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Wonderful Media Room!

By Jay Markanich

Home Inspector with Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC 3380-000723

December 29, 2012 09:44 PM

When I do new construction inspections, of course I check the house out for its features. And this is a wonderful media room!

I arrived before the buyers for a pre-drywall inspection and looked around a bit. I knew exactly what this room is to be! It is huge, 16'x26', in the basement, with two levels and no windows. Perfect.

Looking toward the seating area on the left, and from the seating area on the right, this is a great room!

Multiple whizbang speaker connections (seventeen) can be seen on the left, for speakers throughout the house, and the blue line is for the data and incoming stuff (looks like about a Cat-42!). And the piéce de résistance is on the right - the projector location in the ceiling. It can be seen also in the first photo on the left above. Just about the center of the room. They tell me that the projected image will be about 7'x10', directly onto special paint on the wall, and crystal clear.

I asked them if it could be my room to sleep in when I come visit. Fair is fair.

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Clint Mckie

Desert Sun Home, commercial Inspections - Carlsbad, NM

Desert Sun Home, Comm. Inspection 1-575-706-5586

Hi Jay,

Look at all the room. I bet they will have a huge following.

Have a great day in Bristow my friend.

Best, Clint McKie

Dec 30, 2012 01:50 AM

Tom Arstingstall, General Contractor, Dry Rot, Water Damage Sacramento, El Dorado County - (916) 765-5366

Dry Rot and Water Damage www.tromlerconstruction.com Mobile - 916-765-5366 - Placerville, CA

General Contractor, Dry Rot and Water Damage

What an awesome amenity to the home Jay. Nice job of showing us what it looks like in the raw.

What's up with the green treatment part way up the framing? We don't do that here.

Dec 30, 2012 03:18 AM

Rafi Footerman

Mid Jersey Inspections - Edison, NJ

Home Inspector, Mold Inspector, Radon and More!

I watched boxing in my friends basement on a 6 foot high screen 15 years ago. It was like sitting front row at the fights!

Dec 30, 2012 04:13 AM

Jay Markanich

Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA

Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Clint - hopefully not when I am there visiting!

Tom - it's a great room. That is a copper naphtenate treatment put on the first 30" of basement studwork, to ward off moisture damage, rot and termites.

That iwll be a nice screen Rafi. Many years ago I inspected Vinne Cerrati's house, who, at that time, was president of the Redskins. His room was bigger than this and the screen projected 9'x12', and was clear as a bell. It felt like you were in a football game while watching it.

Dec 30, 2012 04:18 AM

Bob "RealMan" Timm

Ward County Notary Services - Minot, ND

Owner of Ward Co Notary Services retired RE Broker

Very cool Jay. I haven't been to a movie in over a year but I sure could stand going to the best darn theater if it were in my own home. I wonder if you need a projectionists license to run that room?

Dec 30, 2012 04:37 AM

Jay Markanich

Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA

Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

I don't know Bob! I have seen a couple of those rooms and they look like only a grad from MIT could operate it all!

Dec 30, 2012 05:05 AM

Karen Kruschka

RE/MAX Executives - Woodbridge, VA

- "My Experience Isn't Expensive - It's PRICELESS"

Jay Arthur and I just stopped by to wish you a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2013

Dec 30, 2012 06:19 AM

Jay Markanich

Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA

Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Thanks Karen. Where's Arthur? Arrrthuuurrr? I don't see him.

Same backatacha though, despite his recalcitrance.

Dec 30, 2012 06:42 AM

John Mulkey

TheHousingGuru.com - Waleska, GA

Housing Guru

Jay - Looks like the making of another great media room . . . and just one more nail in the movie theater business which has turned to robbery at the concession stand.

Dec 30, 2012 09:03 AM

Jay Markanich

Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA

Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

The concession prices are freaking amazing John! I go to the 7-11 and buy stuff before I go to the theater!

Dec 30, 2012 10:29 AM

Steven L. Smith

King of the House Home Inspection, Inc. - Bellingham, WA

Bellingham WA Home Inspector

Jay,

Now if the industry would produce some decent movies.

Dec 30, 2012 10:46 AM

James Dray

Fathom Realty - Bentonville, AR

So I take it you really liked this construction. It is refreshing to see work being done right and not from Uncle Bob.

Dec 30, 2012 07:54 PM

Jay Markanich

Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA

Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Mason - I love the G movies! When my daughter turned 13 all the G movies became "baby," and she wouldn't go any more. So I can't go. Can you imagine what all the mommies would think if I went in there by myself to watch a move? I got enough looks when I went to see Santa a few days ago? Did you see that post?

James - the house has lots of great features. There were a few things (like ridge vents not cut into the ceiling) but overall well done.

Dec 30, 2012 08:09 PM

James Quarello

JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC - Wallingford, CT

Connecticut Home Inspector

I do not see many media rooms here which is odd considering some of theareas where I inspect.

Dec 31, 2012 10:05 PM

Jay Markanich

Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA

Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

They are real popular here, and getting more so Jim. The most impressive in my experience was Vinnie Cerrati's (he was president of the Redskins at the time) and really fun to experience. I hope the new year for you and yours, especially my pen pal, is spectacular.

Dec 31, 2012 11:30 PM

Donald Hester

NCW Home Inspections, LLC - Wenatchee, WA

NCW Home Inspections, LLC

Jay, I was in a home that had this awesome media room. It sat 12 in teh most comfy chairs that would lay almost flat and had pull out trays on each seat. Got to love that.

Jan 02, 2013 10:48 PM

Jay Markanich

Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA

Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Don - some are really fabulous. With more time I would be tempted to sit and watch a movie or take a nap!

Jan 02, 2013 10:54 PM

Robert Butler

Aspect Inspection - Montreal West Island, QC

Montreal Home Inspector | Aspect Inspection

I suspect that such rooms are going to become eclipsed by technological changes in the next few years. Already home sound systems are wireless, high quality and controlled and run by physically small portable equipment.

Some researchers I know have told me that the leading tech will be in the paint for both lighting and video and it will have much lower power requirements than what is currently being used.

"Watts" wil not matter.

Jan 06, 2013 04:00 AM

Jay Markanich

Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA

Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

If watts don't matter, will where, when and why Robert? My friend in that business says that speakers will probably not go wireless any time soon as the technology sending sound to them doesn't do a good job.

Jan 06, 2013 04:50 AM

Robert Butler

Aspect Inspection - Montreal West Island, QC

Montreal Home Inspector | Aspect Inspection

We already have wireless speakers in use here commercially and at home. If you are streaming you will experience gaps and lags. But if you have steady local broadcast you don't have any problems. it's all digital so quality is excellent.

Now Yo Yo Ma, might not be impressed, but I don't have his ear or perfect pitch. It may not be concert quality but its fine for home listening and commercial background sound.

Audiophiles will get their hi-fi sound as the right compression delivery coding is developed. That's just digital code writting. Not easy but it's an active field for innovation.

The paint layer lighting and video - that's Prinston reasearchers.

So it's out there and it's comming, or something is. The only thing we can be sure of is that it will change.

Did you ever imagine when you bought your 20th LP, that they could become as completely obsolete as they have or that film, actual photographic film would be gone from our lives?....Not me, not then.

Jan 06, 2013 12:21 PM