Garage Remodel ideas

[dssmith999]

I am kicking around some serious ideas about remodeling my basement garage 32x29x8.5 into a theater game room. My current theater room is 11.5x15.5x8.5 and seems to have too many acoustical problems to fix? The garage will need very Minor work one HVAC duct vent, some tile on the concrete, and the door removed and walled in then patched with drywall.

I am assuming the larger room will be acoustically superior (infact vastly) with the larger space to work with. Build materials will be the same.


Thanks

 

[highfigh]

I am kicking around some serious ideas about remodeling my basement garage 32x29x8.5 into a theater game room. My current theater room is 11.5x15.5x8.5 and seems to have too many acoustical problems to fix? The garage will need very Minor work one HVAC duct vent, some tile on the concrete, and the door removed and walled in then patched with drywall.

I am assuming the larger room will be acoustically superior (infact vastly) with the larger space to work with. Build materials will be the same.


Thanks

The size of the room allows for some things to be different but the ratio of length:width:height is better with the smaller room. You can install bass traps and absorb the first reflections in the existing room if the acoustics are problematic but you'll have many standing waves that are very close together in a room that's as close to square as the garage is. The tile on the floor won't help, either. That's almost completely reflective.

 

[jostenmeat]

Welp. If you got a nice budget, and are thinking projection, multirow, etc, sure!

But if this is primarily for acoustics . . . Have you treated the present room? I don't think just because a certain room is much larger means that it will automatically be significantly superior. The best way to compare is to bring your speakers into the garage and hear for yourself. If too lazy to bother for the time being, shout, sing, clap, bang pots and pans.

For a garage, I think doing staggered studs all around, to be filled with insulation is an excellent thing to help isolate from the outside, as well as possibly having good acoustical benefits (depending on how it's covered I suppose). Start calling around for bulk pricing on fiberglass. My friend scored a great deal on a whole bunch after a lot of calling around, for his rock band DIY practice room.

 

[AudiophileAudio]

I bigger room can let you experience a wider sound stage and a deeper bass.
I must admit that a square room will give you some troubles. Put some furnish and carpets. Later you can experiment with bass traps as highfigh mentioned.
In case you want to rethink about the proportions of your room, it is not a bad idea to use the "golden ratio". This means that:
- the room width must be of 1.6 times the height,
- the room length must be 2.6 times the room height.
This acoustic room ratio is said to have the very best acoustic properties.

 

[AVRat]

Similar situation with some ideas: http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=58334

If it were me, I'd split it up with a purely dedicated HT, 16' x 29' sounds good. What's going in the game area?

 

[dssmith999]

I have 4 of the 3x5x5 Bass traps and 6 of the 3x5x1 high Frequency traps. The back wall of the room has a small utility closet cut out of it 5 wide and 3 deep so it is not exactly rectangular. Also I am considering cutting out another small mud room in the back which will make it even more non rectangular?

 

[dssmith999]

Pool table and I would like to pick up some pinball machines.

 

[AudiophileAudio]

My recommendation is to avoid non-rectangular rooms. Their acoustics is harder to control. Simplicity alway pays you back: if your room has good rectangular proportions, you will not even need traps.

 

[njedpx3]

Awesome Add-on to AVRat's split room idea

Pool table and I would like to pick up some pinball machines.

Awesome Add-on to AVRat's split room idea

When you first said garage remodel.. I sort of envisioned my garage sytem. I do a lot of handyman work myself and the back wall 5 foot extension is lined with shelves and benches , one end is all electical, plus an extra refigerator one bay for storage and two cars. ... But I digress, I do have a pretty nice 5.1 system with DVD player ( music only , no TV) set-up.

Oh yah ... I also rebuilt a commercial "Pot of Gold" pinball machine once. It was awesome when I got it fully working. ...One of my other passions/obsessions "pinball wizard"

Good Luck your Garage remodel sounds very nice!.

 

[dssmith999]

I bigger room can let you experience a wider sound stage and a deeper bass.
I must admit that a square room will give you some troubles. Put some furnish and carpets. Later you can experiment with bass traps as highfigh mentioned.
In case you want to rethink about the proportions of your room, it is not a bad idea to use the "golden ratio". This means that:
- the room width must be of 1.6 times the height,
- the room length must be 2.6 times the room height.
This acoustic room ratio is said to have the very best acoustic properties.

With an 8.5 foot ceiling I would need 13.6x22.1. About 2x the size of the current room.

 

[AudiophileAudio]

Now it is up to you. I showed you a second option. What you choose depends on your needs. Ask yourself if you are looking for no-compromise acoustics or also other features.
Sometimes it is not easy to design a space that works and looks nice at the same time. I am an architect, if you like to post the plans of your house and your needs, I will sketch something for you. I normally charge people for this, but in your case I'll do it for free.

 

[AVRat]

Is the dedicated HT room an option? Are you thinking a projection/screen setup or standalone display like a nice Mitsubishi 82" DLP? Would you like to keep the room open for sports parties? Maybe you could give us a little more insight.

I wouldn't take the "Golden Rule" as cast in concrete, more of a rule of thumb starting point. Doing some quick room mode analysis, the 13.6 x 22.1 x 8.5 isn’t much different than the 29 x 16 x 8.5 that I proposed. If you’re thinking separate HT, what dimensions might you be interested in?

 

[dssmith999]

Currently I find the 11.5x15.5 cramp and too small. I have not the room for proper surround placement and the room is not proportion due to stair well forcing slight ingress in the front sound stage. Its intended afterlife is my office. Currently I have a 65 inch Hitachi and it has a very nice PQ. I will run some room mode calculations to see the modes. I will post some sketches shortly thank you for your input.

 

[AudiophileAudio]

Wow, I am curious to see your sketches and acustic calculations!