Light At The End of the Tunnel HT Construction Thread...

wingnut4772

petrym wrote: »

Nice rack Wingnut! ;);););)



{smacks myself for saying that one}

:eek::D

Thanks!:p I am also thinking of getting one and just putting it on casters so I can roll it out and work on it. It seems that may be easier and maybe less expensive.

wingnut4772

Ok. here is a crazy question. Does anyone know of any relatively EZ computer programs (so easy a caveman can do it) that would let me design my room?

edbert

Google Sketch it up. Fairly easy and it's free.

criverajr

http://www.avrak.com/ this will help.

Crj

Sherardp

I think some sort of shutters, window blinds, or even dark curtains would give you better control of the ambient light. The Epson as Grimster mentioned is a light cannon, so if you have light issues(lack of better word)then Epson will no doubt handle the situation at hand with ease. I have only seen the Epson once, and I can say yes you will definitely get the "POP" on screen with PQ. Blacks were fairly good, not the "very best" but again they are very good. And I say this only because I've seen the JVC and Sony and use those as reference. Again you if you choose the Epson youre still in good hands. Grimster mentioned the new Sony due out Sept 20., it still wont be the brightest thing out there but we'll see. Supposedly it will throw a better picture than the JVC, some on AVS have doubts on this already just by looking at the specs. If you can, I would say demo the Epson, JVC, and Sony, and dont forget about the Mitsubishi 5000bl either. If you need true light canon the Optoma HD81-LV is the brightest thing out on the market. All of those are great choices, and all of them are priced for different budgets with the JVC being the most expensive. Shoot Grimster a PM and he can get you screenshots of the Epson, and also check out http://www.projectorreviews.com/hometheaterprojectors.php

wingnut4772

criverajr wrote: »

http://www.avrak.com/ this will help.

Crj

Those seem a little pricier than the Middle Atlantic unles I am reading it wrong. I need cheap cheap cheap.:)

wingnut4772

edbert wrote: »

Google Sketch it up. Fairly easy and it's free.

Ok I know I am blonde but I can't make heads or tails out of that Sketch it Up thing... .It's way over my computer illiterate head so I guess I will just draw it the old fashioned way.

MSALLA

wingnut4772 wrote: »

I emailed Carada and asked David Giles which screen he would recommend considering the windows would have curtains and the only light would be from the opening adjoining the room with the rest of the house. He seemed to think that unless I closed that off as well, I would not be happy with a projector in this set up.

Could you use tinted glass and a wooden blind? The tint would cut out a good portion of the light without looking bad from the outside.

wingnut4772

MSALLA wrote: »

Could you use tinted glass and a wooden blind? The tint would cut out a good portion of the light without looking bad from the outside.

The blinds/Shutters option has been rejected by my partner in crime...so far.;)

I am leaning more toward blackout curtains. Is there a way I could do no windows at all there without it looking ridiculous? I thought of maybe balancing it on the outside with a built in of some sort like a fountain or BBQ or something. I guess that would be stupid.:eek:

It's looking like blackout curtains.


The room is 42' long so my next question is ..can we get away with just doing 2 sets of french doors with side lights for the whole room with no other windows?

The 2 sets would be about $3200 with impact glass not incl. install.
I would install them balanced to either side and just not have one in the dead center as I need that solid to place a wall to separate the rooms (which I think I am talking her into:p )

This would leave me with only having to control the light from one set of french doors with side lights.

It would be 2 sets of something like in the picture.

Sherardp

Blackout curtains should do you just fine, as long as they are thick and of good quality. From there you can go with the Carada, and decide on a PJ. Looking forward to seeing the progress. If you can find a BB with a Magnolia Store in it you can most likely demo the Sony there, they usually have them paired with a Stewart screen( expensive screen). Keep in mind your Carada will look just as good if not better with the beveled frame.

wingnut4772

I went to Tweeter (Sound Advice) and saw the Sony Pearl on a 106' screen. That is a very nice picture very filmlike. I saw it with some teensy ambient light and it was tolerable but in a dark room....niiiice.:) And I did get the go ahead to close off the room...it is my half after all.:p

I can't find anyone locally with an Epson so far.....

