# The Spud Cellar Theater and Media Room



## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

*Current Status of Spud Cellar:*

*HELP! PLEASE REVIEW MY SEATING DISTANCES!*


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

*INTRODUCTION:*

We built our home in 2005 and have been dreaming everyday since that time what we would do with the unfinished basement. After years of brainstorming, lurking on forums, reading, changing plans over and over again on what we want our space to be, I decided it was time to _actually_make progress on the basement and finally get it done THIS YEAR ... I want it done, my wife wants it done and now the pressure is on as the children constantly talk about getting it done and don't want to spend money and wish holiday gifts and birthday gifts to "be for the basement". 

It's time to call upon the incredible knowledge and experience of the forum members to help me and motivate me the rest of the way. I'm hoping you'll come join me in this build! 

I live in the middle of potato country and thought it appropriate to represent Idaho with my basement build - *THE SPUD CELLAR*


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

Reserved


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

*The Space:*
Unfinished basement that is 1815 sqft. There is framing completed in the basement as seen below with 3 bedrooms, one bathroom, a larger room (currently 27'-6" x 13'-6") that will become the theater room. In this room there is an under-stairs "playspace" with a small loft above. There is a smaller adjoining room (11 x 17) that will be used for game room, play room, reading room and general TV watching. Behind the theater room is currently a 9'-6" x 13'-6" storage area and an additional 6'-4" x 7'-10" storage space. These will be used as storage and a tanning room respectively.


This is the original layout of the basement










*Design Style and Objectives and Family Needs:*
We are firmly committed to having an open plan between the two larger rooms. They will not be closed off which also exposes the rooms to the stairs and the main floor. Yes, it is well-understood that this will not allow for true soundproofing but we actually don't mind if some sound from the theater room and game rooms travel upstairs to the main living area because our upstairs is also an open layout and that just fits our lifestyle where we are constantly shifting around in our living areas while activities are going on. What we do NOT want is the sound traveling to the far end of the basement and main floor where the bedrooms are all located so our soundproofing efforts will be focused on isolating those rooms instead. We will be treating the ceiling in the theater and game rooms to minimize footfalls from above from _entering_ those rooms. We have already begun consulting directly with The Sound Proofing Company on our plans and needs and are looking forward to working with them.

*We ultimately want these 2 rooms to be a multi-purpose area that will typically seat 4 - 6 people comfortably. We anticipate that we will want to adapt the area for different entertaining needs and also want to adapted the area over time to the changes in our family. We want the areas to be able to be BRIGHTLY lit when not in use for movies so other activities can be done in the rooms. Most of all, we want it all to be cozy, inviting, free-flowing and still feel like a home.*

Here are the design elements that we are looking to incorporate between the Theater and Game Rooms:



 BRIGHT lighting scheme in theater room when projector not in use
 Fixed AT Screen with masking
 Projector
 Sectional style seating (or other style but NOT theater chairs)
 Riser with additional seating
 Bar-style seating for rear
 AV Rack at rear
 Gaming – Mostly Wii
 Under-stairs play area
 Area to play board games, card games when desired
 Wall-mounted plasma TV (TV/GameRoom)

 Air hockey table (TV/Game Room)
 Reading area (TV/Game Room)
* Computer desk with drawers - This is something my wife really wants there ... I do not. We already have a good dedicated space upstairs in our main living area for that. I have not come up with a good solution and could use some brainstorming from the forum.*
My solution instead of a computer desk is to have a long counter-style bar at the rear of the theater room instead that the kids can do homework and arts and crafts and can place a laptop there for computing but then also be able to clear everything away and use the counter as a serving table for parties and get-togethers in the theater.​
The first thing we have decided to do with the design is get a little bit more room in the Theater Room. We are going to push the wall back a few feet into the storage area. The starting dimensions now for the theater room will be *29'-1" x 13'-6"*. We are also planning on changing the original computer nook at the rear and will use this space for the AV rack. So now our room's measurements and framing will look like this: 











*So how would YOU incorporate these things into my space if it were you?*


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## Medi0gre (Oct 30, 2012)

Looking forward to the build!
Sub'd


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## Andre (Feb 15, 2010)

Tanning?


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

Andre said:


> Tanning?


