Great news Aaron! Can't wait to see the pics! :bigsmile:
PTAaron's Movie Room/Game Room/Bar
PTAaron's Movie Room/Game Room/Bar - comments welcome!!
Latest news as of May 2016:
Major 2016 updates... Biggest changes start here: http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/home-theater-design-construction/55787-ptaaron-s-movie-room-game-room-bar-28.html
====
Original thread
====
I just thought it would be fun to start a thread here about my basement entertainment area. It isn't just a "home theater" - it is a whole basement project.
I been working on it since we moved in at the beginning of July 2010. My wife and I spent a LONG time trying to find the right house - we love to entertain and have a few other special needs so we had a few requirements: Had to have a bar, had to have a big deck (or space to build one), she wanted a "scrapbooking room" on the main floor since her mother is in a wheelchair and unable to go up/down stairs, I wanted space to build a home theater...
We eventually found this place - the day it was listed we made an offer and we got it! Main floor has a "den" so the wife got her scrapbook room. The basement had a wet bar, pool table, full bath, and another room that oddly had a full wall of mirrors... but I immediately knew it would be my movie room! Only thing keeping it from being the PERFECT entertaining house is the basement is not a walkout - so you have to go down some stairs to get from the grill to the pool table
EDIT: The first 3 pages are kind of a retrospective look at the project... and it is pretty "picture heavy" because I like to document what I'm doing
On to the space!
I am going to keep the first and second posts updated with the newest pictures of the space - so this page will keep changing. The 3rd post and on will outline my journey to get where I am, and beyond
Equipment in the room:
Mitsubishi 73" DLP TV - 73740
Harman Kardon AVR 3600 (as a pre/pro)
Harman Kardon AVR-635 (as the amp)
Speakers: Pioneer SP-FS51-LR front towers, Pioneer SP-C21 Center, Emotiva ERD-1 surrounds, Dayton rears.
Subwoofer2: Elemental Designs A2-300 (x2)
HTPC running OpenELEC and Kodi
Sony BDP-BX58 (S580) Blu-ray Player and SACD Player
Motorola DCX-3200 Cable Box
AppleTV2 (1080p version)
PS4
PS3
PS2
Wii
System controlled with Harmony 1100 and RF extender
Old gear seen in the pictures include:
Toshiba 57h94 CRT RPTV
Harman Kardon AVR 635
Infinity TSS-450 5.1 speaker system
Here is the overall floor plan of my basement - I missed a couple of details like a door on the bathroom and sump room... but everything is to scale and you get the idea.
![]()
This was my original layout for the movie room when I first set it up:
![]()
...
Added second sub 6/11/16:
![]()
...
as of April 2016:
![]()
![]()
...
pic from 9/8/15:
![]()
Before painting the ceiling it looked like this (3/30/12):
![]()
![]()
.... to be continued ...
Funny - can't edit the post I "reserved" for the bar area pictures... so I'll add this here:
April 2015 - we added a Kegerator to the bar area...
![]()
![]()
Latest news as of May 2016:
Major 2016 updates... Biggest changes start here: http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/home-theater-design-construction/55787-ptaaron-s-movie-room-game-room-bar-28.html
====
Original thread
====
I just thought it would be fun to start a thread here about my basement entertainment area. It isn't just a "home theater" - it is a whole basement project.
I been working on it since we moved in at the beginning of July 2010. My wife and I spent a LONG time trying to find the right house - we love to entertain and have a few other special needs so we had a few requirements: Had to have a bar, had to have a big deck (or space to build one), she wanted a "scrapbooking room" on the main floor since her mother is in a wheelchair and unable to go up/down stairs, I wanted space to build a home theater...
We eventually found this place - the day it was listed we made an offer and we got it! Main floor has a "den" so the wife got her scrapbook room. The basement had a wet bar, pool table, full bath, and another room that oddly had a full wall of mirrors... but I immediately knew it would be my movie room! Only thing keeping it from being the PERFECT entertaining house is the basement is not a walkout - so you have to go down some stairs to get from the grill to the pool table
EDIT: The first 3 pages are kind of a retrospective look at the project... and it is pretty "picture heavy" because I like to document what I'm doing
On to the space!
