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The unprecedented growth of the real estate industry over
the past twenty years has caused homeowners to look at their
own house solely in terms of resale value. Keeping tabs on
your home's worth is prudent, but every now and then it's
refreshing to shift our attention from the bottom line to life
itself. This month's newsletter focuses on two specialty rooms
that have more to do with enjoying your home than making a
profit.
Creating a Home Gym
We have plenty of excuses to not get in shape. We don't
have the time. We don't have the money for a gym membership.
We are tired beyond belief. Most of all, we don't know where
to start.
Making room for a home gym removes many of these obstacles.
The biggest benefit of having an exercise room in your home is
the convenience factor. No longer do you have to worry about
lugging yourself to a gym that may be miles away. A home gym
can also make fiscal sense - gym memberships can be expensive.
Having exercise space in the comfort of your own home is a
great way to jumpstart a healthy lifestyle
Essentials: balance
Before you begin planning your home workout space, you need
to know what your health goals are and what exercise plan will
best help you meet those goals. An ideal exercise plan
balances conditioning, strength training and flexibility.
Fitness and health magazines can be a great resource, or you
may wish to set up a consultation with a personal trainer to
discuss your options.
Finding your space
Spare bedrooms are ideal for home gyms because of the space
and light they usually provide. Basements can serve as an
adequate space provided that the light, air quality and
environmental elements are sufficient.
The amount of room you'll need will be determined by your
style of workout. Highly aerobic workouts require sufficient
room to move. If strength training will be an emphasis, you
will need room for equipment (regardless of whether you decide
to purchase machines or free-weights). By the same token,
exercise machines take up a varying amount of space. Any
workout area should be laid out with plenty of breathing
room.
Buying equipment
 Prior to buying any equipment, make sure that what
you'll be purchasing fits in with an exercise program that you
will realistically keep up with. A good salesman might be able
to pitch you a state-of-the-art machine with hundreds of
features, but it will do you little good collecting dust in
six months. Set your exercise program, research equipment
beforehand, and stick to your guns.
It's best to avoid the big "box" stores that sell
everything from appliances to lawn furniture when shopping for
exercise equipment. Specialty retailers have higher quality
products and more knowledgeable sales staff. Whenever possible
have equipment delivered assembled and installed, and inquire
about repair programs or warranties.
When buying complex equipment, saving a few dollars may
lead to significant disappointment later on. It's worth your
while to spend a little extra to ensure quality. Always give
equipment a thorough test on the sales floor.
Gyms for every budget
Here is a basic outline of suggested equipment at three
different price setups.
Budget gym
- Jump Rope
- Exercise Ball
- Aerobics Step
- Dumbbells
Middle of the road
- Non-computerized stationary bike or rowing machine
- Inexpensive set of free weights
- Adjustable bench
- Exercise Ball
The dream gym
- High Quality programmable treadmill (health club
quality)
- Elliptical trainer or Stationary bike for cross-training
- Premium multi-station machine with more than one stack
of weights
- Adjustable bench with plate weights
Aesthetic appeal
A spacious room with top-of-the-line equipment won't make
much difference if you hate stepping foot in the place. While
you don't have to create an exercise utopia, it is important
that you enjoy (as much as possible) the room in which you'll
be working out. Keep the room well lit without crossing over
into washed-out fluorescence.
Choose soft carpet that will comfort and cushion your body
during floor exercises. The room should be adequately
ventilated, and you may want to invest in an air conditioning
unit.
Extras
If you truly want to deck out their exercise space, you can
go wild with amenities to your home gym. Many people enjoy
watching TV while working out - particularly when doing longer
cardiovascular exercises. Ceiling mount kits are fairly
inexpensive and easy to install. If you're a music lover, you
may want to save space for a small stereo system. You can
install a water cooler for relatively little expense, or
simply keep a mini fridge stocked with water and/or sports
drinks.
Hollywood at Home: Create Your Own Media Room
The overhead lights dim as the credits roll on the screen
at the front of the room. The couple seated in front of you
wraps up their conversation in anticipation of the film.
You're only missing one thing to complete the movie
experience: a bag of buttery popcorn. No big deal - just hit
the pause button. After all, you're at home.
Once only the luxury of movie producers or the very rich,
home movie theaters and media rooms are starting to find their
ways into suburbia. Lower prices of projection equipment and
high definition televisions have helped make home theaters
more affordable for homeowners seeking a new standard in
entertainment. For the movie buff, sports fan, or video game
enthusiast there is nothing quite like having a private media
sanctuary at home.
