[mapostol]

Hello....

I am finally to the stage that I would like to start finishing my basement which would include a dedicated theater.


I have noticed a lot of guys saying that you should never start without drawings. Well who are the experts on these forums who do drawings? How much should I expect to pay for drawings?


I have about a 13 foot wide x 20-30 foot long space.


I am starting out from scratch....no equipment, no walls, and 10 foot ceilings in the basement. I want to do this correctly. I know what I want I just want to make sure everything is done right so I do not live to regret it.


I plan on doing as much of the work as I can myself (with the help of my dad).


Any help would be appreciated.


Thanks

MIKE

 

[Cathan]

You can do the drawings. Visio or Sketch-up is all you need.


If you want to hire someone to do the design and provide detailed blueprints so that a contractor has step-by-step instructions, that will run you a couple thousand dollars.


Assuming you plan on doing the work, you need to invest the time and learn as much as you can before you start. Read a dozen of the large construction threads from beginning to end. It took me a year of planning before I even lifted a hammer.

 

[In2Photos]

Not everyone needs drawings. Some, like myself, like to plan everything out before hand to try and eliminate as many potential problems before the construction begins. I am sure you know that even the most experienced people still have snags that set them back. Now imagine the issues being compounded when you don't have the experience!


And everything that Cathan mentions above is spot on IMO.

 

[Cathan]

I should have also added that the first thing you really want to do is learn enough so that you can make rational decisions as to the scope of your project. What do you want out of a room? How important is sound proofing? How important is audio? What are your occupancy needs? What format of an image do you wants? There aren't any "right" answers to any of these questions, but once you know what you are building towards, you can start asking the right questions for your particular goals.

 

[mapostol]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Cathan /forum/post/15475260


I should have also added that the first thing you really want to do is learn enough so that you can make rational decisions as to the scope of your project. What do you want out of a room? How important is sound proofing? How important is audio? What are your occupancy needs? What format of an image do you wants? There aren't any "right" answers to any of these questions, but once you know what you are building towards, you can start asking the right questions for your particular goals.

I guess that is my problem.....

I want the room to be mainly for movies and some sporting events. So I am thinking a 2.35:1 screen would be best but thought a 16:9 would be more versitile.


I wanted to try and spring for a JVC-HT100 / RS2 projector as I have read only good things about it. Would you ceiling mount this thing or put it in the rear of the room?


Audio is important as well. I am not even sure what I want to run.

I want speakers mounted behind the screen. Probably a dual sub setup. I run older B&W CDM speakers upstairs but for the basement I am open to anything new.


Sound proofing is something I would like to do as well. The theater is below bedrooms and would like to minimize the sound to the upstairs.


The room is mainly for my family to watch movies in. Right now it is just me and the wife. I want to plan for 4 - 8 people total (couple of kids and maybe another 2-4 people to enjoy the room).


My budget would be in the 10k range to equipment plus material for the construction. I am thinking the entire room would run 15k? Maybe some more. I dont want to skimp as I am the type of person that would rather wait and get what I want than skimp on things just to get them.


I have no problem using visio or any other CAD type programs to create drawings. I just wanted to make sure I would not miss anything, which is probably nearly impossible

I am sure even the best miss things.


Thanks for the advice so far.

 

[Cathan]

So it sounds like you should do some reading on soundproofing techniques. With 25-30' of length you can do two rows of seating and a back bar/bar stool area and have a AT screen. Build the shell of the room and don't worry about the exact projector yet. New ones hit the market every few months that are cheaper and better.


So start by drawing out your floor plan. Take photos of the area, get them into your thread and then people have something to work with. But most of all, read, read and read so you know what else has been done and you can figure out exactly what you want to do.

 

[BIGmouthinDC]

Previous post that may be useful:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...9#post15138539

 

[Cathan]

Given how often we answer this question I really should have that post of yours bookmarked.

 

[BIGmouthinDC]

I also need to include this link:
http://www.wikibestpractices.com/ind...tle=Home_Media


And there was a great build thread where the guy summarized a bunch of great links in the first post. Maybe I have it somewhere.


Update: Sometimes I amaze myself, took me 6 minutes to find.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...5#post14176345

 

[mapostol]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Cathan /forum/post/15476635


So it sounds like you should do some reading on soundproofing techniques. With 25-30' of length you can do two rows of seating and a back bar/bar stool area and have a AT screen. Build the shell of the room and don't worry about the exact projector yet. New ones hit the market every few months that are cheaper and better.


