a HT construction question

[ratso]

no where else to put this so i will try here. in chicago we all live in bungalows. seriously, like 70% of all homes are bungalows. and every bungalow ever built has a row of support beams right down the middle of the basement. how can you work around this? the basement is usually only about 20 feet wide to start with. so you could build a theater on one side or the other, but it would only be 10 feet wide (tiny). moving them is pretty much out unless your a millionaire. they are spaced about every ten feet so they are in the way no matter how you slice it. any one worked with this/have suggestions?

 

[macddmac]

Beams or posts? If it's posts, you will need to reinforce the beams and move the posts to one side or the other. either way you'll need to hire an engineer to work out the numbers for you. shouldn't be too expensive if you're handy. If youre not- get out yer wallet. the new posts will need to be set several feet under the floor as determined a perc test or by local custom. Another option would be using steel I beam to span the entire basement at the post footing locations ( definitely more expensive and not DIY) Sorry I don't have a better solution.
Cheers, Mac

 

[ratso]

no alex, that is more helpful than you know. i have heard of the steel beam solution and knew it was expensive. i also knew you could move the posts (they are posts) but thought it also was a huge job, bordering on un-doable (is that a word?). i wouldn't mind spending money on this but i'm not made of it. thanx a lot.

 

[ratso]

woops i mean macd, not alex

 

[Bryce_H]

Depending on your anticipated setup and the spacing between the posts front to back, you could try to integrate the posts into your theater space. For example, if you plan on having 2 rows of seating you could drywall around the post and position it centered left to right of your seating and slightly in front of the second row (not to the point where it whould inhibit any views) - then mount a projector on the post with a shelf and put the screen on a wall down the room.

We actually selected our house based on the location of the posts and what would work for a dedicated home theater. Our builder limits the number of posts by using a steel beam - we only have 2 in the entire basement (~1,400 sq ft). 1 is in the mechanical room (no issues), the second in integrated into my back side of the back wall of the theater.

Good luck.

 

[ratso]

yep, that is exactly what i plan to do bryce. this all assumes that they can be moved of course. not much you can do with a line of poles right down the damn center

 

[westcott]

A simple drawing might help us folk that still live under a rock.

 

[Bryceo]

Hmmm har I don't understand

 

[ImcLoud]

Pictures would help a lot..