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AVMASTER
02-15-2005, 08:15 AM
Gentlemen;
I'd like to share and get opinions on a interesting proposal, a new customer has asked me if i can create an outdoor theater for his backyard. The space is 15' x 24' and consists of just a concrete slab, ( originally for a custom garage, he collects old exotic cars ) no landscaping, trees, and another 12' from the main house. He has a budget of roughly $15k and no desire to enclose this space. I haven't accepted this yet but curious what you guys would come up with

edtyct
02-15-2005, 08:45 AM
Gentlemen;
I'd like to share and get opinions on a interesting proposal, a new customer has asked me if i can create an outdoor theater for his backyard. The space is 15' x 24' and consists of just a concrete slab, ( originally for a custom garage, he collects old exotic cars ) no landscaping, trees, and another 12' from the main house. He has a budget of roughly $15k and no desire to enclose this space. I haven't accepted this yet but curious what you guys would come up with

Now there's a problem. Why not enclose it? For $15,000, you'd think that he could put up a reasonable structure and still have money for a decent theater. Of course, he'd have to run electricity and, if he's in a cold climate, heat the thing. But that's not what he wants. Given the car connection, I guess he could erect a small drive-in. But seriously, folks, could he hang a retractable/removable screen from the back of the house and use the concrete slab for seating; outdoor in-wall speakers for the fronts and other outdoor speakers beside and behind the slab for surround (preferably not on the ground); a small waterproof housing somewhere on the slab to house a projector and whatever electronics are desirable and/or feasible? He could run the electricity underground. Am I misinterpreting the problem? A permanent, open-air, outdoor theater strikes me as something of an oxymoron, if not prohibitively impractical, but the customer is always right, I guess. As long as he didn't expect miracles, it might be a fun challenge (easy for me to say).

Ed

paul_pci
02-15-2005, 11:07 AM
I hate to ask the obvious, but does this guy have neighbors?

markw
02-15-2005, 11:17 AM
Unless he's going to be using this only at night, I'd say ambient light levels might be a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig problem.