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The "Kitchenette" of Home theaters

28268 Views 63 Replies 23 Participants Last post by  Mike70, 
M
13
So I finally got the courage up to post a construction thread.I was bolstered by the fact that I am not alone in the "no budget/low budget" small space DHT world.The space I have is 8'6" X 20'9" ,as you can see it's plenty long but dreadfully narrow and the height isn't a help at just over 7' bare.There is a chimney right where the seating goes but I had posted on AVS about what could be done about the problem and it was suggested to have 2 surrounds 1 for each row of 2 seats.

It is early in the project but it is moving along at a decent pace and i thought I would show you my hopes for the space and see if you guys have any suggestions as I am really new the the whole home theater world.


To start off here is what I am hoping for (on a side note sketch up is way addictive once you figure out how it works and figure out some tricks I probably spent hours on the model but it felt like no time at all,in fact i had to tell myself to go to bed last night at 3:40 am after working on it since 10pm ,haha )


(3/4s view)



(Birds eye)


(From the back row seat)



As for equipment I am still figuring that out,I have got my eye on that new Optoma HD20 but will probably have to go with a lower priced PJ unless it is indeed as great as it seems.

I want to go with the Onkyo TX-SR 606 receiver with Onkyo SKS-HT 540 7.1 (mainly for the 2nd set of surrounds but when we get a bigger house I can expand to a full 7.1 sound design) now that combo is a little pricey for me but from my research it should be well worth it.

Now I am on the fence on getting an Blu-ray or a nice DVD with upconversion and HDMI.


I really only plan on watching movies and maybe the odd "worthy" t.v series (like Battlestar Galactica) in the theater so I'm not hooking up any games or the computers to it (for now at least,haha)


The screen ,I think ,will be a piece of Duro-Therm™ ,with standard diy border,it looks like I will get a 91" screen size which isn't great but for my first DHT I think it will be good,considering my size constraints.


Now for the "what I've done so far" pics....


This is the space as it was when we got the house,who ever put up the dry wall didn't really consider leaking cracks,didnt help that the gutters were full and the grade outside slanted into the wall.




...and after the tear out...




I used some injection urethane for the major cracks (ya I know a little messy but it was my first time
)




Took out the window near where the screen will go....





And put a new window in the far end (plan on making a plug for it when we watch movies)




went with Watertite by Zinsser for the waterproffing of the room,unfortunatly there was paint on a lot of the wall so it will be mainly for keeping out water vapor but in a lot of the problem areas the pant had come off so I am hoping with the crack sealing and this, the room should be pretty waterproof




Just today I laid out the Dricore to acclimatise and I'm also dehumidifying the space,it seemed that just the watertite reduced the humidity from 70% to a little over 60% it's at 50% now so I should be good to go to install tomorrow.



Anyway I have been scouring these forums for months and learning a lot,it almost was like porn looking through the theater construction thread,..almost,haha.I am really glad i found this place ,you guys rock (and evidently your opinions of products have a lot of sway as I had had my sights on the Sharp DT-510 as its was touted as being the best sub $800 PJ and soon after it spiked back up to its old $12000 price tag,..thanks a lot guys ,haha kidding
)


So,in conclusion if you have any suggestions or ideas I'll be glad to hear them and thanks for any help you can give
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B
my suggestion is to not worry about the projector. They only get better and cheaper so don't get one until your room is ready.


It's hard for me to tell but it appears that your door is right beside the chimney? If so, you have to either walk up on the riser or around the first row of seats to get to the back of the room?


Without knowing all the details, I would flip the room 180deg and riser start at the back edge of the door and have it run the full width of the room all the way to what would now be the back wall. The front row of seats could sit just ahead of the door so that you would walk in just behind the seats and in front of the riser. OOPS - I misread where your door is. I agree with your proposed orientation, so just ignore the last to paragraphs!
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B
And, you may want to either put the speakers under the screen or behind the screen. You need all the width you can get.
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J
I agree -- I think an AT (acoustically transparent) screen would be the way to go for you as you definitely have a long room and can afford 20-30 inches necessary for the setup.


This way, you could literally go wall-to-wall with a big screen....plus it would just look very cool!
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J

Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnsteph10 /forum/post/16936906


I agree -- I think an AT (acoustically transparent) screen would be the way to go for you as you definitely have a long room and can afford 20-30 inches necessary for the setup.


This way, you could literally go wall-to-wall with a big screen....plus it would just look very cool!
Click to expand...


I third this...


With a room that narrow and long, AT is the way to go. Check out SeymourAV.com for some good material. You'd just need to build a frame/border.


Unfortunately most commercial AT screens are fairly expensive.
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Stephen Hopkins
With the depth in your favor and the width making speaker placement tough, I'd say you're a perfect candidate for a false wall and acoustically transparent screen with speakers behind. DIY AT screens are possible and not much different from other DIY screens.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=783562
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M
3
Thanks for the tips


The door is next to the chimney but I really don't want to flip it as a side effect of re doing this room (and a way to "grease the wheels" for the GF whom I live with ) is putting the computers in this room ,this will free up a room upstairs ,the whole house is a "challenge" space wise unfortunately.And as we will use the computers daily we wouldn't want to have to climb past chairs to get to them.

