# Going "Backwards"...



## tritonman (Feb 2, 2008)

This is an odd thread to those that are normally here. Let me explain...The picture you see below is my "old" home theater. I built this theater from an empty shell of a basement with nothing but a concrete slab beneath my feet.










The room is 12x28 with 6' 7" ceilings and the entire room is being taken up by the theater. After some recent discussion with the wife she came up with the idea to "cut" the room in half and convert the other half to a bar/entertaining area. I agreed. I have also torn down one of the rear side walls to create a small computer room for myself since I have a lot of computers and also repair them on the side as a hobby and I need my space. 

Soooo...what I have done is begun the process of demolishing my work to move the theater to only half of the room. Basically what I intend on doing is turning the theater so it faces the far left wall as the screen point and recessing the wall as deep as I can go to limit taking up valuable space between the seating and the back wall.

I am also replacing my current projector (Sony VPL-HS20) with the new Epson Home Cinema Lite 720 (Which I just got delivered a couple days ago!!) My current equipment list is below in case anyone is interested..

Epson Home Cinema 720
Sony STR-DA5000
Sony DVP-CX777ES
Sony DVPCX995V
AVT-5841 HD Component Video Switcher
2 x ART 351 Single Channel 31-Band Equalizer
DOD SR831QX 31-Band EQ
QSC RMX850 Power Amplifier 
Behringer DSP 1124P
Directv R15
Pronto TSU-7000

Speakers - 

Polk RTi 10's
Polk CSi A6
Polk Audio FXi A4
SVS 20-39 PCi

Below are pics of the initial teardown and reconstruction...

Everything has been torn down. You can also see from the original home theater pic that I had done some changes to the left wall as well as a color change. The bookshelf you see in the middle of the floor is whats going to house the equipment. It was orignally built to hold dvd's but it was never really quite finished. It has to be cut 10.5"s shorter on each side to fit the new wall opening.










This next pic is of the wall torn down. You can also see the lovely brick from the chimney smack in my way. This wall will eventually be extended to where the outlet is on the right of the wall, approx 105" wide. 










Now the wall has been framed out a bit and the ceiling part of it extended to match the back wall. I have also added track lighting along the back and side wall. 










The bookshelf has been trimmed 10.5" on both sides and painted black, along with new molding around the edges











More to follow...


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## raw23062 (Feb 6, 2008)

I dont think its a backward move man, I too decided to do a combo bar/media room instead of an entire theatre room. I took out a wall and built the two into one odd shaped room. See pics in my thread Club W in progress. I like the move, good luck. I think youll find it more usable. 

Randy


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## tritonman (Feb 2, 2008)

Some added photo's...

Some pics of the track lighting installed..










The side wall has now been painted and the next step is to build the screen.


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## tritonman (Feb 2, 2008)

raw23062 said:


> I dont think its a backward move man, I too decided to do a combo bar/media room instead of an entire theatre room. I took out a wall and built the two into one odd shaped room. See pics in my thread Club W in progress. I like the move, good luck. I think youll find it more usable.
> 
> Randy


Your definately right on the useable concept, it just didnt seem right to waste so much space when we could gain so much more. 

It was tough to tear all my work down and start over. The basement was never truly done anyways, there was so much more needed done. So i guess its my chance to really get it all finished. We still have to redo the stairs..ceiling..new carpet etc etc. List goes on. Once the home theater half is done, its on to the other half and start building a bar and finish up my attached computer room.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Usability is certainly key - but I wouldn't turn it sideways like that. I'd just set it up as before but leave it open in the back for the other area - unless I'm misinterpretting what's happening here.

Bryan


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## YW84U (Apr 29, 2007)

I would say you're going_ forwards_! It would help us if you're able to post a sketch of your floorplan and/or some measurements - I think I can visualize where the bar/entertainment area is going to be, but I'm not sure of where the stairs and everything sit in relation to one another. I'm kinda leaning towards what Bryan indicated (if I'm indeed thinking what he is thinking :bigsmile. It's tough to tear down and then once again face that brutal, never-ending drywall dust :hissyfit:, but just think of the results when you're done!

