How did you... - Blu-ray Forum

Fragile_Swans · 07-10-2012, 01:07 PM

How did you pick a house? Did you pick it thinking about a HT in the back of your mind? Did the house have to have a room in it that you could set a dedicated HT up in? Or just a big living room? I need advice because my lease is about up and I am wanting to rent a house. I've only ever had an apartment. So I guess my question is, what kind of room am I looking for when I start looking for houses for rent that will allow me to have a dedicated HT room? Also, how do you know what color to paint the room once you've got it? I can't decide on paint colors and it's driving me crazy!

Petra_Kalbrain · 07-10-2012, 01:45 PM

When I eventually buy a house, I will be shopping with an HT build as the most important deciding factor.

Remo · 07-10-2012, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Petra_Kalbrain

When I eventually buy a house, I will be shopping with an HT build as the most important deciding factor.

^this +1

Pauliesr · 07-10-2012, 03:58 PM

Bought a house in '99. Basement was not finished. Home theater possibilities were not on the must have list when house shopping. I must say though that within 1 year of being there, I did envision an area as a HT. The room, after putting up a wall, measured to be 12'x25'. Did all the work myself and was very pleased how it turned out. The screen size is 109" diagonally.
Please keep in mind that the picture is about 10 years old.

Basement 1d.jpg

roar · 07-10-2012, 04:10 PM

I'll echo some thoughts here.

Personally, I'd only put a theatre in a basement, that being said I suppose there are places in this world where people don't build basements if you are in one of those places, my sympathies

I am very much a front projection kind of guy, if this is not the route you are going to go down then again my thoughts aren't terribly applicable. As mentioned, light control is critical for front projection. If I couldn't control the light 100% it would be a non-starter for me. Ceiling height and available throw distance is also very important for front projection. So any basements with below average (Let's say <7ft) I would likely rule out as well. As far as throw distance, I'd probably want a room with at least 14-15ft of length. That should get you into a 120" (width) screen pretty comfortably, which goes without saying that the room will need to be at least 10ft wide.

As for paint colours... don't sweat that That's the fun part. Ideally you're ceiling would be black and your walls a dark colour, but I've seen equally nice theatres who's ceilings are white and the walls are light, picking colours is fun.

When we were looking at the house we are living in now a home theatre was no where on my radar, I was more into collecting and repairing pinball machines. So I just wanted a nice finished basement. If we were looking for a house today I would actually look for an unfinished space that I could do what I want with. That thought being for a house I was buying. I suppose if I was looking to rent, I'd probably prefer the space to be fully finished with ample power outlets, ideally on their own circuit in the basement.

Fors* · 07-10-2012, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pauliesr

Bought a house in '99. Basement was not finished. Home theater possibilities were not on the must have list when house shopping. I must say though that within 1 year of being there, I did envision an area as a HT. The room, after putting up a wall, measured to be 12'x25'. Did all the work myself and was very pleased how it turned out. The screen size is 109" diagonally.
Please keep in mind that the picture is about 10 years old.

Attachment 47790

This was the same scenario for me....we had an unfinished basement and decided to use the space and make my HT but keep the wife happy at the same time. It is not a dedicated space, as the back half of my basement is for the kids and their toys, but the front half is all mine, and I think I did a pretty good job with what limited space I had to work with. There are pics in my gallery for those of you interested.

Flatnate · 07-10-2012, 05:44 PM

The problem around here is everyone with a home on the market is now finishing their basements to increase home value. So often you end up paying for finished basement space with a format that doesn't really work for a home theater. Questionable flooring, undesirable cabinetry perhaps. You walk in and think to yourself "Dang I have to pay for all of this in the asking price and I want to take a sledgehammer to every inch of it to start over". The best ones seem to be the finished basements that were finished by the old timers back in the day with the ugly wainscoting and the aged false ceiling that you don't mind ripping out. Finding a usable unfinished basement is becoming increasingly tough in my neck of the woods.