MSALLA

wingnut4772 wrote: »

The room is 42' long so my next question is ..can we get away with just doing 2 sets of french doors with side lights for the whole room with no other windows?

The 2 sets would be about $3200 with impact glass not incl. install.
I would install them balanced to either side and just not have one in the dead center as I need that solid to place a wall to separate the rooms (which I think I am talking her into:p )

This would leave me with only having to control the light from one set of french doors with side lights.

It would be 2 sets of something like in the picture.

That would look balanced. No windows or doors would have a commercial look to it. The twin doors with lighting would break up the wall nicely. You could put some large potted plants on the outside wall edge would dress it up some.

bikezappa

wingnut4772 wrote: »

Ok. here is a crazy question. Does anyone know of any relatively EZ computer programs (so easy a caveman can do it) that would let me design my room?

I use pencil, paper, tape measure and ruler.

wingnut4772

MSALLA wrote: »

That would look balanced. No windows or doors would have a commercial look to it. The twin doors with lighting would break up the wall nicely. You could put some large potted plants on the outside wall edge would dress it up some.

I tried doing that some with the Bouganvilla (sp?) but they are kinda dying.

I was thinking of putting a little wall fountain in the center or something.


The contractor was here today and gave me an estimate of 15K.:eek:

This would not include the french doors and sidelights , paint, or floor tiles as I will be buying those myself. It does include:

Rebuilding the entire wall with metal columns (or studs I guess) stucco, and french door install. Drywall, R30 insulation and 30 felt before the drywall.
( The contractor said the 30 felt was good for acoustics ...is this a good idea or should I save the expense?)

Pull up of existing tile an re-tiling entire floor ( I buy tiles myself)

Putting up a new wall to make a separate room for the HT (with solid pine pocket doors)

Getting rid of the single glass door on the end

Getting rid of the door to the garage

Molding and casements for room and doors

All electrcal work (which will need to be all redone)

And last but not least and I am not sure I want to do this BUT for the equipment closet he recommended doing a bump out where the single glass door is and building the closet there extended from the house. So in essence I would have a tiny closet sized 'addition' to the room. He would stucco it and shingle it etc....But.....I dunno if that's a good idea.

The alternative to do it where the white wood door to the garage is would require moving the water heater, washing machine, gas line etc. It's possible but it's way more $$$$$.


My roommate also wants to keep the pass thru from the kitchen :mad:



Oh...I almost forgot!:eek: The contractor was telling me about how he built a home theater for another client and he was saying how it was a BOSE home theater and "that's as top of the line as you can get."

phoneisbusy

wingnut4772 wrote: »

Oh...I almost forgot!:eek: The contractor was telling me about how he built a home theater for another client and he was saying how it was a BOSE home theater and "that's as top of the line as you can get."

I would hope the quality of his work is better then his home theatre preferences...
Awww... the hell with it! RUN AWAY!! RUN AWAY!!!..

Dave

wingnut4772

phoneisbusy wrote: »

I would hope the quality of his work is better then his home theatre preferences...
Awww... the hell with it! RUN AWAY!! RUN AWAY!!!..

Dave

Yeah..I pretty much decided when he said that that he could build the room (maybe) but I would leave the HT stuff to someone else.

I am going to poo poo the idea of the 'outdoor closet'. It just doesn't feel right SOooooo...I thought of just building a false wall about 2' out from the back wall. That way I could just recess the rack into the wall and use the existing ac unit to cool the gear. Beats tearing it out I suppose. I would put a little camoflauged push door to get back there to service the ac or gear.

That would leave me with room dimensions of 8.3" H X 11.10" wide and 19.5 Length (ish)

I did some room dimension calculating and it's not that bad although I am not sure how much variance you can have or how close or far from the ideal formula you can be before it's a problem.

I don't have MS office so if anyone can plug in my dimension for seating placement etc. that would be cool.

Another thought with the false wall.. IB sub? Good spot or no?

