One of the first things Phillip Thomas did after buying his 3,300-square-foot single-family home was finish the basement. He put in a bar, built a bedroom for his college-age son and threw in a nice-size bathroom. But he always felt that something was missing: a home theater. “At the time, I thought that adding one would blow our budget out of the water,” Thomas says. So he and his family… View this story
Basement • Home Theater • Cool Homes

Where’s the basement home theater room? What, no 100-inch screen and jazzy theater chairs? There’s a 60-incher in the playroom—but the three teenagers have to share the TV because none of their rooms have one? These suburban New York City homeowner’s aren’t technophobes or Luddites. They just wanted a way technology could improve their daily living, without taking away from the look of their home. The house doesn’t have a… View this story
Home Control Systems • Cool Homes

Jeff Click of Jeff Click Homes in Oklahoma City specializes in building mid-priced homes, but don’t think of him as your average homebuilder. For one thing, he embraces technology. His company even does the installation work on simple home theaters in some of his homes. So the logical next step for him was to add a modestly priced home theater to one of his model homes. “We’ve noticed increasing demand… View this story
Media Room • Home Theater • Cool Homes

Punkass is how Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fans know him. He’s also known as Dan Caldwell, co-founder and CEO of TapouT, a company embedded in the MMA industry. The fighter/executive set out to have an elaborate theater built at TapouT’s Grand Terrace, Calif., headquarters and enlisted San Bernardino, Calif.-based Audio Video Evolution (AVE) to install the electronics. (Click here to view additional photos.) Why does a corporation need an elaborate… View this story
Themed Theaters • Home Theater • Cool Homes

Wanting a new home theater doesn’t always mean leaving your old electronics behind. This homeowner wanted to add some spark to his existing viewing environment by upgrading to a two-piece projector-screen setup. He was plenty satisfied, though, with the Sony home theater in a box (HTIB) system he already owned. So when it came time to outfit his previously finished basement, the homeowner contacted Aurora, Ill.-based Epic Integrated A/V to expand that… View this story
Basement • Home Theater • Cool Homes

Director Spiro Razatos doesn’t make Steven Spielberg money, but he probably loves movies just as much. So when it came time to build his dream home theater, he couldn’t make it a big-budget production. Still, he had an epic vision. The stuntman-turned-stunt-coordinator and director has fond memories of sitting in vintage movie theaters with his dad. “Since I was a little kid I wanted to have a real theater where… View this story
Gaming Systems • Home Theater • Cool Homes

This homeowner is a big Macintosh fan, so when Apple’s iPhone launched in 2007, he was one of the first in line. Back then, his new home was under construction near St. Cloud, Minn., and awaiting the installation of a HomeLogic home control system. When Apple opened its app store to developers, “I was hoping HomeLogic would come out with something,” the homeowner recalls. Indeed, HomeLogic was one of the… View this story
Home Control Systems • Cool Homes

We are looking for some of the best do-it-yourself projects in the Electronic House universe! There are so many great projects out there. Now, we want to compile them into a book for all to admire. Submit your room to be a part of our special publication! Also, many projects will be featured on ElectronicHouse.com, where an additional 178,000 viewers will get the chance to drool over your handiwork. We… View this story
DIY Home Theaters • DIY Special • Cool Homes

Life can be peachy on a motor-yacht. But if you want to go to sea with all the comforts of audio/video and control systems, plan carefully. All systems on board need to be protected from salt air and moisture, prewired properly and not take up much space. The 85-foot La Belle Yvette makes waves not only with several LCD TVs, 11 zones of audio and five Xbox extenders, but with… View this story
Multiroom Audio • Home Control Systems • Cool Homes

Paul Snyder didn’t just create a home theater in his spare bedroom. He turned it into a production. This artist/DIYer wanted the goodies that come with having a theater room, but certainly didn’t sacrifice any of the details. “As a visual artist, I usually have a detailed vision in my mind before I dive into any project,” says Paul. “This one was no exception.” With that frame of mind, Paul… View this story
DIY Home Theaters • Themed Theaters • Home Theater • Cool Homes