After a lengthy lockdown for the disease, many people have the same question, “How to build a home theater room on a budget?”
Despite our desire to come to cinemas with our loved ones to watch the latest blockbuster actions, that becomes hard in such a pandemic.
Hence, perhaps the only solution is to make a movie room in your house. But, is there any way to need tens of thousands of dollars and high-quality wall screens to do so?
It does.
The article below will show you a complete guide with many best ideas for a great movie area.
Screens, sounds, and snacks for home theaters (Source: chaylorandmads)
How To Build A Home Theater Room On A Budget? A Quick Answer
You should choose and set up three items carefully to save money, albeit have a desirable movie room in your house. Those include screens, sounds, and snacks.
How To Build A Budget Home Theater? Essentials You Should Know
1, Sound
I do not suggest you use the TV sound built-in if you want good soundtracks when it comes to the sound. Instead, the soundbars are better options.
First, it offers virtual sounds that can be more dynamic through the space. Besides, compared to speakers, the tech’s price is more budget-friendly. Plus, upgrading and installing it is more convenient, especially for small rooms.
There are many types of that equip on the market. For example, you can refer to the Sonos Beam (Gen 2), an updated version of its first-gen with many excellent features.
At around $500, you will receive a compact and intelligent soundbar with high-definition sounds and an easy-to-use Control Beam.
Plus, it offers a rock-solid build, combined with onboard voice assistants.
Although there might not be Dolby Atmos support, many people are satisfied with its easy setup. They like its ability to connect Sonos wireless speakers to build a surround system and enjoy great sounds alike.
Of course, if you want to purchase something cheaper, under $200, my advice is the JBL Bar Studio 2.0. The device has stunning preset EQ modes for movie, music, sport, voice, and the standard. Plus, an extra virtual surround mode is available in this new version.
Besides, you can consider some other famous brands of soundbars this year, such as Polk Audio React (for Alexa fans) or Sony HT-S350 (with powerful subwoofer).
2, Screen
Purchasing a projector instead of a brand-new screen is an intelligent choice when you want to make a home-bound theater room. Plus, there is no reason for getting rid of your valuable and expensive TV just for a few movie nights.
A projector does not take much area to work. However, you should reduce the room’s light to a minimum when running. Pick up a dedicated project screen so that you can enjoy high-quality pictures. Suppose you want to save money; preparing a blank white wall is fine.
Concerning the budget-friendly projectors, I suggest some good names:
- Nebula, by Anker, Mars II: Owning this device means you would have an up-to-150-inch screen and a lightweight of only 1.5kg, making it a maneuverable item. Besides, the battery can run for about 4 hours per charge, and the machine is well-equipped with a built-in sound system. The easy-to-use feature is another plus cause you only need to hang it on the wall and leave the keystone correction and the automatic focusing do the rest.
- XGIMI MoGo Pro: This portable projector offers a better resolution, up to 1080 Full HD. On the other hand, the brightness is limited, only about 300 lumens.
- Optoma HD39HDR: For those who like the wired version, I suggest this product of Optoma. It comes with a stunning 8.4ms latency, a superb brightness, and a lightweight.
3, Snacks
No cinema is built without delicious cine-snacks. Plus, they often have high prices, especially the large ones. Even suppose you want to make a bottle of salt and sugar mixed popcorn yourself, some theaters do not allow it.
That is the reason why you should make snacks by yourself. All you need are cheap popcorn kernels found in most supermarkets and a popcorn maker set. Use a microwave for cooking it. Each portion in a cup is around 30grams.
Of course, there is another pricier yet less effort way to make popcorns. That is to buy an authentic slushie. Such a machine often serves from five to ten people per single run.
Moreover, make tortilla chips as another “nachos” member in your movie party.
Never forget ice cream also. You can make it by purchasing an ice cream maker. A regular maker can produce from one to two pints of ice cream. Keep in mind that a few devices like the Vpcok Direct or Cuisinart require a pre-freezing time, ranging from eight to 12 hours. That ensures you quickly have a perfect bespoke flavor after running the device.
Besides, suppose you have a lot of kids to care for at the movie party, prepare some pickin’ mix sweets.
How To Build A Home Theater Room On A Budget? 15 Best Ideas
1, Theater for sport fans
For sports fans, you can transfer a random room in your house, such as a pool cabana, into a sports bar equipped with media walls.
Also, to gain significant experience watching TV or games, do not forget to set up a screen projector, motorized shades, and an automated lighting system.
2, Bonus room
It is ideal if you have a separate large room in your house to build a cinema.
However, there is no problem if you double a recreation room as a home cinema. Often, that room already has a flat-screen TV, and your job is to buy an extra soundbar.
Then, you can enjoy your high-quality audio with no complex setup.
3, A television star with a screening room
A lovely home cinema might be indispensable for a television star.
