Room to Grow

This family basement in Draper, Utah, was finished with two uses in mind. For now, our clients just wanted a cool and fun place to hang out. They wanted a place for all their gym equipment. An awesome, open concept theater room with a surround sound system.

And with a little forethought, we were able to run all the wiring for the theater room components to the utility room, where they’ll be out of sight and able to stay cool. And a little kitchenette with butcher block shelves. Popcorn, drinks, and a movie! We also created a small playroom under the stairs.

Walkout Basement Rental

This basement might be used as a rental. So, with that in mind, we installed sound dampening insulation and RC channel in the ceiling to help mitigate the noise transfer between the main living area and the basement. We also installed utilities to accommodate a washer and dryer. And, I think we got lucky on this one, but the bathroom ended up being large enough for a double sink vanity. So, for now this is a super fun basement where our clients can hangout and entertain. And, in the future, if it makes sense to rent the basement out, they are ready for that too!

Expert Building

If you're thinking about finishing your basement, give us a call or fill out the free quote form. We'd love to hear from you!

There's something truly special about watching your favorite movie or TV show in the comfort of your own theater room. With the rise of home theaters, more and more people are choosing to create their own personal entertainment spaces, complete with customized seating, top-of-the-line sound systems, and high-quality screens. 

Whether you want to watch movies in your favorite chair or a recliner specifically bought for the basement, you have the freedom to make those choices instead of taking your seat in a traditional movie theater.  

But it's more than that, too. A theater room is a space to escape from the outside world, relax with loved ones, and immerse yourself in your favorite entertainment. You can make your home truly one of a kind by installing a theater room in your basement. 

In this blog post, we'll explore the many benefits of having your own theater room, from the flexibility and customization options to the cost savings and convenience. Whether you're a movie buff, a sports fan, or a gamer, a custom theater room can provide the ultimate entertainment experience right in the comfort of your own home.

Let's look at five reasons why having a basement theater room is so totally worth it. 

1 – It Adds Entertainment Value.

If you want to take your entertainment experience to the next level, adding a theater room to your basement is a game-changer. 

Imagine watching your favorite movies and TV shows on a large screen with high-quality surround sound that immerses you in the action. With every sound and image coming to life, you'll feel like you're part of the movie. 

Plus, with a theater room, you'll have a dedicated space for movie nights and game days, making it easy to gather with friends and family for a fun and memorable experience. Instead of getting out the door, you just need to go downstairs. Talk about the epitome of convenience (which we'll discuss later).

Once you experience a movie in a theater room, you'll never want to go back to watching on a small screen again. It just won't be the same. 

2 – It Adds Home Value. 

Installing a theater room in your home is a fun and exciting addition that can increase the overall value of your property. Basement theaters have become a popular trend among homeowners, with many buyers willing to pay a premium for homes with this basement feature. 

A well-crafted theater room can be a major selling point, especially if you love to host parties or enjoy movie nights at home. A theater room adds a layer of luxury and sophistication to your home, making it stand out from similar properties on the market. 

By investing in a theater room, you'll enjoy a fun and exciting entertainment space and make a smart investment in your home's future.

3 – It's Cost Effective

Having a home theater can be a cost-effective choice. Going out to the movies or a live event can quickly add up, especially when you factor in the cost of tickets, transportation, and snacks. 

With a basement theater, you can enjoy entertainment in the comfort of your own home without the added expenses. A home theater is also a one-time investment that can provide you and your family with years of entertainment compared to going to the movies regularly.

And with technological advancements, home theater systems have become more affordable than ever, making it a smart choice for those looking to enhance their entertainment experience without breaking the bank. 

4 – You Can Customize It. 

The possibilities are endless, from the size and layout of the room to the type of screen and sound system. 

You can choose the perfect seating arrangement, lighting, and decor to create the ultimate viewing experience. In addition, you can customize the technology to fit your entertainment needs, whether a state-of-the-art sound system or a high-quality projector. 

With the ability to control every aspect of your home theater, you can tailor it to your taste, creating a truly unique and immersive entertainment space that you and your family will love. Whether you're a movie buff, a sports fan, or a gamer, a custom home theater can provide the perfect environment for all your entertainment needs.

5 – It's Flexible. 

Having your own home theater provides flexibility that traditional movie theaters or live event venues cannot match. A home theater gives you complete control over the schedule and programming.

You can pause the movie or rewind a scene, take a break whenever you need to, and even invite friends and family over to enjoy the experience with you. You also have the flexibility to choose from a wide range of entertainment options, including movies, TV shows, live sports events, and video games. 

With a custom home theater, you can tailor the experience to your individual preferences, creating an entertainment space that is uniquely yours. Whether you want to watch a classic movie, catch the big game, or enjoy the latest blockbuster hit, having your own home theater provides the ultimate flexibility and convenience.

