Ambrosio's Unaplex II: Room within a Room Build

[Space]

It reads like you got in on the IDTheft early, so maybe that will work to your benefit. I hate it for ya' brother, that has to be a mentally challenging issue to deal with.

But deal with it you did! You da man!

Good luck, we will be thinking about you down here @Exit 4!


Brien

[tjambro]

Space wrote:

It reads like you got in on the IDTheft early, so maybe that will work to your benefit. I hate it for ya' brother, that has to be a mentally challenging issue to deal with.

Thanks Space, you always have kind words to say.

I was up Thursday nite until 1:30 trying to control the ID theft situation with intentions to get up at 4:45 like normal to go to work. Went to bed and we have a small dog that sleeps on the bed with us. It was thundering, lightning and raining cats and dogs. He doesn't like thunder and came up near our pillows and wanted to lay right between us. I don't like him that close to me...he stinks! But I humored him since the storm was awful. With all that going on and the real first heavy rain since we moved here in June, I could actually hear the sump pump in the basement going on and off. It was now 2:30AM and figured, what the h e c k, I'm not sleeping anyway, I might as well go check the basement. Before I did, I looked in the back yard and there were large puddles everywhere! The sump pump was doing it's job but there was one small damp area in the little room under the stairs that houses the AC breaker panel. No real big deal since the floor is tiled in this room but I will eventually try to address it. I really couldn't check the theater since it is all drywalled in but there was nothing obvious...all the dust under the drywall was still dusty so that was a good sign. If a small amount of water seeped in, it would go under the dricore anyway. I have been thinking of getting a truck load of dirt and sloping it against the front and side of the house (theater side) and this event is more encouragement to do so.

I went to bed, got up at 4:45 like normal, got dressed, had breakfast and packed my lunch. My wife had to get up early that day also and she noticed I couldn't keep my eyes open. She suggested I stay home and I couldn't argue. I'm glad I did.

[Space]

No doubt I need a good woman like that! Mine has my lunch ready and the door open when I walk into the kitchen

To the puddling thing, you seem like a smart man, have you looked into a french drain? I can't see your place from where I am, but it might be a case [piling up dirt] of raising the elevations and not really helping to drain off the overage.

You guys take care.

[Prof.]

Sorry to hear you've been a victim of credit fraud..
There is so much of that happening these days, that you can never be sure whether you're going to be the next victim..

I now do a full scan of my computer, religiously every Sunday, for spyware,malware,viruses and cookie riders..just to be on the safe side..So far so good..

[bpape]

Sorry to hear about that Tom. Hope you get everything locked down and taken care of with no further problems.

Bryan

[tjambro]

Thanks guys, so far I think the little perp only lifted my CC. I still haven't got my new card and it's been a week. If I don't get the new card by tomorrow I will call the CC company and make sure they didn't send it to my "new" Maryland address.

Oh, one little problem I ran into. This was the first year I e-filed my taxes. I owe the Feds a couple hundred smackers and I allowed them to pull it from my checking on April 14th. Since I closed that account, that could be a problem. I spent 45 minutes on the phone with the IRS and while the lady was very polite and professional, she couldn't figure out how to change the account info. I'm leary of sending them a check through the mail as she said they will still try to pull the money from the cancelled checking account and I'm not sure if my bank would honor it by pulling it from my new checking. I need to go talk to the bank and see if I can reopen that account on April 13th and close it again on the 15th...good grief.

Prof. wrote:

I now do a full scan of my computer, religiously every Sunday, for spyware,malware,viruses and cookie riders..just to be on the safe side..So far so good..

I think that will be my strategy going forward. Do spyware proggies like Ad-Aware detect and remove cookie riders or do I need a seperate app for that?

Bryan, I'm looking forward to getting the 3rd layer of rock done and the partition walls built so I can give you the final dimensions of the room so you can run the sound analysis.

[Prof.]

tjambro wrote:

I think that will be my strategy going forward. Do spyware proggies like Ad-Aware detect and remove cookie riders or do I need a seperate app for that?

Ad-Aware does part of the job, but I use four other programs just to be on the safe side..
Widows Defender..Advanced System Care...Glarys utilities..and CCleaner..
That just about takes care of everything..along with AVG..

