Took three months, but the paint is on the walls, the wiring is done, and the equipment is on-line!

Furniture and carpeting and drapery is up next, but it will probably be another year before I get around to doing that. So for now, it's time to enjoy some movies!



Before: Eggshell base (borrrring)





After: Went for a brown sandstone base with a gold metalflake pebble overlay.





Before: View of side wall with sconces. Not sure if I would keep the sconces after the choice of paint was made.





After: Decided on a (really labor-intensive) pewter base and a copper rust and silver glaze faux texture. Sconces worked with this effect, so I kept them in the design.





Before: Speakers and other equipment still boxed up in the closet. Old TV stand used as a makeshift console. Coax network located underneath TV stand in anticipation of having additional equipment residing there.





After: Bought an inexpensive TV stand from Walmart for use as the new console. Found it to be remarkably nice! 100% component video output from all sources as well as stereo audio. The DVD sends a digital audio feed.






Home theater receiver resides in the rack, along with the whole-house stereo components.

DVD, FIOS box, X-Box, GameCube and PS/2 are in the floor console. Component selector w/remote switches from one source to the next with no fuss. Monster Cable power supply handles the line conditioning duties.

__________________
2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car

Wow! So your "Hosting" the World Series this year?

__________________
"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL

Nice work G.

I got a new movie screen when I moved recently and was going to do a tricky install myself with a RF master remote that would have shot to a closet behind the wall where the TV was hung. Long story short, I couldn't get to it and had some professionals come over. They hacked it, so now I have to do it myself anyway You busy?

My sports buddies refuse to watch anything without sitting in barko-lounger chairs with cupholders! Guess that's next.



Oh yeah...decided to paint that white trim piece over the TV area in gold.




Probably can't tell in the pics, but the ceiling over the TV is gold, as well as the surrounds at the windows...I think the blinds hide that.

__________________
2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car

You do good work G. Nice job!

__________________
" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

I didn't find the pros very helpful at ALL! Seemed like unless you were contracting them to do a $75K install, they kinda would blow you off!

The biggest surprise (other than the exorbitant fee charged for wiring up the room when the house was built), was discovering the speaker junctions behind the false plates being nothing but large holes in the drywall with NO junction boxes!!! So I went to a hobby store and fabricated some custom wall frames for each of the satellite speakers. Once painted to match the walls, they blended seamlessly with the decor.

__________________
2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car

Very nice work G!

Do the cables from your floor console go through the floor? I've got a room with all of my AV stuff in, but wires are running everywhere because I've got 75yo plaster walls that I don't dare try to cut into. In a few years I plan on going room to room tearing down the plaster walls, running AV/phone/computer wires to each room, wiring my media room for the surround speakers, and...hold your horses...putting more than 2 duplex outlets in each room and insulating the walls with something other than settled, blown-in cellulose! I'm not sure if I'll just go with painted sheetrock or if I'll go the plaster route again.

Well done! It keeps the spark alive

__________________

1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

I feel ya!

My first house was a 1939 Tudor...plaster walls, 8-inch long nails, old cloth wiring. Wiring was upgraded, but I decided right then if I was going to ever build, I would stuff the cavities with as much pre-wiring as I could muster!

Of course, once the drywall goes up, a new technology conveniently emerges, and your current runs are ancient history!


To answer your question...the floor panel under the console has 16 coax, 1 s-video, and one phone jack. The bundle travels under the floor and terminates at a panel located behind the stereo rack.

Of course, the pros that wired it up never bothered to LABEL any of the cables, so I had to use trial-and-error to match up the terminations. I had gear that would send test signals, but unfortunately, EVERY wire would show a signal due to the close proximity of the adjacent ones.

Note to home theater enthusiasts: Don't waste money on really expensive speakers!!! As long as the satellites use decent quality matching drivers, you should get great sound! The initial setup is the key. Most theater receivers allow you to tailor your speakers to your room.

But if you MUST spend, splurge on the best subwoofer you can afford!

My current setup shown in the pics is an "open-box" JBL system with a 10-inch powered sub I picked up for $130!! The receiver is a 5x100 watt JVC I picked up for $100 during an Xmas blowout several years ago. This modest package still manages to deliver phenomenal results!!

I used the "wife" test to determine threshold volumes of the room...you know, gauging the complaint level of said spouse who is sitting in another part of the house!

__________________
2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car

Ha, ya'll are scared of plaster eh? The trick is once you hit the wire mesh that tears the side points off your expensive spade bit, you stop the drill and use tin snips with very tiny blades like needle nose pliers to continue through and hope you miss any of the 1000/sq. in. lathing nails. Then, you smelt one of your 1lb. dive weights into a long pencil thin cylinder, flatten one end out and attach some 300# braid or mono leader. Flatten the other end out and attach your wires. On the fourth or fifth drop, you may get your power cord fished. I'm not bitter

Have you ever tried this yourself, JD, or are you just theorizing?

__________________
" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

YUP! And not afraid to admit it . The biggest problem is the effect of settling over the years and the microscopic spider veins running throughout. One wrong chisel mark and...schnikeys!

__________________

1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

Grrrr. It took me a month to get the @$$holes to the house to hang the thing and when 4:00 pm (Friday) approached, they both had to be somewhere and swore they would return Saturday morning because I had a party that night.


No, they were not paid.

This particular wall is mercifully covered with grasscloth, but before when I drilled large holes in plaster (or granite, porcelin, ect....) I tape around the hole. But yeah, it sux alright.

G- You know you could probably quit your day job and do this for a living...you and Dee8go with his wood working/painting skills. Custom Designs by G & D Inc.

__________________
"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL

Nice work!

I noticed in the last picture, the picture on the TV. What did you think of The Island?

__________________
It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so. Robert A. Heinlein


09 Jetta TDI
1985 300D