Hehehe. Yep. We live in Idaho. It's cold 9 months of the year.

It's spray tanning and I want to make a room for it instead of using the pop-up tents they companies send for use. My wife does it as a small business on the side so we need a small area for it. It's either getting naked in there or in the garage (cold!) or in the theater room (awkward!) :nono:


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## Andre (Feb 15, 2010)

So you get to look like George Hamilton, all year round :bigsmile:


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

Yes! In fact George will be joining us for the first movie showing we have when the theater is done!


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Wow - that looks like a great space! Subscribed!

I think the layout works very well for what you want to accomplish. Great call on doing an AT screen - with that much room length, I always try to suggest doing an AT screen. I really like the clean front wall - it really allows you to focus on the movie.

As far as wiring, I would wire for an 11.x speaker system setup. Even if you do not plan to start with that, wiring it now whole the walls are open gives you the flexibility to add later without cracking into walls. Run conduit to all those locations to make it easier to swap wires later should you ever need to.

With that room length and the AV rack being in the back, I recommend putting pull boxes for the wiring in. I can tell you I had a hard time getting my wires to the front - until I cut in some pull boxes.

Have you though at all about doing an IB baffle wall sub setup? If not, I would put as many sub connection points in the room as you can manage. My room is smaller than yours, and I have 5 - all set up to do either passive or powered subs. It gives you the flexibility to locate subs wherever you want based on room response.

Also, you may want to run cat5 wiring to the riser and front wall - again, flexibility is the key here. Since the walls are open now, it is really best to overthink the wiring...

Good luck and remember - we love pictures!


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

ALMFamily said:


> As far as wiring, I would wire for an 11.x speaker system setup.


That's a great idea. I am a little familiar with the setup .... So in addition to my fronts, surround and rears I would add in 2 fronts at ceiling height and 2 more on sides near the front (or would those be closer to another row of seats)? 



ALMFamily said:


> With that room length and the AV rack being in the back, I recommend putting pull boxes for the wiring in. I can tell you I had a hard time getting my wires to the front - until I cut in some pull boxes.


I am planning on having an open run within the soffits from front to mechanical room/AV rack to put the wiring in and for later wiring access. Is that the same as a pull box?



ALMFamily said:


> Have you though at all about doing an IB baffle wall sub setup?


I have heard a little bit about those and have seen some in other's theater builds. Aren't they MASSIVE subwoofer chambers? Where would I locate that .... Behind AT screen wall? Are you saying I wouldn't need any rear subwoofer connection points wired if I did an IB sub?


Thanks for the input! And yes, I'll post pics along the way


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

I was able to put together some renderings of the space.
This is the room looking toward the screen wall












As I started thing about layouts and our needs, I wondered if I could place a bar top counter at the rear of the room for computing and other kid's activities as my wife wanted. I think this would also be able to double as a serving area for parties (clear away the laptops, etc). You can see the counter placement in this render.











This is the layout that I have come up with. Is it too crowded? Is the seating distance off? What can be improved upon?


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

I would advise A couple of changes to the seating arrangement..
Try to keep everything symmetrical..Centre your seating with a walkway each side..You have sufficient width in room to do that..
Seating distance looks OK, but I would be more inclined to have 3 rows in the front..That way you have a centre seat position..unless you're planning to sit in the second row..


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

Prof. said:


> I would advise A couple of changes to the seating arrangement..
> Try to keep everything symmetrical..Centre your seating with a walkway each side..You have sufficient width in room to do that..
> Seating distance looks OK, but I would be more inclined to have 3 rows in the front..That way you have a centre seat position..unless you're planning to sit in the second row..


Prof -- Thank you for the input. 

I agree it would look more balanced to have it all centered if I can. I really didn't think I had that great of a width with the room to do aisles on each side. As I was laying it out, I figured I had no reason to walk or access the left side (as facing the screen) of the theater.... but I DO need sufficient width on the right side of theater to get to the storage and tanning rooms, so that's where my reasoning came from.

I am certainly interested to hear opinions and experience on how wide the walkways should be to do this. If I have aisles on each side do you think I will still have enough room for couches for 3 people on each as well?


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## Jedi940 (Jan 8, 2014)

Subscribed! Looks like a great multi purpose area. 