[Space]

I use Computer Associates, have been for almost four years. They have every angle covered when it comes to protecting your identity, email and your computer:

http://shop.ca.com/malware/internet_security_suite.aspx

[tjambro]

Thanks guys. Today is Sunday and the first of many Sunday's that I will perform multiple scans on all my machines.

I got my new CC and debit card this weekend so the spending can continue.

[robbo266317]

Another good one is SuperAntiSpyware.
I have had it detect things that my other programs didn't.
I was lucky, my wife used my PC to get mail as she couldn't open it on hers and ended up installing a keylogger/bank detail grabber.
Thankfully she realised quickly and turned the unit off until I got home from work. I ended up reinstalling windows completely to be sure.

[tjambro]

I got a lot done this weekend but I never get as much done as I would like. Oh well. I got the entire 3rd layer of rock done on the ceiling and all but 7 pieces on the walls. I got all the short walls done in the sound lock so the last 7 pieces should be fairly easy.

I am using a lot more GG than I figured. I originally ordered 6 pails (30 gallons) and got another 2 for this weekend. I have maybe 1 load left in the 7th pail and like I said, I still have 7 more pieces left and that doesn't count the double partition wall that I have to build between the theater and sound lock. That wall alone will take roughly 18 pieces (3 layers on each side of the wall). I still have another outer wall to build that will encase the lolycolumns that will also get 3 layers of rock and GG. So, I just ordered pail number 9 and 10. That's 50 gallons of GG! I guess I should have ordered a drum...

So, I started this project with 150 4x8' sheets of 5/8" sheet rock. I have used 121 so far. It looks like I will actually need to get a little more for that outer wall that needs to be built. I am saving that wall for last because once it's built, I won't be able to get into it to add more electric, etc.

Another thing I learned...when using 3 different screw sizes for 3 layers of rock, 15lbs of 1 5/8" screws is not the same as 15lbs of 3" screws. Sure, the weight is the same, but you get a lot less 3" screws in 5lbs than you do in 5lbs of 1 5/8" screws...and I graduated from college! I have one extra box of 1 5/8" screws but I had to buy an additional 10lbs of 3" screws.

Here's something else I learned:



When adding the 3rd layer of rock to your soundlock, it would have been easier if the right wall still only had 2 layers of rock on it and if the 5 door hinges didn't protrude into the room. I purposely made the sheet a little shy of the actual dimension but it still hit the wall and door hinges when trying to put it up. I already had GG on the sheet so I really didn't want to take it down and cut it. It made it, but it was very tight and I damaged one edge slightly...

Ok, this is not build related but one evening a couple of weeks ago when I should have been working on the room I was browsing the net instead. I plan on building or buying back lit poster boxes and was just looking to see what posters and poster boxes are going for when I stumbled across cardboard people. I just got a VISA gift card for 10 years of service at work so I figured I should blow it on something totally stupid so here is what I bought:



I will put them in the sound lock or maybe the lobby. Frodo will guard the concession area, Austin Powers will say something like "Shagadelic Baby" when you enter the soundlock and Lara Croft, will stand right next to the doors leading into the theater proper...enticing us men into entering.

[tjambro]

robbo266317 wrote:

Another good one is SuperAntiSpyware.
I have had it detect things that my other programs didn't.
I was lucky, my wife used my PC to get mail as she couldn't open it on hers and ended up installing a keylogger/bank detail grabber.
Thankfully she realised quickly and turned the unit off until I got home from work. I ended up reinstalling windows completely to be sure.

Sounds like she did good! Isn't it amazing what people will do to commit a crime? I forgot to mention, my CC bank already removed the bogus $870 charge so all is good...

[Prof.]

tjambro wrote:

I got a lot done this weekend but I never get as much done as I would like. Oh well. I got the entire 3rd layer of rock done on the ceiling and all but 7 pieces on the walls. I got all the short walls done in the sound lock so the last 7 pieces should be fairly easy.

I am using a lot more GG than I figured. I originally ordered 6 pails (30 gallons) and got another 2 for this weekend. I have maybe 1 load left in the 7th pail and like I said, I still have 7 more pieces left and that doesn't count the double partition wall that I have to build between the theater and sound lock. That wall alone will take roughly 18 pieces (3 layers on each side of the wall). I still have another outer wall to build that will encase the lolycolumns that will also get 3 layers of rock and GG. So, I just ordered pail number 9 and 10. That's 50 gallons of GG! I guess I should have ordered a drum...

