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Installing a decent home theater for value

April 26th, 2007 by Kenric

Home theaters are becoming very popular and they can be great selling points when you list your home for sale.  Home theaters can range anywhere from a few thousand dollars to over $100,000.  I think that a low cost home theater is a great investment and can bring a nice return when you sell.   A dedicated home theater room is even better. 

Personally, I don’t consider a 42″ plasma with 6 speakers a home theater.  That is not going to impress any buyers.  In order to have an impressive home theater, you should get a projector and have an 80″+ screen.  Adding theater seats are definitely a plus. 

The good news is that all this can be done for very cheap.  Your casual buyer will be impressed by the huge screen, theater seats, dark room, etc…  They will not know what the quality of your speakers are or the resolution of your projector.

Remember, we are building a home theater for value here.  The goal of this theater is to increase your resale value and to make your house more desirable when compared to others.  This theater is targeting the average buyer who does not know alot about audio video equipment.  This doesn’t mean that you’re building a crappy system, you will build a decent one that satisifies the average Joe.

So let’s look at the parts you need:

• Projector
• Screen
• 5 speakers & subwoofer
• Receiver & DVD player
• Seats
• Cables
• Room decor

Projector – $1,000 should get you a decent projector.  Read the reviews on home theater forums such as AVSforum.com.

Screen – If you are handy, you can make your own screen for about $70.  That’s what I did.  I bought white blackout cloth from Jo-ann Fabrics, built a frame and stretched the cloth over it.  You can find directions here.

Speakers & Subwoofer – Now this is a purely personal choice.  I have Paradigm speakers that I paid $1,000 for.  You can easily pay less or alot more depending on your listening preferences.  My suggestion is to get decent looking speakers that fit your room size.  I’d look to spend around $750.  Remember, when guys are looking at your house they notice things like big speakers instead of wimpy ones.  Get a known name brand, if possible.  We’re going for the “wow” effect here.

Receiver & DVD player – Again, it’s a personal preference but I wouldn’t spend alot of money here.  Get a $100 DVD player and a $300 receiver.

Seats - Here are some for $879 shipped!  If you have room, you can get two rows and make it look even more impressive.

Cables – You are going to need cables to connect everything.  You’re most expensive cable will be the one from the projector to the receiver since they will usually be far apart.  Don’t buy Monster Cables, it’s not worth it.  I’d budget about $200 for cables.

Room decor – This includes stuff like shelves, paint, lights, curtains, moldings, mini fridge, popcorn machine, etc…  I’d budget $400 here.

Total cost is $3700.  Now you just have to put in some sweat equity!

This should get you a decent home theater that will be noticed by potential buyers.  An audiophile with tell you that your system sucks, but that type of person isn’t going to be buying your home because of your theater.  The average family who’d love to be able to watch Finding Nemo at home with their kids on an 100″ screen.  They may think this system costs $10,000-$15,000 to put in.  I guarantee that they will overestimate its value and that’s good for you.  Afterall who’s going to think its only $3,700?

Here are untouched screenshots from my home theater.

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