Theaters & Wet Bars

Basement & Attic Conversions

Custom Home Theaters, Wet Bars, and Exercise Rooms

A home theater is an acoustics problem as much as a construction problem. Standard stud framing with fiberglass batt insulation achieves an STC rating of around 33 — low enough that normal conversation is audible through the wall. A properly built theater wall using resilient channel and double-layer drywall can reach STC 50 or higher, which is where late-night movie watching stops being a household conflict. The sound isolation has to be built into the framing phase — it can't be added after drywall is up without demolishing the walls.

We frame theater walls on resilient channel with acoustic insulation in the cavities and install double-layer drywall with staggered seams and acoustic caulk at all penetrations. Pre-wiring runs during framing: conduit for projector drops, speaker wire to each surround position, HDMI and power runs to the display wall. Dedicated 20-amp circuits keep AV equipment on isolated circuits away from lighting loads.

Wet bars require plumbing rough-in during the framing phase. Supply lines, drain connection with proper slope, and a vent stack extension all have to be in place before walls close. We plan bar rough-in dimensions to the specific sink and undercounter equipment being installed — generic rough-in locations don't account for actual fixture dimensions. Exercise rooms need impact-absorbing rubber flooring and reinforced blocking for wall-mounted equipment. Both are installed during construction, not retrofitted.