Cheers,


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## tritonman (Feb 2, 2008)

I dont have any software to do a 3d view, but I will do my best to explain. 

The room is 12x28. Smack in the middle of the room are the stairs. There is no way to relocate the stairs due to the low ceiling and there is a railroad support beam on either side of the stairs so there is no way to have the stairs come to a platform and turn another direction. 

Ive tried to move the furniture further up but the stairs get in the way, you would literally come down the stairs and walk smack into the furniture if the room was set up that way  

I will be moving furniture around tonight and tomorrow so i hope to have some updated pics of how its going to look, this should hopefull give you all a better idea of the room setup. I will also take pics of the full length so you can see whats going on. The pc room is on the other half to the right side. I had to tear down a wall and frame in to the other half of the basement so everything would fit. The bar will be either a corner bar or a full length 12' along the far back wall.

I dont know if this helped at all or just made things worse for you all  I will take pics of the stairs coming down so you can see what i mean.


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## raw23062 (Feb 6, 2008)

I know tearing stuff down you built is tough, but I like to think of it as another fun adventure. Atleast the way I see it, you learn from every project you do, making the next one more satisfying and impressive. Im on my 3rd home renovation and thought I had this one completely figured out, now I see even more I want to do next time....thanks Tom!.....anyway, what Im saying is think of it as an opportunity to take what you have learned along the way and make the final product better than ever. Let me know if you need any ideas/advice on the bar, as I have learned a ton on that part as well. Looking forward to seeing your pics and your progress!


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## tritonman (Feb 2, 2008)

Thanks Randy! I will definately be calling you out on the Bar help/advice..that'll teach you to open your mouth next time


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

I can't quite get my head around your layout situation..
Could you possibly do up a sketch of some sort, showing your proposed layout?
That will give us a better idea of any problems you might encounter..


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## tritonman (Feb 2, 2008)

Here is a drawing of the room with measurements and a few pics to hopefully help out with where im going with this.










I moved the furniture over which shows how i will be watching movies. 










Picture of the other half of the room










Another picture with more of the stairs in it.


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

From your drawing, you have 13.5' from the LH wall to the edge of the stairs.
If you placed your screen on the LH wall, you would have enough room for one row of seating in front of the stairs, which would give access to the room behind the seating..
This would also allow the speakers to fire the length of the room, which would be the better arrangement..

Just looked at your first photo again and it seems that this is how you had it set up in the first place..
Why can't you just use the space on the other side of the stairs as your bar area etc..?


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## tritonman (Feb 2, 2008)

Prof. said:


> From your drawing, you have 13.5' from the LH wall to the edge of the stairs.
> If you placed your screen on the LH wall, you would have enough room for one row of seating in front of the stairs, which would give access to the room behind the seating..
> This would also allow the speakers to fire the length of the room, which would be the better arrangement..
> 
> ...


Thanks for the advice Prof! Unfortunately the way the stairs come down and the furniture im using..to move the furniture facing the back wall like you are suggesting causes a couple issues.

1 is that seating front row would be very limited to probably one person maybe 2 because of how the sectional would have to be arranged. Like you see in the original setup there was really only one spot to sit and the rest of the sectional was along the side wall. I had to arrange the sectional that way so that when you came down the stairs you were able to get past the furniture to get to the other half of the basement or be able to sit. There was only a couple foot gap from the stairs and the first spot on the couch

2 if i were to move the furniture in the wasy you are suggesting you wouldnt be able to get around it to sit because of how the stairs are. You would come down the stairs and practially have to climb over the furniture to sit down.

As it stands now in the updated pic you see..there is about a 3' gap to walk "inside" the home theater section of the room.

The entire other half of the basement will be the bar area etc. as you suggested.

Thanks for your post.


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

tritonman said:


> Thanks for the advice Prof! Unfortunately the way the stairs come down and the furniture im using..to move the furniture facing the back wall like you are suggesting causes a couple issues.
> 
> 1 is that seating front row would be very limited to probably one person maybe 2 because of how the sectional would have to be arranged. Like you see in the original setup there was really only one spot to sit and the rest of the sectional was along the side wall. I had to arrange the sectional that way so that when you came down the stairs you were able to get past the furniture to get to the other half of the basement or be able to sit. There was only a couple foot gap from the stairs and the first spot on the couch
> 
> ...