Fors* · 07-10-2012, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fragile_Swans

How did you pick a house? Did you pick it thinking about a HT in the back of your mind? Did the house have to have a room in it that you could set a dedicated HT up in? Or just a big living room? I need advice because my lease is about up and I am wanting to rent a house. I've only ever had an apartment. So I guess my question is, what kind of room am I looking for when I start looking for houses for rent that will allow me to have a dedicated HT room? Also, how do you know what color to paint the room once you've got it? I can't decide on paint colors and it's driving me crazy!

IMO, Look for a finished basement (if possible, as some areas can't have them, like Florida) and with not too much sunlight or with something that can control the amount of light let in and paint with a dark color (i.e, dark blue, dark brown or dark gray are all good choices. I would recommend black, but this isn't going to be your house, so that may not go over well with the owner.)

NeoMaximuz · 07-10-2012, 03:33 PM

My wife and I have been house shopping recently and even to my wife, having a room that meets my HT needs is important and a huge deciding factor.

Ultimately, we decided to build, so I can get the HT dimensions I want.

Anthony P · 07-11-2012, 02:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fragile_Swans

How did you pick a house? Did you pick it thinking about a HT in the back of your mind? Did the house have to have a room in it that you could set a dedicated HT up in? Or just a big living room? I need advice because my lease is about up and I am wanting to rent a house. I've only ever had an apartment. So I guess my question is, what kind of room am I looking for when I start looking for houses for rent that will allow me to have a dedicated HT room? Also, how do you know what color to paint the room once you've got it? I can't decide on paint colors and it's driving me crazy!

I can't help you much, I just bought my dads home, so the decision was simple.

As for what is needed for an HT. I like having the HT in the basement, but any spare room can become an HT. You would probably not want it near the bedrooms (because of the noise in case someone wants to sleep). But realy it is more of a question of how many people you want it to fit more than anything else. I have seen some amazing HTs that are only fit for 2 and some that had several rows and aisles.

As for the colour the simple reality is darker/ more neutral colours are better (less light reflection with darker colours and if it is more neutral then that colour that will be reflected will influence the picture less) but in the end it needs to be a colour you can live with. I personally like for HTs dark blues (with some grey in them) or a deep dark burgundy red

Allforce · 07-11-2012, 03:40 AM

My wife's house was bigger when we got married so I sold mine and moved in with her, the basement wasn't finished but I knew at some point we would do that. I didn't know WHAT it would be but then I found this site in early 2011 and realized with some planning it could be a pretty awesome space for a HT.

We wanted more of a living area with a giant screen for movie nights, so it worked out. My "office" is down here for work as well but it's off to the side and not a distraction. I know we won't live here for more than the next 2-3 years so I sort of planned all the electrical to work for a number of TV/AV scenarios around the room for any future potential buyers that might not want a 120" screen and projector setup and opt for something simpler (heathens!).

Our next home I definitely want a space for a theater but I wouldn't mind going a totally different direction with it and doing a dedicated theater room. I really like the idea of a bedroom being transformed into a 2-3 seat theater. I also like finished basements that have a living room/playroom area and then french doors leading into a dedicated "media room".

07-10-2012, 01:07 PM	#1
Fragile_Swans Member Member since:Jan 2012 Location:Kokomo, Indiana Home Theater Gallery:10 Blu-ray collection:12	How did you... How did you pick a house? Did you pick it thinking about a HT in the back of your mind? Did the house have to have a room in it that you could set a dedicated HT up in? Or just a big living room? I need advice because my lease is about up and I am wanting to rent a house. I've only ever had an apartment. So I guess my question is, what kind of room am I looking for when I start looking for houses for rent that will allow me to have a dedicated HT room? Also, how do you know what color to paint the room once you've got it? I can't decide on paint colors and it's driving me crazy!

07-10-2012, 01:45 PM	#2
Petra_Kalbrain Blu-ray Archduke Top contributor Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Vancouver, BC 4K collection:5 Blu-ray collection:561 Blu-ray reviews:3 Trading Score:20	When I eventually buy a house, I will be shopping with an HT build as the most important deciding factor.

