Newbie with new theater plans - room question (1 Viewer)

[craiger]

First I must say that this forum is a blessing to those of us who are starting out. The years of experience on here will no doubt help me avoid a lot of mistakes.

Anyway, I am getting ready to finish my basement. Phase 2 of the project will be to build in a home theater/entertaining area. The first phase will be to finish off the non-theater portion of the basement and simply frame out the section devoted to the theater, which is at least a year away from being started.

I have a builder to do the finishing work, and even though the theater room itself is not part of the scope of work, I need to plan out its dimensions so he can "wall in" the unfinished theater area. As I began drafting my plan for the builder, I realized I need to pretty much figure out the theater room NOW. So I am asking for feedback on my design, and to see from your experiences whether this design meets the following goals:

1) Multi-use room with both theater and entertainment areas; can accommodate the viewing area and furniture
2) Theater will be used primarily for movies, but entertaining guests for sport events, etc. would also be a goal; a projection system (ceiling mounted) is planned, and screen is shown as blue line at the top of the room
3) SOUND - For movies, the best sound configuration possible given the open room design (i.e. the opening from the theater to the bar/entertainment area)

Item 3 is my biggest question. My design (attached) shows that I'd like to have a wall that separates the theater and has pocket doors (or something) to separate the room. I realize that this may compromise the sound quality - and that ideally I should "wall in" the theater seating area to get the best sound. I have thought about using a half wall to separate the two areas, but then I thought sound quality might be reduced even more in the open room.

I have a lot of space to work with in this room, but I'd like to know if there are other configurations that might meet my goals here. Removing the bar area and rotating the layout 90 degrees would make the room more like a dedicated theater, and I am tempted to do that if it will improve the theater sound dramatically. Once the plan is set for theater, I can get the builder to frame out the proper shape for the room.

I welcome and appreciate your input!

 

[erkkimies]

Well atleast your plan sounds good and nice room you have there

 

[Robert_J]

Can you draw up the plans for the other configuration? I'd like to compare.

You should try to meet your goals. Even if option 2 gives you better sound, choose option 1 because it better fits your family's goals. That's all that matters. Remember that even 1 will sound better than 95% of the rooms out there if you do things correctly. That last 5% is very difficult to achieve and stay within a reasonable budget.

What are your equipment options?

-Robert