Epic Home Theater Tour 2023 - Design on a Budget

7.2.4 home theater tour. Learn little tricks to build an epic home theater on a budget. This Dolby Atmos theater features a Denon receiver, KEF speakers, Epson THX projector, Yamaha AMP, fiber optic star ceiling, Sony 4k Blu-ray player and Outlaw Audio subs. Click • Epic Home Theater Tour... to skip right to the home cinema portion of the tour. Got home theater design questions or ideas for future videos? Leave a comment below or visit pixoinc.com.
Want to know how to build a home theater on a budget? It takes a little more work, but this is what I did and it saved me thousands. I only spent about an extra $2,000 for the upgrades that I put into the theater design.
1 - Your receiver probably needs to be the most up to date part of your theater. I bought the latest model factory refurbished and it saved me hundreds.
2 - Most quality speakers that sounded amazing 10 years ago, still sound amazing now if they haven't been abused. Outside of really expensive speakers, speaker technology advances little over a decade. Buy used, but not abused.
3 - The screen I got from my brother-in-law used at about 15% of the price of new. Works as good as new. Not quite as big as I would prefer, but it saved me hundreds and it is a quality screen.
4 - A friend did the columns woodwork, but I did all of the staining as well as for the bar and ticket window.
5 - Saved a couple of thousand on the couch. Got it off Facebook Marketplace. It was the EXACT one I saw at the store and coveted, but didn't want to spend that kind of money on. Saved about $2,000 on it. It was a minor miracle.
6 - The custom theater doors I kind of got for free. Did it in trade for a website for their business. The brass "windows" are platers that I purchased from Ikea. Door was blank doors from Lowes as well as the brass handles, kick plates and hinges.
7 - The grill covers and ticket window I designed in Illustrator and then took to a sign shop. They laser cut from a sheet of plastic, which I spray painted the brass color. I think the grill pieces ran me about $35 each and the ticket window was $75.
8 - Starlight ceiling unit was purchased from Amazon. Use Camel Camel Camel to watch pricing, because prices often change regularly.
9 - Don't get caught up in marketing hype. Sometimes what people talk about as must haves, don't always make a significant difference. For example, 8k video sounds interesting, but there are no 8K movies or TV, so don't pay for technology that doesn't give you the full bang for your buck.

[@TheCBKstudios]

All one ever see's on YT are those extravagant lush dedicated home cinema rooms, guys showing off their hi tech equipment racks and supersize screens that cost an arm and leg... nice too know that you can come up with some creative ideas and pull off something amazing like this show piece , take a bow Jamie Johnson 👍''love yr work ''..

[@jamiejohnson5507]

Thanks for your kind words

[@MrJesse1971]

I rarely leave comments on videos. Not not even high end home theaters , but this was so well done on a budget. All so well designed and nothing tacky or cheap looking. Great imagination. Love the sofa since I also use a big comfy couch. High end theater seating looks cool, but nothing beats a big couch. Great job!

[@jamiejohnson5507]

Thanks so much. My wife initially was pushing for theater seating, but we realized with it we would have about six seats at the most. Which meant we couldn’t really invite friends over to watch a game or a movie. I think it was the right choice for us.

[@paulrevere1479]

Looks more comfortable than any of the other home theaters. 👍

[@sarlaccbreath7701]

I’m still rockin my Epson 5030 1080p projector too. No regrets- still looks great! Nice theatre Jamie 👍🏼

[@jamiejohnson5507]

I'm with you. What I've found is that you kind of forget about the picture early on in the movie movie and as long as the contract, brightness and colors are not distracting, there isn't a lot of difference. I'd love a 4k JVC projector, but for the price that Epson does a great job.

[@thecoolcreativebuildchanne2613]

This is so nice! I really love your entire set up! It's perfect to me! Now I want one! Lol😂👍

[@henryfokkema6622]

Very nice

[@sushi_donut]

This is SO FREAKING COOL!! Thank you for the inspiration & happy new year!

[@renechristiansen645]

And you have a small Center Speaker

[@mfkhometheater7742]

Great job!

[@TheRealChanclaVanDamme]

Looks really nice brotha; you did a good job and it all flows together nicely. That counter behind the seats is a really good idea.

[@MSDOGS1976]

Well done. I don't have a house big enough for a dedicated home theater room. Just a living/dining/kitchen combo area. But the movie posters would add a nice touch so may do that.

[@jamiejohnson5507]

Thanks. When I chose our movie posters I tried to find ones that different members of the family could connect with, but also looked for ones that were maybe a little more artistic. Some movie posters are actually descent art, so they don't take away from your living space design.

[@wadetomczyk8043]

Nice!

[@donmorton7282]

Here average = Awesome

[@jamiljoyner7785]

Great room, thanks you for sharing!

[@jamiejohnson5507]

Thanks

[@marcalvarado1915]

Great looking room, thanks for sharing! Did you do the star ceiling yourself? Any details you could share? Have you considered going with an acoustically transparent screen so you could go bigger?

