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SELF BUILD
How to Build Your Own Home Cinema
Whether you’re self-building or renovating, including your own home cinema within the project is the ultimate luxury. It needn’t cost a fortune (although it can if you want to go the whole hog), and it’s not that complicated. Grab the popcorn, someone, quick.
What Kind Of Budget Do I Need?
Just think of your local cinema and most of the elements are what you should try to include in your own design. You can buy a second-hand projector (check the bulb life on the setting control before buying), screen and a 5.1 sound system for around £750.
However, if you’re going to devote a room to films, you may want to spend a bit more for a top-of the-range kit, starting at around £5,000.
Do your homework on some of the specialist sites. www.avforums.com has a good forum for the novice to put questions. Home cinema stores, such as www.homecinemastore.com, can also advise and carry out the installation work.
Where Can I Put It?
You can fit out a home cinema in a spare room, garage, basement, loft conversion or garden building.
If you plan to convert a garage or basement, don’t add windows. You will only have to cover them up to block out the light when watching a film. In a rectangular room, place very large screens centrally along one short side so that you can place the seating at the other end of the rectangle, far enough away to view comfortably.
Garage Conversion The rectangular shape gives a garage conversion enough length for a projector set-up. The lack of windows in a garage is also an advantage as ambient light washes out the screen image. Fit extra acoustic insulation if your garage is close to neighbours’ houses. For more information, go to www.garageconversion.com – this company also deals with the building regulations application which you will need to make.
Spare room Converting a spare room is the cheapest route to big screen entertainment. The positions of doors and windows may be a problem, as you need a clear wall at one end of the room for the screen. In a family house, avoid using a room directly underneath a child’s bedroom, as the noise will seep through, even with extra insulation between the ceiling joists.
Basement If you’re lucky enough to have a basement level, a home cinema could work well, although some extra acoustic insulation in the ceiling may still be needed. Go to www.basementmasters.co.uk for more information.
Garden room A well-insulated garden building gives you the opportunity to plan the exact size and shape you need. For the best sound-deadening, make sure the building uses glass wool insulation rather than a rigid foam product. You will need to budget for mains power to the building. See garden2office.co.uk for more examples.
Lofts A loft can be a great place for a home cinema as long as the ceiling height gives you room to fit a screen at a comfortable viewing height and the space is large enough for a sofa and other seating at one end.
