Beta Man's New HT

[Beta Man]

Nothing good can come from you reading all of these posts....... if you want to see what is "current" and not my random crazy ideas along the way, then I suggest you skip to the end! Still a work in progress as of 12.01.10


Recently purchased a new home ( 100 year old home actually) and my wife and I were looking at different things when house shopping, and my big sticking point was "I Need a HT room!"

I'm going to consolidate a number of posts I made, so you can see what I have now, hope to have, and used to have etc.... I posted this on another forum I joined a week ago, but figured I'd share here for educational purposes..... and I'm sure I'll have mistakes, and discoveries along the way......

I KNOW THESE PICTURES HAVE BEEN POSTED BEFORE...... I'm making a "Build Thread" to track progress, and archive my "journey"

Background: what I have, where I'm going, etc......

I am currently watching Blu-Rays with my PS3 on my "main theater" which happens to be a living room..... anyways, because my son is crawling etc.. I usually ruin my sound-stage with foot-rests blocking the center channel and components, and subwoofer!!!!

My current t.v. is a 37" 720p Sharp Aquos.... nothing too special, but it was free!

I recently sold some B&W 703's to a friend, so my current equipment/speakers are

B&W 705 (will be fronts)
B&W HTM7 Center
B&W DS7 surrounds
B&W 686 Rears
Def Tech 14" reference sub
Marantz 7001 AVR
Sony SACD player
Remote/power conditioner etc.

I found out that a large Big-Box store was practically giving away projectors, in particular, the Mitsubishi HC-1500, so I picked one up.

I have my new 25 foot HDMI cable at home now, and I have a ceiling mount being delivered in a few days. (UPDATE, DELIVERED) I also have 6 yards of Blackout Cloth sitting there waiting be cut in half (minimum order of 5 yards, so I ordered enough to be able to get two 100" screens) I plan on framing it up and using it "as-is" and getting the velvet "tape" to add a border, so I'll make the screen about 106" or so..... (UPDATE... SCREEN IS COMPLETE!!! Pictures Coming soon!!! SEE DETAILS BELOW)

ANYWAYS. My dedicated theater is an attic space, that's completely finished (only room in the house with carpet, it has a full bath, separate storage room, recessed lighting etc)

I'm having an electrical outlet installed in the ceiling. (UPDATE GOING TO FEED THE WIRES THROUGH A HOLE IN THE WALL, AND INTO THE SPARE ROOM)

Either way, that's about it.... thanks to this site, I'm on my way to a much bigger picture (the 37" aquos is the biggest display I've ever owned... previously had a 36" Vega)

I wanted to convert my finished basement in my current house for the longest time, but it was an accoustical nightmare, and I never tackled the project.....

Also, I took the projector out of the box to "test it" and shot it at a wall, and even with lights on, it was stunning..... can't wait to get this bad-boy running!!!


On a side note, my current bed-room setup (which will become the new living room setup in the new house) consists of 5 B&W M-1's, and a marantz SR 5001 and another PS3.... no sub.

O.K. Let me consolidate some more posts, to give a little more info about what I've decided I need to do to the current room etc......

Quote:
I have complete light control, and a 14 ft. throw distance, so I created a 110" screen, that I'm going to cut down a bit by putting the black-velvet-tape border on it...... The screen is completed (came out great.... I actually can't believe I did it!) but not hung yet.... of course the equipment etc. isn't in the new house yet, so it'll be a couple months still probably.

I went with the BOC screen, with finished-pine 1x4's and braces, in addition to extra corner/cross supports..... it's very sturdy.... The Frame is 54" from top-to-bottom and I was still able to stretch the BOC over, and staple to the back-side of the frame (wasn't an easy task doing it alone!) There isn't a wrinkle etc... and it is ONE TAUGHT screen!!! (EDIT I did the brighter-white side out....)

Next steps are to remove a ceiling fan that's in the way..... Paint the room a Dark/Flat color, and install my window treatments. (basically sealing the entire room off)

Then, the house has 2 Central Air Units, and 2 Forced Air furnaces (there was a 1,000 ft. addition added, and it has it's own systems) The only problem is, the Attic, although completely finished, with a full bath, separate room, etc... doesn't have vents running to it, and it just has an electric in-wall heater.... so I will be getting a small window-unit A/C for the summers when I want to watch movies etc.... Not the "best" way to address the problem, but it's probably the easiest, and since it's on the third floor, you won't be able to see the window unit from the street etc if I put it on the side of the house.......