You can make it with impressive pieces of furniture and wall art for an inviting feel. Plus, put a console under the TV screen to store other media devices like cable boxes.
4, A stylist theater at home
How to build a home theater room on a budget?
You can think about ultramodern design for a stylish home cinema with the unsightly and tangled wires hidden.
Think about other crucial equips such as a Sonos soundbar, a frameless smart TV with amps, and wireless speakers.
Suppose you want to boost the internet connectivity, opt for a Luxul controller kit alike.
5, A movie palace from a pool house
After a few steps, a redundant pool house can be converted into a home cinema.
While making the room, consider adding two daybeds to provide the seating and produce a casual feeling. A large and flat-screen can be included as well.
6, A micro-apartment
With a small area like a micro-apartment, you can use the wall panel by transferring it into a moving one for many purposes.
For instance, for some, they have a double-used bed.
Whenever they want to watch a movie, the bed would fold into the wall, and the movie theater appeared under it.
7, A modern basement in a farmhouse
A large flat-screen TV might be indispensable in a modern farmhouse with a recreation room.
Hence, there is no reason why you can not immediately make use of that device to have a luxurious cinema by adding ceiling-mounted speakers or a soundbar.
Do not forget some snacks like caramel popcorns or oven tomato chips to bring your theater party to perfection.
8, For two gamers
Another great idea to build a home cinema is to use a home office of two gamers.
That means you already have a unique lighting system, high-quality screens, sounds, audio, and more.
Even with the development of tech nowadays, some of such rooms are well-equipped with a tablet that can control all of that device. Pay for one to advance your rest time’s quality ultimately.
9, Complex home theater for business
Are you a businessman, and you want a theater-related to your favorite job?
Plus, you wonder how much to build a theater room following that demand?
That is when you can think about complex cine areas.
That means you can pay for a large screen that can present more than one shows simultaneously. Plus, four to five club chairs added would make the most comfortable.
Personalize the place by displaying your usual collections and an old-style lawn jockey alike.
Keep in mind to make it an impressively complex room but not a cluttered one.
10, A modern living room
Combining a modern living room with a home cinema is another famous idea in design.
Not only does that save money, but it also helps bring a new look to your living room.
That is to say, the room should be well-equipped with state-of-the-art devices like the updated SONY A/V receivers, a SONY 4K smart TV, and wireless surround-sound speakers.
Given that you want the best picture quality while streaming, a fast Wi-fi system is worth thinking about.
How Much To Build A Home Theater Room?
From $20,000 to $70,000 to make a standard home cinema room (Source: chaylorandmads)
Whether you want to build extra new space for watching movies or convert an existing area in your house, it is crucial to know how much that costs.
In a nutshell, the budget tends to range from $20,000 to $70,000, mainly depending on the items included.
Suppose you want to change an existing area like the living room into a home cinema, the cost is around $50,000.
That contains seats, carpeting, risers, acoustic items, a visual setup, and a full sound.
On the other side, if you only use primary devices, minimize the soundproofing costs, and have no risers for a conversion, a budget of around $10,000 is more than enough.
For some, they have a high demand for cine activity. Hence, they want a brand-new room with the latest items. The cost might rise to above $90,000 after all.
Other than that, it also depends on the location you build the cinema to decide the price. For example, if you use a bedroom, the average cost is $20,000 and $50,000. Meanwhile, that of a garage is more or less than $75,000.
Plus, it takes from $40,000 to $60,000 to transfer a basement into a cinema. From $70,000 to $90,000 is the money to do that with a new room addition.
Lastly, refer to this video to know more about making home theaters and saving your money:
How To Build A Home Theater Room On A Budget? People Also Ask
1, Is building a home theater worth it?
Of course, suppose you are interested in enjoying the best-quality media in your own house; making a home theater is worth your money and effort.
You should choose a suitable method to build and decorate the room based on your money and time.
For example, if you have a tight budget, transferring an existing room into a home theater might be the best choice.
2, What equipment do you need for a home theater?
There are eight items you can buy to have a convenient home theater.
Those include the room setup, a projector or TV, a receiver, speakers, a subwoofer, source components, speaker wires, cables, and power conditioner/surge protector.
3, Which size is the best for a home cinema room?
It mostly depends on your budget, demands, setup, and configuration to decide the suitable size for a theater room.
For instance, if you rarely watch movies at home and have a limited budget, picking up the minimal size is a smart option, around 20′ x 20′.
But, following some experts, the best home theaters often have a size more or less than 40’ x 40’.
Conclusion
To sum up, above is my complete guide related to the question, “How to build a home theater room on a budget.”
Besides three home theater essentials, namely screens, sounds, and snacks, you should think about the best ideas to build the room. For instance, you can double your modern living room as a cine area. Plus, creating a complex home theater from high-quality large screens and some related collections for business people is a great option.
Also, do not forget, the price to build the room often range from $20,000 to $70,000, at the very least.
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