Home Theater – Part 5

Progress on the Home Theater stalled out for a few weeks as The Kid went back to school and we focused on other things.  We started back up last week with the final big project – the seating platform.   I had sketched out a design several months ago based on the recliners I expected us to order.

The row of 3 recliners is exactly 8′ wide.  (You can see where I lightly sketched the recliners in, including the far right one being reclined.)  I designed the platform to be 8’6″ wide including a 3″ overhang on all sides.  Since we planned to add a Buttkicker to the platform, the front seats need to be elevated as well.  The front row will be just over 4″ high.  The back row will be 16″ high with 8″ high steps on either side.  The front row will have just enough room in front of the seats to step up onto the platform.  The back row will have approximately 12″ in front of the seats when reclined, which will allow room for people to walk in front of them.  I also allowed for 6″ behind each row of seats for reclining although this was probably not needed.  This gives the entire platform a total length of 11′.

Once I had this drawn up, the Engineer (David) sketched out some blueprints on how to build it.

It would basically be another floor on top of the existing floor.  One concern was the weight, so we sought to keep this down wherever possible.

He began buy purchasing several 2x4s and cutting them to size.  He assembled them using screws and straps.  Each section was then carried up to the bonus room.

He then began constructing the platform using more screws. You can see the step framed out of the right side.

Not quite ready for football yet . . .

After discussing various options, we decided to cover the sides of the platform with 1/4″ sanded plywood.  He also began running the electrical from the new wire we had ran to the middle of the floor.  We needed an outlet for the front row of power reclining seats as well as one for the back row.  We also planned to have rope lights under the edge of the platform, so those needed an outlet and a switch.

The picture below shows the location for the hidden rope lights outlet and it’s switch.

Here is the outlet and switch installed.

The next step is to add trim and paint the sides.  We need some trim to cover the plywood seams at the corners and I want to add some picture framing to the taller section, just to break it up a bit.  Then it will all be painted so we can install the rope lights.

The lights arrived this past weekend.  In leu of traditional rope lights, I went with LED strip lights.  There are 300 lights on each 16.5′ strip and I ordered 3 strips.  That should be enough to go around all the edges.  The lights can be changed to virtually any color and dimmed as well.  Their main purpose will be to make getting around in the dark easier, but they will hopefully add some “wow” factor too.

Next on the list will be to install the Buttkicker, then attach the top panels to the platform.  Right now, I am leaning towards covering it in a resilient flooring that mimics wood.

The chairs have been ordered and shipped, but we’re not sure exactly when they will get here.  I’m guessing not for at least another couple weeks.  We will have 2 rows of 3 for a total of 6 seats.

To Be Continued . . .