O.K. that's it.... Attached are a couple photos of the house, and the room.... Kinda sad that amongst the 3,500-4,000 Sq Ft, all I get is the hot-attic !!!!

Work will be slow, since moving in will take awhile, as we have multiple contractors (ext. painting, raising/replacing porch, windows, plumbing etc) doing work on the house.... it's all in the early stages. We purchased the home as a foreclosure, and it was maintained for 97 years of original owners/family and then in the past 3 years someone purchased it and rented out rooms, and let the place fall apart basically..... and now thanks to a market flooded with foreclosures, it's ours......

The wall the Screen will be mounted on is to the LEFT of the wall with the Heater that is pictured.....

Theater time!!!!.jpg

The wife and my son.....

FRONT HOUSE.jpg

Me and my son in the Gazebo behind the house (there are handicap ramps on the side of the house, and back of the Gazebo due to the previous owners)


me with Big O.jpg



I'll update with more room, and screen pictures soon. As I said.... just looking at the blank screen, in all it's glory.... I can't believe I'm going from my little 37" t.v. to this monster, but it should be fun!!!! I'll look forward to tips etc.. when I get more pictures of where the components will go, the room I'm running the cables to.... where I'm mounting the projector, etc.


EDIT:::::

also,

I only have 14' for throw distance, and the room is probably 18' x 18' and 8' ceiling..... and I lose a lot of distance for throw because I'm mounting the projector on the ceiling where a flat wall is (with rooms behind it) and projecting to a slanted wall.... so the screen will be hung from a point that will leave 3' behind it or so..... making the throw distance 14' or so from lense to screen.

I will get a picture of the wall where the seating area will be ect... and the bathroom/bonus room/component area etc.

I'm going to try to get over there in a couple of days to get more pictures.... I have things going on today after work, so I can't work on the house today

EDIT::::::

Had to pick up mail that was sent to the house, so I got a couple of pictures.....

SCREEN: It's just leaning against the wall.... I'm going to mount it to the angled section, and leave a couple feet underneath it to place my center channel.......



This is the area where the components will be..... it's an added space behind the staircase kind of....



This is the wall, above which the Projector will be mounted on the ceiling... keep in mind the ceiling fan will be taken out...... To the left, you'll see the "storage room" door for all of my media..... more on that room with the next picture.



O.K. This is what is behind the wall where the seating will be, and behind where the projector will be.... What I'm planning on doing, is cutting out a rectangle at the top by the ceiling, trimming it out, and putting the projector BACK into the hole about 2-3 inches... not much I know, but it'll knock out some of the fan noise, still allow the unit to breath, and I'll be able to run all the wires down the wall, and cut another hole that will lead right to the "Component area" shown earlier..... all-in-all a very clean approach I think. You can see by my hand, and halfway up my wrist, that it's about 15" from the wall I'll cut out, to the chimney (gas fireplace 2 floors down, no issues there) There is never a tape measure when you need one

[IMG]Sexiest pic on the internet removed for your protection [/IMG]


MORE UPDATES TO COME
!

[quirkmanly]

Ok, being a non-technical fellow of whimsy, I'm going to take an aesthetic slant on my input and say....


.....what a great looking house!!!

[Rob71]

Let me second that. Love the house.

[RUR]

Thirded. I love victorian architecture.

Beta, you should subscribe to Old House Journal. A wealth of info and ideas for houses exactly like yours.

[09camaro]

Great work! Sounds like you've got a lot done. Love the house, too.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by RUR

Thirded. I love victorian architecture.

Beta, you should subscribe to Old House Journal. A wealth of info and ideas for houses exactly like yours.

Thanks for the tip!!! I know "Better Homes and Gardens" listed our city as "one of the best cities for older houses" We really have a prime location, and due to the market we lucked out..... we aren't rich by any stretch, and this house sorta fell in our laps.

To everyone else, thanks for the compliments.... I'll try to get the pictures of that beautiful screen up soon!!!!!!


EDIT RUR, I'm impulsive

Old House Journal - One Year (6 Issues) for $21.97

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[MacDaddyOJack]

Nice house, but a couple questions:

I just bought an old house myself, built in 1959. The home has had the electrical service upgraded, however, it needed to have the electrical wiring redone and all the sockets grounded. You may have had the inspection and all already, but it is something to check for. You will have lots of expensive gear tied into those outlets!!!

