A Home Theater Built on a Terrace: Climax Cinemas
When Mr. Vishnu first built his house in Perumbavoor, Ernakulam, back in 2013, a home theater wasn’t part of the plan. Like most people at the time, he simply didn’t think about a dedicated home theater. That changed during the COVID-19 period, when the family started watching more films at home and came across various home theater setups on YouTube. That’s when the idea took root for home theater room on terrace.
Project Overview
After seeing our work in home theatre installation in Kerala online, Mr. Vishnu reached out to Climax Cinemas. What followed was a two-year project that turned an unused first-floor terrace into a dedicated theater room that the whole family now uses every weekend.
Here is a quick snapshot of the project:
- Location: Perumbavoor, Ernakulam
- Space: Unused first-floor terrace, converted into a new room using a truss work structure and ACC blocks
- Room size: 19 feet in length and 11.5 feet in width
- Configuration: Klipsch 5.1.2 speaker setup
- Projector and screen: BenQ TK700 4K projector with a 135-inch Elite Screens Sable Frame screen
- Seating: Six motorized recliner chairs from Hushos
- Design: Custom home theater Kerala with a tri-colour theme of light brown, cream and black with golden stripes
- Project duration: Two years
- Approximate cost: ₹10 lakhs
Client Requirement
The brief from Mr. Vishnu’s family was clear: they wanted home theater room design that felt premium without being loud or overdone. They also wanted a home theater room on terrace that was comfortable for watching films, but pleasant enough for just sitting and talking.
Project Challenges
When our team visited the house, it became clear that the existing interior didn’t leave much room to work with. There was no dedicated movie theatre space that could be converted easily.
Even within the new construction, there were constraints. A beam on the left side, for instance, couldn’t be removed, so it was integrated into the final design rather than worked around awkwardly.
Our Solution
After looking at several options, the decision was made to construct a new room on the first-floor terrace using a truss work structure and ACC blocks. The finished room measures 19 feet in length and 11.5 feet in width, which is a practical size for a 5.1.2 setup.
Room Design & Interior
Colour Scheme
We went with a tri-colour approach. The left and right walls on the lower level carry a warm light brown shade. From there, a cream tone runs along the side walls, across the ceiling, and down the opposite wall. The back wall returns to the same brown. To break this up and add depth, the front section of the ceiling was finished in black, which provides contrast against the lighter tones elsewhere.
Golden stripes run along the side walls and ceiling, tying the whole look together. It’s the kind of detail that reads as considered rather than excessive. The acoustic carpet on the floor and the six motorized recliner chairs from Hushos, which is our own in-house brand, were selected to match this palette.
Lighting
One thing we pay close attention to in every project is how lighting feels in actual use. Harsh lights pointed at eye level ruin the experience regardless of how good the equipment is.
Here, recessed profile lights were fitted into the side walls at a placement that keeps the light indirect. The ceiling carries LED lights that work alongside the golden and black design elements. The result is an atmosphere that’s comfortable for watching films, but also pleasant enough for just sitting and talking, which is something Mr. Vishnu’s family specifically wanted.
Acoustic Treatment
Under the aluminium ceiling, V-board partitions filled with acoustic material were installed and finished with acoustic fabric. The side and back walls were treated with a combination of absorption and diffusion panels, placed based on the room’s geometry. The goal was to get the sound right without making the room look like a recording studio.
Equipment & Specifications
The entire speaker setup is built around a Klipsch 5.1.2 package:
Front Speakers: Klipsch R-600F floor-standing speakers with dual 6.5-inch Cerametallic cones, covering 38Hz to 25kHz
Centre Channel: Klipsch R-50C dual-drive speaker
Surround Speakers: Klipsch R-40M bookshelf speakers
Atmos Speakers: Klipsch CS-16 in-ceiling speakers
Subwoofer: Definitive Technology DN10, a 10-inch unit with passive radiators, 500W peak capacity, and bass response starting at 28Hz
Projector: BenQ TK700 4K projector
Screen: Elite Screens 135-inch Sable Frame series
Storage: Custom AV rack housing all equipment
The subwoofer choice was deliberate. The passive radiator design distributes bass more evenly across the 19-foot room, which matters in a space this size where bass can otherwise feel uneven depending on where you are sitting.
Why These Components?
The subwoofer choice was deliberate. The passive radiator design distributes bass more evenly across the 19-foot room, which matters in a space this size where bass can otherwise feel uneven depending on where you are sitting.
Installation Process
The project began with constructing a new room on the terrace using a truss work structure and ACC blocks. The beam on the left side was kept and built into the design. Inside the room, V-board partitions with acoustic material and acoustic fabric were installed under the aluminium ceiling, and absorption and diffusion panels were placed on the side and back walls. Lighting, the acoustic carpet, the six Hushos motorized recliners and the equipment, housed in a custom AV rack, completed the build.
Before the installation was finalised, our team arranged visits to other completed sites so the family could see different setups in person. That helped them settle on the theme and configuration that suited them, rather than picking something based on photos alone.
Final Result
Mr. Vishnu’s family has all major OTT platforms set up and integrated into the system. Friday nights and weekends are now spent in the theater together. They rarely feel the need to visit a public cinema anymore, which says a lot about how the space actually functions day-to-day.
Project Cost
The total project cost, including the six motorized recliner seats, was approximately ₹10 lakhs. Home theatre setup cost in Kerala can vary depending on several different factors.
Key Takeaways
- An unused terrace can be converted into a dedicated home theater with a new room built on a truss work structure and ACC blocks
- A fixed structural beam can be built into the design
- Indirect lighting makes the room comfortable for both films and conversation
- Absorption and diffusion panels, placed according to the room’s geometry, improve sound without a studio-like appearance
- A subwoofer with passive radiators helps spread bass evenly in a 19 by 11.5 feet room
- Getting in touch with a top home theater consultant in Kerala and visiting completed sites helps families choose a theme and setup with confidence
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: Can a home theater be built on a terrace?
Yes. In this project, an unused first-floor terrace was converted by constructing a new room using a truss work structure and ACC blocks, and it now works as a dedicated home theater on terrace for the family.
Q2: What size is the room, and what speaker setup does it use?
The room measures 19 feet in length and 11.5 feet in width. It uses a Klipsch 5.1.2 home theater setup speaker package with a Definitive Technology DN10 subwoofer, a BenQ TK700 4K projector and a 135-inch Elite Screens Sable Frame screen.
Q3: How much did this home theater cost?
The total project cost, including six motorized recliner seats, was approximately ₹10 lakhs. Home theatre setup cost in Kerala can vary depending on several different factors.
Q4: How was the room's acoustics handled?
V-board partitions filled with acoustic material and finished with acoustic fabric were installed under the aluminium ceiling. The side and back walls received absorption and diffusion panels placed according to the room’s geometry.
Thinking about building your own custom home theater in Kerala?
Whether you are starting from scratch or working with an existing space for home cinema installation, Climax Cinemas is happy to work through the options with you. Visit us at climaxcinemas.com to get started.
Thinking about building your own custom home theater in Kerala?
Whether you are starting from scratch or working with an existing space for home cinema installation, Climax Cinemas is happy to work through the options with you. Visit us at climaxcinemas.com to get started.