[Mr.Tim]

CONSTRUCTION:

1. 5/8"+1/2" GWB with Green Glue
2. RSIC-1 and channel (both sides) between theater and adjacent mechanical room
3. Double stud walls
4. Pink fluffy fiberglass throughout, except mineral fiber in mechanical room wall

ELECTRIC:

(4) 20A circuits to rack to rac

(1) 15A and (1) 20A for lighting (I used an existing 20A; I would have preferred 15A)

(2) Lutron GRX-3104 from eBay. $108 (ivory) and $187.50 (white)

• Zone 1- 3 recessed lights in adjacent walkway
• Zone 2- 4 step lights
• Zone 3- 4 recessed lights above screen
• Zone 4- 6 recessed lights above seating
• Zone 5- 4 recessed lights at rear
• Zone 6- LED tray lighting
• Zone 7- Track lights behind AT screen
• Zone 8- Unused

Leviton TR black decora receptacles $2/ea
Leviton black screwless cover plates $3/ea
Halo R36RTAT 3" recessed lights $25/ea
Halo 3011BKBB 3" black trims $25/ea
Halo 3" pinhole black trims (at screen) $27/ea


LED LIGHTING
HitLights 3528 LED, 60 LEDs per meter (300 per reel) $68

Mean Well dimmable power supply $82

Lutron GRX-TVI interface $10 (eBay!)


HVAC:
Panasonic Inline 120CFM FV-10NLF1 fan in rack closet $130

- piped mostly in 4" rigid, with short pieces of 4" flex connecting to fan and end boot
LUX LV3-005L Cool-only 120v thermostat $18

- turns exhaust fan on when temperature exceeds 85 degrees (pretty much 24/7)
2-slot 24" long linear diffuser $47

- made plenum out of drywall+gg+drywall and lined with 2" rigid fiberglass insulation
8x8x7 Return box $8
Hart Cooley RHF45 Return filter grill (special order; link is for a 12x12) $25


AUDIO:

Onkyo NR709 B-Stock $394

2x Buttkicker 1000W amps (from AVS group buy a looooong time ago)

LCR- Stentorian

Surrounds- 4x Sten II

(2) Buttkicker LFE in riser, which is built on vibration isolators

(2) Cinema F-20 (behind screen wall)


VIDEO:

Optoma HD20 (new, open box; less than 1 hour on machine) $550

Panasonic Blu-Ray player


SEATING:

Seatcraft EROS |O|O|O|, |O|OO|O| $2000

Used stadium seating |O|O|O|O|O| $free



Tim

 

[Mr.Tim]

Plan:




Stage:

 

[Mr.Tim]

Where I started:

Where I am today:

 

[cshawnmcdonald]

WHOO! You've got some sweet dimensions to work with. Your blueprints look intriguing.


Am I seeing an acoustically transparent screen with a chamber for speakers behind it? I don't see it in the first pic, but it looks like that might be the second pic.


Spoken as the guy who just finished his theater this past weekend... "Soldier, I wish you well."

 

[cshawnmcdonald]

Ooops. I commented too soon. You're still unfolding your story in pictures.

 

[Mr.Tim]



Quote:
Originally Posted by cshawnmcdonald  /t/1426519/mr-tims-15x27-theater#post_22347557


WHOO! You've got some sweet dimensions to work with. Your blueprints look intriguing.

Am I seeing an acoustically transparent screen with a chamber for speakers behind it? I don't see it in the first pic, but it looks like that might be the second pic.

Spoken as the guy who just finished his theater this past weekend... "Soldier, I wish you well."

There's about 2 feet of space behind the AT screen. I furred out the front wall 3-1/2" and installed Roxul Safe'n'Sound across the front. The corners will be pink (or white, in my case) fluffy fiberglass bass traps; 2 layers of 6" with air space behind.


Thanks for the well wishes, I have been working on this a long time and finally feel comfortable starting a thread. I think I may be done before the "old thread warning" appears

This is what it looks like:

Tim

 

[cshawnmcdonald]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.Tim  /t/1426519/mr-tims-15x27-theater#post_22347569


I have been working on this a long time and finally feel comfortable starting a thread.

Brother, I totally understand that. I also waited to start my thread until I was sure my start-and-stop build was more started than stopped.


At that point, I had internalized so much heartbreak I didn't wan't to go back relive it all in a forum. And then, you see so many pics of OMFG!-quality builds by guys spending $100K, and you think "Nobody is going to care about my little shoebox build."


Yours is definitely off to a really good start. Keep on, keepin' on.

 

[HopefulFred]

Tim, your contributions to this forum have always been precise and insightful. I've been waiting for you to start this thread for a while now, because I knew it would be a good one. (No pressure

)


The plans and progress look great so far - how about a list of equipment?


Fred

 

[Mr.Tim]



Quote:
Originally Posted by HopefulFred  /t/1426519/mr-tims-15x27-theater#post_22347730


Tim, your contributions to this forum have always been precise and insightful. I've been waiting for you to start this thread for a while now, because I knew it would be a good one. (No pressure

)

The plans and progress look great so far - how about a list of equipment?

Fred

Thanks for the kind words, Fred. I have a lot of photos of construction, but I'll be darned if I know where they are. I just realized the 16gb card from my Nikon is MIA, I suspect there are some photos on there. The mightiest of plans and ideas succumbed to the reality of budget. I had to make some compromises in design and material.


I had planned on a much more intricate (read:wood) ceiling, but in the end drywall and spackle is a lot cheaper.


