My theater is currently a dedicated room above my garage. The room is about 14x36. 100% light controlled. It really is the perfect setup.
However, it's above a detached garage. In other words, it doesn't get used nearly as ofter as it should. And that's a shame. I still love the room, but am thinking of alternatives that would get significantly more use.
One alternative we've talked about is covering our back patio. We've got plenty of concrete back there. One section where the grill is is 12x32. The section right next to it (attached really) is 18x35.
I want to cover all of it (about 1000sf covered) and either move my screen downstairs (119" hipower) or build a bigger screen. I'm Ok with staying at 119", but I don't want the screen to get ruined by humidity. Although seriously, if it ain't being used upstairs, does it really matter?
The outdoor living area would be the 18x35 setup, which is a really decent sized theater. I'd put a combination of outdoor tables, chairs, and lounge chairs out there. I plan to build a sliding shelf in the ceiling for the projector (that way I can easily take it inside when not in use) and keep all the equipment inside in either the living room or master bedroom (both adjacent to the proposed outdoor space).
I'm also considering building a glass wall towards the back of the the theater. Kinda hard to describe, but basically it would protect the very back of the theater from the elements (rain primarily) so we could sit out there no matter how bad the weather was - either by using a nice space heater in the winder or fans in the summer.
Granted, in the summer, we wouldn't be able to start before 8:30pm, and I'll never be able to fire up my projector while drinking my morning coffee outside, but aside from those limitations, this space would get significantly more use, and it'd be much easier to host larger gatherings.
Assuming I either get something from here http://www.tempestlighting.com/products.html to put my projector in, or take it in when not in use, and I can live with the limitations of not kicking the projector on until just after dusk, it seems like a good idea to me. I'd give up my theater seats, but we were looking at outdoor furniture recently, and there's plenty of comfortable seats that would be quite cozy for a double-feature.
I wouldn't consider this if our theater wasn't detached, but being as it is and knowing how infrequently it gets used, aside from the cost of covering a 1000sqft patio, this seems like a pretty good idea to me.
Am I missing anything?
However, it's above a detached garage. In other words, it doesn't get used nearly as ofter as it should. And that's a shame. I still love the room, but am thinking of alternatives that would get significantly more use.
One alternative we've talked about is covering our back patio. We've got plenty of concrete back there. One section where the grill is is 12x32. The section right next to it (attached really) is 18x35.
I want to cover all of it (about 1000sf covered) and either move my screen downstairs (119" hipower) or build a bigger screen. I'm Ok with staying at 119", but I don't want the screen to get ruined by humidity. Although seriously, if it ain't being used upstairs, does it really matter?
The outdoor living area would be the 18x35 setup, which is a really decent sized theater. I'd put a combination of outdoor tables, chairs, and lounge chairs out there. I plan to build a sliding shelf in the ceiling for the projector (that way I can easily take it inside when not in use) and keep all the equipment inside in either the living room or master bedroom (both adjacent to the proposed outdoor space).
I'm also considering building a glass wall towards the back of the the theater. Kinda hard to describe, but basically it would protect the very back of the theater from the elements (rain primarily) so we could sit out there no matter how bad the weather was - either by using a nice space heater in the winder or fans in the summer.
Granted, in the summer, we wouldn't be able to start before 8:30pm, and I'll never be able to fire up my projector while drinking my morning coffee outside, but aside from those limitations, this space would get significantly more use, and it'd be much easier to host larger gatherings.
Assuming I either get something from here http://www.tempestlighting.com/products.html to put my projector in, or take it in when not in use, and I can live with the limitations of not kicking the projector on until just after dusk, it seems like a good idea to me. I'd give up my theater seats, but we were looking at outdoor furniture recently, and there's plenty of comfortable seats that would be quite cozy for a double-feature.
I wouldn't consider this if our theater wasn't detached, but being as it is and knowing how infrequently it gets used, aside from the cost of covering a 1000sqft patio, this seems like a pretty good idea to me.
Am I missing anything?