So, I started this project with 150 4x8' sheets of 5/8" sheet rock. I have used 121 so far. It looks like I will actually need to get a little more for that outer wall that needs to be built. I am saving that wall for last because once it's built, I won't be able to get into it to add more electric, etc.

Another thing I learned...when using 3 different screw sizes for 3 layers of rock, 15lbs of 1 5/8" screws is not the same as 15lbs of 3" screws. Sure, the weight is the same, but you get a lot less 3" screws in 5lbs than you do in 5lbs of 1 5/8" screws...and I graduated from college! I have one extra box of 1 5/8" screws but I had to buy an additional 10lbs of 3" screws.

Here's something else I learned:

Wow!!..all those layers of sheet rock have really shrunk your room!!

[tjambro]

Prof. wrote:

Wow!!..all those layers of sheet rock have really shrunk your room!!

Good one Prof...my theater room will be small but that sound lock is even smaller.

[rickp]

Your project makes mine look like a walk in the park and beleive me its not! You are the man! Lets see some more pictures.

[tjambro]

rickp wrote:

Your project makes mine look like a walk in the park and beleive me its not! You are the man! Lets see some more pictures.

Thanks Rick. I would like to post more pix but unfortunately, 3 layers of rock looks just like 2 layers of rock which looks exactly like 1 layer of rock.

I hope to get the last 7 sheets of rock installed on the main "shell" this weekend. Yesterday I got pail #9 and #10 of GG so I have no excuse for running out. Once I get that done, I will start on the double wall which will divide the theater from the sound lock. I promise to post pictures.

Do you have a link to your room?

[rickp]

Yup, here it is.

http://www.hometheatershack.com/foru...n-theater.html

[tjambro]

rickp wrote:

Yup, here it is.

http://www.hometheatershack.com/foru...n-theater.html

Wow...your's is coming along nice and fast too! I bet it's pretty loud outside standing behind those IB drivers.

[tjambro]

Yep, the last 7 pieces of rock (for the "shell") are up. They still need to be taped and mudded but at least they are hanging. That makes 128 sheets used of the 150 I bought. I still need to rock the partition walls and build a wall outside the theater in the lobby.

Here's the 3 layers done taken from what is to be the IB chamber looking back to the door that leaves the sound lock:



Here's the beginning of the partition walls:


I am standing in the sound lock room looking through the theater space into the IB chamber. To the left of that short wall, is a nook where I will have my equipment rack. And yes, I know you don't need two 2x's for the baseplate...I don't know what I was thinking when I put that up. Had to use 4" deck screws to get into the dricore.

Where that wall currently stops will be the 32" door which will be about 18" from the right wall. I assume bpape will want me to build a bass trap in that corner so I don't want to hit it with the door. There will be another wall in front of this one with another door but I ran out of time and wood!

Now that I got those 2 partition walls up, I was able to give Bryan (bpape) my final room dimensions so that he can do my acoustical analysis. The "unofficial unaudited" results are: 20' 11 1/2" x 12' 3" x 7' 3 1/2".

This one was taken standing at the back of the IB chamber looking thru the theater space into the sound lock room:



Here's one looking from one end of the IB to another:



I ended up making the IB chamber a bit smaller than my last plans but I still have 9.1X raw VAS assuming I go with 4 Fi IB3 18's.

This one is in the lobby looking at the theater:



There will be another wall built in front of this but that won't happen for a while yet. If you look at the low lying celing, you will see 2 holes. This is where I punched thru to remove and cap the 6" flex that used to supply what is now the theater. This lobby room has a drop ceiling with these soffits around 3 of the sides. Most likely I will remove the soffits and just lower the drop ceiling to make it more uniform. This will also allow me to build the second wall in front of the theater with better isolation. Since the lobby is where the stairs to the rest of the house is, more sound isolation is better.

