I created a word

I've been thinking about the home automation, tech renovation stuff for a while, and rather than call it either one of those things, I started calling it "technovation." Well, as it turns out, this is not a word. So I submitted it to Urban Dictionary, and voila! I invented a word, and there's online documentation: Technovating.

The home theater post

In order to maintain my sanity, I am keeping my home theater plans in a separate mind folder from my home automation plans, even though they do tie into each other. The catch with the home theater is that it will go in the basement, which is currently mostly unfinished. I love that this is the case, since it lets me do whatever I want, but it does present a significant obstacle to the home theater, since it's hard to have a comfortable theater room without power outlets, drywall, flooring, etc.

The basement renovation plan is pretty straightforward. The basement, like I said, is mostly unfinished. There is a finished bedroom down there which we plan on using for an art & music room, and a spare guest room when necessary. The only other things in the basement are the furnace, water heater, and clothes washer and dryer. After measuring the room and laying it out Google Sketchup, we've decided on a floor plan that includes a good-sized laundry room, a full bathroom, an unfinished storage area and the theater room.

The theater room will naturally occupy most of the basement, and will be fairly large and open. While I know that the odd shape of it will make for less than ideal acoustic conditions, it will be much better for parties, and that has more value for me. Now down to the good stuff. The theater room plans.

• Furniture: Seating in the home theater is of great importance. I wouldn't say greatest, but it's certainly up there. If you're not comfortable, how can you properly enjoy a good film? I think two recliner couches slightly angled toward the center of the room would be good. I'll also need end tables and coffee tables or ottomans, for food, drink, and feet resting.
• Projector: I'd like to have a 1080p projector, but I'm not ready to pay $1,000 for one, even though it is a great price. Right now, I like the Optoma HD65 720p projector. Newegg has it for $700, and I can live with that. I haven't decided yet whether to mount it to the ceiling or put it on a shelf.
• Screen: I really like the idea of painting a screen on the wall. Under the current plan, the screen will go on the stairwell wall, which incidentally is just the right size for a 116" (diag.) screen. Even though it's more expensive, Goo Systems' Screen Goo is on top of my list for the screen because of some reviews I've read that raved about it. Behr SilverScreen paint is also on the list, and is a bit less expensive.
• Sound System: So maybe I'm a sucker for advertising, but I love the Onsia in-wall speaker setup. I'm all about hiding wires in my media setups, so invisible speakers is like a dream come true. Reviews on these are still pretty thin though, since they're relatively new. Because of the asymmetry of the room, a 5.1 channel system is the best I can do with the in-wall setup, but I think that's good enough for me. The subwoofer, which I'd probably spend a decent amount on, would go behind the couches. I'm still looking into subs.
• Hardware: This is the only headline I could think of for all the media playing apparatus, including my PS3, my Xbox 360, and an A/V receiver. Maybe also a satellite receiver, and with the possibility of adding a Wii. You have to keep your options open. Everything will go underneath the stairs, which is a really convenient location for it, especially since that whole area is unfinished. More on that in...
• Wiring: Like I was saying, since it's unfinished, running wires will be the easiest part. I would put all the A/V connectors into wall jacks that would run to the speakers in the walls and to jacks in the back wall of the room for the projector and the subwoofer.
• Extras:
  
  • Bar: Because who wants to walk all the way upstairs for a refreshing beverage or a snack? I kind of want to build this myself, but I'd certainly buy one if I found a killer deal.
  • Game Table: For when you die and it's your buddy's turn at Castlevania, or if you're "just not that into Pokémon." I would love to have a combo table including billiards, air hockey, and foosball. I'd take table tennis instead of foosball though.

Here's that Google Sketchup mockup I mentioned. The large room-shaped block on the top right is the finished room, and the large open space to the right will be divided up into the laundry, bathroom, and unfinished storage. The lovely model in the red jacket is about to walk up the stairs, and the guy in the white shirt is a very lonely air-hockey player. I haven't yet established where a bar will go, but I could probably rotate the game table 90° and put the bar up against the back wall. I'll have to check the space requirements on that.

As before, I welcome helpful comments and suggestions!

The dream of a tech house

Here is my vision:
I want to have a fully integrated whole-house network that integrates music, video, lighting, HVAC, and home surveillance into a user-friendly, energy-efficient, and affordable package. It's a lot to ask for, but I'm patient and I'm not afraid of DIY projects.

I plan to be thorough in my research so I get the best hardware for the best price.
I plan to take time with my coding so that I have as robust a system as possible.
I plan to do as much of this project myself as I can, both to save money and to learn more about home improvement.

I hope to complete this project within the next five years. Here is an outline of my plan as it now stands.

• Network: Mostly in place, but I need to add networked storage and most likely a standalone media server. Until then I will continue using my primary PC in this capacity.
• Sound: Place speakers in every zone. I am still tossing around the idea of having a media player dock in every zone.
• Video: This has more to do with my home theater plan. I will write a separate post about that and link it here when it's done.
• UI Hardware: Each zone will have a Mobile Internet Device on an articulating or flexible mount. Contenders for the MID of choice include the SmartQ 5 and the Chumby, as long as the guts are still available when I'm at this step.
• UI Software: Primary contender in this spot is MisterHouse. It may not be quite as slick or as fully featured as some other options, but the fact that it is open source is what makes it the winner for me.
• Surveillance: I have not yet done much research into this category yet, but I want to monitor the exterior of the house and keep at least a few days worth of records. I want to keep internal surveillance to a minimum, only putting up cameras inside the house during vacations, for example.
• HVAC: I plan on having room-to-room weather monitors as well as an external weather station. I also plan on implementing remote thermostat control.
• Lighting: This one is pretty far down the list, partially because I don't think it's that crucial, and partially because I have not yet come up with an elegant control scheme. However, I'd like to switch entirely to CFL and LED lighting as soon as possible.

I am also keeping tabs on the state of alternative energy sources. I would like to use solar power for at least a portion of this project, but will likely hold out until the efficiency improves somewhat. I still have research to do on this front.

So there's the basic outline. Whether it is too ambitious remains to be seen, but you have to start somewhere.

I welcome helpful comments and suggestions!