My first AV Build - False Chimney

simonlpearce

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This is my first build so go easy on me. Oh and apologies in advance for the lack of pictures, my work puter blocks image hosting and the like :mad:

Anyhow here's my recently purchased kit.

TV - Sony 46HX923
Receiver : Sony STR-DH810 7.1 3D
Front Speakers : 2 x Q Acoustic 1050i Floor Standers
Rear Speakers : 4 x Q Acoustics 2010
Centre : Q Acoustics 2000
Sub : Q Acoustic 2070
Player : Sony 3D Blu Ray (came free with TV)
Fireplace : Polaris Stone Effect Gas Fire
Sattelite TV : Sky HD
Tactile Transducer Setup : Skytec SPL1500 (2 x 750watt), ButtKicker LFE which is yet to be purchased.

Just bagged a set of 1050i for the fronts so the system will be full 7.1 by the time i am finished, or 7.2 if you include the tactile transducer.

So my lounge currently has an old gas fire inset into the outer wall, which looks pants and barely works. My plan is to remove this and build a false breast to house the new fire and all the AV equipment. I will also be completely re-decorating the lounge. I have just grudgingly spent £450 on radiators which i would have preferred putting towards a tactile transducer!!!:(

TV Box, some wood and some plasterboard. Oh and possibly a bit of my spastic dog which is stuck in its cage for 2 months since dislocating its hip:facepalm: You can also see the walls stripped and ready to be skimmed.
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Speaker boxes + 2070 tucked away nicely in the corner, plus my dogs collar which it had to wear whilst she had stitches in. You may also like my make shift curtain out of an old bed sheet, feel free to adopt that one! :laugh:
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Of course i couldnt resist opening it all up and having a play as its going to be a long process getting the room sorted. This is where the TV will be in the room, behind which you can just about make out the old fire place.
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I have a pal coming tonight to cap the current gas line and extend it so the new fire can be fitted, so will try an get pictures of the process.

On Saturday i have another pal coming over to help build the new fireplace out of thermal block and fireboard. The breast will then be built round it and will house all the AV Kit. So i will have the fire at the bottom, then my centre speaker, then my TV, then hopefully my AV kit can go in either glass fronted or flush hidden cupboards above the TV.

Of course before the TV gets mounted i will be checking the temps to make sure its not going to get too hot above the fire, but i dont think i will have problems as the fire will be properly vented and i may even throw up some heat reflective material too.

More pics and updates to follow over the coming days/weeks.
 
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Not a great deal of progress but have started to put the channel out the walls for the cable runs.

All measured up for correct height...
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And the first hole created ready for the trunking to be laid...
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I have 3 more identical to this for the surrounds so it can be a 7.1 setup.

My pal is over tonight to help me construct the chimney so should have a few more progress pics over the weekend and can start building the false chimney. Also need to find a sparky to run me a plug socket behind the stud work.
 
As promised below are some progress pics of the new fireplace going in. One thing i hadn't counted on was it coming so high up the wall, or even so far out into the room. Going to mount the TV as low as i can then have the centre above it. Unfortunately the centre cant go below as there just isnt enough depth for it in the build.

Old fireplace being blocked up...
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First few blocks down for new chamber...
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New chamber complete and gather in place...
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Hole made to find flue...
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Porcelain flu removed to make room for new flu (6inch metal pipe work)...
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Insides of a chimney...
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New flue in place and all fire cemented up so we dont get any unwanted leaks...
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Chimney stack completed...
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Big thanks to my mate Marty who is a chimney fitter by trade and did this for some beers, a bottle of Russian standard and a Domino's pizza. I owe him big time! If anyone needs any Chimney related stuff done up north (Manchester based) let me know and i will happily pass on his company details

Next plans are to build the stud work around this so i can house my TV, centre speaker and hopefully the AV kit will fit in the side of the false wall in a hidden rack of some kind, providing i have enough depth.

This last pic is of me figuring out how to move a socket. It seemed fairly straight forward until i stuck a chisel through a gas pipe!

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New gas pipe fitted, plus you can just about see the corner of my granite hearth which has gone down so i can measure up the stud around it.

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Hopefully this weekend i will find time to get the stud work complete, the plaster board up, and the radiators mounted ready for the plasterer to come in and work his magic.
 
looking good - i'm going to follow this closely as this is something I am needing to do soon. good luck & thanks for sharing this with us!
 
Ok so not as much done this weekend as I'd have liked, mostly down to my own retardedness and the fact I have never built a stud wall before, oh and the fact that most the wood was bowed 

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Please excuse the crappy phone pics, I don't really take a great photo...
 
Cabinet built to house the AV equipment which will sit in the side of the breast. Going to get a logitech harmony remote and RF Extender so there will be no issues using it all.
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Quick shot of the front where you can see the cabinet/box for the centre speaker. I since completed the box so it has sides all round, except the front. It seems this was a bad idea as the sound is no good, so i will need to start a new thread on how to solve that one...
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DVD/BluRay storage in the side. Going to either plaster this or line the insides with wood, then stick some glass shelves in.
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Most of the plasterboard up...
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Also i managed to sort the problem with the centre speaker by just removing the rear panel of the box it was in. I will also get some acoustic foam to put into the space behind it as someone has suggested in another thread but i think it will now be fine in there.