Secondly, will the projector be thrown on the wall to the left of the heater or will it be on the adjacent wall which we can only see a small part of?

[Beta Man]

The Adjacent wall that you can only see a part of...... The heater is far enough away that it won't blow "behind" the screen when it's on (I've never turned it on actually.... and it may be removed before winter anyways)

I'll try to get more (better) pictures up in a couple of days.

as far as electrical goes, it's been updated..... the plumbing hasn't.... so we're replacing all the pipes in the house (nasty....big....job!)


EDIT... looking at the picture, you can see a window-seat, and the light coming in on the left....

There is another one on that wall further to the left also, and the screen actually leaves 6-8" on each side when it's on that wall, so It's going to fit PERFECTLY..... the front speakers will be in front of each window, pulled out enough so they're "not enclosed" on the sides.... the windows, of course, will be completely blacked out.

[RUR]

Originally Posted by MacDaddyOJack

I just bought an old house myself, built in 1959. The home has had the electrical service upgraded, however, it needed to have the electrical wiring redone and all the sockets grounded. You may have had the inspection and all already, but it is something to check for. You will have lots of expensive gear tied into those outlets!!!

Good point! Unless someone's already upgraded it, he's probably got at least some knob and tube wiring.

[RUR]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

EDIT RUR, I'm impulsive

It's a great magazine and I subscribed to it for years until I finally realized that, so long as I live in Los Angeles, I'll never own a victorian.

OTOH, the inside of my house is filled with some pretty nice victorian stuff and I'm sitting at an 1880's burled walnut rolltop as I type this.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by RUR

as I live in Los Angeles,.

So you're only in "Haight & Ashbury" in spirit

[RUR]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

So you're only in "Haight & Ashbury" in spirit

Goes with the avatar.

[JJ]

Beta! I've been looking forward to this thread for some time!

::bookmarks it::

Can't wait until I can start one of my own.

House is looking fantastic, by the way, great find!

[Beta Man]

well.... hopefully I can help you, and other people out with their budget build...... I've read A LOT, and obviously a lot of things I just can't do because of

a) budget

b) space

c) wife


Budget being my biggest issue I'd love to "go all out" but it's both not only practical, but also not that important to me..... I really look forward to the accoustical treatments and "control" I'll have over that aspect, more than the video

[JJ]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

well.... hopefully I can help you, and other people out with their budget build...... I've read A LOT, and obviously a lot of things I just can't do because of

a) budget

b) space

c) wife


Budget being my biggest issue I'd love to "go all out" but it's both not only practical, but also not that important to me..... I really look forward to the accoustical treatments and "control" I'll have over that aspect, more than the video

Budget? Mine is only $2,000! Space? The room I will be using is only 13' x18'! Wife! ...well. Girlfriends have no say in this matter, I look forward to reading more of your progress - and we're both still reading on this subject, apparently. But, nonetheless, the prospect is exciting!

[doctorsteve]

I'm astounded at the number of posts you've made since January. An average of 29 posts a day seems like alot. I've heard of others receiving violations for that. Have you gotten any?

Jeez, and I'M afraid I'll get a violation for going over 10!

Nice house though... More gazebo = less grass to cut.

[kaliraver]

I can't wait to see the finished outcome. It looks like that HT room is going to be off the hook

[Rob71]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

I'll try to get more (better) pictures up in a couple of days.

On that subject, Is your kitchen original to the house or has it been remodeled. I install cabinets and a little custom work for a living and if they are original I'd appreciate a few shots of them if you don't mind. I love looking at older construction compared to what we do today.

[RUR]

Originally Posted by Rob71

On that subject, Is your kitchen original to the house or has it been remodeled. I install cabinets and a little custom work for a living and if they are original I'd appreciate a few shots of them if you don't mind. I love looking at older construction compared to what we do today.

Rob, if you're serious, get yourself a copy of Modern Practical Joinery, by George Ellis. Written around the turn of the 20th century, it's a treasure trove of information for carpenters. Very highly recommended.

If you want a lighter, more general (and more pictorial) read, try Period Details, by Martin and Judith Miller.

[111111]

BM,

By the looks of your backyard, you may want to hold off on doing the HTR until you get a brush hog out to cut down all of that over growth.

I had the same issue only worse when I moved into my current home. Although, I'm getting ready to move again and won't have any of these worries at the new place.

Post more pics as it moves along...As soon as I get settled in, I'll post some of mine as well. I'll be sure to do so in the "Home Theater Pics" thread.

Ray