| A local Atlanta home remodeling and building firm | | | | have kids and want them to be able to play on the Wii |
| reveals home theater trends for Atlanta home | | | | as well as watch a movie when they have friends |
| remodeling projects. According to the remodeler they | | | | over. However, the client may also want to have a |
| spend a lot of time designing and creating | | | | game day party when the Georgia Bulldogs are |
| entertainment areas for clients as they work to | | | | playing, and want to watch the coverage on the big |
| construct their dream home. In the project discovery | | | | screen. |
| process the firm discusses with the client how they | | | | An example of a media room might include a large |
| intend to use the space on a day to day basis. When | | | | screen TV with plenty of sofa or recliner chair seating. |
| reviewing where the client relaxes or entertains, home | | | | Then the TV may be positioned to be visible from the |
| theaters are almost always part of the equation. | | | | homeowner's pool table and bar area. These types of |
| Home theaters have reached an amazing level of | | | | media rooms are commonly found in the finished |
| sophistication these days. High end systems have | | | | basement or terrace level of a home. Many of the |
| features that centralize all aspects of the theater | | | | features of a home theater are built into this type of |
| experience into one control interface or remote. These | | | | setup, such as Dolby 7.1 or similar surround sound, |
| systems even start to bleed over into the realm of | | | | in-wall speakers, behind wall access to equipment, |
| total house automation. One of these setups can cost | | | | centralized control of all systems by a multi functional |
| anywhere from a few thousand to several hundred | | | | programmable remote, or true room automation |
| thousand dollars. The possibilities and cost can be | | | | system such as a Crestron or AMX unit and a |
| overwhelming, so it becomes very important to define | | | | projector. |
| what the client really needs and wants from a home | | | | However, unlike a traditional home theater, the media |
| theater setup. | | | | room often has a couch or two instead of theater |
| In the discovery process the Atlanta home remodeler | | | | seating. There is often open floor space in front of the |
| always asks the client if they really want a true home | | | | seating for a coffee table or for the kids to stand and |
| theater. A true home theater is exactly that, a theater | | | | play the Wii. In addition, some of this same equipment is |
| in your home. It has theater style seating, a large | | | | used to pipe music throughout the entertaining areas in |
| screen probably around 120 inches, special lighting, | | | | the home and may offer features such as an iPod |
| typically surround sound, and perhaps even a curtain in | | | | dock or web connection of some type. The room itself |
| front of the screen to authenticate the movie watching | | | | is probably not closed off from the rest of the house |
| experience. | | | | and is viewable from other entertaining areas nearby. |
| While some clients do want a true home theater, | | | | The system is complex enough that the clients still |
| many opt for something that is a little more family | | | | benefit from hiring a professional installer. The firm's |
| friendly and also accommodates video gaming and | | | | clients typically average spending between $10,000 to |
| watching sporting events while entertaining company. | | | | $20,000 on equipment and installation. The local home |
| This type of set up is referred to as a media room, as | | | | remodeling and building firm has found that the trend in |
| it is more versatile than a home theater. | | | | the Atlanta home remodeling market is for family |
| The Atlanta home remodeling firm estimates that 80 | | | | friendly open area media rooms, as opposed to a |
| percent of its customers opt for the media room as it | | | | traditional home theater. |
| is more suited for their lifestyle. These clients typically | | | | |