Home Theater Basement Development

[Blackshield]

Yeah I've posted some over the last few weeks in the projector thread. I upgraded my projector I had originally to an HD20 for the 1080P, I had to swap my original Fat PS3 with my slim from the main floor as I was getting serious yellow streaks all over the place on peoples skin, on parts of white walls etc. Thought the projector was the issue at first. but after the swap everythings 100%

Originally Posted by kurtis21

Looks phenomenal Blackshield!!! Now I want to see some screenshot pics of your theater in action! Congrats on a job VERY well done!

[Blackshield]

Here's a repost of a few of the shots I took over the last few weeks. theres a mix as some are either from a streaming, 1080p, 720p source, I love my HD DVD but either the projector or receiver is causing a handshake issue causing it to default to 720P with hdmi. when I go component my player stays at 1080 but only gives me 2ch of sound so I've chosen to run it with the hdmi at 720P and full sound. All were taken during the day and there was some spill lighting hitting the screen, I changed to a darker curtain in the theater area so that's taken care of now.


Avatar - 1080P - Blu-ray


Transformers - 720P - HD-DVD



Last Starfighter - 720P HD-DVD



Ice Age 4 - Vudu - HDX

[WalleO]

Originally Posted by Blackshield

Here's a repost of a few of the shots I took over the last few weeks. theres a mix as some are either from a streaming, 1080p, 720p source, I love my HD DVD but either the projector or receiver is causing a handshake issue causing it to default to 720P with hdmi. when I go component my player stays at 1080 but only gives me 2ch of sound so I've chosen to run it with the hdmi at 720P and full sound. All were taken during the day and there was some spill lighting hitting the screen, I changed to a darker curtain in the theater area so that's taken care of now.



Ice Age 4 - Vudu - HDX

WOW !! job well done. can i hire you for my own project?

[Blackshield]

Have been busy at work but found a bit of free time on the weekend to put together a dry bar, Still have to grout the tile but at least the hard part is done. Was able to find a solid wood cabinet at local distributor for a good price, the fridge was on sale at costco. Granite slab was purchased at a reclaim building supplier. tiles left over from the builder which match the upstairs from when I bought my home.

[jerzdawg]

just got done reading this whole thread. such a great job/effort/etc on this job. I have the space for this just not the $/time/creativity just yet. You certainly are an inspiration to me and im sure a few other future HT builders. If you've kept track and dont mind - what was your budget and what did you actually put into the build? (you can leave out actually equipment).

[mark32]

It looks like your doing your equiptment display the same way I did my own. If you haven't organized on it let create a recommendation. Create a glide out display for the recipient.

[Blackshield]

cool thanks

Originally Posted by mark32

It looks like your doing your equiptment display the same way I did my own. If you haven't organized on it let create a recommendation. Create a glide out display for the recipient.

[Blackshield]

It wasn't as bad as one would think as I did all the labor myself with a couple friends to help hang the drywall.... the only thing I had professionally done was the carpet by lowes.

I'd say probably $5000, heres a Rough breakdown based on my memory


Lumber $250 ( basement was already framed in around the outside walls)
Doors $150
Electrical $300 + $150 permit
Drywall $400
Carpet $2000
Paint and Primer $400
Baseboards $200
Glass window $40 reclaimed
Granite counter $90 reclaimed
Drybar cabinet $350
mini fridge $130

Still need to build a cabinet where the movies are, I'm budgeting maybe $600 for something nice.

Originally Posted by jerzdawg

just got done reading this whole thread. such a great job/effort/etc on this job. I have the space for this just not the $/time/creativity just yet. You certainly are an inspiration to me and im sure a few other future HT builders. If you've kept track and dont mind - what was your budget and what did you actually put into the build? (you can leave out actually equipment).

[silversnake]

Looks great ! Great job

[EMAGDNIM]

I haven't been around it a while, but it's nice to see that your space had REALLY come along nicely.

[Mikester71]

Just got done reading this whole thread myself here and as jerzdawg said, you are definitely an inspiration to all of us future HT dreamers out there! GREAT job, man! Really cool to follow your progress from start to finish and to see how awesome it all turned out for you. Was just wondering (and I may have missed it in the thread somewhere) how much carpentry experience you had before you started a project of this size? Is it something that a novice (myself ) could pull off if he took his time and got some help from a buddy who has carpentry experience or were you pretty good with a saw and hammer before you went into this?

I also appreciate you sharing your budget with us. Honestly, I would have guessed that it was way higher. Unfortunately I am also like jerzdawg in the sense that I don't really have the money, time and creativity right now to pull something of this magnitude off, but after seeing the breakdown of your budget, it has definitely given me hope that I will be able to in the not so distant future! I have a family room just itching to be redone into a home theatre in a few years when the kids move out!

Anyways, just wanted to say great job and thanks for sharing and ENJOY the fruits of your labour!!!

[Blackshield]

Absolutely anyone can do this sort of thing on your own. Make sure you check local regulations before developing in case you req. a permit. Restrictions where I am for permits were mandatory for electrical. I was able to work around some by not included any plumbing modifications like a bathroom, or enclosing either room off cause they think your using a bedroom.