Still brainstorming.

treitz3

You know Darla, some folks have made "fake windows" by installing normal windows and painting the inside black, then they apply whatever substrate over the inside of the windows. You could also install mirrors instead of the window panes. Then add your plants and fountain. If the fountain is tall enough, you won't need the windows to be big. Food for thought as some people don't like the idea, but commercial store fronts and high end custom residential dwellings have done this and it actually looks pretty cool. The false wall sounds like a good idea.

Also, is the correction of all of the sources of water included?

wingnut4772

treitz3 wrote: »

You know Darla, some folks have made "fake windows" by installing normal windows and painting the inside black, then they apply whatever substrate over the inside of the windows. You could also install mirrors instead of the window panes. Then add your plants and fountain. If the fountain is tall enough, you won't need the windows to be big. Food for thought as some people don't like the idea, but commercial store fronts and high end custom residential dwellings have done this and it actually looks pretty cool. The false wall sounds like a good idea.

Also, is the correction of all of the sources of water included?

Yes. The windows will be done right and we are putting a pool/patio drain gutter thingie in and grading the patio away from the house. It still sounds a little high though when you consider the added costs of the doors, tile etc will push 20k.

Unfortunately my roommate wants actual windows/doors there so she can see out of the kitchen window and look at the freakin' pool. :mad: (sigh). I am having some issues now with surround speaker placement as the kitchen 'window' and the door will be in the way. I did not realize that french doors with sidelights has an almost 9' span. I don't want to be stuck putting the surrounds 8' high again.

Sherardp

wingnut4772 wrote: »

That would leave me with room dimensions of 8.3" H X 11.10" wide and 19.5 Length (ish)

I did some room dimension calculating and it's not that bad although I am not sure how much variance you can have or how close or far from the ideal formula you can be before it's a problem.

I don't have MS office so if anyone can plug in my dimension for seating placement etc. that would be cool.

with the sony you could go 100 inch screen mounted at 10 -12 feet which would give you 14-16fl output. Seating position would be 10-16 feet. To achieve the best PQ I would mount somewhere in the middle of those measurements. The Carada BW screen would give you some gain also to help with brightness.

As for the epson, you could mount at 11 feet, go with the 110 inch screen, still have 13-17fl output which is bright. Seating position would be 11-18 feet, and again that using the Carada BW screen to help with any ambient light. The largest screen I would go is probably 114 inch, 16:9 ratio and thats still leaving you room for speaker placement and your dual subs. You can go bigger but thats something you'd have to decide by measuring out overall screen size including frame. 114 in screen is (106wx62h) 110 in(102.5wx60.6) so youd have to make that call.

You can find those numbers using the projector calculator here:
http://www.projectorcentral.com/Epson-PowerLite_Pro_Cinema_1080-projection-calculator-pro.htm

treitz3

Yeah, I was thinking that was a little high for an incomplete job. Try haggling a bit with him. You could install the floor and save how much $$$? [knocked off his cost] You could build the false wall, saving how much $$$ [knocked off his cost]......get my drift? Tiling a floor is as easy as making ice [just a little more labor intensive] if you know how to do it. Same with building a wall.

Most of the stuff is still DIY possible. You could entertain the thought of getting him to do the things you need him to do and still having your neighbor assist with the things that can be done DIY. There is a chance here for big $$$ savings.

Would also recommend getting at LEAST three estimates and following up with references / recommendations for each contractor. Entertain the thought of having each contractor give two bids. One for everything and one for things that are "needed".

treitz3

How big are your surround speakers? Dimension speakin' [no pun intended]

wingnut4772

treitz3 wrote: »

Yeah, I was thinking that was a little high for an incomplete job. Try haggling a bit with him. You could install the floor and save how much $$$? [knocked off his cost] You could build the false wall, saving how much $$$ [knocked off his cost]......get my drift? Tiling a floor is as easy as making ice [just a little more labor intensive] if you know how to do it. Same with building a wall.

Most of the stuff is still DIY possible. You could entertain the thought of getting him to do the things you need him to do and still having your neighbor assist with the things that can be done DIY. There is a chance here for big $$$ savings.

