Designing a home theater from scratch

[Neal_3]

Hi, I'm new to the forum. I'm building a new home theater from 'scratch'. Actually, I'm building a new home, so I have a good bit of flexibility (as far as room design goes).

I'll read the suggested links in the '101' post above, but I'd like some advice...

What I need help to determine is basic room design (size, building materials, etc.) for the architect. The Media room must, unfortunately, be in the finished basement. The costs need to be kept within reason (high quality components, not top-of-the-line).

Here's the basic specs:

• 10' diagonal screen (approx)
• 1080p projector - probably 3LCD, to avoid the 'rainbow' artifact
• seating for 8 comfortably, 12 in a pinch; 2 rows are currently planned

And here are my most pressing issues:

1. What are reasonable room dimensions?
2. How high (within reason) should the ceiling be to allow for reasonable acoustics?
3. How feasible would it be to have a 2-level floor, so that seats in back still have a good view?
4. Are there special construction materials I should consider / avoid?
5. Other than carpeting, what would be good flooring materials?
6. Would a separate closet area for the projector and/or other equipment be a good idea - If so, where would be the best placement (rear, side, etc)?
7. If you had COMPLETE control what would you suggest? OR are there DECENT books available? (I haven't found any yet?)

Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Oh, and here's a pic of the site of my new home theater; you can tell why my wife and I are so excited these days...

[drf]

Firstly, how could you doze that beutifull site to build?

have you had a read through the design and construction threads?
Lots of great info there including help on sound isolation and treatment.

Good luck.
Dr F

[Captain Crunch]

Now maybe it's just me but I think all that open space is really going to hurt you base response. Maybe you could try the sub next to the big oak on the left!

[Sonnie]

Hi Neal and welcome to the Shack!

I can feel the excitement myself and wish I was in your shoes.

There are guys here a whole lot more knowledgeable about this stuff than myself, but I'll throw some things at you just so you'll have some options.

Neal_3 wrote:

10' diagonal screen (approx)

Probably the max you'd want to do is 10'... and if you want to save you can check out our professionals over in our DIY Screen forum. No doubt you can fix up a screen that will rival the best.

Neal_3 wrote:

1080p projector - probably 3LCD, to avoid the 'rainbow' artifact

If I had the money I would be all over the new Panny 2000 2nd generation 1080p projector. Check out the reviews at Projector Central. It is the real deal. I got to figure out a way to afford it myself.

Neal_3 wrote:

seating for 8 comfortably, 12 in a pinch; 2 rows are currently planned

I'd stick with 2 rows of 4... a good number. Not sure what you got planned for seating, but Roman with Ultimate Home Entertainment is one of our sponsors. Check out the Home Theater Seating forum here at the Shack and see the current special he's got going. Call him up and he'll deal with you on some seating.

Neal_3 wrote:

What are reasonable room dimensions?

How high (within reason) should the ceiling be to allow for reasonable acoustics?

What's your max you can do here? For two rows of 4 seats and a riser for the second row, I'd probably shoot for something like 14' W x 23' (or 26') D x 10' H, although the 10' may be hard to do in a basement.... if you plan it, it will only cost about 3 more rows of block... and it would be well worth it. This will also give you plenty of room for acoustic treatment... and again we have a great sponsor for treatment with GIK Acoustics.

Neal_3 wrote:

How feasible would it be to have a 2-level floor, so that seats in back still have a good view?

Very feasible and easy to do. Definitely plan the riser in the rear.

Neal_3 wrote:

Are there special construction materials I should consider / avoid?

I'll leave this one totally to some others.

Neal_3 wrote:

Other than carpeting, what would be good flooring materials?

I would stick with carpet with a good thick padding for acoustics.

Neal_3 wrote:

Would a separate closet area for the projector and/or other equipment be a good idea - If so, where would be the best placement (rear, side, etc)?

You can mount the projector center of the screen about 10-12' back on the ceiling. Most all of the 1080p pj's are going to be super quiet... especially the Panny. Go ahead and run some 3" PVC pipe in the ceiling when you build along with installing a receptacle where the pj will be mounted.



We expect pictures every step of the way...

