Cost to frame and finish an interior HT room? (1 Viewer)

[Krishna]

We have an attic "bonus" room in our house plan that we now plan to finish as a front projection home theater. While there are some ducts that will need to be re-routed (that currently go through the space to our bedroom below) this space will basically need to be framed, sheetrocked and wired. My guess is that the room might be around 15 by 20 feet.

I'm curious if others have had similar work done, and could provide an estimate of what they were quoted (in $ per square foot). Obviously, I'm starting to talk to contractors, but it would be helpful to have a starting point to think about.

Thanks in advance.

Krishna

 

[ChrisWhite]

Krishna
I hope this helps. I had my entire basement framed in 2 & 1/2 days for $900. Two framers came in and knocked out quickly since the basement was completely empty. It consists of two large rooms (13x23 & 14x14) a bathroom (5x4) 5 closets (13x5, 2x5, 5x5, 6x3, and an odd shaped one under my stairs). Good luck
Chris

 

[Krishna]

Chris,

Wow--what a deal! I'm having two general contractors stop by on Friday. I had a discouraging discussion with an apparently reliable (but perhaps high-end) contractor who thought a slightly larger room he had completed earlier had cost nearly $40K!!! I am hoping for a room construction cost of no more than half that, so I'll be curious to hear what these guys say after looking at the space.

Thanks for the reply. I'll post again after I get some estimates.

Krishna

 

[ChrisWhite]

Krishna, $40K sounds like a lot. When I said $900- that was just for the framing (to create my rooms and closets). I did the majority of the work myself; but, there were tasks I wasn't comfortable with that I paid someone to do for me such as sheetrocking, taping, the ceiling, and hanging doors. Framing was $900 and the total labor cost for everything was around $3500. For me labor and material costs came to about $9200 to finish my entire basement. My brother-in-law paid around $17K to have his basement finished which included labor and materials. If you are able to- do as much yourself as you can. You can save a bundle.

Chris

 

[joseph westcott]

I just remodeled my living room myself, with the help of some friend and my wife.

If you are not happy with the quotes you get, let me bid.

See my link if you want to see the quality of my work.

I did the framing, wiring, sheetrock, electrical, lighting, floating and isolating of the floors, paint, and design.

I live in the Clear Lake area.

 

[ChrisWhite]

Joe
Very nice work and set-up.
Chris

 

[todbnla]

Joe,
Very clean and un cluttered! Bravo, love the modern style furniture too. Just wondering, I suppose you take the p/j out and sit it on top of the "media console" when viewing movies?

 

[joseph westcott]

I have not permanently mounted the projector yet as I have had my hands full finishing the remodeling of our home but I presently have the projector sitting upon a pole about 8' off the ground on the AV credenza. I will build a projector box for it and make it permanent. I want to match the material found in the cocktail table and the credenza.

Thank your for the kind words.

P.S. I am jealous. I wish I could have built a dedicated home theater like yours. Having to share a space with the wife required several compromises I am sure you did not have to make. I saw your theater a while back and I am waiting to see the sound system, furniture, and projector you decided on. Nice Job!!!!

 

[todbnla]

Joseph-
Since Hurricane Katrina I have not had a chance to update any of my current theater pics, way too many other projects at the moment..(see below)

My meager equipment consists of:
Infocus 4805
Pioneer 1014 7.1 a/v receiver
Zenith DVB318 dvd player
Motorola MOXI pvr/hd receiver
JBL N24 II surrounds (6ea)
JBL N center
Sony WAWM40 sub
Xbox
Xbox 360 premium
Phillips 30" widescreen tv

We are currently planning to move this summer pending our other project's (30 year old ranch rebuild) completion, so, sorry to say, I currently have another 12 x 21 media room (NOT dedicated) under construction. Once again I am starting from ground zero as most of these items will stay with this house. The new home will be outfitted with modern/contemporary furniture such as yours. Seating for our current theater consists of one leather recliner as well as a couch and loveseat which seats up to 6 people not including two office type chairs in my computer area located in one corner.

You are too kind...

 

[Krishna]

Joseph,

Very nice work. I have actually enlisted a designer who will be preparing an elevation drawing of the space, and letting me know exactly how large the room might be. I've now met with two builders who will bid on the remodel once the design plan has been prepared. One of them (who is a well-known local custom builder of houses and who rarely takes on jobs of this relatively small scale) gave me an extremely preliminary estimate that was substantially lower than the $40K that one builder talked about on the phone.

So I'm hoping I'll be in good shape, but we'll see when I have bids in hand. If going the established builder route appears too pricey, I'll definitely consider your offer. I certainly like what you've done, and also appreciate your sense of style, which is modern and yet comfortable, while retaining the essential theater elements without much compromise.

Best,

Krishna

 

[Craig W]

I finished my basement for roughly $10k. I got one bid for almost 2x the amount. I think some contractors hear the term home theater and are using it to gouge you price wise.

I did most the electrical(switches, outlets, adding breakers to the panel and connections) and all component wiring myself. Also the painting was done by the wife.

I am sure I saved at least $1k on the electrical considering the Lutron Spacer System switches were almost $400. The only part of the electrical I did not do was the service panel replacement which was not planned initially. I discovered my original panel was a Fedral Pacific Electric, which was a safety hazard. But I was toying with the idea of going from a 100A service to a 200A anyway, so it made my decision easier. Also I decided to add a 100A subpanel for future improvements to the house.