Have CCS of Utah Install Your Basement Theater Room

A home theater is more than just a luxury; it's an investment in your comfort, entertainment, and overall well-being. 

With a custom home theater, you can create a space that perfectly suits your needs and preferences, all while enjoying the convenience and flexibility of watching your favorite movies and shows from the comfort of your own home. 

If you're ready to take the next step and create your own home theater, look no further than CCS of Utah. We have over a decade of experience, equipping us with the skills and expertise you want for your basement theater room. 

Our team of experts can help you design and install a home theater that exceeds your expectations and provides the ultimate entertainment experience. Contact us today or call us at (801) 318-0242 to learn more about our services and start building your dream home theater. 

A Few Things to Keep in Mind When Getting Your Basement Finished

Thinking about some of the things below will help ensure your basement looks and feels more like an extension of your house and less like a dark dingy cellar.

Basement Dust Control

Dust Control

Try to have a few extra clean furnace filters on hand. Finishing your basement is dusty and your furnace needs to breath. Changing out your furnace filter periodically will help mitigate dust upstairs and help your furnace function the way it should. I'd recommend changing the furnace filter out 3-4 times during the basement finishing process. The most important times to change the filter are:

  • After the 4-way inspection. Most of the framing and cutting of wood should be done at this point. Change your filter to get rid of all the sawdust build-up.
  • After the drywall is textured and sanded. Drywall dust is incredibly fine. It gets into the furnace filter and clogs it up quickly. This is the most crucial time to change your filter.
  • After the baseboards/doors/trim work is installed.

After your basement has been finished here are some Tips for Making Your Basement Allergy-Free.

 

Basement Electrical

Electrical

Before your contractor starts construction on your basement, walk the basement with lighting in mind. Think about where you want ceiling lights placed. Once your contractor is on-site, you can walk the project together before the lights get installed. If you have a good idea of where you want lighting etc., it'll help this conversation go a lot quicker. And you'll feel more comfortable knowing you're getting lighting exactly where you want.

Recessed Lighting Tips

  • We've finished 100's of basements. Over the years, I've come up with a general rule of thumb for recessed lighting spacing and it goes as follows. Take the height of your basement walls (normally 8' - 9' tall) and divide that number by two. Then, use that number to space out your recessed lighting in the ceiling. Ex. So, let's say you have 8' ceilings. Divide that number by two and you'll get 4'. Then, measure in from your exterior wall in 4' and set your first row of recessed lights. Set each additional row about every 4'. I've found that this formula provides ample lighting without going overboard.
  • For your bathroom, I suggest a water-resistant recessed light over the bathtub/shower and a vanity light above your sink/vanity.

 

Basement Water

Framing or "furring" around your HVAC trunk lines.

(If your home has trusses rather than I-joists, you can skip this paragraph.) 

Most basements have HVAC trunk lines, electrical and plumbing lines run somewhere on the ceiling in the basement. They can be unsightly, but you can't just get rid of them. However, if you're strategic in how you frame around them, they'll be a lot less noticeable than if you just "wing it". Also keep in mind light fixture placement, well-placed lighting is critical when adding lights near areas like fur-downs.

Have you ever walked into a basement, glanced at the ceiling and you could immediately see exactly where each HVAC line is going? Or the ceiling has a bunch of weird/small areas that are framed down/lower or framed up/higher than the rest of the ceiling and it just looks odd? Or even a recessed light placed too close to a framed down section and it's casting a funky shadow? That’s likely because whoever framed around the ceiling obstacles (HVAC trunk, plumbing lines etc.) didn't put much thought into how the ceiling would look as a finished product. Things to keep in mind.

Avoid framing EXACTLY to the obstacles. It can look odd if your framing starts exactly where a trunk line starts, turns exactly when a trunk line turns and stops exactly where the trunk line stops. If you do that, sometimes you can be left with an eye-catching (not in a good way) design in your ceiling.

Sometimes it makes sense to frame past where a trunk line ends. Or start the fur down before the trunk line starts. 

Think about where you're going to place lights in the ceiling. Will the current placement of the fur down create an odd shadow effect? If so, can you relocate the fur down or re-place the light?

You can always go bold and leave your HVAC exposed!

 

If you're thinking about finishing your basement, start your free estimate today and we can help walk you through these tips.

Sound Dampening Insulation in Your Basement Ceiling - Do You Need It?

In a nutshell, here at Creative Construction Solutions, we offer (3) levels of sound dampening. Think Good, Better, and Best.

*** It’s important to note for the below material to be effective, they need to be installed on top of each other - level 2 sound dampening is a combination of level 1 sound PLUS level 2. And level 3 sound dampening is a combination of level 1, 2 and 3 ***

What is CCS’s Good/Level 1 option?

