Building your own cinema or streaming room can be an exciting endeavour. Not only are they fantastic entertainment features for a home but, as they become more sought after by buyers, creating one in your property can even contribute to increased home value.
While a dedicated entertainment space within a home has such advantages, there can be one major caveat, which is the disruption they may cause to neighbours. Unless you’re willing to see your family each wear headphones while streaming your film favourites, there will undoubtedly be noise considerations to make. However, before you start soundproofing your walls, there are a few potential room choices that can work in your favour.
Cellar
Converting a cellar can be one of the best ways to support your home’s entertainment needs. Since the room is unlikely to sit adjacent to a neighbour’s living space, or at least not without substantial natural insulation, you will be able to enjoy your media at a great volume without becoming a nuisance. Additionally, there is the advantage of little natural light intruding into the room, allowing for projectors and other displays to become truly immersive.
While a cellar may be the most popular and suitable choice for an entertainment space, not every property is fortunate enough to have one, leading residents to consider other options.
Outbuilding
A freestanding outbuilding in your home’s garden can be a great choice for an entertainment space. Since these structures, from shed conversions or log cabins, can be built or chosen to meet specific designs needs. This means that, if you are looking for features that will support entertainment platforms such as intricate speaker systems or streaming set-ups, they can be worked into the structure easily, along with soundproofing too.
Promising that insulation is installed, freestanding outbuildings can be a great way for a family to enjoy an entertainment space that doesn’t bother neighbouring properties. They are also especially useful for homes that have made use of each internal room already, unable to design an ideal living space around them.
Attics
Attics are often used for conversions as they can be incredibly versatile spaces. While their shape, depending on your roof and property structure, isn’t always accommodating to a family cinema viewing experience, especially if you’re hoping to install a projector, they do often sit separately from neighbouring walls, making them a great potential choice for volume mitigation.
Attics, being separate from the home’s central living space, also reduce the likelihood of distractions. The only downside here is that they will also be a short distance from the kitchen, so be sure to install a minifridge and drinks station too!
Soundproofing
Regardless of where you build your entertainment space, there are certain features that can be remarkably considerate for your neighbours and will reduce the likelihood of causing disruption. Soundproofing and dampening are the most essential and also benefit the viewing experience of films too as they block out potential noise from other locations, such as external roads and buildings.
