Built-in home theatre rivals cinema experience
Basement renovation cost $100,000, includes game room and more
By Betsy McElfresh

Scott McKay's newly-renovated basement features a dedicated home theatre, game room, exercise room and spare bedroom.

Scott McKay's friends don't want to leave his basement since he completed a sevenmonth renovation of the lower level of his waterfront Woodlake home last year.

McKay created a dedicated home theatre on one end, and a game room extends to the other end with a pool table, seating area and wall-mounted plasma television. The downstairs is rounded out with an exercise room, spare bedroom, full bath and refrigerator/ freezer.

McKay envisioned his new home theatre nearly 20 years ago. "I have always had a great respect for the movies," he remarks.

Viewing movies was the core of the project. He originally sought out a high-end television, and then realized there's more to a home theatre than just a visual on the screen. To capture a true cinema experience, he needed to consider acoustics, ambient lighting and comfortable seating.

Specialty drapes that help dampen sound now line the theatre's walls, including a remote-controlled back drapery wall. Closing the drapes provides an intimate atmosphere for watching movies, making the game room available for those who aren't interested in taking in the show. Opening the drapes provides a more open space for watching sporting events like the Super Bowl. Last week, his friends invited themselves over to watch the World Cup final game, he said.

McKay also preserved the original windows and walls behind the specialty drapes. "It offers a tremendous amount of flexibility to change things around down the road," he notes.

Home Media in Midlothian designed the theatre and supplied the hardware. The theatre is powered by an Escient receiver and includes two Sony DVD/CD changers that can hold 400 discs each, amplifiers and a controller for the projector.

A SharpVision DLP projector is mounted to the ceiling and transmits an image onto a 119" perforated screen. Three front speakers are mounted in the wall behind the screen just like at the cinema. The side and rear surround speakers are overhead, and two subwoofers are hidden in the "stage" below the screen. "These are what rattle the house," explains McKay.

A handheld touch screen remote controls the theatre system, room lighting and rear drapery wall. Infrared eyes are attached to various components, so the remote works from any part of the room.

McKay, an information technology specialist, is actively researching media servers as his next high-tech addition. Similar to a giant iPod, media servers allow you to access digitally stored music, photos and videos from a computer, television or sound system anywhere in the house using a fancy, handheld touch screen.

"There are so many unique techniques that you can use [with technology] that you don't realize until you talk to someone who installs it," McKay observes.

Ray Lepper, owner of Home Media, says most of his company's projects involve a blend of wired and wireless networking. "We perform 'walloscopy,'" Lepper touts. "We pull a lot of wires through walls and make them invisible."

Only five percent of Lepper's clients actually invest in a true home theatre like McKay's. Instead, most opt for more of a family room setting with a television and surround sound.

Cost is probably a factor. McKay estimates his home theatre cost about $100,000.

Now that would cover a lot of movie tickets, candy and popcorn.