Hmm...Well let me ask you a couple of questions..
What size screen are you planning to use and how far back do you intend to sit?
Is you sectional sofa individual seats or grouped, with one or two separate sections..

There is another aspect to your planned arrangement that needs to be considered, which I'm sure Bryan will have something to say..
It will be difficult to get acoustic materials to function properly, particularly corner bass traps..since you will only have one corner..and you will only be able to have a first reflection panel on one wall..
So basically, not a good arrangement..


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Not to beat a dead horse, but sounds to me like it's not a room problem as much as a furniture problem. You have the space to do the screen the other way and make it MUCH more usable and viewable from the other end of the basement using more standardized couch, chairs, love seat, etc. The large sectional seems to be causing all of the issues.

Bryan


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## tritonman (Feb 2, 2008)

bpape said:


> Not to beat a dead horse, but sounds to me like it's not a room problem as much as a furniture problem. You have the space to do the screen the other way and make it MUCH more usable and viewable from the other end of the basement using more standardized couch, chairs, love seat, etc. The large sectional seems to be causing all of the issues.
> 
> Bryan


You are correct on the furniture being the "troublemaker". The furniture was purchased based on the original design of the basement. Unfortunately I cant go out and buy new furniture to use, so I will have to make due with what I already have. The wife would kill me if I told her I wanted to replace the furniture  

I am not looking for perfection here. I wanted to create a room for entertaining and enjoying a movie with friends and family. I was aware of the sacrifices I had to make to cut the room in half. But I felt it was for the greater good.


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## tritonman (Feb 2, 2008)

Prof. said:


> Hmm...Well let me ask you a couple of questions..
> What size screen are you planning to use and how far back do you intend to sit?
> Is you sectional sofa individual seats or grouped, with one or two separate sections..
> 
> ...


The screen size will be 92" and seating will be approx 12' away from the screen. 

The sofa is interchangeable but it does have its limitations of the type of arrangement it can be made into.


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## Sprtex (Sep 17, 2007)

It's obvious you've put a great deal of work into to this room and it looks like it's coming together nicely. You have to work with what you've got, and those stairs do stick themselves right smack in the middle. Oh well, it looks nice. I'm sure you're going to enjoy it once it's completed.

Congrats!

T.


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## raw23062 (Feb 6, 2008)

So is the bar going to go on the opposite side of those stairs from the couch and face the back at the couch? How much does that area measure just where the bar is going?


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

tritonman said:


> The screen size will be 92" and seating will be approx 12' away from the screen.
> 
> The sofa is interchangeable but it does have its limitations of the type of arrangement it can be made into.


Yes..I see your point..At that viewing distance the sofa would be up against the stairs..

OK...Here's a radical idea for you..Go for an anamorphic CIH projection setup..
You could have a 106" screen (8' wide) and comfortably sit at 9'6" (as I do for the same size screen) and then you would have room to walk behind the sofa..

If that's within your budget, then the room can be orientated for the best way sound and treatment wise..


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## tritonman (Feb 2, 2008)

Sprtex said:


> It's obvious you've put a great deal of work into to this room and it looks like it's coming together nicely. You have to work with what you've got, and those stairs do stick themselves right smack in the middle. Oh well, it looks nice. I'm sure you're going to enjoy it once it's completed.
> 
> Congrats!
> 
> T.


Thanks Spytex. Thats what its all about!


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## tritonman (Feb 2, 2008)

raw23062 said:


> So is the bar going to go on the opposite side of those stairs from the couch and face the back at the couch? How much does that area measure just where the bar is going?



The bar will probably go facing the home theater side of the room. meaning it will be on the far right hand wall with the bartenders back facing that wall. There is an extension of the room on that far back wall i didnt include in the pics which is where my little pc room is. I will be putting up some more pictures to help everyone get a better idea of what Im looking at. 

