Opportunity to design a home theater

[rockymtnhigh]

I do not know how far the bath can be shifted, so I took a crack at the following design, I had to get creative, so I copied the graphic, and put it into visio.

take a look. Does it look like the HT room would be big enough?

I am not sure about how long I have; still waiting for a call from him. AND he may have his design team make suggestions as well, but by god, I want this HT room.

I added a png. NOT sure where the mechanical room wall is; or if it is even there yet. Could be open space, but I doubt it. So, obviously the HT room in that design would meet it.

Working on an alternative design now....

 

[8bitbytes]

Ah, ok so you are willing to sacrifice the fireplace over on that side?

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Here is design 2, the original idea...

Not sure which makes a bigger theater, but so much is based on an issue I still have unresolved - i.e., the location of the mechanical room wall.

This design is dependent on how far the bathroom can be nudged, given the existing rough-in. again, dealing with construction stuff I KNOW nothing about.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Ah, ok so you are willing to sacrifice the fireplace over on that side?

The fireplace is upstairs; don't think it is also in the basement. MAYBE I am wrong? I need to look at the design and the house specs, but I do not think there is a basement fireplace.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

The specs say one gas fireplace; and it is upstairs. (I KNOW that).

NO need for one downstairs. Does that give me better space to work with?

I am thinking I like it better, but it is dependent on the dimensions. AND while these are blueprints, I am not taking them 100% as gospel; reason being that the first floor plan shows the kitchen island different then it actually is. Not by much, but a little.


Gotta run to a meeting... sure appreciate the input and help!

 

[8bitbytes]

I like the plan over on the mechanical room side better. You get a bigger area to work with which will give you room for two rows of seating. Just need to get that door into the room over on the side so it doesn't interfere with your seating.

 

[dfergie]

Having a dad that was a plumber, the only thing I can see is the trap for the bathtub would be backwards from the last revision...

 

[diogen]

It looks like both plans (if doable) offer about the same space, 16'x13' or thereabout.

In this case the cheaper implementation will be the key factor.
It would be hard to have a two row seating arrangement in such space. Do you really need it? Want it?

Diogen.

 

[8bitbytes]

It looks like both plans (if doable) offer about the same space, 16'x13' or thereabout.

In this case the cheaper implementation will be the key factor.
It would be hard to have a two row seating arrangement in such space. Do you really need it? Want it?

Diogen.

Kids have to sit somewhere and it's not in my seat!

I was thinking he could push the back wall back 3 more feet over by the mechanical room so he would have 19 x 13. Then 2 rows would work better.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Having a dad that was a plumber, the only thing I can see is the trap for the bathtub would be backwards from the last revision...

We will most likely just put in a half-bath, so the tub would not be an issue. Its cheaper, but again, I need to talk witht he builder.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Kids have to sit somewhere and it's not in my seat!

I was thinking he could push the back wall back 3 more feet over by the mechanical room so he would have 19 x 13. Then 2 rows would work better.

The rows of seating is an issue; trying to sort that out. There are just three of us, but I'd like to be able to have guests over, and thats the one downside of HTs, hard to have seating for lots of people.

Still working it out; but the bigger the room, the more options for seating. And yes, the door is an issue as to where to place it.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

I think I prefer the design near the mechanical room, in that I get a decent exercise room space, AND still have a fairly open family room with lots of little nooks, for either library stuff or storage.

Again the only issues with this is Where is the actual wall for the mechanical room; and how much space it gives me. Hope to have that answer later today, when he calls me.

 

[8bitbytes]

We are currently using a room that is 12x12. We have seats for 4 so obviously large viewings just aren't possible. I'd like to convert my garage but we just put the youngest in braces, the oldest is in college, I need to redo a 25 foot porch, and the shingles will be due for a replacement in a couple years.

At least with 16x13, you have room for some temproary seating in front of your permanent row of seats. If you can fit the 16x13 over behind the stairs then your large open area will be preserved. It just depends on what you need down there.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

We are currently using a room that is 12x12. We have seats for 4 so obviously large viewings just aren't possible. I'd like to convert my garage but we just put the youngest in braces, the oldest is in college, I need to redo a 25 foot porch, and the shingles will be due for a replacement in a couple years.

