Another important part of the process was acoustic treatments. He’s got columns to help to break up the room and hide the speakers. He received a lot of tips from the AVS Forum, but there were still concerns. “While I have excellent THX speakers and a THX receiver, the sound can still be negatively impacted if the room itself isn’t properly treated,” Jeff says. “There is a noticeable difference in the way the theater room ‘sounds’ when the system is off. There is also no unwanted echo/reflection with familiar noises like conversation, clapping, etc. This reassures me that the sound I’m hearing when the system is on is accurate and true, and minimally affected by the room environment itself.”

Of course, there were a lot of little touches as well. Jeff advises other DIYers to take the same approach he did: “Start with the carpet and build the color palette around that.” When it came to the curtains, Jeff had a little help — from Patti. “The curtain is my favorite part of the theater, because it got my wife involved — and because she did such a good job making it.” In fact, she did such nice work that some of the AVS Forumites have asked her to make their curtains as well.

Over the past year, Jeff says, “The upgrade bug is constantly biting.” He traded up his projector (to 1080p), his receiver, and added an HD DVD player, PlayStation 3, Slingbox and VUDU. “The technology is constantly changing, and I don’t want any part of the experience to be less than state of the art.”

Want a peek at more of Jeff’s theater? Check out every angle in our slideshow.

Quick Hits
Location: Rosemount, MN
Year Completed: 2007
Room Size: 21 x 14 x 8 feet
Length of Project: 12 months
Total Cost: $30,000

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Rachel Cericola - Contributing Writer

Over the past 15 years, Rachel Cericola has covered entertainment, web and technology trends. Check her out at www.rachelcericola.com.