Home Theater Design e-Guide:
My "Mini" Home Theater Projecthome theater basement
Everyone -- I'm sorry about the long hiatus. I've been extremely busy in both my professional and personal life the past few weeks. But I did want to take a few moments and let you know what's been consuming so much of my time lately -- and I'm pleased to say that it has a little bit to do with home theater design...It's a small home theater in the basement!
I have a dream....
My latest project around the house just so happens to be a huge undertaking -- finishing the basement. We've been in our home for nearly two years now and this is something that I've always wanted to have. We men need that big space we can call our own and hide from the rest of the family. Just kidding about the latter, of course. But I do need it to watch all of my MLB and NFL games...and it needs to be decorated with sports paraphrenalia....and to blast a 5.1 DTS encoded DVD....Seriously, my goal has been to create an activity area for my family to enjoy as well as provide another venue to entertain our guests. So of course, I had to plan for a home theater in the basement.
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Needless to say it's been a long journey and I'm still not finished yet. Albeit I am getting pretty darn close. I'll be sure to "blog back" as soon as it's done, but I wanted to tell you my story in hopes that you'll find it helpful as you engage in your next remodeling or basement finishing project. It does have some relevancy to home theater, so I think you'll find it beneficial from that aspect to say the least.
I spent a lot of time planning out the space that I was finishing. My basement is divided into two large areas, segregated by the stairs that lead down from the main level. I was at odds with which area that I wanted to dedicate to this activity area, mainly because I plan on building my dream theater sometime within the next few years. I ultimately decided on one of the two areas because I felt the other side was more conducive to housing my future home theater.
I first drew a sketch of my basement on graph paper, which was very useful for me as well as my contractor. It helped me to determine some rough estimates for some of the rooms that would be part of the plan, estimate materials (which I used to help gauge bids for materials) such as 2x4's, drywall, trim, lighting, etc. It also gave me another visual for looking at how I could lay out things such as furniture, wet bar, or pool table (my wife is going to have a cow when she realizes how much money I'll be spending!).
My next step was to find someone to do the job. My framing, drywall, and carpentry skills certainly aren't up to par with doing this on my own, so this was the only route for me. And after seeing these guys do their thing, I'm sure glad I didn't try to do this on my own. The only thing that I'm doing myself is the painting, which I'm actually pretty good at. At any rate, I talked to a few builders and got multiple quotes (which I would encourage you to do) to compare. I would recommend making sure you get quotes that break down the materials and labor for each item (framing, drywall, electrical, plumbing, etc.). At the end of the day, it will make you feel good about your decision.
Continue reading on about my home theater basement project by clicking link below...
My "Mini" Home Theater: Part 1 → My "Mini" Home Theater: Part 2
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