We did a family project in early August to add stadium seating in the media room. This consisted of removing the carpet, building a riser (details later), putting in new carpet, then adding two rows of 4 Berkline theater chairs.

This really was a pretty fun family project. Nicholas and Danielle helped (yes, Lynette did too!). Here is a shot of Nicholas and me getting ready to start the project.

We were good and followed the rule of measure twice and cut once. It served us well.

RISER CONSTRUCTION:

The riser was constructed from 2X8s — just like building a wall with 16″ centers. The width was about 11 feet wide and the depth about 7 feet. To eliminate any issue with feedback from the three powered subwoofers spiked into the floor, I insulated it so there were no air gaps. I ran out of insulation at the very end, so I just took some carpet padding that was going to be thrown away anyway and filled in the gaps.

The next step was to add two sheets of 3/4 plywood on top of the riser. The plywood was glued down to the 2×8 studs, then screwed in to eliminate any future squeaking issues. If you look closely at the edge, you can see I added a 1.5 inch overhang to dress it up a bit.

In addition to helping to measure, cut, carry (in 100 degree heat) the wood from the garage upstairs to the media room, Danielle & Nicholas were a great help to clean up our construction mess.

Below are a few shots of the remodel project. First is a photo with no furniture and the new carpet. Then you’ll see the room in a couple of different angles with the black Berkline theater chairs installed.

If you have any question on how it was made, just let me know by adding to the comments. There are some great resources on the Internet — just search on Google. This was a great project and one that will provide countless hours of enjoyment!

Blockbuster video has an interesting promotion going on through December 21, 2006. If you have a Netflix account, just save your red address labels, bring them in to a participating Blockbuster and you’ll get free DVD rentals from Blockbuster. All the details are here.