My soffits were made from left over framing material, which wasn't the greatest (actually, it was as crooked as a rattlesnake, but it was free):

About 15mins with the power planer and a straightedge and I had a flat surface. It was interesting to see the deflection in the joists due to the dead load above. The ceiling actually dips down a bit, but I made the soffits straight.


Front soffit was a lot easier!

Some people don't like metal, but I love it. Always straight. However, I always use 20ga. I refuse to use 25ga for anything. In a pinch I will pick up one or two 25ga on a Sunday if I need them.. I always regret it.


Tim

 

[Jon_B]

Good to see your build thread. You've always given great advice on this forum. I was going to make a comment on how you would probably pass me up in the progress department, but alas you already have.

 

[Mr.Tim]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon_B  /t/1426519/mr-tims-15x27-theater#post_22348188


Good to see your build thread. You've always given great advice on this forum. I was going to make a comment on how you would probably pass me up in the progress department, but alas you already have.

I had about a 5 year head start

I wish could say everything went as planned, but things change and many things returned to the drawing board. At one point I just threw the board out the window and winged it.


So many pipes/wires/ducts to work around.. Add in a budget and all heck breaks loose.


Still a bit to go with construction, so hopefully I can help somebody out.. somewhere.. with something I do.


Tim

 

[Mr.Tim]

Installed CHDK on my cheapo Powershot A560, pretty cool! Wish I could take credit for this awesome idea, but I gotta give props to jdanforth , whose idea I have blatantly stolen

Like I hope to have, he has two Cinema F-20s in his room. Check out his thread here . His time lapse vids are sweet.


Without further ado.. I give you..

 

[aaustin]

Whoo! I've been waiting for you to post a build thread for awhile now after all of the great advice you gave me. Keep up the good work!


In regards to putting lights behind your AT screen, I think that that would look awesome. Some kind of opening video (think IMAX) that you could load into your HTPC and play before a movie would be so cool. Maybe even some track lights installed in front of the speakers on the stage that shine up on them?

 

[Johnny14o]

It's hard to believe your space is 15 x 27. It looks HUGE. Great use of the space and the layout is GREAT!

 

[fax6202]

Really like the tiered soffits over the riser. Looks really sharp.

 

[rabident]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.Tim  /t/1426519/mr-tims-15x27-theater#post_22347516


Pink fluffy fiberglass throughout, except brown death in mechanical room wall

What is brown death? Rock wool?

 

[Mr.Tim]



Quote:
Originally Posted by aaustin  /t/1426519/mr-tims-15x27-theater#post_22348851


Whoo! I've been waiting for you to post a build thread for awhile now after all of the great advice you gave me. Keep up the good work!

In regards to putting lights behind your AT screen, I think that that would look awesome. Some kind of opening video (think IMAX) that you could load into your HTPC and play before a movie would be so cool. Maybe even some track lights installed in front of the speakers on the stage that shine up on them?

I wasn't going to do it, but I have the extra zones, so it is an idea (unless somebody has a better one!). Relatively easy to implement at this point if I use incandescent bulbs.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny14o  /t/1426519/mr-tims-15x27-theater#post_22349139


It's hard to believe your space is 15 x 27. It looks HUGE. Great use of the space and the layout is GREAT!

Thanks! The room measures 27'-1" from the rear wall to the front wall. I furred both of them out with 3-1/2" studs spaced 1" off the drywall, leaving 26'-4". The seating and screen wall portions of the room are 12'-8" wide. The walkway adds another 3'-3". The ceiling is about 9'-6" at it's highest point.


Due to mechanicals, I soffited down to 7' at the entry door. Lucky me, 7' is the minimum ceiling height to meet code. I'd like to be able to say I planned it that way, but I had to use a shoe horn just to get that height. The upside is you enter into this small space, but when you step down into the theater, the whole place just opens up.

Quote:
Originally Posted by fax6202  /t/1426519/mr-tims-15x27-theater#post_22349245


Really like the tiered soffits over the riser. Looks really sharp.

They're still a work in progress. I have to finish framing the "frame" for my screen. I've been trying to figure out the best way to do it.. I would think it would be easy, but I keep changing my mind.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rabident  /t/1426519/mr-tims-15x27-theater#post_22349605


What is brown death? Rock wool?

Yes, rock wool. The real stuff. Safe'n'sound is nothing like what I put in the mechanical room walls. I could lay safe'n'sound batts two deep on the floor and take a nap in it. I will never use rock wool again now that I've discovered safe'n'sound.


Tim

 

[Mr.Tim]

Making the stage..


I chose the classic stage design that many of us have chosen. Not sure who pioneered this design (Sunset Cinema?), but it's classy.


Scribed the lines:

Filled with sand (small openings stuffed with fiberglass):

Covered with Tyvek:

Deck:

Install the risers (3/8" ply):

Deck again:

I did the risers before the second layer of decking for a specific reason. No matter how good you are with a jig saw, the plywood never comes out perfect when you cut an arc.


The 3/8" plywood on the riser smooths out all the zigs and zags. After I installed the second layer of OSB I used a router with a flush trim bit to make a smooth arc.


Tim

 

[AirBenji]

Looking good Mr. Tim! I'm excited to see this one - as aaustin said above, I have appreciated your advice in my build very much!

 

[BllDo]

Ok, $20 to the first guy to spot a code violation in Mr.Tim's theater.


Just kidding, looking good. Keep it up.