[@jamiejohnson5507]

Thanks. Yes, I did the star ceiling myself. Frankly, I turned to my wife about an hour into it and asked if we should quit. Lol. It was a lot of work. The hardest part was separating all of the three sizes of fiber optic lines into groups of 12. There were 700 fiber optic cables and they are just like fishing lines. They wanted to get tangled up all the time. Once that was done, it was smoother. I drew a grid on the sheet rock, with each square getting one bundle of fiber optic cables. I then drilled a hole through for each star and poked the line through. After each square was done, we lifted the sheet rock up and attached to the ceiling. After ceiling was painted, you just snip the fiber so it is flush with the ceiling. Took about 12 hours to do it all.

[@bluraycollection2262]

Bonjour trés belle réalisation que votre salle cinema félicitations 💪

[@jamiejohnson5507]

Merci!

[@billhennigan3773]

Very nice..I dont like the couch being disabled..I would not get out of it!!!..I have valencia double loveseat that helps me get up..powered..I am buying the Benq ht 4550i projector next month when it sells..$2700.00 4k ..4 led with both lens shifts 3200 lumens..might be a great upgrade for your home..

[@jamiejohnson5507]

Valencia makes some nice seats. Not looking to get a new projector yet, but I’ll look into that one.

[@squared80]

Thanks for the share. Looks like a perfect opportunity for an acoustically transparent screen with the same LCR speakers behind it. Any reason you didn't go that route? What model Denon are you using? Have you thought about adding acoustic treatments?

[@jamiejohnson5507]

An acoustically transparent screen that is larger will be my next big purchase. The main reason didn’t do it sooner was just cost. I’m using a Denon avr3600h.

[@gregcastiglione4763]

First of all...GREAT JOB!!!!! Love the furnishings. Now for a few questions. How did you purchase the carpet? Direct from Joy carpets? I went to the Joy web site and wonder how the carpet can be added together in a larger room? Is it only sold one size? Is it thick, dense and plush ? High quality carpet?? Also have a question regarding how and why you mounted your Atmos speakers on a wood plane just below the ceiling. I am having a issue where the rafters above my theater ceiling are filled with heat runs for the upper floors of my house. These 'occupied' rafters make it very difficult to install atmos speakers in the rafters of my theater ceiling. Perhaps you used this 'platform' for the same reason? Like how you mounted yours atmos speakers on the platform. What is that platform made from? How thick? Thanks for showing us your theater. You have given me some great ideas!! Btw, I have the same projector!!

[@jamiejohnson5507]

Thanks so much. We got the Joy Carpet through Lowe’s. You probably won’t see it in store, but they carry it. I would call it quality carpet, but it is more like a business carpet, that is low and dense, but not the inch tall carpet you would have in a living room. It is easy to clean however. It comes in regular roll sizes that most carpets come in. My ceiling is relatively low at about 8 feet. Above the theater is a two car garage, so it is a concrete slab above. I decided I wanted to try to keep the ceiling as high as I could, so the solution was to drop those boxes for the atmos speakers to create the space.

[@jamiejohnson5507]

The platform is simply drywall and 2x4

[@gregcastiglione4763]

@@jamiejohnson5507 Thanks for responding. How were the boxes made? What materials and dimensions? Was the carpet fused together to accommodate a larger room?

[@jamiejohnson5507]

@@gregcastiglione4763 the carpet has a seam, because the roll wasn’t wide enough for the space. But that is common and any good carpet installer can do that. The atmos speaker boxes simply was framed out with the 2x4 and then drywall placed over it. I then cut holes in the drywall for the speaker hole. The KEF in ceiling speakers are really easy to apply. You just put the speaker in the hole and turn 4 screws. When you do so an arm swings out above the drywall and kind on clams on. Only takes a minute or two to get the speaker in place.

[@TecumsehSherman36]

SHOWER CURTAINS?

[@renechristiansen645]

Screen too small

[@carlosalba1643]

Kito la pantalla para rso te iubiras cmprado unactele de 96 pulgadas

[@jrufus11]

Why the screen so small ?

[@jamiejohnson5507]

It was a cost saving move. Brother-in-law sold me his very nice 100” screen for just $125.

[@msds1502]

What was the couch make/model?

[@jamiejohnson5507]

Great question. I know it was from Bassett Furniture, but I don't see anything that shows the model. I'm pretty sure the make is Bassett, because everything is their own brand.

[@rhc3604]

0:20 Eres tú Quico?

[@keith692]

Do you recommend the short throws by any chance?

[@jamiejohnson5507]

I have not personally tested any of the short throw projects, but from what I have read they are a good solution.

[@keith692]

@@jamiejohnson5507 thank you!

[@randybradley4151]

Why must people put music in the background of their videos? If you must do it than keep it low and unobtrusive.

[@vibeinstalls9890]

Bravo 👏, very nice room with some great craftsmanship and attention to decor details . I can definitely see it’s your unique style and that’s great . Not to critique but I would have gone with a bigger screen maybe 120” and put both Subs in the front corners ? Was there a method to your madness ? Do you have any acoustic treatments besides the curtains 6:41 overall great job. I am just taking mine to the next phase with Color and acoustic panels , plus creating a custom rack similar to yours on the side wall. Check it out @vibeinstalls9890 . Happy New Year!

[@jamiejohnson5507]

Thanks. I would much rather have a 120” screen. If I did so I would go with an acoustically transparent screen. This was one of those budget considerations. My brother-in-law had a high quality screen for sale that was a real bargain, so I went with it. Maybe a future upgrade.