So start by drawing out your floor plan. Take photos of the area, get them into your thread and then people have something to work with. But most of all, read, read and read so you know what else has been done and you can figure out exactly what you want to do.

Here is a drawing of my basement with the proposed area for the theater marked in Yellow down towards the bottom.


The screen will be on the wall that the arrow is point to.


Hope this helps make some sense of things. Pictures will follow.


Thanks

MIKE

 

[BIGmouthinDC]

It would also help if you indicated what uses you have in mind for the adjoining spaces.

 

[mapostol]



Quote:
Originally Posted by BIGmouthinDC /forum/post/15483511


It would also help if you indicated what uses you have in mind for the adjoining spaces.

The use for the space to the left is the room where the rack will be and currently where the house network, power, and phone terminate. The area behind the room is supposed to be the wife's gift wrapping room, and the area in front of the stairs and to the right of the theater is just open area with a few closets against the walls.


Hope this helps.

 

[In2Photos]



Quote:
Originally Posted by mapostol /forum/post/15483847


The area behind the room is supposed to be the wife's gift wrapping room...

Well, that is a new one!

They (as in wives) get a gift wrapping room and we (as in husbands) have to beg for a media room/HT!

How often will that "gift wrapping room" get used, just out of curiosity?

 

[mapostol]



Quote:
Originally Posted by In2Photos /forum/post/15484185


Well, that is a new one!

They (as in wives) get a gift wrapping room and we (as in husbands) have to beg for a media room/HT!

How often will that "gift wrapping room" get used, just out of curiosity?

Yep....the gift wrapping room is the only request she has in the entire basement. It will not get used often. Couple times a month (more during the holidays) so I am trying to figure out how to make dual use of that room.


Thanks

MIKE

 

[Weasel9992]



Quote:
Originally Posted by mapostol /forum/post/15483376


Here is a drawing of my basement with the proposed area for the theater marked in Yellow down towards the bottom.


The screen will be on the wall that the arrow is point to.


Hope this helps make some sense of things. Pictures will follow.


Thanks

MIKE

So you're planning to enclose the rectangle outlined in yellow, right?


Hmmm...I don't know, but $15K might be a little light if you're starting with nothing, especially if isolation is on the drawing board. The space won't be too tough to treat acoustically, though you'll want to leave some budget room for it.


Frank

 

[BIGmouthinDC]



Quote:
Originally Posted by mapostol /forum/post/15484320


Yep....the gift wrapping room is the only request she has in the entire basement. It will not get used often. Couple times a month (more during the holidays) so I am trying to figure out how to make dual use of that room.


Thanks

MIKE

Think of it as a hobby room, work surfaces, workbenches, task lighting, tool and supply storage, music and TV for distraction.

 

[mapostol]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Weasel9992 /forum/post/15484593


So you're planning to enclose the rectangle outlined in yellow, right?


Hmmm...I don't know, but $15K might be a little light if you're starting with nothing, especially if isolation is on the drawing board. The space won't be too tough to treat acoustically, though you'll want to leave some budget room for it.


Frank

The yellow outlines the back half of the theater and then the front has the poured walls which are not colored.


I guess that is the help I need.....how much of a budget should I set aside for things like sound isolation???


Is it enough to just do some Dricore on the floor and then maybe have one riser for a second row of seating or do you need to isolate the floor further?


I would like to use the RISC clips for the ceiling. What is the best method for the wall studs? I am thinking the DD method and green glue as well.


Thanks

MIKE



The wiki pages help a lot too.....Thanks guys.

 

[dc_pilgrim]



Quote:
Originally Posted by BIGmouthinDC /forum/post/15476758


Previous post that may be useful:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...9#post15138539

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cathan /forum/post/15476982


Given how often we answer this question I really should have that post of yours bookmarked.

To paraphrase nike - just sig it.

 

[Cathan]



That's too funny Dave!!

 

[Cathan]



Quote:
I guess that is the help I need.....how much of a budget should I set aside for things like sound isolation???

Figure about 3 grand for Green Glue, clips and the extra drywall.

Quote:
Is it enough to just do some Dricore on the floor and then maybe have one riser for a second row of seating or do you need to isolate the floor further?

Dricore isn't needed for sound isolation in a basement. Some people do it for the added warmth. You can save some money by skipping the dricore if you don't care about having carpet directly on the cement. If you have a wet basement then you might need it to keep the floor dry.

Quote:
I would like to use the RISC clips for the ceiling. What is the best method for the wall studs? I am thinking the DD method and green glue as well.

RISC dc4 clips for the walls. Use a clip every 2-4 feet to connect the top plate to the ceiling joist.