Types of home theaters
Cinephiles and audio/video purists may dispute the
application of the term "home theater", but essentially there
are three types commonly found today.
Family Room 2.0 - The best option for those movie lovers
who lack the funds, space or dedication to create a
full-fledged theater at home is to simply upgrade their
existing family room. The variety of high definition and flat
panel televisions on the market means that you can transform
your existing family room into an entertainment haven without
knocking out any walls. Add a nice base level audio system and
sun-blocking window shades. Your existing furniture should be
arranged with sightlines and foot traffic in mind.
Media Room - There was a time not so long ago when the TV
was the center for entertainment at home, the undisputed
champion of weeknights. While our love for movies and
television hasn't diminished, TV now competes with the
internet, increasingly-realistic video games and the digital
music experience for our attention. A media room is a space in
your home dedicated to all of your technological
entertainment. A true media center is a place where you can
watch movies, browse the internet, watch TV, play video games
and plug in your portable music player.
Full Home Theater - The true home theater is a room
designed to mimic the movie theater experience. Screens are
larger than life, and seating is typically in rows to focus on
viewing rather than interaction. The home theater is generally
a less-frequently used room than either a family room or a
media room, and is therefore considered more of a luxury than
the others.
Should you get professional help?
Creating a home theater is far more complicated than simply
buying components and hooking up wires. Depending on your
plan, you may require electrical work, flooring, painting and
the installation of the actual components themselves. Once
you've decided what you want out of your media room, you have
to decide if you will hire a contractor, perform the work
yourself, or some combination of the two.
Contractors that specialize in home theater design can be
expensive ($30,000 and up), but are perfect for high-end homes
looking for a custom, professional home theater. If you're
focusing on practicality, contractors that specialize in
integrated home audio/video systems are typically less
expensive.
Doing the work on your own can be economical but
challenging. You may choose to do most of the work while
hiring contractors to tackle specific tasks (the lighting, for
example). Store technicians can often be hired to perform
installation of components at a fairly low price.
Pick your room
The basement makes an ideal location for a home theater
because of its lack of natural sunlight. Any room you choose
should be wide enough to fit comfortable seating and long
enough to place that seating at some depth from the screen. If
you aren't doing a complete remodel, you will want to choose a
room with adequate insulation to minimize sound leakage.
Components
Plasma and other flat-screen televisions are a popular
choice for family rooms and media rooms. Home theater purists
usually turn to high-quality projectors due to the larger
screen size that they afford.
 Audio can be just as important as picture when it
comes to the home theater experience. Most of us are used to
two-channel sound - left and right speakers to either side of
the TV. Surround sound adds a center speaker above the picture
and (at least) two speakers behind on either side of the room.
Depending on the type of speakers you buy, you may want to
also incorporate a subwoofer to handle all bass frequencies.
Speakers that are wall mounted or on stands will provide the
best quality of sound.
If you're on a budget, you should plan to spend between
$7,500 and $12,000 for audio and video components. For those
with looser strings and larger eyes, the system itself can
easily cost $50,000 or more.
Walls
Wood paneling is especially popular, particularly medium to
dark woods that can help create an inviting viewing
atmosphere. Wood paneling may not be the best selection for
basement home theaters, as it can have a certain 1970's rec.
room connotation. If wood paneling doesn't suit your tastes,
paint the walls a color that suits you without being
distracting.
Adding movie posters is a nice way to push the "at the
movies" ambience, and they also provide an easy way to
personalize the space by placing posters of your favorite film
genre or era.
Seating
The type and arrangement of your home theater furniture
will be largely determined by how you intend to use the space.
Should you see the room as a true home theater, you'll likely
want several rows of theater-style seating. Theater-style
recliners are more comfortable than standard theater seats.
Consider placing small tables between the seats.
If you plan on using the room for a variety of
entertainment purposes (watching movies, playing video games,
watching sports) you'd be better served with a more typical
living room layout. Thick couches placed with good sightlines
to the screen should do the trick. Whatever furniture or
layout you choose, make sure there is adequate walking room.
Lighting
Lighting is critical to forming a true movie theater
setting. If you're using an aboveground room for your home
theater, invest in blackout curtains to help seal the room
from outdoor light. Wall sconces are good if you're looking to
set a laid-back tone. Recessed lighting is also popular in
home theaters. Some homeowners go so far as to install floor
lighting (track lighting or basic rope lights). Any lighting
should compliment the screen at all light levels.
Flooring
Most experts recommend carpeting for home theater rooms, as
it is both comfortable and warm.
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