If you just using couches, sectionals, etc for seating, will you be attaching them to the floor? I would imagine not, which would give you the ability to just push them aside when you need to move equipment in and out assuming that doesn't need to be done very often.


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

sillywilly said:


> I am certainly interested to hear opinions and experience on how wide the walkways should be to do this. If I have aisles on each side do you think I will still have enough room for couches for 3 people on each as well?


It will depend on whether you have a 3 seater couch or individual chairs..and of course the width of the couch or individual chairs..A normal three seater couch should give you ample room either side.
You may need to wait until you buy your seating before you make a decision on placement..
Minimum distance for a walkway is generally around 2'..


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

Some photos of the physical space I have

_Theater Room Looking Toward the Screen Wall_













_Theater Room From Front Looking Toward Rear_













_Theater Room (Left) and Game / TV Room (Right)_


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

It's difficult to tell from a photo, but it looks like you should easily fit 3 seats across with sufficient walkways..
On your plan you're 3 seater couch is depicted as being 10' 9" wide!..That's either an error or you're planning on putting in a very wide couch!


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## zonecoaster1 (Jan 23, 2014)

Neat space. I'll be following with interest as well.


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## MrAngles (May 1, 2012)

sillywilly said:


> As I started thing about layouts and our needs, I wondered if I could place a bar top counter at the rear of the room for computing and other kid's activities as my wife wanted. I think this would also be able to double as a serving area for parties (clear away the laptops, etc). You can see the counter placement in this render.


I love the rear bar counter idea, I'm doing it in my theater and phillihp23 has a great one in his.


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## mpednault (Dec 20, 2012)

I'm on the fence about incorporating a rear bar in my HT as well. You may have convinced me though since it would be easy to do and would give me more seating at minimal room depth to give up.


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## yluko (Dec 6, 2012)

Love seeing this, looks like a blast to put together and will be one nice space when done


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

sillywilly said:


> That's a great idea. I am a little familiar with the setup .... So in addition to my fronts, surround and rears I would add in 2 fronts at ceiling height and 2 more on sides near the front (or would those be closer to another row of seats)?
> 
> 
> I am planning on having an open run within the soffits from front to mechanical room/AV rack to put the wiring in and for later wiring access. Is that the same as a pull box?
> ...


1. Spot on - the wides would be located at the walls.

2. Better than a pull box actually - you will have a much easier time pulling wire than I!

3. They are located behind an at screen mostly although I have seen a couple that were located behind a false wall at the rear of the room. They are smaller than you might think as well. That said, even if you did an IB sub, I would still run conduit and connection points for rear subs for future flexibility.

And, I second what Prof said - I would try to center the seating a bit more and make the front row 3 seats.


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## phillihp23 (Mar 14, 2012)

MrAngles said:


> I love the rear bar counter idea, I'm doing it in my theater and phillihp23 has a great one in his.


Thanks for the props Mr. Angles 

I do agree with the rear bar counter idea. You have plenty of space to do it. Why not use it for extra seating. It makes it nice to sit and eat dinner and watch a movie or as you said and I do often play on my laptop while watching a sports game.

If your room is about 15 feet wide you should be able to center a couch and have 2 feet on each side for a walkway. I have three recliners in my front row and isles on both sides.

As for the Bar table if you build it yourself you will save a lot of money and you can make it custom length etc. for your room. I built mine and I would say it came out pretty nice, first time building a table for me so I'm sure others can do it too :yes:


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

phillihp23 said:


> Thanks for the props Mr. Angles
> 
> I do agree with the rear bar counter idea. You have plenty of space to do it. Why not use it for extra seating. It makes it nice to sit and eat dinner and watch a movie or as you said and I do often play on my laptop while watching a sports game.
> 
> ...


Forgot to address this in my previous post - I agree as well. The bar counter idea is fantastic if you have the space - and you can take a look at these two guys' builds as both have done / are doing great designs.


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## phillihp23 (Mar 14, 2012)

ALM did you ever get that cat to take a break, working overtime on that computer build. :rofl:

sorry couldn't resist.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

phillihp23 said:


> ALM did you ever get that cat to take a break, working overtime on that computer build. :rofl:
> 
> sorry couldn't resist.


Nope! Currently finishing my music server!


