First off, I'm still six days away from closing on the new house that I plan to build this theater in. I hope to edit this line out soon.
But once we close I need to start framing things up. The more I can do, the less I have to pay a contractor. That means I want to dive into my new theater with a solid game plan. I bought this with a 203K loan, which means I bought the house and need to spend a certain amount with a certified contrator to bring it up to par.
So, this is the start of my latest theater. It's not as intense as my last one, but I want it to be better. It won't be a dedicated theater, so that presents its own challenges. I'm also out of the loop on theater technology, but learning is part of the fun. The room is 16' wide and 25' long, so it may not be dedicated...but it is bigger. Half of it is all window. That doesn't mean it has windows...this means that the north and east walls are only full sheet windows. Normally not what you'd look for in a theater. But on the good side, at night this is a very dark room, and I have full black-out blinds on every window. I'm putting in a door on the left to go to my office, so that tightens things up a bit on the 16' side.
I plan to watch an LCD screen for casual viewing, and a drop down screen and projector for movies and sports. Otherwise, this is a 'great room' where all the general living will revolve around.
Concept sketch of the 'bookshelf theater.' Standard LCD screen, with the planned drop down screen above.
At first I was measuring out the bookshelf for a standard 2' deep cabinet to hold the electronics. The above image reflects almost exactly what I was originally thinking...except it is 12" deep...standard 12" cabinets on the bottom. So the built-in wall would be coming out another foot.
Why the change? In the middle of my planning i also started looking at electronics. I figured i needed the 24" cabinets for my electronics....that's pretty much what I've done before. Then I also started looking at RF repeaters for the remote since my gear would be in cabinets....and a light went off over my head. I don't need 24" deep cabinets. I can put my electronics anywhere. And then the bell and whistle went off in my head, to the left of this scene is a row of existing cabinets.
Bingo. I originally designed my bookshelf theater to incorporate and electric screen into the bookcase. Once I loose that, I can make a thin bookcase 12" deep with a LCD/Plasma/Whatever screen for casual viewing, and then a bigger screen to drop down from the ceiling.
Nice concept, but could it work? I have the realtor code to the house, so I climbed up into the attic with my flashlight and a measuring tape. Yup, I could put a beefy in-ceiling screen that would run along the rafter line with no problem.
So the new game plan is in effect. Frame out the two small 14" walls for three 36" cabinets to fit in-between.
When the dust settles from the contractor work, I'll put in the cabinets and book shelves. That will be phase I.
After we move in, I'll put in the ceiling mount screen and projector. Most likely next fall. But for the moment this gives me what I need to start the project. I'll touch base with the contractor, since I'm having all the popcorn ceiling removed, and see if I need to do anything to prep for the projector screen. They have CAD drawings online that i can give him.
I think this is a good game plan to start off with.
But I'd be happy to hear any input. Actually, that's why this post exists. After an initial post on another thread it made me consider the size of my screen, which lead me to this point.
So input is welcome as I continue.
But once we close I need to start framing things up. The more I can do, the less I have to pay a contractor. That means I want to dive into my new theater with a solid game plan. I bought this with a 203K loan, which means I bought the house and need to spend a certain amount with a certified contrator to bring it up to par.
So, this is the start of my latest theater. It's not as intense as my last one, but I want it to be better. It won't be a dedicated theater, so that presents its own challenges. I'm also out of the loop on theater technology, but learning is part of the fun. The room is 16' wide and 25' long, so it may not be dedicated...but it is bigger. Half of it is all window. That doesn't mean it has windows...this means that the north and east walls are only full sheet windows. Normally not what you'd look for in a theater. But on the good side, at night this is a very dark room, and I have full black-out blinds on every window. I'm putting in a door on the left to go to my office, so that tightens things up a bit on the 16' side.
I plan to watch an LCD screen for casual viewing, and a drop down screen and projector for movies and sports. Otherwise, this is a 'great room' where all the general living will revolve around.
Concept sketch of the 'bookshelf theater.' Standard LCD screen, with the planned drop down screen above.
At first I was measuring out the bookshelf for a standard 2' deep cabinet to hold the electronics. The above image reflects almost exactly what I was originally thinking...except it is 12" deep...standard 12" cabinets on the bottom. So the built-in wall would be coming out another foot.
Why the change? In the middle of my planning i also started looking at electronics. I figured i needed the 24" cabinets for my electronics....that's pretty much what I've done before. Then I also started looking at RF repeaters for the remote since my gear would be in cabinets....and a light went off over my head. I don't need 24" deep cabinets. I can put my electronics anywhere. And then the bell and whistle went off in my head, to the left of this scene is a row of existing cabinets.
Bingo. I originally designed my bookshelf theater to incorporate and electric screen into the bookcase. Once I loose that, I can make a thin bookcase 12" deep with a LCD/Plasma/Whatever screen for casual viewing, and then a bigger screen to drop down from the ceiling.
Nice concept, but could it work? I have the realtor code to the house, so I climbed up into the attic with my flashlight and a measuring tape. Yup, I could put a beefy in-ceiling screen that would run along the rafter line with no problem.
So the new game plan is in effect. Frame out the two small 14" walls for three 36" cabinets to fit in-between.
When the dust settles from the contractor work, I'll put in the cabinets and book shelves. That will be phase I.
After we move in, I'll put in the ceiling mount screen and projector. Most likely next fall. But for the moment this gives me what I need to start the project. I'll touch base with the contractor, since I'm having all the popcorn ceiling removed, and see if I need to do anything to prep for the projector screen. They have CAD drawings online that i can give him.
I think this is a good game plan to start off with.
But I'd be happy to hear any input. Actually, that's why this post exists. After an initial post on another thread it made me consider the size of my screen, which lead me to this point.
So input is welcome as I continue.