I know it's way, way too early to do a sound isolation test but you know I had to do a highly unscientific check. I had my wife scream while in the theater room facing the wall that borders the lobby and I stood in the lobby opposite the wall where she was. Before I tell you the results, remember that the 3rd layer of rock still needs to be taped, mudded and caulked. The second wall in the lobby has not been built. The double wall with communicating doors that divides the theater from the sound lock room has not been built and the one and only door between the sound lock and lobby has been hung but has no weather stripping whatsoever and there is a large space between the door and floor. After her scream I had some thoughts but I didn't say anything to her and we switched places.

The results? She had the same conclusions I had. Even though we were about 1 foot apart, separated by 1 of what will be 2 walls we couldn't hear each other...thru the wall...we could hear each other fairly easy but it was quite obvious that the sound was coming to the left of the person who was in the theater. So what is to the "left"...the unsealed door. I find this pretty encouraging although it does remind me that sound is like water, it will escape any place it can. The old cliche, "the chain is only as strong as the weakest link" comes to mind also.

While I await bpape's analysis I need to get more wood to finish the partition walls, hang the rock on those walls and try to nail down how to build the soffits. The soffits will house the supply/returns from the dead vent that I plan on building. I'm trying to figure out whether I should use 8" flex which would make the soffits fairly tall or maybe custom build the vents with duct board to make the soffits smaller in height but wider. I plan on buying a couple of Fantech inline duct fans for the job but don't know how many bends are too many for the baffle boxes.

If anyone has any advice or experiences with exchanging theater air with the rest of the basement, please chime in.

[tjambro]

Wow, I can't believe it's been over 3 weeks since I posted. The build is going slow but here's where I stand right now.

Here's a picture of the communicating doors that separate the soundlock from the theater:



You will notice that the wall is very deep. I did this to try to reduce as much sound as possible going from the theater to the soundlock. I will put more pink stuff in there but am holding out until I get the ducts and soffits built.

Here's the same wall but looking toward the left (from the soundlock) into what will be the equipment rack:



Where the ceiling and wall meets will be where the ducts will pass through from one room to the other. I am leaning heavily toward using ductboard instead of flex due to my low ceiling. My finished soffits cannot be taller than 6" or else they will interfere with the doors.

Looking into the theater from the soundlock:



This is looking into the theater while standing in the doorway:



I have my junk moved into the center of the room because I am getting ready to tape/mud the third layer of rock...I am not looking forward to this task. The unfinished wall in this pic is the IB chamber. I won't rock that just yet.

And finally, here's a pic from within the IB chamber looking back through the theater into the soundlock:

[tjambro]

I plan on taping and mudding the third layer next followed by building the dead vent (fresh air exchange) into soffits around both rooms. Here's a link including a layout of my proposed duct work for my fresh air exchange system.

I was hoping to pick up the duct board tomorrow as I am off for Good Friday but the forecast is 95% chance of rain and for some reason I don't think I should be moving fiberglass coated foam in the "Redneck Ranger" while it is raining.

After I get the duct board boxed in with mdf, I plan on putting these cans in another section of the soffit in both the theater and soundlock:



And here's the simple black trim I chose:



I have 12 total of these cans/trims for the theater and soundlock soffits.

I got six similar 4" cans...3 for shining down on the screen and 3 for lighting up the speakers behind the screen.

Here's what there trim looks like:

[tjambro]

If there is anyone interested in the Elco 5" black trims I ordered...you might not want to order them just yet. I got them today and while the baffle is black, unfortunately the trim ring is white. The model number agrees with what I ordered but it is clearly not what was pictured on the website. I have an email into the company but I have a bad feeling the manufacturer (Elco) changed the model colors without changing the model number.

I'll keep you guys posted.

The black 4" eyeballs I ordered haven't arrived yet, they are supposed to be here tomorrow. Hopefully they are right!

I have two of these Fantech inline fans on order from them also, I hope that works out ok.

[tjambro]

Well, it is as I feared...the manufacturer (Elco) no longer makes the trim with a black ring. I'm gonna just use the ones they sent as I cannot find any other totally black 5" trims. They say they will give me "some sort of discount" on them. Hopefully, it will be enough to buy a can of black spray paint...

[Prof.]

I did the same thing with my exhaust fan covers and AC grill faces...
Couldn't find them in black, so I just sprayed them matt black...Turned out fine..

[bpape]

Yup - me too. Rings - just rough them up very slightly and then spray them black

Bryan