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

Thank you everyone so far for all of the participation and input! It has really helped me make progress!

The previous years of despair of thinking I would never get the basement done has been replaced with a 98% surety that I can get the whole theater COMPLETED before the Super Bowl this weekend!


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

Jedi940 said:


> If you just using couches, sectionals, etc for seating, will you be attaching them to the floor? I would imagine not, which would give you the ability to just push them aside when you need to move equipment in and out assuming that doesn't need to be done very often.


You are correct, I am going to use couches or sectionals so they will not be attached. 

I won't really need to move any equipment in an out of the area but need adequate aisle space to get to the back rooms --The "storage" area on the floor plan is large food storage area so we do go down there to grab stuff to restock the pantry upstairs. The other reason we have to get back there is the tanning room where clients will be going.


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

MrAngles said:


> I love the rear bar counter idea, I'm doing it in my theater and phillihp23 has a great one in his.


Thanks MrAngles! I had a chance to look at both your (and phillihp23's) threads. Looks like you have both learned a lot!

You have some serious wiring going on in your bar that I am going to have to look at in more detail and pick your brain on!

BTW ... I love the name of your theater thread following the same theme as mine. Way to represent Iowa.


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

ALMFamily said:


> That said, even if you did an IB sub, I would still run conduit and connection points for rear subs for future flexibility.


That makes sense. Thank you for the input.

One connection point at each corner in the rear? Should I put in more of them in other places in the room?


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

sillywilly said:


> That makes sense. Thank you for the input.
> 
> One connection point at each corner in the rear? Should I put in more of them in other places in the room?


Nope, I personally think one is sufficient for each corner.


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## MrAngles (May 1, 2012)

sillywilly said:


> Thanks MrAngles! I had a chance to look at both your (and phillihp23's) threads. Looks like you have both learned a lot!
> 
> You have some serious wiring going on in your bar that I am going to have to look at in more detail and pick your brain on!
> 
> BTW ... I love the name of your theater thread following the same theme as mine. Way to represent Iowa.


Ha, yeah the wiring is pretty crazy right now. As nice as it will be to have the bar seating, the main reason I wanted it is just to have a counter to set stuff on, since I have no other shelves or tables in the room. My experience with my kitchen counter is that there are never enough outlets for chargers for laptops, phones, tablets, etc. so I may be overcompensating by putting 14 outlets in a 6-foot wide bar. At no point do I want to say "I wish there was an outlet right here." Eventually the plan is to put A/V outlets in it too so if my kids want to use the wii or something in the theater we just plug it right into the bar.

The other part that I haven't worked on yet is a pair of can lights in the soffit directly above the bar which theoretically will light up the bar without drastically increasing the overall light level in the room, so the someone can be working on a laptop or doing whatever on the counter with some light without affecting the image quality on the screen too much.


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

MrAngles said:


> Eventually the plan is to put A/V outlets in it too so if my kids want to use the wii or something in the theater we just plug it right into the bar.


That's a great idea!



MrAngles said:


> The other part that I haven't worked on yet is a pair of can lights in the soffit directly above the bar which theoretically will light up the bar without drastically increasing the overall light level in the room, so the someone can be working on a laptop or doing whatever on the counter with some light without affecting the image quality on the screen too much.


This is exactly what I have plans for as well. I will be following your with interest


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

What about a smaller LED style light - say a 3" unit? That is what I used for all my perimeter lights and while they give off good light, it is not over the top bright.

I picked them up at Home Depot.


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## MrAngles (May 1, 2012)

The lights over my bar will be on their own dimmer, so the overall light level will be easy to control. The important thing is to make sure the lights are directional enough to where they should get the counter pretty bright while not brightening the room, like spotlights. The dark colors on the ceiling and the walls and the fact that the lights will be behind the projector should help, there shouldn't be a lot of reflections.

I was thinking spot bulbs like these might do the job.


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## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

MrAngles said:


> The lights over my bar will be on their own dimmer, so the overall light level will be easy to control. The important thing is to make sure the lights are directional enough to where they should get the counter pretty bright while not brightening the room, like spotlights. The dark colors on the ceiling and the walls and the fact that the lights will be behind the projector should help, there shouldn't be a lot of reflections.
> 
> I was thinking spot bulbs like these might do the job.


those lights will do fine.... I have some in an addition I use


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

I need some help understanding sound setup with regard to the side surrounds.

