new construction, input appreciated

[mflanagan]

So I am sure I could find input if I dug through the various forums and categories, but there looks to be a ton of areas to look so I figured I would just ask the question.

We are planning a new home build, and I want to incorporate a space in the basement for a future simulator space. We are pretty set on the floor plan already, so I am looking to see where I could fit it in the basement without taking away from the rest of the area I plan on finishing. There is a corner of the basement that is about 13' wide, 16.5' deep, and will have 10' ceiling (although there may be some duct work I can't avoid, which would mean it drops to about 9' on a far side of the room). Would that be a sufficient space for a future build? Hitting mat would likely be placed about 8' from the screen, with a couch behind it as this will likely also double as a theater room.

Thoughts?

[Dax]

My only suggestion is to really ensure you get a ten foot ceiling. For what ever reason heating vents or other things could cause the ceiling height to drop down to incorporate these types of things. One idea it is to ensure everything gets built in with the joists.

[Peter P]

There are a number of systems that would fit in that space. I just got Sim-in-a-Box by Foresight. Fits in a 13x14 floor space and 9' ceiling.

https://shop.foresightsports.com/collections/sim-in-a-box/products/sim-in-a-box-eagle-plus-package

On sale now and I'm building a house as well. I'll store the system until the house is ready. This unit rivals Trackman. Looking forward to using it.

[mflanagan]

Ceiling will be 10’ for sure. Might drop in a small section if I can’t avoid it with the duct work, but it would be on the very edge of the room off to the side.

I do have an option of putting it in a space that is 16 wide by 18 deep, but that would be basically under the master bedroom. I love that size for the theater room and for the simulator room, but hesitate putting that under the master bedroom since I have kids and eventually they will use the theater room in the late evenings with their friends.

[Tonysmjc]

16 x 18 sounds perfect
sound proofing has come along way
and there’s always headphones for those late nights in the theater room

[Taco]

I say go for the 16x18 area if possible and spend a little extra on insulating the surrounding walls. Even a handful of rolls of fiberglass insulation would be a lot to kill the noise transmission. Further, for the master bedroom in general i think its good practice to seal it up a little better from noises, both coming and going .

My wife and I built our house 13 years ago, i love it, but insulating between floors and rooms is one of the few thing i wish we did some of.

[mflanagan]

Funny stuff Taco - not many noises coming from the master though....hence my desire to put in the golf area. Gotta have something to do in the winter...

[JeffW]

Hi, I built a few house a few years ago and did exactly what you are getting ready to do. My room is 19.6 Long by 14.6 wide and it's perfect. I also have 10' ceilings and I hit from 9' from the screen. One thing to note is a 10' ceiling in the basement, with the small drop in the ceiling you really only get about 9'8". Upstairs you get a true 10' but not downstairs. I had a great custom builder and this is what he stated and built for me. Foresight software people recommended Tartan golf mats which I purchased but they are about 2" tall so now I'm 9'6" from the ceiling. It not an issue but I have (twice) scuffed the ceiling only when hitting driver. Take a look at a few of the pics I uploaded. I bought a Carls Premium screen and then just hung it myself. I had my builder install larger 2x4s on the ceiling and down the sidewalls where i was going to hang the screen. I then used large J hooks at the top and metal L-brackets down the side to connect the screen too. If you have any more questions feel free to ask. I had a lot of input from people on this forum, foresight golf, the place i bought the projected etc.
Jeff

[mflanagan]

Nice setup Jeff.

what do you mean by the drop in the ceiling? You talking the studs and drywall once you finished the space, or something else with a basement setup I would need to consider. I am 6’4” tall so I want to make sure I have the clearance, so if I need to go 10’6” deep I will.

we don’t start the house until June most likely, and I am finishing the basement myself. So I have lots of time to plan and dream, and will certainly be on this site a ton before I get going. Everyone will be sick of me asking questions at some point.

[SunDevil0317]

Hi, I built a few house a few years ago and did exactly what you are getting ready to do. My room is 19.6 Long by 14.6 wide and it's perfect. I also have 10' ceilings and I hit from 9' from the screen. One thing to note is a 10' ceiling in the basement, with the small drop in the ceiling you really only get about 9'8". Upstairs you get a true 10' but not downstairs. I had a great custom builder and this is what he stated and built for me. Foresight software people recommended Tartan golf mats which I purchased but they are about 2" tall so now I'm 9'6" from the ceiling. It not an issue but I have (twice) scuffed the ceiling only when hitting driver. Take a look at a few of the pics I uploaded. I bought a Carls Premium screen and then just hung it myself. I had my builder install larger 2x4s on the ceiling and down the sidewalls where i was going to hang the screen. I then used large J hooks at the top and metal L-brackets down the side to connect the screen too. If you have any more questions feel free to ask. I had a lot of input from people on this forum, foresight golf, the place i bought the projected etc.
Jeff

What did you use for covering the walls and ceiling?

[Fhacker]

mflanagan u may want to think about 10’ basement walls. With a 10’ basement wall, where u lose height is the 4” or so slab floor. With that and another 1/2 inch to drywall ceiling u are down to 9’ 7.5”. Plus if u have floor covering and a 2” hitting mat u are under 9’6”. My old garage was that height I would occasionally scrape ceiling with driver. Really messes up driver with Sandplaster finish. I am 6’2”. Since u are 6’4” u may have same issue if ur swing is fairly vertical. I am in process of building a house. 1900sf basement, cost for each foot of height above 8’, about $6000/ft. I went with 9’ basement but doing my new sim in garage. I couldn’t justify another $9000 r so to get to 10.5’ in basement. I will have 10’2” clearance in garage, which is bit higher than usual but much cheaper to do than basement. Just my experience. If u have funds do basement all the way.

[mikemcd22]

If you do end up with the 13' wide space keep in mind that you will likely be offset from the middle. Not a big deal but it may preclude you from having lefties (assuming you're a righty). If you are going to have duct work, obviously you'll want that on the opposite side for your stance (which now definitely keeps lefties from playing). Otherwise, I agree with what's been said, add as much height as you can afford.

As far as soundproofing goes, it's my experience you can insulate all you want... it's not going to help much with bass from the theater or driver hits. There are some that have had good success with Moving mats hung behind the screen to absorb sound. Others have used temperpedic mattress toppers but I think that's mostly to protect the wall behind their screen. Speaking of which, you should have a minimum of 12' from screen to wall in that smaller space.

Good luck with your build. Excited to see the finished product. Wherever you put it, you won't regret having it!

[mflanagan]

We are building a 2700sqft ranch, but the shape of the house makes picking a spot for this room....interesting. Think I have it tucked away in a corner that will allow for 14 or 15' wide and 16 or 17' deep, with another section in back raised up for some stadium seating. I am a righty, and the duct work will be behind me as I swing, but will be a good 8' behind me if I go just off center with the mat.

For the 2700sqft house it was about 5k to go from 8' to 9' basement walls. To go to 10' or more was a bit more of a jump in price, so I am only making the golf section lower rather than the whole basement to help manage costs (they pour different footings and a different slab in that section, so I should be able to go about 10.5' deep.

We won't actually be digging the basement until late spring because the roads aren't even in yet, but are in contract discussions with the builder which is why I started asking this early. I will be back, and back often, for info and will certainly post along the way with questions/pictures. Excited to start, but it will likely be April 2021 before I am even in the house. Long road ahead...

Thanks for the input on sizes to everyone. Much appreciated.

[mflanagan]

Typically, where is the projector hung compared to the mat? I assume behind the swinging area, but by how much?

[wbond]

Short throw is usually in front. Non short throw is behind and brings in issues of shadows.