Planning a Basement Home Theater in WNY? What to Decide Before the Drywall Goes Up

In Western New York, basement projects tend to start when the weather turns. The yard work is done, the Bills are on, and the unfinished space downstairs starts to look like the best room in the house waiting to happen. For a lot of families, that room is a home theater or a game-day den.

Here is the thing most people learn too late: the most important home theater decisions happen before the drywall goes up. Once the walls are closed, running a wire or moving a speaker gets expensive and messy. While the framing is open, it is easy. If a basement theater is in your plans this winter, these are the decisions to make first.

Start with the screen wall

Everything else in the room is arranged around the screen, so pick that wall before anything else. A few things to think through:

• Light. Basement egress windows are small, but they can still throw glare across a screen in the afternoon. Put the screen on a wall where window light will not hit it head on.

• Seating distance. Measure where the couch or seating will actually go. Screen size should fit the distance from your seats, not just the width of the wall.

• What is behind the wall. Ductwork, plumbing, and support posts are common in WNY basements. Know where they are before you commit to a wall-mounted TV or projector location.

Plan the wiring while the walls are open

This is the single biggest advantage of planning early. With the framing exposed, you can run speaker wire, video cable, and network cable exactly where it needs to go and hide all of it. Plan for more than you think you need. Running an extra line now costs very little. Adding one after the room is finished costs a lot more.

Good planning at this stage is what separates a room that looks built-in from one with wires taped along the baseboard. Our installers take real pride in this part of the job: neatly wired equipment, cables bundled properly, custom wall plates, and no piles of wire on the floor.

Decide where the speakers go

A surround sound system is what makes a basement feel like a theater instead of a TV room. Decide early whether you want in-wall, in-ceiling, or freestanding speakers, because in-wall and in-ceiling speakers need to be planned before the drywall is hung. Think about where people will sit most of the time and build the sound around those seats.

Give your equipment a home

Receivers, streaming boxes, cable boxes, and game consoles need somewhere to live. That might be a cabinet in the room or a closet nearby. Either way, it needs ventilation and a clean path for the wiring you planned above.

Once everything is installed, the last thing you want is five remotes on the coffee table. We install and program URC remote controls that consolidate your TV, sound system, Blu-ray player, and cable box into one easy-to-navigate menu. The whole family can use it without a lesson.

Not sure where to start? Schedule a free home theater consultation and we will help you plan the room before the contractor closes the walls.

Think beyond the basement

Since the walls are open anyway, this is the moment to think about the rest of the house. If you have ever wanted music in the kitchen, sound on the patio for summer, or the game playing in more than one room, the wiring for whole house audio and video is far easier to run during a renovation than after it. Outdoor speakers are part of the same conversation.

Remember it is a WNY basement

Every Western New York homeowner knows what spring thaw and a heavy rain can do to a basement. Before you put a theater's worth of equipment and furniture down there, protect it:

• Keep equipment off the floor. Racks, cabinets, and subwoofers should sit up where a little water will not reach them.

• Watch the sump pump. A finished basement raises the stakes if the pump fails. Sump pump monitoring and flood sensors can alert you before a small problem becomes a flooded theater.

Our guide to basement flooding and sump pump monitoring covers this in more detail.

Already bought the TV? No problem

You do not need to buy everything from us. If you already picked up a TV, speakers, or a receiver somewhere else, we can install it. We handle everything from a flat panel TV installation to a complete theater room.

Who does the work

Advanced Home Theater is a division of Advanced Alarm, Inc., and we have been installing home theaters and whole house audio systems for more than 30 years. Your installation is performed by CEDIA certified, manufacturer trained installers who treat your home with respect. We work with any budget or style, from a simple pair of speakers to a full custom home theater installation.

Planning a basement project this winter? Call 716-693-4597 or book your free home theater consultation before the drywall goes up.