I am going to keep the first and second posts updated with the newest pictures of the space - so this page will keep changing. The 3rd post and on will outline my journey to get where I am, and beyond
Equipment in the room:
Mitsubishi 73" DLP TV - 73740
Harman Kardon AVR 3600 (as a pre/pro)
Harman Kardon AVR-635 (as the amp)
Speakers: Pioneer SP-FS51-LR front towers, Pioneer SP-C21 Center, Emotiva ERD-1 surrounds, Dayton rears.
Subwoofer2: Elemental Designs A2-300 (x2)
HTPC running OpenELEC and Kodi
Sony BDP-BX58 (S580) Blu-ray Player and SACD Player
Motorola DCX-3200 Cable Box
AppleTV2 (1080p version)
PS4
PS3
PS2
Wii
System controlled with Harmony 1100 and RF extender
Old gear seen in the pictures include:
Toshiba 57h94 CRT RPTV
Harman Kardon AVR 635
Infinity TSS-450 5.1 speaker system
Here is the overall floor plan of my basement - I missed a couple of details like a door on the bathroom and sump room... but everything is to scale and you get the idea.
This was my original layout for the movie room when I first set it up:
...
Added second sub 6/11/16:
...
as of April 2016:
...
pic from 9/8/15:
Before painting the ceiling it looked like this (3/30/12):
.... to be continued ...
Funny - can't edit the post I "reserved" for the bar area pictures... so I'll add this here:
April 2015 - we added a Kegerator to the bar area...
10
41 - 60 of 461 Posts
There will be plenty of pics for sure!
Also just learned from my wife that we still have 2/3 of the bar build budget left after our "emergency Vegas trip" ... and she was asking when I planned to get that project done!
I thought we had spent it all - so that is a nice surprise! I should be getting that project rolling pretty soon.
Also just learned from my wife that we still have 2/3 of the bar build budget left after our "emergency Vegas trip" ... and she was asking when I planned to get that project done!
I thought we had spent it all - so that is a nice surprise! I should be getting that project rolling pretty soon.
Woohoo for extra project money! She must have hit one of those slot machines and won a bundle....
Actually the couple we went with hit pretty big - won close to $4000 after hitting one big jackpot on a penny machine then hitting a few more payouts later in the night! Must be nice!ALMFamily said:Woohoo for extra project money! She must have hit one of those slot machines and won a bundle....
I wasn't keeping track of what we spent of the "build money" - turns out we were a lot better about it than we planned
Thank you very much! It definitely transformed the look of the room and I'm glad I did itengtaz said:
"Sorcerer's Hat" ... It is a Behr "Disney" color.ALMFamily said:
Going for something similar to "the Scuba Tank" - as seen here:
The color I'm looking at is deeper than the blue in those pictures... I'll try to get the sample can painted on the wall an post some pics
2
You're basement is amazing. Great bar, with pool table even.
I love your intro's. Gives a special touch when you start a demo :T And man what a TV! :yikes: I thought 60" was big, but with your TV you don't need a projector. The dark color of the screen wall really improves your picture quality.
Have fun in there, but somehow I don't think that will be a problem
I love your intro's. Gives a special touch when you start a demo :T And man what a TV! :yikes: I thought 60" was big, but with your TV you don't need a projector. The dark color of the screen wall really improves your picture quality.
Have fun in there, but somehow I don't think that will be a problem
Thank you so much!HTip said:You're basement is amazing. Great bar, with pool table even.
I love your intro's. Gives a special touch when you start a demo :T And man what a TV! :yikes: I thought 60" was big, but with your TV you don't need a projector. The dark color of the screen wall really improves your picture quality.
Have fun in there, but somehow I don't think that will be a problem
It has been a fun project do far, and I'm really looking forward to finishing "Movie Room v1.0" so I can focus on the bar :T
I'm not looking forward to emptying the room for Sunday though... With the sanding and patching that will be necessary, the room will probably be out of commission for more than a week - I will probably need to seek medical attention for Skyrim withdrawal! :bigsmile:
My friends have been trying to talk me into getting into Skyrim - but, after my WoWcrack addiction, I swore off games until I get the HT done.
I like that color - looking forward to seeing it on your walls!
