5 Crucial Steps to Creating the Dedicated Home Theater of Your Dreams
Ever requested quotes from similar companies for the same work, only to receive wildly different responses? It’s true of every industry, just as it’s human nature to gravitate toward the seemingly least expensive estimate. But that “savings” often proves to cost more, right? Here at Relative Home Systems, we work a bit differently.
When it comes to crafting a dedicated home theater, we use the discussion of budget to help discover what our clients need and educate them on how to get there. We have 5 major considerations when determining potential costs for the entirety of the project. We’re using the opportunity of this blog edition to help you understand the process, but also so you know what to look for when requesting a quote for this type of home retrofit project…
1) Design & Engineering – Without proper engineering and design, every subsequent dollar you spend is practically a gamble. While often not included in preliminary budgets, you cannot expect acceptable results, let alone something extraordinary, unless this process is accounted for. Don’t be left trying to figure how the budget suddenly expands due to needs for which you were not previously informed.
2) Preliminary Construction – Whether you’re remodeling a particular room or building a new home from scratch, you have to determine your space requirements. Contrary to common practice, most of this cost should not be included in the “theater” budget. Framing, electrical, mechanical and other structural elements should be part of a separate construction budget. Specialty materials and additional labor are common requirements when constructing a quiet room, modifying ventilation, theater-quality lighting and other space changes.
3) Assembling the System – This is often what an initial budget reflects, but it’s not always accurate. Design and engineering are the only ways to properly specify a system that supports a particular-sized room, seating, product configuration, and your expectations. Make sure this major component of the budget is represented separately so you have the most complete picture.
4) Actual Theater Construction – What if you end up requiring additional custom sound proofing? What type of paint finishes do you want used? What’s going to cover the floor in the finished room? By breaking down the pricing into appropriate subcategories, all changes throughout the process will be transparent and dealt with professionally.
5) Furnishing Your Dream Cinema – Not just seating, this can encompass any additional (and potentially budget-breaking) furnishings. A lifestyle sectional bookended by theater-quality seating for two will have a much different cost than, say, four motorized luxury recliners. By having this identified at the start, reducing surprises and miscommunication throughout the room construction, your satisfaction is much more assured.
A willingness to offer this level of specification from the earliest stages of your retrofit/construction demonstrates the professionalism you need for the quality room you’ve always envisioned. Everyone here at Relative Home Systems hopes this helps as you search for the right home theater integrator (which we also happen to believe IS Relative Home Systems, especially if you’re near The Woodlands, River Oaks, Tanglewood, Bellaire, Conroe or anywhere in the Houston area). Don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any questions or we can be of any assistance.