Now the AT screen I have put thought into ,I found this stuff http://www.interiormall.com/cat/nsample.asp?id=113512

Actually I think I found it scouring these forums
(this place is truly a wealth of knowledge) and the word is that this stuff is really good material for audio transparency and for the screen size I will need it is fairly cheap.I will seriously consider it now
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J

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike70 /forum/post/16937994


Thanks for the tips


The door is next to the chimney but I really don't want to flip it as a side effect of re doing this room (and a way to "grease the wheels" for the GF whom I live with ) is putting the computers in this room ,this will free up a room upstairs ,the whole house is a "challenge" space wise unfortunately.And as we will use the computers daily we wouldn't want to have to climb past chairs to get to them.

Now the TP screen I have put though into I found this stuff http://www.interiormall.com/cat/nsample.asp?id=113512

Actually I think I found it scouring these forums
(this place is truly a wealth of knowledge) and the word is that this stuff is really good material for audio transparency and for the screen size I will need it is fairly cheap.I will seriously consider it now
Click to expand...


That is exactly the same stuff as SeymourAV's original AT material which they don't seem carry any more (looks like they only have the new XD material). The Sheerweave is very similar to SMX as well.
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Stephen Hopkins
Can you get the screen height you want out of 63" width? Have you taken into account tilting 15 degrees to avoid Moire lines?
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M

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stephen Hopkins /forum/post/16938098


Can you get the screen height you want out of 63" width? Have you taken into account tilting 15 degrees to avoid Moire lines?
Click to expand...

Hmm, that's a new term for me,is this the kind of tilting your talking about for the screen?



My screen height will only be ~44" tall :/ so it should be plenty unless there is something I am not taking in to consideration.
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M
2
Oh,I also have been wondering about the min distance from the screen http://www.projectorcentral.com denotes when you look up a projectors "stats" if you will.How hard and fast are those measurements ? I understand about the screen door effect with LCD PJs but as i am most likely going with a DLP can I get the front row as close as I can granting they aren't blocking the projection ? I mainly ask because of the stupid chimney,if i bring the front row too far back the left surround will be like 2" from the the guy in the left seats ear or blocked by the chimney (if I go with just 1 set of surrounds),or is sound not that finicky about obstacles?



(here's what i mean....)



The left version is how i have it envisioned, now the right is if I need to bring the seating back any to account for the screen coming forward too much(I know,it's like a chess game dealing with the layout,haha ....on a side note I never knew I would ever get green with envy over seeing a pic of someones tall,uncracked,vast basement,....funny how things change
).
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S

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike70 /forum/post/16938893


Hmm, that's a new term for me,is this the kind of tilting your talking about for the screen?

My screen height will only be ~44" tall :/ so it should be plenty unless there is something I am not taking in to consideration.
Click to expand...

the 15 degree rotation is how you lay the screen onto the frame
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike70 /forum/post/16939077


Oh,I also have been wondering about the min distance from the screen http://www.projectorcentral.com denotes when you look up a projectors "stats" if you will.How hard and fast are those measurements ? I understand about the screen door effect with LCD PJs but as i am most likely going with a DLP can I get the front row as close as I can granting they aren't blocking the projection ? I mainly ask because of the stupid chimney,if i bring the front row too far back the left surround will be like 2" from the the guy in the left seats ear or blocked by the chimney (if I go with just 1 set of surrounds),or is sound not that finicky about obstacles?



(here's what i mean....)



The left version is how i have it envisioned, now the right is if I need to bring the seating back any to account for the screen coming forward too much(I know,it's like a chess game dealing with the layout,haha).
Click to expand...

Use 4 side surround speakers similar to the pic on the left


One theory of calculating minimum seating distances that is becoming more popular is 2 X screen height ... the theory behind it started with the popularity of 2.35 screens and that the normal ways of calculating seating distances based on width of screen change dramatically with scope screens ... so a 91" screen has a vertiacl height of 45" ... X2 = 90" to eyes of first row ... so the question is how far back is the front row in that pic on the left ?
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M
2

Quote:
Originally Posted by ScruffyHT /forum/post/16939120


Use 4 side surround speakers similar to the pic on the left


One theory of calculating minimum seating distances that is becoming more popular is 2 X screen height ... the theory behind it started with the popularity of 2.35 screens and that the normal ways of calculating seating distances based on width of screen change dramatically with scope screens ... so a 91" screen has a vertiacl height of 45" ... X2 = 90" to eyes of first row ... so the question is how far back is the front row in that pic on the left ?
Click to expand...