Am I correct to understand that in surround setups that you will have a front stage (that is the only place what/where it a 9.x or 11.x becomes more extensive and not elsewhere in the room), rears and just *ONE* set of surrounds regardless of the number of rows that I have?

If I have a second row and a rear bar seating I don't install more side surrounds for those extra rows, right?

If it is just one set of side surrounds for the whole room like I believe, do I understand correctly that the surrounds are to be either at or slightly behind the my planned main seating area? In my setup I expect the main seating area to be the front sectional seating rather than on the riser. So in my layout, that seems like the correct placement would be about at the walkway space behind the main seating and in front of the riser seating. Am I understanding this correctly?


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## Jedi940 (Jan 8, 2014)

7.1 and above does make provision for back speakers directly behind the viewers in addition to the surrounds at the sides.

What type of surround setup will you be using? If you are sticking with 5.1 I would plan to have 4 surround speakers, one set at each of the rows of seating. They will be the same channel but each row will have a set. If you are doing 7.1 I might consider placing the surrounds optimally for the main viewing row and then you will have the back speakers as well. However I would recommend even in a 7.1 setup giving each row it's own set of surrounds.

Here's a like with diagrams
http://www.build-home-theater-systems.com/home-theater-speaker-placement.html


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## MrAngles (May 1, 2012)

Personally I don't like the audio from the surround channels to ever come from in front of me. I put mine just slightly behind my back row, which also works well for the front row, which is where I've been sitting since my riser isn't finished. I'm not sure how you would wire up a second set of surrounds anyway, but I would think that having a set in front of you as well as beside/behind would lessen the directional effect of having the surround channels, especially if you won't have 7.1 surround back speakers.


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## phillihp23 (Mar 14, 2012)

Some how after further review of your thread my interest is more on the spray tan room. :rofl:


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

Jedi940 said:


> 7.1 and above does make provision for back speakers directly behind the viewers in addition to the surrounds at the sides.
> 
> What type of surround setup will you be using? If you are sticking with 5.1 I would plan to have 4 surround speakers, one set at each of the rows of seating. They will be the same channel but each row will have a set. If you are doing 7.1 I might consider placing the surrounds optimally for the main viewing row and then you will have the back speakers as well. However I would recommend even in a 7.1 setup giving each row it's own set of surrounds.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the link to read. 

After thinking about it, I am guessing that giving each row it's own set of surrounds (if even possible to do) is much much more complicated (and expensive) than what is the standard for home theaters.


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## zonecoaster1 (Jan 23, 2014)

I think it would just be a matter of using the preouts for the surround channels on your AV receiver to send those signals to a multi room receiver-amplifier. Each of your surround speakers could then be connected to that and the amp-receiver set to send the same signal to all (appropriate/relevant) channels. The only extra expense would be the extra speakers, speaker wire and multi room amp-receiver (+/- power amplifier). Sounds like fun to me.


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

zonecoaster1 said:


> I think it would just be a matter of using the preouts for the surround channels on your AV receiver to send those signals to a multi room receiver-amplifier. Each of your surround speakers could then be connected to that and the amp-receiver set to send the same signal to all (appropriate/relevant) channels. The only extra expense would be the extra speakers, speaker wire and multi room amp-receiver (+/- power amplifier). Sounds like fun to me.


Thanks for chiming in. I like your enthusiasm for a set for each row. I will have to look into that more.


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## zonecoaster1 (Jan 23, 2014)

I'm hoping to do the same at some point. The obstacle is going to be convincing my wife that we need more speakers, haha.


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## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

zonecoaster1 said:


> I'm hoping to do the same at some point. The obstacle is going to be convincing my wife that we need more speakers, haha.


that's why you sneak them in :joke:


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

zonecoaster1 said:


> I'm hoping to do the same at some point. The obstacle is going to be convincing my wife that we need more speakers, haha.





Mike Edwards said:


> that's why you sneak them in :joke:


Or, you let her buy new furniture - even up trade!


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## zonecoaster1 (Jan 23, 2014)

You two are enablers, and I thank you for feeding my addiction


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

Mike Edwards said:


> that's why you sneak them in :joke:


I like your thinking!!


