When it comes time to finish your basement, one of the most-popular ideas is to have a home theater area included. Year after year, we receive more requests for this type of finishing than any other.
A recent article by Houzz, author S. Gauthier listed five tips to turn your basement into a media room. Since we receive numerous requests for basement finishing in Fairfax and other locations in Northern Virginia, we thought we would echo some of the useful tips which were listed and add some of our own details to give you even better results.
Basement Finishing in Northern Virginia
The first tip was to plan your sound system. This is an outstanding idea. Before your basement is completed, it is best to understand where you are going to have your entertainment area and begin to plan the design around that. One of the things which many people forget about is all of the wiring that goes into a media center. If you are going to have an entertainment areas, it is a great idea to plan ahead so that all of those unsightly wires can be concealed as the work is completed.
It may also be advisable to consider putting in recessed speakers. Though this will not always work, it is an outstanding way to move the speakers to a place which can create more room. If recessing them is not possible, give careful consideration to where and how you would like them to be utilized. Several people like to hang speakers on the walls while others opt for the floor.
Speakers and Peripheral Placement are Important
the second point that the article brought up encouraged the homeowner to give careful consideration to media storage. Like having wires running all over the floor and behind furniture detracts from the experience, having DVD players and Video Games and other accessories laying all over or in an open area can take away from the look and feel of the room.
When you are planning your media center and the peripherals you want to include in your new media area, give thought to concealing these necessary extras. Opting for a classic cabinet system or other center can be very helpful and can increase the overall room experience by a lot! Allow your TV to be the one and only star of your room and make sure that all of the supporting cast members are tucked neatly away.
Certainly one of the most-important steps in planning is the visualize where you will want the seating to be arranged. After everything is completed, it will be time to sit back and enjoy the show. Knowing where you are going to arrange the furniture, specifically the chairs, sofas, or other furniture will be key in your initial design.
Full Basement Theater - Really Going for It!
You will want to keep in mind the approximate height of the television and its location in relation to where people will be seated. Having too many seats off the the side may yield a less-than-pleasing viewing experience.
Having the right materials on your walls and in the room will be the next point to consider. Brick looks really great in any room, but will having several very hard surfaces cause the sound experience to go down? The answer is probably yes. Very dense surfaces cause sound to bounce around. You can add fabric shades (as suggested in the original article) and other softer materials in strategic locations which can help break up the sound from bouncing from wall to wall. Also, by adding pictures and other items to the walls as decor, you can help to break up sound so that it does not become an issue.
A final item to consider is lighting. What type of light will you want in your newly finished basement? For years track lighting and recessed lights have been the mainstay of basement remodeling projects. These are still extremely popular, but don't think you have to settle with those exclusively. Wall lighting fixtures can give a very classy look to your new area as can lamps and floor lighting. There is no end to the creative solutions you can use.
Overall, when planning your new room(s) try to give a lot of consideration to what the finished project will be. Think about all of these little items before you start any work, and you will be more-satisfied with the final product.
If you live in the Northern Virginia region and you are considering having your basement finished, give us a call and we will be happy to help you plan.
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