back row riser.

Does anyone have the Berkline 088's that can tell me if I can get away with a little less? They will be right up against the back wall which I know needs about 3" clearance (see rendering). One thing this rendering doesnt show is that I will be going with the straight back row and not the curved as the rendering shows.



Right now a 6' riser would put me 8.5' from the screen and if I can grab a little room here or there I'd like to grab it.

Thanks

Still chugging along. Here are some more pics. A few things of note:

* The ceiling and wall are nowhere near square on the small window side so I had to really work with the soffit to make it even. The framing may look ugly but it is all even and will look fine when drywalled.

* I used Aaron's suggestion of building a sqaure soffit and dealing with the rope light track later. Much better plan, thanks!

* The equipment hole was made exactly 19”, same size as the shelving because I will put the routed studs on the other side of the wall, slightly inside it. I realize I may need to make the opening 19 ½ because I want to put some nice finished wood instead of an exposed ugly stud. This is a two second fix by taking a few screws out and shifting the vertical stcu another 1/2 inch.

* Pretty soon I need to get specific and build the stage columns (not so much the stage yet) so I can finish the soffit around the front.


Next step is to replace the HVAC and electrical outlets but I am moving along.



Equimpent rack wall before break-out


After break-out with soffit


Equipment opening close-up


Opposite of opening for new equipment closet w/ new power outlets


Back projector wall with near completed soffit


Right side soffit at back corner.

Sound isolation is really not an issue in my case. I was planning on leaving the back studs inside the column exposed for wiring /etc and stuffing it with soundproof foam as I am fighting for every inch on the stage wall. This is similar to what Bud did on his stage. I will have to think about that as drywalling it first might be a better way to go.

I just do not want it to get too snug inside the columns as I only have about 16" square to build them (framing included) and the sub is nearly 14" deep. They are tight quarters because the room is on the smallish side. The extra 3" depth I can get with the exposed studs will help alot for any cables that may stick out of the back of the sub and speakers. It will be far easier to temporarily remove the foam than it will the drywall! I guess I can build the columns with 2x3's to gain a little bit of space, but that's a whole different planning session in itself.

Okay I have some big updates to show from the work that's been going on over the last two weeks. I managed to build the stage yesterday and now am ready to begin working on the columns. I have to thank Bud for his awesome stage construction breakdown, as it was instrumental in "ripping off" this step design.

Here's some shots...


Basic stage framing using a string to help map out the front curve.


I used some leftover 1/4" birch plywood for the arch. I may put two more studs in there to reinforce it a bit. It will all be carpeted over anyway.


I used sand on the two left and right cavities where the columns with the sub and speakers will go. I didn't want to use sand only, as it is a 2nd floor theater and I want to keep an eye on the weight.


Sanded, insulated, sealed and ready to close up. Since I was replacing the old insulation in the walls I figured i might was well save some money so I used the old insulation to fill the other cavities. i still have a bunch left over for the riser. I left 1/4" space all around it so the stage does not make contact with the walls. I will have to attach the columns to the ceiling but I tried to avoid it where I could.


All sealed up. i put roofer's felt under the top layer of plywood as well but forgot to take a picture of it ( I was in the zone)


Began relocating the only air vent using flex duct into the soffit. I will split it into two to give myself a little more coverage in the room. The insulated flex duct is 4" so it will fit within the wall cavity without getting smashed. I had to create a makeshift boot as the duct opening was a bizarre size.


Power run for room's general use and for the equipment rack ( the one facing the other way)


Ran outlet for subwoofer. i may have to move this out a bit as the stud from the column might block it.


Outlet up in soffit for projector. I am still unsure as to which projector I will use so i took the dimensions for the largest of the three I am contemplating and I will be okay for any of them.


Wiring for the sconces. I had to use some wierd wood shapes to bring the boxes to exactly the right size. Since the walls will alternate fabric and wood panels, every inch must be right on.

That's it so far. I plan on finishing the stage colums and the rest of the soffit next weekend. Then I can start running the A/V wire and get ready to test the lights before i start drywalling.

Getting there....

Lots of progress this weekend....


Screen wall and stage taking shape...


Thanks to a jigsaw and basic compass, the curved top with lip was a piece of cake




Finished the soffits to meet up with the stage columns.


Power behind both soffits for rope lights.


What do you guys think I should line the walls with on the inside of the columns that hold the speakers and sub? Should i stuff insulation in there with the paper side on the inside of the columns? What about the top 1/3 where there will be no speakers.

I need something cost effective.

Coming along though.....