Tsar Chasm

So, long time since I have posted here. I bought a townhouse last year and in my finished basement, my man cave, I have my 60 feet of shelving for DVD Storage and my computer workstation. This room is 11'8" wide by 9' long. my living/tv viewing space on the main floor isn't ideal for a HT setup. So, I got to thinking and figured I could have my contractor father in law knock out the wall in my man cave and put up the wall deeper in my two car garage, I have 18 additional feet it could be extended. I am figuring pushing out that wall an additional 6 feet giving me 11'8" x 15'. I could then hang my 50" plasma on the wall with the idea of sometime in the future installing a front projector. I would have to put in carpeting, which would mean ripping up the pergo-ish floor, I'm just trying to figure out what would be the best dimensions to create the new room. The garage is only really used for storage, so, I'm not going to hurt my ability to park a car in there and if for some odd reason I decide I want to park a car, I have the other side. There is a small 2'x4' window that would be easily covered to darken the room.

Ideas? Concerns? Ever done something like this?

Brian Shannon

Yes, 5 years ago my basement was unfinished and we built our theater down there (along with finishing the rest).

Plan, plan, plan. And then plan some more. Make lists of everything you need, want and think you will never need.

If you want to get technical about it, try this link for dimensions

http://www.cinemasource.com/articles...des/modes.html

Basically anything will work so long as it is not a square.

You can see my theater in my sig, keep us posted with progress and feel free to ask more questions.

Good luck!

Sdallnct

Yup...you got a lot of options. Come up with a budget and plan and read, read and read. Personally, I'd just skip the plasma and go with a projector. Nothing brings you "into" the movie then a screen measured in feet.

See what I built in my signature.

RockyMtnBri

I would concur with the other posters. It took me 5 years to realize my theater, but the planning that went into it made it so easy. Plus we had our house built from scratch so that made the planning even easier. My room is actually 12 feet wide by 16 feet deep - I have a riser that is almost a half foot tall that is 12 feet wide and five feet long for the rear seating. I am using a 92 inch diagonal screen with a front projector and it is awesome. If you want more details or have more questions, you're in the right place!

Oh, and the most important thing to realize - you're not gonna get everything right! I wish I had done a few other things, but I'm happy with the end result. Check the link below for pictures.

JimRochester

When I got my rear projection TV back in 2000 I oushed the wall into the garage about 2'. It worked well as it kept the tv from sticking way out into the room. Just make sure you anticipate for what you want to use the garage for. I had measured and figured I had 2' to spare and still get a car in there. Well I could still get the car in but forgot to figure out what to do about the garbage can, lawnmower, snowblower, pressure washer, etc. that sit in the garage that are then blocked by the car and can't get out without moving the car first. Once I switched to a Plasma this spring I was so happy because I could get 1 1/2 ft of my garage back and wouldn't have to screw around moving a car into the snow to get the snowblower out. I left the wall about 6" deep so upon entering the room, you wouldn't see the back of the TV with all the wires.

MrVette99

Yup, forget the plasma/lcd and go projector. Unlimited screen size (room limited only) with a quality that is hard to complain about.

I probably spent 1 to 2 months planning and doing my research, and then continuously redesigned for the 4 to 5 months it took me to build my HTR. I'm still tinkering with it. It's a passion, and your family, friends and neighbors will love visiting. A year later I'm still getting compliments from the same friends.

After some initial planning you should be able to establish a budget. Not everything needs to be done initially, so don't be put off by the sticker shock. I had much of the equipment (speakers, receiver, player, etc), and the light construction I did myself and I came under my budget of $5K. Big items were leather theater recliners (4 of them), projector, swamp cooler (I'm in the desert with HTR upstairs), and the rest was death by a thousand cuts.

The final and quintessential HTR component that must be a part of any respectable HTR is a popcorn trolley.

Spiky

I think he meant he already has a plasma.

movieguru

Reducing your garage space, even if you are increasing your living space would very likely reduce the value of your house. If converting your garage is restricted by your homeowners board (as it is on mine) you would have to reconvert it back to a garage before you sell it. So if you don't plan on living there for some time I wouldn't knock down garage walls. If you plan on staying there for years go for it.

chino77

im curious why it takes you guys so long to plan a home theater. what is so hard about it?

RockyMtnBri

chino77...