I have also tiled the fireplace and started to consider cable runs etc.

It is slow progress as im finding im learning a lot as i go along, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
 
Picked up the stands for my rears this evening.

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Also started to plaster the inside of my cubbyhole holes so I can actually fit my AV kit! I won't be doing all the plastering, just the small bits so I can get the kit mounted n out the way.

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I also have some acoustic foam on order to stick behind my centre speaker to try avoid echoes, but it sounds ok as is so any benefit is a bonus.
 
looking good simon , just one thing. have you tried your tv on the bracket.. i see its not a cantilever and plasterboard quite close to the edges of the bracket....

dont want u getting it all plastered n need hack it out..

just a heads up pal, i would do a test

yes i know you tried it with the timber frame,,, sorry forgot to add that
 
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Thanks for the heads up. I did actually make that very mistake but fortunately have been test fitting everything as I go. I did have to cut it back a bit but not loads.

Saying that I will have to make sure it will still go on with a few mm of plaster on there. I don't expect it to be a problem but worth checking!
 
Measure twice cut once...
I know what you mean.. think we fitted our TV every time I put a screw in.. its a 40 kilo TV... the Mrs looks like Popeye now...lol.
 
Great idea plastering the cubby hole yourself - a good way to get started plastering and to get ahead with the build at the same time!
 
Not had much chance to do any extra to my build, but did get one of the radiators fitted last night. Well when I say fitted I mean mounted, it's yet to be plumbed in...



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Excuse the weird White glow the phone seems to spaz out when you use the flash...
 
Nice mate now looking at starting on a new project myself
 
Cheers for the kind words, hoping to get a bit more sorted Sunday n get it all hooked up for a test run!
 
Finally everything is in and wired up, and apart from a loose cable on one of the surround speakers, it all went in first time!

I have plastered & painted the inside of the TV recess and also the cubby hole where the AV kit goes, oh and the BR/DVD shelf I am in process of building into the side (just needs some glass cut to size to finish it off). I will leave the proper plastering to a professional as the walls need skimming anyway.

Below are some pictures. You will have to excuse the nasty carpet and sofa. We bought the house off my dad when he moved abroad and these got left behind. They will be going!

The view from my seat...
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Rears all wired in...
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Just another random shot...
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My to do list now;
- Tile inside fire + fit fire
- Plumb in radiators then take back off walls
- Get everything skimmed
- Paint
- Fit new skirting boards
- New Carpet (front half of room)
- New wood floor (back half of room)
- Replace door
- Buy new sofa
- Sit back and enjoy copious films whilst drinking beer and the mrs nagging at me for having the TV too loud.
 
Thanks - I didnt finish wiring it up until gone 10 last night so not had much chance to put it through it paces...

Going to dig out a 7.1 film when i get in and see how it performs, plus make any tweaks to the levels etc. Initial thoughts are that the centre is a little overpowered, or the surrounds are underpowered. I expect this is something to do with the autocal settings so will do some fettling.
 
Stuck Conan The Barbarian on last night which is true 7.1! For some reason the surround left speaker isnt sounding as loud as the others and the surround right rear is also a bit muffled. Need to check all my wires again and make sure i havent disturbed something or gotten the + & - the wrong way round somewhere. Will then recalibrate it and try again.

Either way though i was massively impressed with the quality and need to seek out some more 7.1 films to annoy the Mrs with, lol.
 
Excellent. You seem to have a fair bit of space around that TV now.
Hope you're keeping that carpet...

I hope you're joking! Looks like someone was murdered in there..

My uncle is a carpet fitter by trade so will get him in to fit something nice and soft with some comfy underlay. Of course this will be the last thing on the list of to-do's.

Pics of the equipment installed...

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And the fire which is yet to be connected...

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I hope you're joking! Looks like someone was murdered in there..

My uncle is a carpet fitter by trade so will get him in to fit something nice and soft with some comfy underlay. Of course this will be the last thing on the list of to-do's.

Pics of the equipment installed...

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And the fire which is yet to be connected...

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Haha!
I have the very same carpet in the house we purchased a while ago. It's on the stairs and all bedrooms...hideous. I have (mild) asthma and my daughter an allergy, so aside from being unpleasant aesthetically, it makes us cough and sneeze all the blinking time. Until we get most of the work done, it will have to stay (I'll replace it with hard floor....everywhere, apart from the stairs). It's thick and lush...great breeding ground for mites I suppose.

Great job on the fireplace btw. Almost to the T the same as I'm planning for my fireplace. Can I ask why you what size frame you used? I'm hovering between 4x2 and 3x2. Trouble for me is the TV is a 42" plasma (new so lighter than the older models) and a cantilevered bracket which weighs a tonne too. I'm probably going to need a fair bit of framing and ply to hold up it (though I'm sure it will).

Cheers.
 

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