Would also recommend getting at LEAST three estimates and following up with references / recommendations for each contractor. Entertain the thought of having each contractor give two bids. One for everything and one for things that are "needed".

That's a good idea. We are going to get quotes from others as well. I am thinking if we are going to end up spending that kind of money I might wait 'till I can save the extra to do it concrete block. That would take a loooong time though to get my half. An easy year and a half or more.

wingnut4772

treitz3 wrote: »

How big are your surround speakers? Dimension speakin' [no pun intended]

They are going to be the VS TS150

11.5"W(rear) x 3.5"W (front) x 11.5"H x 7"D. 16 lbs raw, 37lbs packed.

I was thinking of doing some dipole Triad/James Loudspeaker etc. inwalls or something similar as well but not sure how they would voice up with my Von Schweikert front stage.

Now I have to rethink my window/door design.

treitz3

Are concrete blocks really worth that amount of time to you? I'm thinking that you still have the rest of your house for protection during a hurricane [if you choose to stay] and if the HT room gets blown away, insurance will cover it and it's contents. Or am I wrong?

Never lived in FL, so I don't know how it is.

wingnut4772

treitz3 wrote: »

Are concrete blocks really worth that amount of time to you? I'm thinking that you still have the rest of your house for protection during a hurricane [if you choose to stay] and if the HT room gets blown away, insurance will cover it and it's contents. Or am I wrong?

Never lived in FL, so I don't know how it is.

You are right. The insurance will cover it but in a hurricane if one thing goes, it all goes. Plus after being in the center of Hurricane Andrew, I really don't want any part of my house to come off while I am in it....or other wise for that matter.:eek:

That room is open to the rest of the house also so it might as well be the rest of the house.


Treitz, what do you think of him using the metal instead of wood for columns studs or whatever they are.

treitz3

wingnut4772 wrote: »

They are going to be the VS TS150

11.5"W(rear) x 3.5"W (front) x 11.5"H x 7"D. 16 lbs raw, 37lbs packed.

I was thinking of doing some dipole Triad/James Loudspeaker etc. inwalls or something similar as well but not sure how they would voice up with my Von Schweikert front stage.

Now I have to rethink my window/door design.

Could you not either build a custom stand/shelf or [I don't know whether or not they are still in business] a pair of AVF adjustable wall mounted speaker stands should do the job. They swivel L to R and have if memory serves, a 30 degree tilt as well.

Also, an interior decorator has access to modern drop stands. Those are mounted from the ceiling, but require you drill into the top of the speaker. The wire goes through the pole, so the look is elegant, clean and sophisticated.

treitz3

My experience with metal framing is limited. That's more for restaurant/commercial/industrial applications. When I have run across them, all I can say is that they are a pain in the arse. Strong as heck, though. I'll give 'em that! The reason they are a pain [to me] is because 95% of what I work on is common wood framing. Metal requires a different set of tools and the substrates usually change dramatically as well. I have yet to run across a metal framed wall that had wood trim, for example. They all had the carpet tucked into the corner, then run up the wall for 4-5 inches, or rubber base trim.

wingnut4772

treitz3 wrote: »

Could you not either build a custom stand/shelf or [I don't know whether or not they are still in business] a pair of AVF adjustable wall mounted speaker stands should do the job. They swivel L to R and have if memory serves, a 30 degree tilt as well.

Also, an interior decorator has access to modern drop stands. Those are mounted from the ceiling, but require you drill into the top of the speaker. The wire goes through the pole, so the look is elegant, clean and sophisticated.

I like the idea of the drop mount. I can't find any info on it. Are they called something else also? That may be my solution. Not optimal but better than 8' high surrounds.

Glad to hear the metal is so strong.

treitz3

wingnut4772 wrote: »

I can't find any info on it. Are they called something else also?

I don't know, that's what I call them.

wingnut4772

treitz3 wrote: »

I don't know, that's what I call them.

Google is showing me a ton of ceiling speaker mounts but not like that.:(