The other half of the room is pretty much the same measurements as the Home theater side. We will call it 12x12 roughly. But everything is open.


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## tritonman (Feb 2, 2008)

Prof. said:


> Yes..I see your point..At that viewing distance the sofa would be up against the stairs..
> 
> OK...Here's a radical idea for you..Go for an anamorphic CIH projection setup..
> You could have a 106" screen (8' wide) and comfortably sit at 9'6" (as I do for the same size screen) and then you would have room to walk behind the sofa..
> ...


Thats a great idea! Unfortunately its not in the budget per the wife  I still have to redo the entire room in carpet including the attached pc room. The stairs and the entryway down have to be redone along with adding a ceiling and some insulation etc. 

I have also already built the screen  Here is the write up in case you are interested.

http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/projector-screens-diy-screens/9322-my-laminate-screen-build-dialup-beware.html


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

I did miss your screen build thread...A very nice construction job..well done :T

If you want to maintain that quality finish, I would suggest using Fidelio velvet for your borders..It's the blackest black you can get and completely soaks up light spill..
It looks very classy as well...


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## raw23062 (Feb 6, 2008)

Cool, thats what I thought you were doing. I know the HT side is suffering somewhat due to size and room restrictions, but I still say the overall experience will be greater with the changes you are making. 12X12 is enough to build a functional and attractive bar set up to enhance the HT side. What appliances are you planning on having in the bar? This will affect alot of how the bar is set up. Also, where are is the HT equipment going to be set up now? Keep the pics coming.


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## tritonman (Feb 2, 2008)

Prof. said:


> I did miss your screen build thread...A very nice construction job..well done :T
> 
> If you want to maintain that quality finish, I would suggest using Fidelio velvet for your borders..It's the blackest black you can get and completely soaks up light spill..
> It looks very classy as well...


Thanks Prof!

I will have to look into that Fidelio velvet. I have heard good things about the Duvetyne, but Im always up for trying something new.


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## tritonman (Feb 2, 2008)

raw23062 said:


> Cool, thats what I thought you were doing. I know the HT side is suffering somewhat due to size and room restrictions, but I still say the overall experience will be greater with the changes you are making. 12X12 is enough to build a functional and attractive bar set up to enhance the HT side. What appliances are you planning on having in the bar? This will affect alot of how the bar is set up. Also, where are is the HT equipment going to be set up now? Keep the pics coming.


I agree with you raw on the overall experience! As far as appliances I would like to have a small college fridge and a microwave at least. That way i can cook up some popcorn while im in the basement, plus the wife is old skool italian and doesnt like or use microwaves. In fact we dont even have a microwave in the house now and havent had one for over a year. 

Currently the equipment is in a furniture rack to the left of the screen. If you look at one of the pics i have posted you will see the other half of the room. To the right of that is an opening which leads into my pc room. I intend on having the bar against the back wall and the opening to get into the bar on the pc room side.


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## wbassett (Feb 8, 2007)

I was at tritonman's house and saw his setup first hand.

All I can say is very nice and I wouldn't change a thing with the layout. We previewed a variety of content and in various lighting conditions and I sat in every area of the sectional and I can say the image looks bright and vivid no matter where you are sitting.

What I really liked about it was a combination of form and functionality. Some go for a total theatre look, this is a very nice and cozy recreation room that just happens to have a projector and screen! Everything reall does look good and the screen size doesn't overwhelm the viewers no matter where they are located.

No pictures, we got side tracked with triton giving me a tour and rundown of his setup, specifically his Pronto TSU 7000 and Sony 400 disc DVD changers. I'm jealous and have some new toys on my shopping list!


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## tritonman (Feb 2, 2008)

wbassett said:


> I was at tritonman's house and saw his setup first hand.
> 
> All I can say is very nice and I wouldn't change a thing with the layout. We previewed a variety of content and in various lighting conditions and I sat in every area of the sectional and I can say the image looks bright and vivid no matter where you are sitting.
> 
> ...


Thanks wbassett! Its nice to know my hard work got enjoyed by someone else as well as me!


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