BMW Driver Posted March 28, 2003 Share Posted March 28, 2003 I am in the process of building a home and it will have a large, unfinished basement when complete. I was thinking this would be the perfect enviroment for my home theater. I have some concerns, however. 1. The basement is supposedly going to be waterproofed, but is there a danger of inherent dampness. Is there a way around this? 2. Douse anyone have experience with the aucoustical challenges that may be a problem in a basement. I already know I will have to do something to isolate the mechanicals of the house which are already in the basement. Anything else? 3. Does anyone have any other pearls of wisdome from your own basement to home theater conversion? Thanks for the replies! Shaun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundog Posted March 28, 2003 Share Posted March 28, 2003 1. dehumidifier 2. Solid concrete floor and walls inert but will need acoustical damping; if constructing walls in front of concrete walls, insulation with plastic sheeting between back of wall and concrete a good idea, if walls and floor leaks in the spring, then drainage system/sump pump will be needed. 3.If you can vary room dimensions, then follow the ideal dimensions (relationship of height to width to length found elsewhere on this site). I'll look them up for you if you cann't find them. 4.Place components outside room (use remote extender)if at all possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMW Driver Posted March 28, 2003 Author Share Posted March 28, 2003 Thanks for helping a newbie! I will definately be looking to create a storage/equipment room seperate from the viewing room. I will be constructing walls in front of the concrete walls and probably creating a floating floor above the cement one. I have already used an excel spreadsheet that I downloaded from stereophiles guide to HT to determine an appropriate size for the room. I would be interested in finding the thread on this board that discusses that topic as well. I think my biggest problem to overcome may be installing a 53-61" rear projection monitor. I'm not sure it will fit down the stairs! I have thought about the DLP front projection systems, but the cost is a factor and I'm not sold on most of the moderately priced models performance. Thanks for advice! I will definately send some pictures to the board when I get started! Shaun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruinsrme Posted March 29, 2003 Share Posted March 29, 2003 BMW Somethings I did before I added to the cellar. Checked the downspouts of the gutter to ensure they went away from the house. Every cellar has the potential to leak, ensuring the water runs away from the house greatly helps. Cellars have the tendency to be cold in the winter nad hot in the summer adequate aircondition is necessary. Support poles can be moved but highly recommend having an insured contractor do this. Carpeting holds in dampness while hard floors reflect sound. Lighting. Having installed recessed lighting I am thinking of installing some side upward lighting, less glare and less power consumption run the wire before the walls are closed in. recommend wiring for 7.1 Oh yeah don't for get a phone connection. Scott here is a link that has an interesting cellar wall concept Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted March 30, 2003 Share Posted March 30, 2003 I realize you're going for more of a home theater thing but you might want to take a look my posts "artto's klipschorn room" (select 180 days) in the architectural topic thread. You'll want to put up a vapor barrier (plastic visqueen)over the concrete before putting up any walls. I would still insulate the exterior walls. Concrete can hold a temp for a long time & if the AC or heating is running much (such as in spring or fall) the room can feel cold. Another thing to consider is building settlement. New construction always settles & you can be almost guaranteed that the foundation is going to get a few cracks. Whether they leak or not will remain to be seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruinsrme Posted March 30, 2003 Share Posted March 30, 2003 artto, Take a gander at the link in my last post it will take you to owen cornings and their cellar wall concept. pretty neat stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMW Driver Posted March 30, 2003 Author Share Posted March 30, 2003 Thank you all for the great advice. This is definately the kind of feadback I was looking for. I had never thought about the heating/cooling issue before. Something to look into for sure. I will definately look into to vapor lock material for issurance against leaks. I will probably be adding a raised subfloor so that I will get less residual coldness from the conrete floor and less chance of the carpet holding moisture. This should still leave me with almost 8' ceilings so I think I will be ok. Thanks again for all the advice! Shaun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formica Posted March 31, 2003 Share Posted March 31, 2003 Just wanted to add my 2-cents... 1. Concrete is porous and waterproofing used is often mediocre (sprayed on asphalt coating?) so some humidity will make it's way in. There are better foundation membranes available but will cost a premium... about 4 to 8 times the standard cost. (In eastern Canada, it adds about 1500$ to 2500$ to the cost of and average home). A dehumidifier, as mentioned, will help a great deal. 2. When build up the interior walls be careful in the choice of air barrier (not vapour barrier or plastic sheathing) mentioned. The choice word here is air barrier (or house wrap), which will breathe and allow the trapped humidity to dry. This will prevent fungus growth. 3. Basements made of poured concrete will be tempered in temperature, as both the concrete and the exterior soil tend to change temperatures very slowly. Assuming the home had no heating or cooling, it would be warmer than the exterior temperature in the winter and cooler in the summer. This may seem odd as we often think of basements as being cold and damp but this is usually due to the design than the inherent properties. If you visit a home that isn't air-conditioned in the summer, the coolest room will be the basement. If you were to visit an unheated building with a basement in the winter you will find the basement as one of the warmest rooms. This harder to verify but you can see this happening in abandoned buildings. I believe you will be fine if you provide the same quantity of heating and cooling as the others floors in the home. 4) You may want to acoustically insulate the room at the same time... it won't eliminate sound transmissions, but should greatly reduce them. For see a sound strip around all doors in the room and avoid anything which rattles (French doors can be a pain in the bu!! ). later... Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMW Driver Posted March 31, 2003 Author Share Posted March 31, 2003 Thanks Rob for your 2 cents. I converted it to US currency and had enough change for my morning news paper From the responses, I think I may be looking at getting a subcontractor involved. There's a lot to consider! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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