Media space updated! Yay!

When we moved into our place in 2000 we knew we wanted an open basement, dedicated media space, room for a pool table and 2 guest rooms with a bathroom away from the media space. Well we got it but it wasn't quite what we wanted. Fast forward 18 years and we finally decided to do something about it.

Our basement is big but not really configured for all the stuff we wanted. Plus we built before the dedicated media room craze so we didn't have much guidance and a fireplace was a "must have".

This picture shows how it was configured - pretty crowded. We got the basement done as part of the build because we didn't want to take years to do all the work (plus more permits). There's in wall speaker cabling which dictates where the amp is located unless we want to replace a bunch of cables.

We used to have friends over to play Wii; the fireplace, which we never used, was really confining. The first step was to get rid of the fireplace. (it's now in the garage and listed on Letgo). We got the gas disconnected and stuffed insulation in the chimney. We may put an in wall style fireplace but it would likely be electric.

One of our biggest waste of spaces was the 2 channel listening area. It wasn't configured optimally and looked like an empty space. To bring those speakers over Fred had to do some optimizing for reverberation and deal with the utility corner. He decided to do a two pillar look. One side is just a cover while the other is a pillar. The frames are held in place with Velcro picture hangers and supported on feet.

The two pillars even out the room an provide a nice frame for the TV. Next we did frames around the bottom of the wall to hide outlets and wires. I bought the media stand as a Christmas gift when we first moved into the house. It's super flexible and nearly indestructible. 

We just need to add some plant like material. I think Fred did a great job with this project. All I did was help pick material then cut and sew as needed. We ended up pulling up carpet from the bedrooms to patch where the fireplace had been and redo the stairs. Vinyl plank was installed in the bedrooms and the downstairs bathroom. Now I feel like the basement has been updated as well as the upstairs so we should be good for as long as we live here.