I’m looking for some help in planning out a media room build in my basement and the first step is how to orient the room. Here’s what I’m working with in terms of a floorplan and some initial options.
Constraints:
- room dimensions as shown plus 7.5’ ceiling (each square equals a foot on the diagram)
- walls of unfinished basement are not straight, but are “wavy”. Stucco/masonry over stone is giving me fits with getting good measurements and predicting final dimensions once drywall is up. In other words, I may have less space than I think if I account for drywall and the waviness of the bare walls before drywall is applied
- the biggest obstacle I have is the support post that juts out at 14’9” away from the unfinished wall at the top of the diagram.
My initial thought is to put the screen on the wall at the top of the diagram. I have a few open questions that I would love to get your opinions on before I commit to a layout.
Questions:
- Would you put the screen at the top of the diagram?
- If so, would you go with one row of seats, or do you think there is room for two before that jut-out becomes a concern?
- From a sound quality perspective, how worried should I be about that column trapping sound? (Option 1)
- If it’s likely to be an issue, I was thinking of walling that area off for storage/equipment and having a straight wall down (Options 2, 3). That would allow the sound not to get trapped in there, but limits my width, affecting seating options and screen size
- The black column in the middle of the room can be moved “down” the diagram at extra cost, which opens up Option 4 to be considered. This would re-orient the theater area left-to-right instead of up and down
Options:
Option 1
· Pros – wider seating options, bigger screen possibility
· Cons – possible issue with sound getting trapped in the back-right corner
Option 2
· Pros – added storage, more “flush” or straight wall to help sound not get trapped in the corner
· Cons – 4-seat option gets pushed to other/left wall and is off-center, theater space is narrower than option 1
Option 3
· Pros – seating is more centered than Option 2, 2 rows of seating are likely possible, sound is probably not as big of concern as option 1 (but I’m not sure)
· Cons – seating gets pushed back a bit in the last row, bar top doesn’t line up with natural “jut-out” of support post
Option 4
· Pros – similar width to options above for screen area, but seating area isn’t constrained by “jut-out” support post, opens the room up
· Cons – added cost of structural effort to move support post in middle of room and rebrace the beam, bar top isn’t as engaged in theater area
A big screen with great sound in an area that is open for watching movies and sports….and playing bubble hockey are my main goals. I’ve never gone through something like this, so any and all feedback is welcome and appreciated!
Thanks!!
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