I often get questions from people who are unsure of whether or not they should use their skills to build their home theater or hire a professional for the job. It’s not a simple question to answer, but I’ve put together 7 guidelines that will serve as a good starting point to determine whether you’re cut out for this type of work or not.
If you answer “No” to any of these questions, it may guide you into determining the best level of home theater system you’re ready to take on. In either case, I hope this article has been helpful for you as you choose what to do with your home theater installation.
You may want to consider going it alone or hiring professionals to handle the project. If you thought that figuring out how to properly outfit your home theater was challenging, it was just the beginning. Once you get your home theater up and running, you’ll want to take care of some of the other big issues as well.
Can I Do It Myself? 7 things to consider!
1. Partially Insulated Attic or Crawl Space Access
If you have easy access to running cabling and can set up your speakers close to the point where the end of the cable, is going to be a lot easier.
There are other methods for hiding cables, but getting crawl or attic space access can be a very valuable time-saver and will make the installation process much faster.
The cables we are discussing here include both the video and the audio cables. For video, You’ll want to make sure you purchase a cable that is just long enough to connect from your AV receiver to the device that you wish to use with it. For this purpose, HDMI cables are the standard go-to.
To create the best audio experience in your home theatre, it is important to know how to run wires from your surround speakers, back speakers, and ceiling speakers. If you are using Dolby Atmos sound technology, you will also need to know these wires so that you can make them work at their full potential.
2. Are You Expanding or Is This Your First Time?
If you are a first-time home theater system assembler, then the chances are you will get in over your head quickly. If you are, however, upgrading to a dedicated home theater room and connecting new speakers, then you will have a much better idea of what needs to be done and how everything should be set up.
There are a wide variety of options available when it comes to setting up the perfect home theater experience and there are many ways to configure the best possible setup. (though HDMI has simplified things a little), and understanding the basics of AV connectivity is imperative for achieving the perfect setup.
3. Are you sure you have enough time to do this task?
When you’re planning a large-scale home theater installation, it is critical that you carefully plan out the best way to make your vision a reality. It is likely more work than you may have initially thought of and while saving money may be a goal, That will not matter if you disconnect from your family for a month.
4. Have you ever had any experience with a home renovation?
The other side of the equation is that you are already familiar with construction in your own home. When you undertake the task of installing a home theater in your own home, or even for your clients, you will invariably have to cut holes in the wall and find cables running from low voltage boxes. This means that it is beneficial for you to be skilled in tools and what their names are- which I will get into detail about next.
5. Do You Have the Proper/required Tools?
To strongly build a home theater, there are a few necessary tools. These include a cordless drill, jab saw, and stud finder. If you plan on doing a total renovation of a room then you’ll need more tools than the standard kit. However, it is important to note that without the right tools, there is no way you could renovate a home theater installation.
Here’s a quick list of the tools and equipment that are essential to building out a basic home theater installation:
- Jab saw (keyhole saw)
- Stud finder
- Tape measure
- Cordless drill
- Paddle bits
- Fish tape or rods
- Wire strippers/cutters
- Low voltage boxes, kit
- Razor knife
- Hammer
And this is what you’ll need most if you are expanding out a room. including building up false walls, and with a little more than just basic wiring and devices
- Cordless reciprocating saw
- Cordless circular saw
- Romex (12/2) electrical cable
- 4′ level
- Electrical boxes, outlets
- Pneumatic nailer
6. Are You Budgeting, and Are You Budgeting Enough?
One of the first questions that people often ask themselves when it comes to setting up a home theater is whether they’ve budgeted enough for the project. It’s easy to look at all the pieces of equipment, but many forget about other essentials like tools and fasteners.
The truth is, though, that you don’t want to be left with a home theater system that leaves you wishing for more and feeling like you’ve been short-changed.
As you calculate your budget for the theater, make sure that you keep in mind all of the electrical work that needs to be done and including mounting, stands, flooring material, and furniture when necessary for your calculations.
7. Don’t Forget About The Importance of Soundproofing
We have talked about how difficult it can be to do true soundproofing in a home theater. If you are renovating, you may want to consider soundproofing. But be aware that it will significantly increase the cost of your build.
EndNote
If you’re ready to get started on your project, then do so. If you’re not, then do some research and see if it makes sense to either wait until you’re ready or contact a local custom installer for help. They generally are quite good at this and do it for a living. If you are considering taking on this project, it is important to answer the questions posed in the above section before proceeding. You should also carefully assess whether you have what it takes to be successful.