I like that color - looking forward to seeing it on your walls!
Skyrim is a lot of fun - I highly recommend it if you have the time. My dad is a WOWcrack addict as well - but he has been stuck in New Mexico without an internet connection and he is LOVING Skyrim.My friends have been trying to talk me into getting into Skyrim - but, after my WoWcrack addiction, I swore off games until I get the HT done.
I like that color - looking forward to seeing it on your walls!
I excited, and a bit nervous about getting it painted ... but mostly excited!
Thanks for reading through
Honestly right now it sounds "just fine" to me as far as balance... but I'm not sure if it is just a case of "I don't know how much I don't know" or if it really is "good enough". My comment about the balance was more in reference to the idea of covering the mirrors with acoustic panels - I was concerned that one side would be "dead" while the other side wouldn't match. With the current plan of removing the mirrors this coming Sunday - I can focus on putting acoustic treatments up just where needed, and I should be able to do them equally
Actually - the sectional couch in there might make it a challenge still just because it covers part of the left wall. Once I get actual theater seating it will be a much easier (in theory) task.
Discovered a "restaurant supply warehouse" near our house, and took a trip up there today... Found a few great deals including a set of very comfortable bar stools for under $50 each:
![]()
Also got a few more odds and ends for the bar - but not worth putting up photos of
Also started taking things out of the movie room to get ready for the mirror tear down... and in the process decided to see IF I had the space to do 2 rows with a riser. I mocked it up with pieces of my sectional couch using 4x4s and an old steel door:
![]()
![]()
Turns out that the riser needs to be at least double that height - but there is plenty of space for it with a lot of room on either side.
I also pulled down the curtains and got some photos:
![]()
![]()
![]()
Looks like I will be patching a lot of small holes - since I had stapled the curtains to the wall... Oops!
Also got a few more odds and ends for the bar - but not worth putting up photos of
Also started taking things out of the movie room to get ready for the mirror tear down... and in the process decided to see IF I had the space to do 2 rows with a riser. I mocked it up with pieces of my sectional couch using 4x4s and an old steel door:
Turns out that the riser needs to be at least double that height - but there is plenty of space for it with a lot of room on either side.
I also pulled down the curtains and got some photos:
Looks like I will be patching a lot of small holes - since I had stapled the curtains to the wall... Oops!
6
Thanks, that's a good tip. I'll check out that site too. I was just playing around since I had the stuff moved around anywayALMFamily said:
We may not end up doing it at all because we do like playing Wii and playstation move games, and we would lose our "playing space".
Few more pictures (I tend to over do it with pictures)...
Equipment shelves sealed off to protect from drywall dust:
![]()
Mirrors all taped up and floor covered in layer of thin plastic, old carpet, then 3.5mil plastic doubled over:
![]()
Posters draped in thin plastic for dust protection:
![]()
TV certainly looks bigger when it is out of the room:
![]()
Pool table looks like it got smaller or something...
![]()
Equipment shelves sealed off to protect from drywall dust:
Mirrors all taped up and floor covered in layer of thin plastic, old carpet, then 3.5mil plastic doubled over:
Posters draped in thin plastic for dust protection:
TV certainly looks bigger when it is out of the room:
Pool table looks like it got smaller or something...
5
Busy couple of hours...
Mirrors ended up just popping off the wall very easily. Here is a very flattering shot of my friend Mat removing a mirror:
![]()
Once they came down we scraped off the construction adhesive and sanded down the damaged areas:
![]()
...and the first layer of mud was applied:
![]()
We have since gone back with a hair drier and dried those patches, sanded, and applied a second layer. That will be allowed to dry on its own, then I will sand it an apply a third layer of mud before we prime and paint. I'll get some pictures of the dried second layer tonight...
Mirrors ended up just popping off the wall very easily. Here is a very flattering shot of my friend Mat removing a mirror:
Once they came down we scraped off the construction adhesive and sanded down the damaged areas:
...and the first layer of mud was applied:
We have since gone back with a hair drier and dried those patches, sanded, and applied a second layer. That will be allowed to dry on its own, then I will sand it an apply a third layer of mud before we prime and paint. I'll get some pictures of the dried second layer tonight...
3
41 - 60 of 461 Posts
