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Challenged area… Basement almost done, time to get serious on the theater

989 Views 4 Replies 2 Participants Last post by JackVette, Jul 27, 2021

JackVette

Discussion Starter · Jul 23, 2021

Sorry for the long post….

Below is my project situation and plans. I was hoping to get some advice from you experts on this.

We purchased our retirement home which we love, but the basement was very poor. Not sure why they skimped in such a nice house…..

This became complicated because building a Theater would impact the rest of the basement as walls needed to be moved. Additionally, the more we looked, the more issues we found with the original basement. (Ceiling, flooring, doors, Vents, etc.)

After a lot of thought, we decided to tackle it all, ripping out most of the basement and trying to make the best of the situation.

Below are some before and after diagrams and pictures. The theater is still challenged, with the dimensions now 23’ 4” x 12’ 9” x 7’ 5”.

We moved here to be with the grandkids, so I wanted eight seats for our family movie nights.

I ordered narrow recliners which allows for 22-inch aisles. I tested this…. It’s tight but doable. For the heck of it, I had Buttkickers preinstalled.

For the theater, I’m currently planning on a Sony 915 laser projector mounted outside the theater in the equipment area. The equipment rack will also be outside the theater with a “hidden door” for access.

The screen wall will be minimalist with a 150” AT scope screen. I know that HDR will be a bit problematic with that distance and screen size, but I really wanted a large screen.

I think the first-row seating will be 12 to 13 ft from the screen. I mocked this up and it seems okay to my eyes. MLP viewing angle is a bit wider than 20th Century Fox Ideal at about 50 degrees.

The riser calculator says I need a riser between 15 and 16 inches. Because of the low ceiling I’m planning on a 12 inch riser. I will use a mini platform below the back row seats to get the remaining height.

I’m planning on a 9.4.4 Atmos setup (I think I have this nomenclature right). I will likely use the Anthem 1140 to run them, with other amps for the subs of course. The fronts will be three towers behind the screen, and the sides and rears will be in-walls inside the columns.

The theater will have 10 columns (not deep) with sconces. There will be acoustic panels between them.

The choices above were meant to be the best compromise considering the challenged room. I know it is not ideal, and any suggestions are welcome.

I included a conceptual mock up of the theater design and colors using my limited skills. This was helpful working with the designer and allowed the family to weigh in on colors and design. Right now, we all like this version as we wait for the designer’s drawings.

I don’t have the skills and expertise of you all and have learned so much by reading almost every post in this forum.

Any feedback / criticism on these plans is appreciated as I will start finalizing things soon.

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Silva741

· #2 · Jul 24, 2021

The basement is looking much better now, congrats. I'd prefer to have the theater door a bit closer to the first row, but I'm guessing it wasn't possible to do that? The room isn't very wide, but consider off-centering the chairs a bit, pushing them 2 or 3 inches to the right side. That would allow a slightly wider aisle on the left side, and simultaneously make the room look bigger, when entering the theater.

Regarding the side walls, personally I think 4 columns and respective sconces is perhaps a bit too much, make sure it doesn't look too ''busy'''. Wouldn't 3 columns be a better layout, having the side surround speakers between both rows?

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JackVette

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jul 24, 2021

Silva741 said:
The basement is looking much better now, congrats. I'd prefer to have the theater door a bit closer to the first row, but I'm guessing it wasn't possible to do that? The room isn't very wide, but consider off-centering the chairs a bit, pushing them 2 or 3 inches to the right side. That would allow a slightly wider aisle on the left side, and simultaneously make the room look bigger, when entering the theater.

Regarding the side walls, personally I think 4 columns and respective sconces is perhaps a bit too much, make sure it doesn't look too ''busy'''. Wouldn't 3 columns be a better layout, having the side surround speakers between both rows?

Hello, and thank you.

First, I love reading what you post. You not only have great technical skills, but you suggestions always seem spot on.

I agree about the door. I think that was a misstep because we started the basement before the theater design was complete. The column that is inside the wall makes it somewhat complicated, but I think the door could have been a little further inward.

The original plan was to have Six Columns total. In the last meeting with the designer, he thought Ten columns would be needed. Four on each side and two in the back. When I see the drawings, I will see if it seems busy.

I also agree on the seating. We want to keep things symmetrical, but I think a couple of inches won't be notices. That can help with the aisle. I figured I could decide that later.

I greatly appreciate the suggestions, and although I don't post much, I enjoy reading what you write.

All my best

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Silva741

· #4 · Jul 26, 2021

JackVette said:
The original plan was to have Six Columns total. In the last meeting with the designer, he thought Ten columns would be needed. Four on each side and two in the back. When I see the drawings, I will see if it seems busy.

Please do post them here when you get them. I'm very curious to see the drawings. And do you already have the sconces? If not, be careful when choosing sconces, you need to make sure they aren't too tall, or else the speakers will need to be lower than recommended.

Regarding the riser, having a mini platform under the 2nd row is a good solution, but make sure it's enough. Small children have their eyes several inches lower, compared to an adult, so there's the risk of the first row chairs blocking their view.

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JackVette

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jul 27, 2021

Silva741 said:
Please do post them here when you get them. I'm very curious to see the drawings. And do you already have the sconces? If not, be careful when choosing sconces, you need to make sure they aren't too tall, or else the speakers will need to be lower than recommended.

Regarding the riser, having a mini platform under the 2nd row is a good solution, but make sure it's enough. Small children have their eyes several inches lower, compared to an adult, so there's the risk of the first row chairs blocking their view.

Hello and thank you.

First, about the 2nd row seats, I did test this already. I mocked up a riser at 15 inches with a chair on it. Then I had my 6 year old granddaughter sit on it with me in front. She said she could see fine. I think she missed a couple of inches at the bottom of the screen, but that was it. My 9 year old grandson said he could see everything.

I guess the riser calculators work.

As far as the sconces go, it is interesting that you bring that up. We looked at countless sconces. There were a few we thought visually pleasing, but as you said the size was wrong. Like Goldilocks, Some to short. some too long... Some just way to expensive.

We ended up having the designer build custom sconces for the space. I have not seen them yet, but here are similar ones he did for other customers.

We figure this way there is more control of the end result

We are looking forward to the theater getting moving some more...

Thank you for the thoughtful reply

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