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## zonecoaster1 (Jan 23, 2014)

bump


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## mpednault (Dec 20, 2012)

Did you just bump someone else's build thread? That's a first. I don't think I've seen that before!


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## zonecoaster1 (Jan 23, 2014)

I enjoy the builds. Trying to encourage updates. Definitely not a first, though


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## mpednault (Dec 20, 2012)

I meant that I haven seen someone just post the word bump on someone else build thread. Though I haven't really looked for it either...


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## zonecoaster1 (Jan 23, 2014)

Holding sleeping baby. 'Bump' was shorter and easier than 'Any updates?' This response just took me a couple of mins...2 minutes of loud, mechanical keyboard clickig, haha


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## mpednault (Dec 20, 2012)

So....... Any updates?


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

Thanks for still following along! 

I got a bit distracted and have been working on our entry formal room that I have hated for several years. As fate would have it, the bump callout was perfect timing to get an update because finished the formal room yesterday. We put in a coffered ceiling, new lighting, extensive trim/wainscoting on walls, painted. It looks awesome!

So now it's back full time to the theater and going full-steam ahead!

It's been a good break where I have been able to review my layout again and have made some alterations that I think bring me close to a finalized layout. Wife is really pushing to get construction going NOW so I hope to have some news on that front soon.

I will try to get some new layout pics up today or tomorrow to see what everyone thinks.


BTW, mpednault - You won a projector?! How cool is that?!!!!


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## mpednault (Dec 20, 2012)

Nice! You do know you can post pictures of your other projects in your build thread, right? 

And yes I did! It's motivated me to work on my room a lot more so I can put it to use! I need to take and post pictures of my latest progress.


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

Here's what has been slowing me down. 

Now that it is done, I'm excited and itching to getting back to figuring out the basement!

Sorry about some of the water spots on the photos. I apparently need to clean the camera lens. 


*FRONT ROOM BEFORE:*





*FRONT ROOM AFTER:*


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## zonecoaster1 (Jan 23, 2014)

Wow, that's some outstanding work!


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## NBPk402 (Feb 21, 2012)

I love the ceiling! Is that wood or is it plastic?


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

zonecoaster1 said:


> Wow, that's some outstanding work!



Thanks Z-Coaster. I wish I could take all of the credit for it but I didn't personally do the trim work on this one. I designed the layout of it all but hired a finish carpenter to do it. 

I did some other rooms in the house which had turned out well and will likely do some if not all of the theater room, but we decided that since this is a very formal room in the entry that everyone sees when they come to the door that we didn't want any mistakes in it. The same went for the painting. Normally we like to do it all ourselves but hired this paint job out as well because we wanted a flawless finish for the same reason.


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

ellisr63 said:


> I love the ceiling! Is that wood or is it plastic?


Thanks! We really love it too. It is quite stunning now -- The room was lacking any real interest before which is what really REALLY bugged me about it. The ceiling is the first thing people immediately notice and are drawn to, then the choice of paint is a close second

Is is all wood. Standard trim work -- for the coffered ceiling, it is MDF trim boards to make the beams/boxes, masonite boards for the panelling underneath, crown moulding to top it all off.

The painters said the key to a very VERY smooth finish is more than just using a sprayer. They said you really need to do an OIL based primer on it all (even if already pre-primed) and then follow up with sprayer. The oil based primer apparently makes it so the grain of the wood doesn't raise up over time and keeps the ultra smooth look forever.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

I am with these guys - the ceiling turned out amazing! And, thanks for sharing the info on the painting - I will have to store that away in the ol noggin!


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## dougc (Dec 19, 2009)

I use the same painting method. You room looks very nice and I too love the look of the trim.


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

Time to update my "progress"

I am back to work on the theater (and basement). Here is what has occurred since my last post:


Finalized Layout
Reframed areas of theater room (Moved front wall, Framed AV rack area, Framed rear bass traps)
Soundproofing between joists with DW + GG + DW to all rooms in basement
Planned addition of Atmos (in-ceiling overheads)


Here is what my final design looks like for the theater room (not showing Atmos overheads)


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

I could sure use some input on my HVAC.

