Recently Filed in DIY Home Theaters

It’s easy to get excited about home theater. Go on the AVS Forum. There certainly is a lot to get your creative juices flowing and your mouth salivating. While seeing the big, beautiful, comfortable rooms might get many to jump into a project, Steve Caesare wanted to take his sweet time. “I’m genuinely a do-it-yourselfer type of guy. My dad was that way and I grew up that way,” he says. “I’ve always grown up looking at a project with the thought that if at… View this story
DIY Home Theaters • Home Theater • Cool Homes • Slideshows

As we grow older, we tend to upgrade our cars, our appliances and our homes. And if you’re Morris Saad, you upgrade your home theater. Saad’s years of obsessive audio and video upgrades has led to his dream theater—at least for now. The professional-looking basement includes a 106-inch screen, a 1080p projector, distributed audio, 7.1-channel surround sound, theater chairs and a reclining sofa, a ticket booth and a concession stand. It looks great. It sounds great. But the real shine of Saad’s theater comes from… View this story
DIY Home Theaters • Cool Homes

Sometimes it’s hard to watch golf on TV. It’s long, there are tons of commercials, and way too many people shouting, “Get in the hole!” When it comes to watching golf inside David Larkins’ home theater, well ... we are pretty mesmerized. He might not be the best installer or the best golfer (although a 14 handicap doesn’t exactly make him a slouch either), but when he combined the two, David produced quite a unique room. “Golf, movies and music have been hobbies of mine… View this story
DIY Home Theaters • Cool Homes

Not all basements are perfect. Some have spiderwebs and leaks. Others just have weird shapes. Chris Martino’s basement has an L shape — at least the part that’s usable. Of course, the room with the water heater, furnace and other home necessities may literally be the hot spot, but it’s not where he and his wife Beth want to spend quality time. So the couple took the rest of the underground space and turned it into a home theater, which opens up to a kitchenette… View this story
DIY Home Theaters • Home Theater • Cool Homes

Rob McIntosh loves old-school home theater. He loves it so much that he created his own — not once, but twice. About four years ago, Rob lived in Seattle with his wife, Stefanie. That first home theater included an InFocus projector, a 110-inch Da-Lite screen and a few pieces to give the room the classic feel of the theaters Rob remembered from his youth. Rob loved going to the movies as a kid. Who didn’t? The big difference here is that his Sydney neighborhood gave… View this story
DIY Home Theaters • Home Theater • Cool Homes

Randy Murray thinks of his theater as a “modest” effort. While that may be true when compared to the lifestyles of the rich and famous, we prefer Randy’s cozy, complete theater experience. When we say “complete,” it’s because Randy’s entire basement level is dedicated to making the perfect movie night. Walk into this basement, and you’ll be treated to a pre-show experience—as well as a complimentary box of Junior Mints. “We felt strongly that the movie experience was only part of what we wanted, so… View this story
DIY Home Theaters • Home Theater • Cool Homes • Slideshows

This theater room is pretty fly — for a Best Buy guy. Sure, we all have our gripes about past retail experiences. However, Jeff Jergerian is the type of guy we’d want to run into when seeking out electronics. He knows his stuff, and isn’t afraid to test some of that knowledge. About five years ago, he took his work experience to task, and turned out a killer basement theater. Jeff currently works in Best Buy’s customer research and development area. “I actually work on… View this story
DIY Home Theaters • Home Theater • Cool Homes

When Mike McFaul first purchased his home back in 2001, he looked at the 1970s-style basement and instantly thought “home theater.” Mike’s idea of home theater, however isn’t the formal style you find on the pages of many home theater magazines, with theater seats and hidden gear. “I saw a picture of a guy with equipment behind his couch, and used that as an inspiration,” says Mike. “I loved the look of the exposed gear. All those twinkling lights, but I also wanted a family… View this story
Basement • DIY Home Theaters • Home Theater • Cool Homes • Slideshows

Not all attics are dusty, musty and full of old magazines and past prom wear. Instead of stuffing all of his memories into that space above, Craig decided that this was the best spot for his home theater.  Why? “Because I am crazy?” Craig jokes. However, despite what some may think, this wasn’t the ravings of a mad man. Instead, Craig saw a lot of potential, specifically in the form of 12-foot high ceilings. “I wanted to take advantage of all the space up there;… View this story
DIY Home Theaters • Home Theater • Cool Homes • Slideshows

Boldly go where no man has gone before? While some might consider building a Star Trek-themed theater, Steve Bruzonsky decided to take a different approach. Like many do-it-yourselfers out there, Steve’s goal was to “get the very best surround movies and music possible for the buck, with a great picture to go with it.” However, that took an awful lot of tweaking. It all started in mid-1996, when Steve’s wife Karen suggested that he build a home theater room, so he could get all his… View this story
DIY Home Theaters • Home Theater • Cool Homes • Slideshows

Renovating any home can be a tough job. When a structure has been standing for more than a century, though, infusing modern conveniences into a living space can test the limits of even the most proficient do-it-yourselfers. Doug and Candy Laven can attest to that. As the proud owners of an 1886 Victorian residence, they’ve taken great pains to preserve the historical integrity of every square inch of their 19th-century abode. Even enormous projects like adding a third-floor bedroom were done with deference to the… View this story
DIY Home Theaters • Cool Homes • Slideshows

Some people will give anything for a home theater. For Greg Powers, that anything included a bit of his property. Greg didn’t have a basement or other area he could spare, but he did have land. So Greg built a freestanding, dedicated structure behind the pool area. “We live on a half acre,” he says about sacrificing the space. “Besides it was for a home theater—not hard at all to allocate dirt for its construction.” The foundation was poured in May 2000. After that, the… View this story
Acoustics • DIY Home Theaters • Home Theater • Cool Homes • Slideshows