Are you one of the 56% of homeowners who’s been busily upgrading your home to make the best use of stay-at-home recommendations during 2020? If so, you’re probably looking for new home improvement ideas by now.
What about an awesome home theater to help you while away the hours?
Interested? Here’s a quick breakdown of home theatre cost factors to help you start planning your ultimate entertainment area.
Home Theater Design Costs
The first question when it comes to home improvements always centers around DIY vs getting professional help.
The answer often revolves around your budget. Yet, there’s also the issue of gaining a sense of self-satisfaction vs trusting a stranger to make your vision alive.
Theater contractors usually work according to set packages. All you need to do is choose the one you want and leave the rest to them.
How much is a home theater designed by these experts going to cost? You’re looking at an average price of about $30,000 for a mid-range theater. A state-of-the-art job can cost almost twice as much.
There’s no doubt that the DIY option gives you a lot more leeway when it comes to budget and design.
Common Home Theater Cost Considerations
The two major elements involved in designing a home theater are preparing your room and furnishing it with the necessary equipment. You can opt for different price ranges at every stage of these processes.
Avoid skimping on the initial stages though, it’s a lot easier to upgrade your furniture and tech aspects later than it is to redo the basics. This is what to expect:
Soundproofing
Whether you’re converting a basement or a spare room into a home theater, you’re going to need soundproofing. An extra layer of drywall is the easiest and cheapest way to do this and will set you back about $15 per sheet.
High-end sound-engineered drywall will cost $40 per sheet. Ideally, you’ll need two layers of drywalling no matter which one of these you choose, plus about $100 of equipment and tools to get the job done.
Screen, Projector, and Sound
The most expensive projectors cost more than $3,000 each. Fortunately, there are plenty of perfectly acceptable low and mid-range options available costing between $250 and $1,000.
A projector’s only as good as the screen it’s directed at. You can choose from grey or white screens as well as retractable and fixed options. A 120-inch screen can cost anything from $20 to $1,000 depending on the specs.
You can opt for a flat-screen TV instead of a projector. In this case, you’re looking at upward of $2,000 for a 100-inch screen with a soundbar.
Set aside at least $750 for a full theater sound system.
Home Theater Seating
Comfortable seating’s a must-have for any home theater. The good news is that you can use an ordinary sofa while you’re saving up for luxury customized options like Octane, Fortress, or Elite Home Theater Seating.
Cheaper theater seating choices will set you back at least $450 a chair.
Designing a Home Theater on a Budget
When you go the DIY route for home theater design, you’ll save a ton of money on labor costs. You’ll also have the option to control your home theater cost by adjusting your aspirations as you go along, or taking advantage of seasonal sales.
Building a home theater’s never an emergency task, so rather take your time looking for the best deals rather than skimping on necessities.
For more advice on home improvements, browse some more of our blog articles.