I am planning on rerouting a few things. Mainly, I am going to take the return out of the middle of the rear part of the theater as the ductwork is going to mess up what I want the soffit to look like around the perimeter and I also don't like the return grill in the middle of the ceiling where I am going to paint a NightSky mural.

What if I split the supply runs to have them go on both sides of the theater instead of where they currently are on the right side? I was thinking that would allow my soffits to ouse the HVAC and can lights. 


This is my current HVAC layout



Option 1
Split the supply lines but still have them service the same areas


Option 2
Place the room supplies in the side soffits near front of room


Option 3
Place the room supplies in the front soffit 



Any suggestions on what would be best here?


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## NBPk402 (Feb 21, 2012)

sillywilly said:


> I could sure use some input on my HVAC.
> 
> I am planning on rerouting a few things. Mainly, I am going to take the return out of the middle of the rear part of the theater as the ductwork is going to mess up what I want the soffit to look like around the perimeter and I also don't like the return grill in the middle of the ceiling where I am going to paint a NightSky mural.
> 
> ...



We split ours and put one supply on each side of the room...we have them exiting the sides of the soffits (not downward facing). We put the return line behind the screen and that exits through the wall into our closet. I hope this helps you. We asked a friend about where to place them, and what size ducting to use. I was using the soffits as a bass trap, but I think I am going to seal them off with drywall as we are leaking sound through the soffits currently (due to no solid walls enclosing the ducts). I could just seal the ducts off where they are exposed in the soffits though (much easier as one area would only be a foot, and the other will be close tro 20'). I was told to try and keep the lengths equal so we did, but we have runs from the Master Bedroom (above) which also run in the soffits.


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## NBPk402 (Feb 21, 2012)

You can also paint your grills to keep them concealed. :T


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

Thanks for the input.

Here is the actual space.








I was wondering if something like this would help me avoid the expense of rerouting the ductwork ( I am still going to move the return line to another location in the room regardless)

http://www.torchstar.us/12watt-4-inch-dimmable-retrofit-led-recessed-light.html

or this one

http://www.lotusledlights.com/products/6inch/15w-slim-6-inch


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

I understand how people determine speaker positioning for floor level speakers (simply use a compass/string to draw out the angles on the ground to the location) but how is that done when you are trying to figure out the placement for in-ceiling Atmos speakers in relation to the MLP? Is it as simple as just pushing a chair to a side wall and drawing out the angles from the top of my head or is there a simple way to mathematically calculate it without physically drawing the angles on the walls?





In fact, I could sure use the expertise of the forum to know if I have my seating distances calculated correctly.

My Room is 13'-6" wide and 27'-0" deep from the screen wall with 8'-6" ceiling height. I have my MLP laid out at 9'-8" from the 108" x 48" screen. The second row seats sit at about 15'-6" (on a 7" high riser) and the rear bar seating will be at about 19'-0" from the screen. The speaker layout will be 7.1.4 for Atmos. The front L/R speakers are 3'-3" from the sides and the overhead Atmos speakers will remain in-line with the front L/R per Dolby specifications.


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

After thinking about my question, it became obvious that I just needed to push my chair over against the wall and find where my ear hit and then measure up to the ceiling. A 45 degree angle for Atmos is the same distance across as up (56" in my case). If other angle distances are desired, it is the ear to ceiling distance divided by the TAN of the angle.


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

I could REALLY use some expert help from the forum to double check my seating placement/distances. 

I have electricians coming next week and need to have everything finalized for them and I am stressed that I might not have things laid out correctly. It just seems like my front row is too close to 9 foot wide screen.


Room size is 13'-6" x 29'1" from screen. Screen size is 108" x 46" (117" Diag).

I have my first row seating position as 9'-6" (114") from screen.
My second row riser starts at 10'-0" (120") from the screen and is 6'-0" deep with seating position for second row at 14'-6" (174").
The rear bar will start at 15'-4" from screen wall. It will be about 27" deep with seating position estimated to be at 19'-0" (228").


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## Medi0gre (Oct 30, 2012)

Well, at a quick glance if it was my room I would push your first row back to 10'6", extend your riser 6" making it 6'6" minimum, which is required if using recliners. Though I'm not sure what your using for seating... 
I would also stick your dimensions in a riser height calculator to make sure your good with the 7 inch riser height in relation to screen height and viewing distance. 
This would also push your bar back 18" but you seem to have room to spare.


