I would recommend doing some research and having a plan, as to where your surround speakers will be placed. I ran the speaker wire through the wall (the 12 gauge from monoprice), now I wish I would have put the speaker posts in a different location. Not a huge deal, just a little annoyance of mine now. Another thing is when running the speaker wire in the wall, keep the speaker wire a min of 12" from the electrical if running parallel. That is something I would have never thought of myself, if my electrician buddy wouldn't have said something.
Basement Finish
- Thread starter cloneteach
- Start date
If the house qualifies, you should look at getting a FHA 203k loan. This allows you to finance the basement finish in with your mortgage from the start with as little as 3% down.
FHA 203k FAQ's
FHA 203k FAQ's
Because you are not doing a dedicated room, sound isolation could prove to be pretty difficult (and costly). Just know that fluffy batt insulation is better than a spray foam or polyisocyanurate insulation. You wont block the low frequency stuff, but might be able to absorb some of the higher frequencies.
If you are referring to the tip about not running speaker wire parallel with the power wires, it is to reduce interference. If you run them too close in parallel, you can get a bad hum in the speakers.
That would be a nice program. I'm in the process of paperwork with a different type of loan though. You can't add this after closing can you?
I just ordered a ton of extra cable from Amazon. I needed it in two days, so I paid $50+ in shipping, but it seemed cheaper on Amazon than at Monoprice. If anybody needs RG-6 or CAT 5, I'm going to have a ton extra I will sell cheap.
Here was my order:
"C&E 250 Feet 16AWG CL2 Rated 2-Conductor Loud Speaker Cable (For In-Wall Installation)"
Electronics; $45.95
"Aurum Cables High Speed HDMI Cable (50 Ft) - Cl3 Rated for In-wall Installation - Supports 3D, Ethernet and Audio Return [Newest Standard]"
Electronics; $26.99
"100 Pack Black Plastic Coax Cable Clips RG6 3/4" Nail"
Electronics; $6.30
"Pyle Home PHIW71 7.1 Home Theater 14 Post Binding/Banana Plug with Dual RCA Subwoofer Posts Wall Plate (White)"
Electronics; $19.24
"Aurum Cables 4 pair CAT5e - 24 AWG - 500 ft Ethernet Network Cable - Copper Clad Aluminum (CCA) - With Crimp Tool - 350 Mhz - w/ Sequential Foot Marki"
Electronics; $39.99
"DataShark 70029 Universal Cutter/Stripper for Flat or Round TV/UTP Cable"
Tools & Home Improvement; $9.99
"Ocelot Banana Plugs, 24k Gold Plated Connectors, Open Screw Type, 12 Pair By Sewell"
Electronics; $17.95
"Southwire 56918445 500-Feet Quad Shields Type RG 6/U 18 AWG Coaxial Cable, Black"
Tools & Home Improvement; $50.00
"Sterene 200-986BK-10 RG-6 Feed-Through Bushing - 10/pack"
Electronics; $2.96
Here was my order:
"C&E 250 Feet 16AWG CL2 Rated 2-Conductor Loud Speaker Cable (For In-Wall Installation)"
Electronics; $45.95
"Aurum Cables High Speed HDMI Cable (50 Ft) - Cl3 Rated for In-wall Installation - Supports 3D, Ethernet and Audio Return [Newest Standard]"
Electronics; $26.99
"100 Pack Black Plastic Coax Cable Clips RG6 3/4" Nail"
Electronics; $6.30
"Pyle Home PHIW71 7.1 Home Theater 14 Post Binding/Banana Plug with Dual RCA Subwoofer Posts Wall Plate (White)"
Electronics; $19.24
"Aurum Cables 4 pair CAT5e - 24 AWG - 500 ft Ethernet Network Cable - Copper Clad Aluminum (CCA) - With Crimp Tool - 350 Mhz - w/ Sequential Foot Marki"
Electronics; $39.99
"DataShark 70029 Universal Cutter/Stripper for Flat or Round TV/UTP Cable"
Tools & Home Improvement; $9.99
"Ocelot Banana Plugs, 24k Gold Plated Connectors, Open Screw Type, 12 Pair By Sewell"
Electronics; $17.95
"Southwire 56918445 500-Feet Quad Shields Type RG 6/U 18 AWG Coaxial Cable, Black"
Tools & Home Improvement; $50.00
"Sterene 200-986BK-10 RG-6 Feed-Through Bushing - 10/pack"
Electronics; $2.96
I believe you would have to refinance using the 203k loan which would require you to pay some of the closing costs twice.
I use both Amazon (prime members get free 2 day shipping) and monoprice. i really like the monoprice warranty (1 year on electronics and lifetime cables) and customer service. just emailed them about a speaker of theirs that i fried (my fault) and i had a new one in the mailbox in less than 2 days.
I have a dedicated theater in my basement with a projector and 120" screen. If you're not going to go the dedicated theater route I would go with a TV rather than a projector. I love my projector but it would be terrible if I didn't have good light control (pitch black).
New screen technology and new projectors designed for ambient light viewing allow you to watch a projector with the lights on. Granted you won't want sunlight directly hitting the screen or can lights directly above the screen but you don't need it to be pitch black.
I thought about this. I only have one egress window that would be away from the projector but with people over would probably want partially lit
But if the speaker wire is shielded and so is the romex wire?? Do you still need to separate?
I have mine sort of sectioned out so one part of the basement can be lit and the other be dark for viewing. Regardless of new technology, the darker you can get it the better the picture is.
Here is a picture with my old 99" screen but you can kind of see how I put counter in the middle. If I was to do it again I would have made that counter into a bar. I also put in extra HDMI cables, speaker wire, cat 5, etc in case I ever upgrade and then took a picture of the location of those wires before the drywall went in.
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I had to change my curtains to thicker ones to darken the area. Running six speakers including a big bass unit. It vibrates the house if too loud.
I guess honestly I don't really know. I did a quick google search, and a lot of guys on avsforum said it was nothing to worry about. I don't know my buddy mentioned it, so we just ran the speaker wire towards the top of the studs.
I hear you, my subwoofer weighs 110lbs. I have to turn it down or it overpowers my speakers.
I have mine sort of sectioned out so one part of the basement can be lit and the other be dark for viewing. Regardless of new technology, the darker you can get it the better the picture is.
Here is a picture with my old 99" screen but you can kind of see how I put counter in the middle. If I was to do it again I would have made that counter into a bar. I also put in extra HDMI cables, speaker wire, cat 5, etc in case I ever upgrade and then took a picture of the location of those wires before the drywall went in.
This is great help. What do you mean by bar instead of counter? thinner?
Instead of a plain counter, I would do a full bar with a sink, tappers, etc. although it would probably be waste since I don't drink that much at home unless I have friends around.
Is it hard to wire television in basement to television on main floor? I know my aunt and uncle had this setup. Not sure how it worked.