Our level 1 sound dampening insulation is a product call Rockwool. More specifically, Safe N’ Sound Rockwool. The main purpose of this insulation is to block sound. When comparing standard insulation (think; walls and attic insulation) to Rockwool, you’ll notice that standard insulation kind of looks and feels like cotton candy (I don’t suggest feeling the insulation, but if you ever have, you know what I’m talking about). Rockwool on the other hand is much denser. If you were to take a piece of rockwool and compress it between your hands, it’s similar to trying to compress something like a piece of packing foam. It’s a dense product and it does a great job at sound mitigation.

How much can I expect to pay for Rockwool in my basement?

A few things factor into the price of having Rockwool installed in your ceiling but, on average, expect to pay about $2.75-3.75 per ceiling square foot.

What is CCS’s Better/Level 2 option?

RC-1 channel, often referred to as “hat channel,” is not an insulation at all. In fact, it’s aluminum.  What RC-1 channel does is separate your basement ceiling joists from the drywall, creating a ½” gap between the two. This creates an effective acoustical buffer between the joists and drywall and it really helps with the low vibratory sounds (think deep base or a war movie with a lot of rumbling).

*** Consideration for RC-1 channel – It does drop your ceiling about ½”. If that’s going to bother you, consider staying away from RC-1. Based on past experience, most people don’t mind the drop in ceiling height. It’s only ½” and most people won’t even notice.***

How much can I expect to pay for RC-1 in my basement?

Expect to pay about $1.00-1.50 per ceiling square foot.

What is CCS’s Best/Level 3 option?

We install 5/8” drywall on the ceiling rather than 1/2” drywall. As a general rule of thumb, the thicker the drywall layer, the better it will act as a sound barrier. Not only is 5/8” drywall thicker, it’s more dense vs your standard ½” drywall. If you were to take a piece of ½” drywall and break it open, you would notice a lot of air voids or bubbles in the drywall material. Most manufactures do this to make the drywall less heavy, easier to lift and install. 5/8” drywall differs from ½” drywall in that 5/8” drywall is a solid compound, thus making it harder for sound to travel through the sheetrock. When you combined Rockwool, RC-1 channel and 5/8” drywall, you get a great sound dampening system for your basement ceiling.

How much can I expect to pay for 5/8” drywall in my basement?

Expect to pay roughly $.85-$.95 per ceiling square foot.

What sound-dampening level is right for you?

I’ll try to give you some scenarios that I’ve encountered while finishing basements and the associated solution. 

Example #1

The home we’re finishing a basement in is a 2-story home, with all the bedrooms on the top story. Our clients have (3) teenage kids that would be using the basement to watch TV, play games, and have friends over. Since the bedrooms are all on the second story and so far away from the basement, I’d recommend installing level 1 sound-dampening insulation in the basement ceiling. 

To hopefully give you a better idea of what to expect with level 1 insulation, I’ve come up with a few “what-if’s.”

What if the teens were watching a moving (let’s say a war movie, somewhat loudly) and I was standing on the first level (directly above the entertainment room in the basement), would I be able to hear the movie?

Answer – Yes. You probably wouldn’t hear any specifics from the movie, like what the characters are saying to each other, but you would be able to tell that a movie is playing below you.

What if the teens were in the basement with their friends and they were just chatting/hanging out. Would I be able to hear them, or can they hear me on a phone call right above them?

Answer – Not likely. The noise transmitted between the 2 levels would be so minimal, that (unless you were really trying to hear) you likely wouldn’t notice/hear anything.

Example #2

The home we’re finishing a basement in is single-story home, with all the bedrooms on the main level (directly above the basement). For fun, let’s use the same scenarios as above. Our clients have (3) teenage kids that would be using the basement to watch TV, play games and have friend over. Since the bedrooms are all directly above the entertainment room in the basement, I’d recommend installing level 3 sound-dampening insulation in the basement ceiling. 

To hopefully give you a better idea of what to expect with level 3 insulation, I’ll use the same “what-if’s” as above. 

What if the teens were watching a moving (let’s say a war movie, somewhat loudly) and I’m in my bedroom trying to sleep. Would I be able to hear the movie?

Answer – Maybe. If the teens are watching the movie at reasonable volumes. You’d probably wouldn’t hear much, if anything. If the movie was playing at loud volumes, they had a subwoofer going etc., you would be able to hear a movie playing.

What if the teens were in the basement with their friends and they were just chatting/hanging out. Would I be able to hear them, or can they hear me on a phone call right above them?

Answer – No. Not unless someone is yelling.

In conclusion, I hope this has given you a better understanding of what to expect from the above products and has hopefully given you enough information to help decide whether or not you need sound dampening insulation in your basement. We can help guide you through the costs of sound dampening your unfinished basement. Get started by filling out our quick free quote form and we'll message you right back.

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