Even though I do have basic knowledge of building I don't have much building experience. I own a small roofing company and am the main installer so know my way around power and air tools. Also made the job cheaper owning most of the tools already. what tools I didn't have I bought used or from pawn shops i.e. brad nailer for trim I got for $12 at a pawn shop and works like new. I also spaced the project out over several months to make it easier on the pocket book and less stress.

Things like the popcorn ceiling was around $50 since I only had to rent the hopper for $12 a day and buy the mix. Only takes a few hours to do and a tip is most places when renting tools are closed sunday's so if you rent on a sat. it's one day rental till monday.

I bought a basic book on electrical (w/photo's hahaha) it was my biggest worry. but if you find your local code restrictions etc. which are usually avail online. and follow a current book you'll pass with flying colors, I easily saved $500-$600 by not hiring an electrician. Everything else I google and youtube... I watch a lot of reno shows etc... Like I said carpet with the stair case was just not something I wanted to tackle..... I still need to finish trim and misc. paint and drywall mud here and there but it's awesome having a theater in my basement.

I don't have the highest end projector or sound system, for me that's still out of the budget but everyone that's stepped foot down there is blown away by the A/V quality.

Finally anyone looking to tackle there home theater needs to realize it does take money and time. Plan it out well, think about your future needs for wiring for electrical , audio video cables before dry-walling. I alway's focused on one thing at a time and made sure I took a few mins everyday to keep things organized and clean. It makes for many less headaches.

Originally Posted by Mikester71

Just got done reading this whole thread myself here and as jerzdawg said, you are definitely an inspiration to all of us future HT dreamers out there! GREAT job, man! Really cool to follow your progress from start to finish and to see how awesome it all turned out for you. Was just wondering (and I may have missed it in the thread somewhere) how much carpentry experience you had before you started a project of this size? Is it something that a novice (myself ) could pull off if he took his time and got some help from a buddy who has carpentry experience or were you pretty good with a saw and hammer before you went into this?

I also appreciate you sharing your budget with us. Honestly, I would have guessed that it was way higher. Unfortunately I am also like jerzdawg in the sense that I don't really have the money, time and creativity right now to pull something of this magnitude off, but after seeing the breakdown of your budget, it has definitely given me hope that I will be able to in the not so distant future! I have a family room just itching to be redone into a home theatre in a few years when the kids move out!

Anyways, just wanted to say great job and thanks for sharing and ENJOY the fruits of your labour!!!

[Blackshield]

Finally finished the drybar (except for touching up with caulking around the edges) . lots of room for the necessities. My girlfriend bought me a popcorn maker for xmas along with a few novilties to hang on the wall. I was able to find a double bubble 5 cent gumball machine on clearance at a local drug store which brought back some memories of being a kid asking for a nickel to get some gum.






Highly recommend anyone looking for a fridge to check out the Danby series of fridges. I can barely hear this thing run and with it not having an ice tray there's an insane amount of room for beverages.

[Mikester71]

Originally Posted by Blackshield

Absolutely anyone can do this sort of thing on your own. Make sure you check local regulations before developing in case you req. a permit. Restrictions where I am for permits were mandatory for electrical. I was able to work around some by not included any plumbing modifications like a bathroom, or enclosing either room off cause they think your using a bedroom.

Even though I do have basic knowledge of building I don't have much building experience. I own a small roofing company and am the main installer so know my way around power and air tools. Also made the job cheaper owning most of the tools already. what tools I didn't have I bought used or from pawn shops i.e. brad nailer for trim I got for $12 at a pawn shop and works like new. I also spaced the project out over several months to make it easier on the pocket book and less stress.

Things like the popcorn ceiling was around $50 since I only had to rent the hopper for $12 a day and buy the mix. Only takes a few hours to do and a tip is most places when renting tools are closed sunday's so if you rent on a sat. it's one day rental till monday.

I bought a basic book on electrical (w/photo's hahaha) it was my biggest worry. but if you find your local code restrictions etc. which are usually avail online. and follow a current book you'll pass with flying colors, I easily saved $500-$600 by not hiring an electrician. Everything else I google and youtube... I watch a lot of reno shows etc... Like I said carpet with the stair case was just not something I wanted to tackle..... I still need to finish trim and misc. paint and drywall mud here and there but it's awesome having a theater in my basement.

I don't have the highest end projector or sound system, for me that's still out of the budget but everyone that's stepped foot down there is blown away by the A/V quality.

Finally anyone looking to tackle there home theater needs to realize it does take money and time. Plan it out well, think about your future needs for wiring for electrical , audio video cables before dry-walling. I alway's focused on one thing at a time and made sure I took a few mins everyday to keep things organized and clean. It makes for many less headaches.

Thanks for the great advice! After reading this thread, and your reply here, it's got me motivated to try tackling my family room in a couple of years. Although I have never tackled anything of this scale on my own before, I do have a buddy who is a carpenter and believe if I space it out over a few months to a year, it could be a great project. The room is pretty outdated the way it sits now and I have always wondered what to do with it when the kids move out. I've always seen the potential in the space and I can already picture what it COULD look like and I gotta say...I can't wait!!!

Thanks again!

[SeanMF]

I like that dry bar. Great job!

[Blackshield]

Originally Posted by SeanMF

I like that dry bar. Great job!

thanks, I like it alot. I was going to cheap out a bit and get a cabinet at lowes or home depot. but in the end I was able to get a great solid wood constructed unit at a local cabinet shop from there overstock section for only a little bit more.