staff, utahvalley360.com
Most new home floor plans call for large entertaining rooms, spacious kitchens, inviting backyards and comfortable home offices.
Home is where we work, socialize and exercise. And many homeowners no longer want to venture into the cruel, cold world to find entertainment.
More and more Utah County residents are bypassing movie theaters and parks in lieu of their own home theaters and backyards.
“We all have less free time than we did years ago,” says Reed Snarr, owner of Reed’s Built-Ins in Provo. “Instead of going out into heavy traffic and sitting in a crowded movie theater, people want their own home theaters, where they can pause movies to make a treat and the risk of sitting next to an obnoxious person is minimized.”
Snarr says that while it is more affordable to plan for your home theater, telephone/intercom system, home security system or home stereo system during the construction phase, it is possible to install a perfect system in an existing home, without a lot of exposed wires.
“We have all sorts of tricks to hide wires behind baseboards or under carpet,” Snarr says. “Getting your home’s electronic systems installed by an expert is very important. Not every home is a ‘one size fits all’ situation.”
Designing and installing your home’s electronic components is most easily done while your home is being constructed and walls aren’t covered with drywall. The next most preferable situation to work around, according to Snarr, is a single-story home with an unfinished basement. The most difficult situation to work around is a multi-level home with a finished basement.
Home owners should expect to pay at least a few hundred dollars up to a few thousand dollars for the installation of a home stereo system, depending on the size of the home and system.
Home theater costs vary greatly depending on the quality of system and the customization of the setup. Consumers should expect to pay at least $2,000 for the actual theater system, and many consumers spend much more.
However large the investment, most home theater owners are pleased with the results.
For many, the luxury of sitting in a favorite chair at home, with friends and family, surrounded by the sound of a six-speaker digital sound system is worth the cost.