It's not difficulty, it's time. When I started planning mine I was looking at 2000-2001 technology. Equipment and standards have changed. It's just a matter of how much you want to spend, where technology is, and when you want to dive. My dive came early this year with a bonus, so I was able to get the receiver, projector, and screen needed to complete my project. The only things I need now are a second pair of theater seats and a sub.

BTW, I'm still planning the next theater for when we buy a new house! There are things I learned this time around that I will change next go-around, like thin in-wall sound damping instead of insulation, and a separate space for my media.

chino77

well equipment i can understand. the other people in the thread made it sound like it took 5 years to plan their room.

Spiky

Probably some if that is money issues.

MrVette99

Unless you have a basement of perfect dimensions, and have a friend with a similar completed room, you have to figure a lot of stuff out (i.e. plan) or pay a lot more later.

Have you done much construction? There are always problems to be solved and thinking of them before hand makes a huge difference in time, money and frustration.

RockyMtnBri

MrVette99 is correct. I was lucky enough in 2006 to buy a home that had to be built, so I was able to dictate what I needed to a degree. The floor plan already included a media room, but the rear seat riser, in-wall/ceiling wiring, wire conduit, and some other tweaks were add-ons that the builder was able to accommodate. The good thing is that everything I asked for over the norm was rolled into my mortgage so I didn't have to pay for it up front.

BTW chino77, I've been planning a media room of sorts for 30 years, since I had a super 8 projector and a sheet on the wall in 1978!

Sdallnct

LOL...no not 5 years. I had mine up and running in less then 60 days from the day I started planning. But you want to plan.

For example....

In determining how high to build my riser, I used a couple of chairs and phone books. In the end, I wish it was higher. Of course later, after the build, I found calculators and formulas to better estimate how high your riser should be.

I was nervous about running speaker wire in the wall, and then trying to drill thru the top plate. So I just went straight up thru the ceiling, covering the wire with plastic conduit. However, later on, I found information on how to do it fairly easily.

There are a few other small things I wish I had researched a little better. Sure I could go back and adjust, and I might. But it would have been easier to do during the build.

But you want to spend time on figuring equipment. It is not as easy as to say "I want a HD projector". You want to determine how bright you might need (or not need). How much of a lens throw do you require? Do you need to get one with lens shift? Do you want HD audio?

Basically there are just so many options in build and equipment, you want to spend some time planning so you don't waist time or money while getting the best bang for the buck.

MrVette99

Great idea for HTR decoration from your web site.

For everybody else here's a link to some print worth DTS and Dolby Digital pictures. http://www.demo-world.eu/wallpapers/

MrVette99

More HTR decor.



http://homepages.roadrunner.com/dixi...toDecor002.jpg

http://homepages.roadrunner.com/dixi...toDecor003.jpg

chino77

it doesnt take much of a brain to frame a wall and slap on some dry wall. calculate a riser? set your chair on a couple of phone books. it shouldnt take anyone 5 years to plan a HT.
what frustration and what problems? my god make a rectangular room and throw a riser behind the first couch...is it that hard? then paint the walls dark. add black curtains to block light if you have windows. then add popcorn machine and lame movie posters in a frame.

i just need to know what you need to plan out do avoid costs later. what will make me need to rip down the walls in my rectangular room?

chino77

delete

MrVette99

Having a bad day?

Seems like you know everything. Your pleas for answers/help(?) have run their course. Good Luck to you!

Quack

Now for those of you who've been lucky enough to build your house, hopefully this isn't a stupid question, but can/did you include your budgeting in for your home theater? ie, equipment, or mainly just the room itself.

Sdallnct

RockyMtnBri

Quack...

I rolled all of the costs of the room itself into my mortgage, so that included wiring and any equipment that would go into that build. I had most of the equipment before, and the new stuff this year (projector, screen, and receiver) came via bonus money.

MrVette99

I had most all of my equipement. I did have to factor in the cost of the Projector, 50' of component cable, and some new rear speakers.

I have Cerwin Vega speaker as my front mains. I've had them now almost 20 years. Great speakers, and have no idea what they are worth or would cost today. Big boxy mains are no longer the norm anymore.

chino77

no it seems like a fair question to me.

i just want to know why it takes people years to plan a HT yet an entire house can be planned in a few months to a year.