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## Talley (Dec 8, 2010)

sillywilly said:


> I could REALLY use some expert help from the forum to double check my seating placement/distances.
> 
> I have electricians coming next week and need to have everything finalized for them and I am stressed that I might not have things laid out correctly. It just seems like my front row is too close to 9 foot wide screen.
> 
> ...


1. LOVE the ceiling... I love trim work and that turned out perfect!
2. Layout is spot on IMHO. you push back that first row any and the rear bar area just goes back further and further
3. I have 135" screen and sit 12' 6" exactly from MLP to screen. Which is 42.8° viewing angle.

Your 117'' screen and 9' first row = 50.5° which mimics sitting toward not the flat front seating but within the first few rows of the rising seats at the theater... so forward of middle. This is my preference. Your second row is 32.7° which slightly less then the THX recommended 36 degrees which is 36 degrees is MIDDLE of the rising seats in the theater. Your seating would basically be 2/3 up on the rising seats at theater for your second row. Last is your bar seating = 25.2° and the maximum THX standard for furthest distance on your screen is 18.4 feet. 

To me it seems like you did your best to split all three rows up to achieve what you would see in a real theater. Close, tad further back from middle and furthest. The only thing I would change is see if you can muster about 6" forward on the middle row/back row to get you spot on. Not sure if you want to give up that leg room or not. DO NOT move the forward anymore front. It may seem TOO big but you'll get use to it quick and the fact your using three seats so you can have best audio in middle is perfect as well. I really wanted to stick to a screen that would of given me 50° but unfortunately I was height limited. When you are watching panamorphic movies at 2.4 you'll be glad you have the larger viewing angle of the front row. It's only on the 16.9 material it may seem too big but you always can sit in the middle row.

I absolutely love your setup. Can't wait to see the progress.

If your still worried about being too close and don't care about the third bar seating then push the seating back exactly two feet. put the front row at 11' and put the second row at 16.5' and you'll have my exact viewing angle in the front and the second row would be like sitting about 5 rows from the very back of the theater. It's a good split not really achieving a true center of the theater but seating at the 1/4 mark and the 3/4 mark. A good compromise.


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## Medi0gre (Oct 30, 2012)

Riser height calc
http://www.diymovierooms.com/Content/RiserHeight


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

Medi0gre said:


> Well, at a quick glance if it was my room I would push your first row back to 10'6", extend your riser 6" making it 6'6" minimum, which is required if using recliners. Though I'm not sure what your using for seating...
> I would also stick your dimensions in a riser height calculator to make sure your good with the 7 inch riser height in relation to screen height and viewing distance.
> This would also push your bar back 18" but you seem to have room to spare.





Talley said:


> 1. LOVE the ceiling... I love trim work and that turned out perfect!
> 2. Layout is spot on IMHO. you push back that first row any and the rear bar area just goes back further and further
> 3. I have 135" screen and sit 12' 6" exactly from MLP to screen. Which is 42.8° viewing angle.
> 
> ...





Medi0gre said:


> Riser height calc
> http://www.diymovierooms.com/Content/RiserHeight



Medi0gre and Talley:

Thank you so much for the input! Can't tell you how stressed I have been and afraid that with the time constraints that I will make a huge mistake on the room. Although I have sat and sat and sat in that space for 10 years running ideas through my head and completely envisioning it on how I want it to be, it's a totally different story when it comes down to taking the actual step. So again, thank you.

We are not planning on having any of the seating be reclined. With that being the case, do you still recommend the current 6' riser depth?

Glad to have you along for the ride!


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## sillywilly (May 17, 2010)

I really like a minimalist look. To reduce ceiling clutter and because of the star ceiling, I would love to have my projector cut into a soffit that will go across the room where my bar seating and over the bar lighting are going to be. I would basically end up with 2 tray ceiling areas.

Is 18'-0" from screen too far of a throw for most projectors for high picture quality? It is critical that I get the absolute best picture I can (my wife is basing all of her negativity for a projector on my brother-in-law's totally setup and picture quality).

If I do a soffit to house the projector, what depth would be a standard depth?


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