Did you know that there are an estimated 120 million TV households in the US today?
Ever since their popularisation in the 1950s, TVs have transformed the way we live in our own homes. But these days, for a luxury homeowner, there are ways to go one step beyond the home viewing experience.
This can be achieved by creating your own personal home theater. But how much does a home theater cost?
We’re going to breakdown everything you’ll likely need for your theater. Then, we’re going to go into the size and other factors. That way, after finishing this article, you should know roughly how much to budget.
What Do You Need For a Home Theater?
First, let’s discuss what you actually need for a home theater, outside of the space in your home itself.
The first major investment you’ll need to make is buying your screen itself. You could buy a massive TV screen to cover your wall, but there are other solutions.
Investing in a projector and its equipment can help you to project footage directly onto a wall, just like they do in the cinema. This is a bit more fiddly though, so make sure you’re clued up on home projectors before you buy.
Whichever option you decide to go with, you and your family or friends need somewhere to sit. You can get creative with this, but remember, the more seats you get or the fancier they are, the larger the investment.
Speakers are also important; one of the main benefits of watching a film in a cinema is quality sound. You should expect to get what you pay for with speakers. If you want the highest quality sound you can get, this will likely add a large amount to your total cost.
You’ll also need to consider what you’re hoping to watch in your home cinema. Regular subscriptions to streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ will cost you a recurring monthly fee to keep your home theater running.
Though these are fairly small monthly costs, they do need to be factored into the cost of your home theater overall.
How Does Size Affect The Cost of a Home Theater?
The size of your room will be a huge factor in terms of how much your home theater will cost overall.
Just like in any other room of a home, the bigger it is, the more items you’ll likely need to fill it. It can also impact the home theater installation cost.
Though this installation cost can be avoided if you choose to install the theater yourself, it’s usually advisable to rely on professionals. This is particularly true if you’re looking to change your home significantly.
Some people like to build an entirely new wing of a home, or a secret extra building in their garden, for a home theater. This is another reason why size comes into play; do you have space already, or does it need to be made?
If you need to create the space, you’ll be looking at a significantly higher cost than if you’re just converting an existing room. Make sure to bear this in mind when deciding where your home theater can be placed.
Do Different Designs Cost More?
The overall design of your home theater can impact the cost. This is because you might need to buy new lighting, decor, or other items for a particular home theater design.
It’s a good idea to clue yourself up on what design you’re looking for before you look at financials. That way, you can envision your perfect home theater, and work towards making it a reality.
Take a look through this design for a home theater page to get some inspiration. Planning and knowing exactly what you want before you buy anything or start work is the best way of ensuring value for money.
Not only that, but it means you know in your head what your home theater will look like once it’s complete. That way, you can not only get excited, but you can also be more accurate when it comes to installation.
How Much Does a Home Theater Cost?
Now we’ve gone through some of the factors that contribute to costs, let’s go through the average amount you should expect to pay for a home theater.
As a general rule, you should expect to pay around $50-$250 per square foot of space for your home theater. This would be an estimate if you were to build out the room from scratch. That means this cost can be lowered if you have existing space or items already purchased.
Other estimates based on size estimate that a small home theater could cost around $25,000 to create. A large home theater would, however, set you back around $70,000.
These two statistics are based on film industry standards. That means that they’re the kind of money you should expect to pay for the best quality home theater money can buy.
But it all depends on what design you’re hoping to go with. If you want a truly authentic, state-of-the-art home theater with proper cinema seats and surround sound, you’ll be paying the premium.
If you’re hoping for a smaller, more intimate set-up, you could be saving thousands. Think about what will work for you and your home, and then assess whether this can fit in with your budget.
If you have any of your budget remaining, you could upgrade aspects like adding more speakers or getting a laser-based projector. If your budget doesn’t quite stretch, consider fewer seats for now, or a smaller theater overall.
Where Can I Find Out More About Home Theaters?
We hope this post has helped you better understand the cost of installing a home theater in your luxury home. There are a lot of variables to consider, but don’t panic; this is an exciting time!
Remember that your home theater can be a representation of you and everything you enjoy. This is the major benefit of a home theater compared with visiting a theater outside of your home.
If you’re hoping to find out more about home theaters or home improvements, make sure to take a look through some of the other posts on our website.
