Anonymous wrote:It won't boost the value dollar by dollar , what does marginally boost the value is the fact you have a home theater. It's usually a must have in most new construction now a days with a finished basement.

If you own a time machine to 2006 maybe.

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, home theaters came to be during the 2000s heyday with luxury everything becoming mainstream (granite counters, high-end appliances, hardwood floors). It was also a time when flat screen TVs and projectors were just coming around and suddenly it was a time when everyone could own a large-screen TV. You didn't have the pay $2000 for the 40" rear projection monstrosity like in the 90s.

Today, with everyone watching their own thing on their own devices, home theaters are kind of out. Yes, people still use them, but I'd be no more than a couple of times per month (more during football season).

Now people still have the big TV in the basement, but it's not in a separate room. It's just part of an overall large family room that might have a pool table, play area, etc. Fewer people are plopping themselves down to watch a 3 hour movie in a solid block without anything else going on.

Old thread but I had to inject my take on this discussion. Opinions are like bholes. Everyone has one. Those who talk crap about dedicated home theaters probably can't afford to build one. So don't be a hater. I have a dedicated theater (no windows and not in a basement) and I love it. Two rows of seating with a Dolby Atmos Reference system. Current use is six to 10 hours per week.

Home theaters came to be during the 2000's? Are you serious? Projectors at that time were not even HDTV capable. I would not consider a house if there was no space for a theater room. Actually, I'm contemplating turning down a promotion (move to another state) because I don't want to leave my house. So don't be an antagonistic hater and envious of others who like and can have a theater room.

Yeah, home theaters came to be during the 2000s heyday with luxury everything becoming mainstream (granite counters, high-end appliances, hardwood floors). It was also a time when flat screen TVs and projectors were just coming around and suddenly it was a time when everyone could own a large-screen TV. You didn't have the pay $2000 for the 40" rear projection monstrosity like in the 90s.

Today, with everyone watching their own thing on their own devices, home theaters are kind of out. Yes, people still use them, but I'd be no more than a couple of times per month (more during football season).

Now people still have the big TV in the basement, but it's not in a separate room. It's just part of an overall large family room that might have a pool table, play area, etc. Fewer people are plopping themselves down to watch a 3 hour movie in a solid block without anything else going on.

Anonymous wrote:We have a home theater. DH built it in a somewhat remote, unfinished portion of our basement a few years ago. We just have big comfy couches in it, no riser, but it does have 3 large screens and a wet bar.

If we moved, none of the electronics would convey, but it does have state of the art wiring throughout.

Had a home theater in last house as well. It's definitely what sold it for the husband. We were home when they toured and it was a real plus for him.

However, in both cases, these were not rooms that replaced other standard rooms. We already have a family room, playroom, guest room, etc.

Convey, lol lol

How could anyone say no-no to a nice HT such as:

http://www.houzz.com/photos/media-room

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not all, IMO.

I loathe home theaters. If I bought a house with one, I'd only be thinking about how much it would cost to tear it out and turn it into useable space.

+1

+2.

+3...however, my swimming pool is non-negotiable. I could not buy a house without one.

I'm pretty sure most homes with home theaters are not lacking in usable space elsewhere in the house. My house is 5000 sf. My theater in the basement is 20x20, so 400sf. We can "get by" with the other 4600 sf of "usable space."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not all, IMO.

I loathe home theaters. If I bought a house with one, I'd only be thinking about how much it would cost to tear it out and turn it into useable space.

+1

+2.

+3...however, my swimming pool is non-negotiable. I could not buy a house without one.

Seems the takeaway here is to build the system if you will enjoy it and be glad you spent that money, regardless of resale, because there's no guarantee you'll get a buyer willing to pay a premium for it.

Thread shows that value of a home theater is at best mixed and depends greatly on the buyer.

I spent $5K building a home gym - which is relatively low end as far as good home gyms go, since one good cardio machine alone will set you back $2k. Some people think I am nuts, while others think it's the best thing ever because of the convenience.