At least with 16x13, you have room for some temproary seating in front of your permanent row of seats. If you can fit the 16x13 over behind the stairs then your large open area will be preserved. It just depends on what you need down there.

There are just three of us; currently in 1826 sq foot. Moving into 3300 sq ft, so from that standpoint, we have a LOT of space, and no specific needs except maybe room for a library; and with the open space next to the bathroom, near the window, I could easily put in two full walls of shelves.

I like the 16x13 space; its big, not huge, leaves me plenty of other open space, and the ability to add temporary seating for guests.

 

[8bitbytes]

Another thing I like about the mechanical room being right next to the theater is that you can put the equipment closet/rack in there and have it flush up to the theater but not taking any space from the theater room.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Another thing I like about the mechanical room being right next to the theater is that you can put the equipment closet/rack in there and have it flush up to the theater but not taking any space from the theater room.

My wife was thinking that too.

I sent my drawing to the builder. Looking forward to hearing back from him.

 

[John Kotches]

A couple of points to make here.

1) As expensive as it's going to be, you need to concern yourself with soundproofing. Soundproofing works in both directions. It keeps the HT sound from getting out to the rest of the house, and it keeps noise from the house out of the HT. The result? A low noise floor which can exploit more of the available dynamic range and a peaceful house.

2) Your design against the mechanical room is the best from a space / usability perspective, however you will need to pay great attention to that wall.

3) Watch out for having your EQ in the mechanical room, it gets quite dusty.

4) Your HVAC is critical, you want to make sure you have adequate supply and return in the room. Without both your air will be stagnant and that isn't the best of situations.

5) The basement is a great environment, with all the heat generating equipment, the downward trend of cold air will help keep it at a decent temperature. If the EQ can go in a completely seperate room that's even better.

6) Saving a little bit of money on 720p vs. 1080p doesn't make much sense. You can get 1080p at ~3K or less. Look at the Sony VPL-VW40 as an excellent 1080p starter piece.

There are so many other things, but this is off the top of my head.

Be very careful with the construction, mistakes there are almost impossible to correct without great expense.

Cheers,

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Thanks for the advice John.

The issue with 1080p - 720p is about a $2000 difference, and that money is something I can use (given all the expenses this year), for things like better sound proofing. I figure the 1080p projector prices will go down over time, and the reviews of 720p seem pretty strong from the folks in this thread.

The downside to all of this is as far as construction goes, it will occur in the next 45 days, while I am still in Colorado. The bank is requiring the basement be finished before the close, if we are to include the cost of it into the sales price. BUT that said, this builder has an amazing attention to detail - one of the reasons why I bought the house. I am confident that I will be happy with the end result. AND if we go with the wall next to the mechanical room, I will have him make some adjustments to try to account for noise.

This whole thing makes me realize that my Dish bill is going to go up too. With two HDTVs I will need a second 622/722. That's ok though; more DVR space

 

[dfergie]

Don't forget another audio system

 

[John Kotches]

Thanks for the advice John.

The issue with 1080p - 720p is about a $2000 difference, and that money is something I can use (given all the expenses this year), for things like better sound proofing. I figure the 1080p projector prices will go down over time, and the reviews of 720p seem pretty strong from the folks in this thread.

I understand what you're saying, have you considered the second hand market?

The downside to all of this is as far as construction goes, it will occur in the next 45 days, while I am still in Colorado. The bank is requiring the basement be finished before the close, if we are to include the cost of it into the sales price. BUT that said, this builder has an amazing attention to detail - one of the reasons why I bought the house. I am confident that I will be happy with the end result. AND if we go with the wall next to the mechanical room, I will have him make some adjustments to try to account for noise.

There are some basics that work well -- send me an e-mail or PM and I'll try to help you out.

This whole thing makes me realize that my Dish bill is going to go up too. With two HDTVs I will need a second 622/722. That's ok though; more DVR space

If only you could stream content from DVR to DVR.

Come to think of it a 222 + a drive would work too.

Cheers,