Wow,cool ,I like that system
that frees up almost 2' of distance for screen placement ( the seats are ~8.5 from eyes to screen)

and also thanks for the lesson on the 15% rule for AT fabric placement
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M

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stephen Hopkins /forum/post/16938098


Can you get the screen height you want out of 63" width? Have you taken into account tilting 15 degrees to avoid Moire lines?
Click to expand...

I did a mock up on sketch up and no,63" will not cut it,wich had me worried then I checked for a wider version and they have it in 98"
( http://www.interiormall.com/cat/nsample.asp?ID=113513 )
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T
The AT screen will help ease "the bowling alley" feel to your room. It will also allow you to accomodate a larger speaker upgrade down the road. Another nice bonus, is hiding the speakers and subs will give a smaller space, a serene uncluttered feel. The room will actually feel larger and more spacious. The AT space can also hide bass traps and acoustical treatments. Lots of pluses for a small room build.



Have you given any thought to in-ceiling surround speakers?


With 9' 5" of width, I simply decided to skip side surrounds and stay at 5.1 (dual subs). You could then pull the front row back from the screen, and the room correction of the Onkyo would help with the seating against the chimmney. With the seating pulled back, you can get a larger screen up front and with less speakers to buy, you might afford better quality speakers or free up some cash for some DIY acoustical treatments. "Less" could mean "more" here.


I suggest you consider low backed theater seats to help with sightlines. You also might want to offset the seats (if you can, with your width).


With the large screen, you'll want the ceiling, carpet and side walls to absorb light, as to not wash out the screen.


You could also hide the computers and rear speakers, in a rear AT space.
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M
9
Ok,so been slowly working on my project,here's where I'm at...

Got the DryCore down,as I had read all over the place while researching it it is way easy to use.



now I am a novice carpenter so I was kinda proud of this cut ,haha

its an intersection of 3 tiles (its the vent opening for air circulation)



spray painted the opening black to hide the floor that is like a 1/2" away



Gearing up for framing,got all the lumber and drywall down into the basement,was worried It wouldn't fit cus it is tight but got it down a peice at a time.

(And that whole basement/backdoor entry area is another future project ,do not like the whole paneling look the previous owners had going,the carpet needs redone and plan to spruce up the stairs a bit as well)



(yikes, ignore that water stain on the ceiling that's getting some attention in the future as well but i got my priorities ,theater first then regular remodeling/fix ups next
)



had to angle each sheet of drywall just so to get it in

(bad pic of it but was the only one I took)



Anyway went with 2X3s for the framing trying to squeeze as many inches as i can where I can



(here is my modest stack of materials )




Had a goofy idea about my dehumidifier thought I would run it by you guys,There is an opening in the wall between the HT room and the heater/laundry room that used to have the old vent pipe to the chimney for the heater .

Was thinking of taking some of that flex vent pipe stuff they use for dryer vents and such and making a vent in the HT side that ran to the laundry side and connected to the intake of the dehumidifier (make some MacGyver type connection)

Mainly so there isn't a dehumidifier taking up space and adding unwanted noise.That an idea or is it gunna be more work than it is worth?
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M
3
Got a little more done.....



(Here is my makeshift workbench,made from the remains of a miserably failed attempt at installing a cheap prehung door by myself,basically destroyed the frame while trying to cut it down to fit and droped it a couple times too,haha,did I mention I'm a novice carpenter :p)



almost finished the framing..



and got the theater chairs I bought on Ebay.


Hopefully I'll finish the framing tomorrow,then I'll do the electrical and drywall,..then a hundred more things,haha
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M
7
Finally got the drywall up,nothing like drywall to put a spotlight on any errors in framing
.I think I did an ok job ,especially as its my first attempt (a few rookie mistakes were made that I'll have to deal with in the mudding phase).A little nervous about the mudding though, I have been assured that it isn't as tough as I fear (though I doubt that
).I figure as the room was molding and rotting from the inside out before i started ,even a sub par job will be heads and shoulders over what it once was
...and I can watch movies in it too



here are some pics of the drywalling....


this is the "screen wall"


this is the computer area (up against the back wall)

I tried to damp mop the floor to get up the drywall dust,am afraid to get too crazy with the water as I don't think that particle board is supposed to get too wet,and as it will be under carpet a little dust won't be the end of the world.


this is the stupid chimney that is wearing the pants in this "relationship" ,..every compromise I've had to make is because of this jerk,haha.



....so next week I hope to get started on mudding,quick question...as I am going to put up a "drop ceiling" (CeilingLink grid system to be exact),should that go up before I do the painting or after? (I will of course do the prime coat before the ceiling)
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M
7
Ok,made some more progress,got the muding done,not as difficult as I thought it could be but not as easy as I hoped








Got the priming done...





And did some thinking about color now,it's coming down to the time I need to make concrete decisions ,think I am going with black and a dark red/dark reddish brown color .The title of the theater is meant to be tongue-in-cheek .I'm calling it "the Regal Cellar Theater" ,haha.


here is the recolor of my sketchup....



Working on the faux wainscotting ,doing the "boxes" looks like the time sink of the operation
,I'll post pics when I get it done.
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