07-10-2012, 03:58 PM	#4
Pauliesr Special Member Member since:Nov 2007 Location:Minnesota Blu-ray collection:325	Bought a house in '99. Basement was not finished. Home theater possibilities were not on the must have list when house shopping. I must say though that within 1 year of being there, I did envision an area as a HT. The room, after putting up a wall, measured to be 12'x25'. Did all the work myself and was very pleased how it turned out. The screen size is 109" diagonally. Please keep in mind that the picture is about 10 years old. Basement 1d.jpg

07-10-2012, 04:10 PM	#5
roar Blu-ray Samurai Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Feb 2010 Location:Ontario, Canada Home Theater Gallery:20 Trading Score:105	I'll echo some thoughts here. Personally, I'd only put a theatre in a basement, that being said I suppose there are places in this world where people don't build basements if you are in one of those places, my sympathies I am very much a front projection kind of guy, if this is not the route you are going to go down then again my thoughts aren't terribly applicable. As mentioned, light control is critical for front projection. If I couldn't control the light 100% it would be a non-starter for me. Ceiling height and available throw distance is also very important for front projection. So any basements with below average (Let's say <7ft) I would likely rule out as well. As far as throw distance, I'd probably want a room with at least 14-15ft of length. That should get you into a 120" (width) screen pretty comfortably, which goes without saying that the room will need to be at least 10ft wide. As for paint colours... don't sweat that That's the fun part. Ideally you're ceiling would be black and your walls a dark colour, but I've seen equally nice theatres who's ceilings are white and the walls are light, picking colours is fun. When we were looking at the house we are living in now a home theatre was no where on my radar, I was more into collecting and repairing pinball machines. So I just wanted a nice finished basement. If we were looking for a house today I would actually look for an unfinished space that I could do what I want with. That thought being for a house I was buying. I suppose if I was looking to rent, I'd probably prefer the space to be fully finished with ample power outlets, ideally on their own circuit in the basement.

07-10-2012, 05:44 PM	#7
Flatnate Power Member Top contributor Member since:Sep 2010 Location:Minnesota Home Theater Gallery:26 4K collection:14 Blu-ray collection:208	The problem around here is everyone with a home on the market is now finishing their basements to increase home value. So often you end up paying for finished basement space with a format that doesn't really work for a home theater. Questionable flooring, undesirable cabinetry perhaps. You walk in and think to yourself "Dang I have to pay for all of this in the asking price and I want to take a sledgehammer to every inch of it to start over". The best ones seem to be the finished basements that were finished by the old timers back in the day with the ugly wainscoting and the aged false ceiling that you don't mind ripping out. Finding a usable unfinished basement is becoming increasingly tough in my neck of the woods.

07-10-2012, 03:33 PM	#9
NeoMaximuz Senior Member Member since:Feb 2011 Location:Brownsville, TX Home Theater Gallery:8 4K collection:42 Blu-ray collection:1212 DVD collection:233 iTunes collection:7 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:1	My wife and I have been house shopping recently and even to my wife, having a room that meets my HT needs is important and a huge deciding factor. Ultimately, we decided to build, so I can get the HT dimensions I want.

07-11-2012, 03:40 AM	#11
Allforce Expert Member Member since:Jan 2011 Location:Columbus, Ohio Home Theater Gallery:48 Blu-ray collection:294 Trading Score:10	My wife's house was bigger when we got married so I sold mine and moved in with her, the basement wasn't finished but I knew at some point we would do that. I didn't know WHAT it would be but then I found this site in early 2011 and realized with some planning it could be a pretty awesome space for a HT. We wanted more of a living area with a giant screen for movie nights, so it worked out. My "office" is down here for work as well but it's off to the side and not a distraction. I know we won't live here for more than the next 2-3 years so I sort of planned all the electrical to work for a number of TV/AV scenarios around the room for any future potential buyers that might not want a 120" screen and projector setup and opt for something simpler (heathens!). Our next home I definitely want a space for a theater but I wouldn't mind going a totally different direction with it and doing a dedicated theater room. I really like the idea of a bedroom being transformed into a 2-3 seat theater. I also like finished basements that have a living room/playroom area and then french doors leading into a dedicated "media room".

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