[MatrixDweller]

Here's some ideas about room size:

Since you haven't built yet and will be pouring a foundation and slab you could make the front of the room 10 or 12 feet high and the rear, which would hold the second row of seats, 8 to 10 feet high. You could incorporate steps (one or two) on either side of the room to get from level to level.

10' diagonal would be almost 9' wide and 5' tall without the frame. So your room should be no less than 12' wide to give 1.5' of space on either side of the screen. I'd recommend a little more space though unless you plan on putting the speakers behind the screen. There are also ideal room dimensions for room acoustics. a 23 x 16 x 10 (l x w x h) fits. Download ModeCalc from www.realtraps.com to get a better understanding of what modes your room will have.

The optimal viewing distance for a 120" screen is somewhere between 13 1/2 and 19 feet according to the THX standard. So two rows of seats at 14' and 18' would fit nicely. Here's a calculator for optimal viewing distance: http://www.myhometheater.homestead.c...alculator.html


BTW: The Panasonic Sonnie mentioned I think is what everyone is drooling over, including me.

[Neal_3]

“Firstly, how could you doze that beutifull site to build?”

Yeah, I know. :-( However: It’s a huge lot, we’re only cutting the minimum number of trees, and we saved it from the lumberjacks who wanted to clear-cut it (really!), so I don’t feel so bad about it. The land cost twice what we budgeted (but is DEFINITELY* worth it), so we’re going to need to trim costs carefully elsewhere.

Secondly, THANKS for all the helpful advice. The calculators are especially useful at this stage. I currently own a Panasonic TV and will certainly consider the 2000.

“What's your max you can do here?”

As far as max size, I’m not sure; I’m meeting w/ the architect tomorrow and will have a much better idea by then. I had been thinking of something along the lines of 23x17x9 or so. The main issue is ceiling height, due to the in-the-basement requirement. As it is, the room will need to have a “sunken” floor, since the rest of the basement will likely have an 8’ ceiling due to cost considerations. My goal is a good-quality “screening room” atmosphere, but without the stadium seating.

“I would stick with carpet…”

Unfortunately, due to our large number of pets, carpeting is a bad idea. Any other suggestions?

“We expect pictures every step of the way...”
Actually, I WAS planning to do that, but it’s likely to be posted over at Bjorn3D.com, where I’m a staff writer. (Don’t worry; I’ll post links.) Keep in mind that the groundbreaking is still at least a couple of months away. (First we need to finalize the blueprints and install a LONG driveway across the creek…)

*There’s even a waterfall (note that we're in the middle of a drought situation)…

[Sonnie]

Who needs a home theater with that view? Nice!

If you don't use carpet then you will most likely need a rug or two and lots of acoustic treatment in the room.

[Captain Crunch]

Sonnie wrote:

Who needs a home theater with that view? Nice!

If you don't use carpet then you will most likely need a rug or two and lots of acoustic treatment in the room.

Everyone ignore Sonnie, he must be having an off day.

I'm all for a nice view Sonnie..
But I believe you just committed a sin.
I'm pretty sure in the (10 commandments of Theater)
You just broke commandment #1
Thou ll shalt put nothing before thy THEATER!!

[MatrixDweller]

Instead of wall to wall carpet you could go with carpet tiles. If you get a few extras they can be replaced easily if Fido decides to do a #2 in your #1 room. High traffic low pile carpet that has Scotch Gard or similar sprayed on it is pretty resistant to pet stains BTW.

The reason carpet is a better choice is that hard surfaces will reflect sound better which impacts the room acoustics. If you went with hardwood, laminate or tile you would want to put some rugs down to reduce the floor's reflectivity.

Cork is a little more flexible and would do a better job than other flooring in controlling reflections. It might be worth investigating.

You would also need to build a sub floor if going with hardwood and although you can get away with not having one with laminates it is normally not recommended. With tile you need a sub floor plus another 1/4 inch of rhino board or Kerdi mat or other material. The subfloor will reduce your ceiling height by a couple inches.

You could put carpet and underpad right on the slab as long as you have a vapor barrier under it. That would reduce your cost a bit. I still prefer a sub floor even with carpet because it makes the floor more comfortable (softer) and warmer. If your slab is not insulated underneath you can insulate with styrofoam between the slab and the subfloor. Better yet use Rockboard or OC 703 for better sound absorption. The money you spend on the insulation will pay for itself in lower heating costs.