Consumer E-Newsletter - 09/29/2006 (Plain Text Version)

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In this issue:
Buying in a Soft Housing Market
The Advantages Are With YOU: The Economics of a Buyer's Market
Lower Your Home Heating and Energy Costs in Time for Fall
Loving Your Leaves: Prepping Your Garden for Fall
Time to Tailgate in Your New Media Room
Want to Think Green? Download This Great Guide!
Bungalows: All the Rage
Quick Remodeling Tips to Open Up Your Kitchen
How Bright is Your Future?
Free, Award-Winning Educational Tool for Teachers
Did You Know?
Inside the Homeowner's Mind...Tell Us What You Think!
Subscribe to NAHB HouseKeys Today!

Time to Tailgate in Your New Media Room

With autumn comes the return of one of America’s favorite pastimes — football season. People will be tossing the ball around in their backyards as well as tuning in to see their favorite teams on the television. But forget inviting the friends over for chips and salsa with the big game on the small screen — many homeowners are now looking to upgrade their football experience with a custom media room.

A custom media room can upgrade any viewing experience, including the big game.
What is a Media Room?
The term “media room” or “home theater” first emerged in the 1980s and became more popular in upscale homes in the 1990s. Today, media rooms are much more common and have emerged as one of the most-wanted amenities in a home. In a recent NAHB consumer preferences survey, 37 percent of consumers ranked home theaters as a desirable or essential element in their homes.

Builders are responding to this growing consumer demand. Ten percent of new homes are built with full-fledged media rooms, and more than three-quarters of builders are providing these rooms for their customers.

What makes a media room or home theater varies. In upscale homes, this can mean a customized room with theater-style seating, surround sound and a projection television. This type of luxury media room can cost anywhere from $15,000 to upwards of $100,000, depending on the design.

In an average home, creating a more typical media room may mean converting an existing room into a dual-purpose space with a dedicated area for high-tech media equipment. A family room or basement can be transformed easily into a home theater without losing the original design of the room. Homeowners can opt for a projector and drop-down screen to replicate the movie-going experience without dominating the room.

The Room
The average new home is 2,434 square feet, which is 62 percent larger than the average new home in 1970. As the average home gets larger, homeowners look for more flexibility in the additional space. Recent trends have also shown a decline in the popularity of the living room for family gatherings. As family rooms have taken over, more and more homeowners are choosing to dedicate this room to their televisions, computers, and other electronics.

As homes grow, so do TVs. As any football fan will tell you, bigger is better, and today’s high-definition televisions offer the viewer the feeling of being at the game from the comfort of their own homes. With remodeling spending at an all-time high, many home owners are choosing to renovate so they can enjoy this tailgate experience at home. A media room enhances not only the viewing experience, but also adds value to the home.

The Equipment
It is important to consider room size when planning for seating and other viewing accommodations. General recommended viewing distance from a television is between 2 and 2 ½ times the width of the TV screen. Room décor, budget and lighting are all factors to consider when selecting among the various television options. Television choices include front-projection, flat-panel or rear-projection. Many companies now offer furniture specifically designed for a media room such as recliner chairs or a shelving unit that can house a television, but can be turned around to look like a bookshelf when not in use.

So whether football, movies or video games are your thing, consider making the most of it with your new home theater. It is sure to enhance your TV-watching experience and will make you the envy of all of your friends at your next tailgate party.