Home Movie Theaters

Like most readers, I always dreamed of having my own dedicated space for a home theater. Unfortunately, while living in Southern California, we never had enough space. Then came a job opportunity in the beautiful state of Colorado, and our new home had a basement that was the perfect size and location for a home theater. I have a demanding job in the aerospace industry, so my available time to work on the theater was extremely limited. The process of design, prep, construction, and finishing took about two and a half years to complete. Outside of blowing insulation into the walls and ceiling and installing the carpet, I did all the work myself.

Park City, Utah, boasts three world-class ski resorts. Canyons, the largest of the three, offers ski-in and out access to The Colony, a residential area where the homeowners of this theater reside part-time. When they aren’t on the slopes, this couple likes relaxing and sharing their custom home theater with friends and family.

This dedicated home theater creates a warm and inviting atmosphere where you can enjoy a glass of wine by the fire. It was built out as a retrofit in the family room, and the main feature the homeowner wanted to keep intact was the fireplace. He also wanted a wet bar and wine rack to create a homier environment.

When this Long Island homeowner was planning his home theater, his main criteria was that he wanted big sound and a big picture to make him shake in his seat. So Electronics Design Group (EDG) began its theater design with just these broad strokes. Fortunately, the homeowner was game for whatever it took to achieve his home theater dream.

When it came time to build a home theater in the basement of our home (14.5 by 18.5 feet), my wife set the tone by requesting a traditional movie theater décor with a touch of whimsy. On the technical side, I was most concerned about the installation and soundproofing to ensure it sounded as terrific as it looked. The walls, stage, and seating platform are all filled with insulation, and the walls are covered with sound panels, made from 1-inch-thick batting, and covered with velvet fabric and then framed with wood trim boxes. Molding added the extra bit of elegance, and pillars gave the room dimension and function. Doubling as sound panels, two of the pillars have cabinet doors. One of them opens to reveal the equipment rack; the other has shelves for storage.