My DH had a "football room" in his last house - media room + football paraphernalia. He and his friends LOVED it. But, yeah, that didn't move over to our new house together.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not much at all, especially in that price range. It just doesn't appeal to many people, and the technology gets outdated so quickly.

I agree but it depends where this house is. My house is worth $1.3 million in Bethesda and we'd have to give up the entire basement family room to get something even approaching a home theatre. It would definitely devalue the house because there isn't that much space to spare. But if it's a $1.3 million house in the exburbs with plenty of space then maybe it's a fine use of space. I still don't think you make anything back on it.

And also agree on the technology. We did a reno 5 years ago and put in wiring for speakers, etc and it was literally obsolete before the reno was done.

I think home theaters are tacky but other people like them.

Doubt your home in bethesda is worth 1.3 million if a home theater would take up your basement, unless you have a lot of land.

I will alert the neighbors. For some reason people are willing to pay $ to be close to DC and in the Whitman district even if the houses aren't mcmansions. I don't know anyone in our neighborhood with a home theater. But the houses sell within a week for $1.1m+.

Cool story bro. you stated that if you built a home theater it would take up your entire basement.

http://www.redfin.com/real-estate#!sold_within_days=180&v=8&sst=&lat=38.95523156343617&long=-77.1152256872582&zoomLevel=15®ion_id=119943®ion_type=7&market=dc

Thanks, that's helpful. In your link the houses near me have sold for $1.1-1.7 million. Our house was appraised last year for $1.4m. Yes, we have a small basement. The houses in our hood are generally built into hills so it changes the set up a bit. The garage is under the first floor, rather than a separate structure, and another portion of the first floor has a crawl space but not a finished basement underneath. So the upper floor footprints are much larger than the basement footprint. Plus, what I actually said is that we'd have to give up the entire basement family room, not the entire basement. That still leaves the laundry room, utility room, full bath, and wine storage area. I prefer the family room concept (ours has a large TV, Bose speakers, and comfortable seating and is actually quite a nice space for watching movies) to a home theater because it is more multi purpose. But I suppose someone could convert the space if they wanted - I don't think it would add any value at all though, and if I were the buyer it would detract from the value for me. The whole point of my post was that if you have a huge house then giving up space for a home theater is okay. If you don't then I think it's more questionable. In this area $1.3 million does not always translate to huge.

Ha ha. When I was growing up my dad actually turned our unfinished basement into a roller skating rink. He spray painted the walls in awesome neon colors and all the other kids in the neighborhood would come over to skate. We'd crank up A-ha and have a blast. I actually joke all the time about ripping out our finished basement TV room and turning it into a skating rink, but instead I just have to settle for the occasional 80's themed grown-up party.

A 1.3 million house could be pretty big, but if it's close in it's nothing special, not a lot of square footage to devote to a special use like a home theater.

So I think it depends on the size of the house it's part of. If the house is small to medium size many buyers would be thinking about how to repurpose the space for broader use.

Anonymous wrote:Many husbands would be sold on a house that has a home theater but I think a finished TV room in the basement would be more than fine. Only install it if you really want it- that's a lot of $ and you won't get the investment back. Several friends that have home theaters rarely use them.

Back in the nineties they were hot. The problem is most people preferred space that had very comfortable seating plus areas to do other things while watching the large screen. Other things include: space for kids to play, playing pool, serving area for drinks/food, etc. You can always turn out the lights in that space. I've been to houses where everyone watched a TV in such a room and no one sat in the home theatre room with it's designated chair spaces.

Anonymous wrote:Not much. Technology ages quickly and what may have been state of the art 3 years ago is now outdated. I would guess you would get 25% to 35% return on your investment.

Put it in if this is something which is important to you and you will enjoy.

The best return on investments are bathrooms and kitchens.

That is why it is worth keeping up with yourself, not the Joneses.

When we go to a house with a separate home theatre, it is separate from the rest of the house, which makes it less fun.