Buying a New Home: Don't know where to begin!

[nemlich22]

Hello Everyone,
I am about to close on a new home and I would like to begin planning a whole home AV system, but I don't have the slightest idea where to start. I've found this forum in hopes that some of you with great patience can help point me in the right direction both in terms of how to set up such a system as well a which components may be the best purchases for my needs.

The home is seemingly prewired for built in audio in nearly every common area. By memory, it goes something like this:
Living Room: 7.1
Loft: 7.1
Dining Room: 2 speakers
Master Bedroom: 2 speakers
Master Bath: 2 speakers
Den: 2 speakers
Patio: 2 speakers
Balcony: 2 speakers

I don't believe any speakers are currently installed.

My belief is that I can somehow set up each room to run off a central set of sources, but I don't know where to begin.

I've very much a DIY person, so I don't mind building the system myself if it's within reason.

Would anyone be able to assist me by beginning to describe how the system would work, what components are needed, how much I can expect to spend, etc.?

Also, there are no fewer than 10 potential locations where TVs could be set up. I will have DirecTV as my provider. This may be off topic for this forum, but is there a way to subscribe with 3-4 receivers, but have them be able to display in more than 3-4 rooms? I would only ever watch 3-4 separate channels at the same time within the house, but I would like to be able to turn off the game in the living room to go to the office, for example.

I hope I have been clear in what I'm looking to accomplish.

Thank you in advance for your time and effort in response.

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

I don’t see how it’s possible to do a “whole house” system with two 7.1 systems. At least one of those is going to have to be a stand-alone system.

For the multiple two-speaker rooms, I’d suggest checking Home Theater Direct for a DIY solution.

Adding video to the mix vastly complicates a whole house system. If you’re serious about that you’re going to need a professional.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[BMXTRIX]

There's a huge difference between what you see in a model home and what you actually have paid for and received.

There's also a huge difference between a centralized and distributed A/V system and what you may/may not have. You see, if I were a clueless builder, as most are, I would wire all the stereo speaker pairs back to some stupid location that isn't designed to properly support the equipment. I would then build any 7.1 rooms out with wiring in mostly the wrong location, and put them back to a wall plate that may not actually be in the best place in the room for the equipment. Any other 7.1 systems would be locally run and setup as well.

What we need, to help you get a better grasp of what you have is a lot more description of what you actually have. Photos would be helpful, locations as well.

It's EXTREMELY unusual for any builder to 'wire' a home without putting in speakers. But, it's possible, if that's what you paid for.

Otherwise, if you didn't pay for anything, they likely didn't wire anything.