How Zebra Home Cinema Started: The First Build
Every company has a first project. Zebra Home Cinema's was a triple garage in 2019 — and it was documented on video from the very first structural assessment through to the final calibration.
The project set the template for everything that followed: rigorous acoustic construction, M&K Sound speakers throughout, Control4 automation, Anthem processing, and a philosophy that the room itself is as important as the equipment inside it.
This is a detailed account of that build.
The Space: Converting One Half of a Triple Garage
The client had a triple garage. The brief was to convert the double-garage section into a dedicated home cinema while keeping the single section for storage. The two spaces share a connecting access through to the main residence.
The first challenge was immediate: there is a bedroom directly above the cinema space. Whatever happens in the cinema room, it cannot disturb sleep one floor up.
That constraint determined the entire construction methodology.
The Acoustic Construction: Room Within a Room
Professional acoustic isolation at this level means building a new room inside the existing structure — physically separated from it so vibration cannot transmit through the walls, floor, or ceiling.
The wall construction specification:
| Layer | Material | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Outer | Fireline fire protection board (12.5mm) | Fire resistance |
| — | Foil-backed insulation (25mm) | Thermal + acoustic |
| — | Plywood (12.5mm) | Structural rigidity |
| — | RW3 rock wool (75mm) | Sound absorption |
| Inner | Acoustic plasterboard × 2 (15mm each) | Mass + decoupling |
The room is also built on a floating floor — physically decoupled from the concrete slab beneath. This prevents bass frequencies from transmitting structurally through the building.
"We're building essentially a room within a room. This internal wall is completely isolated from the adjacent wall — there's going to be an air gap here followed by lots of acoustic insulation to try and prevent transmission of noise to adjacent areas."
The rigidity test: knock on the finished wall. If you hear a dull thud with no sustain, the construction is correct. A resonant knock means the wall will colour the sound. On this build, the walls passed.
Speaker Positioning: Measured from the Listening Position
Speaker placement was calculated geometrically — every position measured from ear level at the seating position, not from the room's dimensions.
The geometry:
- ▪Front LCR: Equidistant left and right of centre, at ear level, behind an acoustically transparent screen
- ▪Surrounds: Ear level left and right of the listening position
- ▪Rear centres: Slightly raised (accounting for the second row) in the back section
- ▪Ceiling channels: Forward of the seating position, away from the walls, for optimal overhead Dolby Atmos delivery
- ▪Subwoofers: In-wall, built into the front corners
All in-wall speakers were mounted in ply-backed cavities rather than directly into the plasterboard — the ply absorbs vibration before it can reach the wall structure, and provides a solid, reliable fixing for the speaker baffle.
The Projector: Hidden in a Hatch
The Epson TW9400 projector is not visible from inside the cinema room. It's mounted in a dedicated projection booth built into the garage section outside the cinema, accessed via a hatch. Two apertures allow the image and ventilation to pass through.
The benefits are significant:
- 1.Noise isolation — projector fan noise is completely separated from the listening environment
- 2.Aesthetics — no visible projector in the room
- 3.Thermal management — projector heat dissipates in the garage, not the cinema
The cable run from the projection booth carries Wirestorm optical HDMI (for zero signal degradation over distance), speaker cable (14-gauge for mains, RG6 for subs), and control cabling.
System Specification
| Component | Specification |
|---|---|
| Projector | Epson TW9400 |
| Screen | Acoustically transparent, 3m wide, 16:9 |
| Front LCR + surrounds | M&K Sound in-wall |
| Ceiling Atmos | × 4 (2 front, 2 rear) |
| Subwoofers | M&K Sound, in-wall, front corners |
| Amplifier/Processor | Anthem (ARC Genesis calibration) |
| Automation | Control4 CA1 + Neo remote |
| LED lighting | High/low zones, independently controlled, multi-colour |
| Installation | Virtus Integration (Kane) |
Calibration: Software and Manual Cross-Check
Audio calibration used Anthem's ARC Genesis room correction system — but not in isolation. Kane from Virtus Integration ran the software calibration in parallel with manual SPL meter measurements, cross-checking the software's output against real-world readings at one metre from each speaker.
"I'm a bit old school. I get the old calibration DB meter out and measure the levels at each speaker at a metre first — trying to get a similar DB level at a fixed point from all the speakers. Then I run the calibration and cross-check what it does with the actual recordings. Because of the complete control we had over the room design, the subs have come out almost perfect."
The "almost perfect" qualifier is deliberate: the final calibration was to be performed again after the seating was installed, since every additional object in the room affects acoustic measurements. The commitment to re-calibrate after final fit-out is the difference between professional and semi-professional installation.
Control4: Scenes From Entry
The Control4 CA1 controls the lighting, projector, audio system, and screen from a single interface. Master on/off scenes are programmed into the entry switches — pressing one button at the door activates cinema mode. LED colours, brightness levels, and equipment states are all configured per scene.
The Neo remote was introduced on this project and immediately impressed:
"You can literally connect it to your system yourself, choose the room it goes in, it does software updates, downloads the room configuration. So far with the time I've used it, it's been fabulous."
Key Takeaways: Lessons from the First Build
- ▪Floating construction with air gaps and mass-loaded walls is essential when a bedroom sits above the cinema
- ▪Speaker backing in ply, not plasterboard — the structural difference is audible and the installation is more reliable
- ▪Hide the projector when possible — fan noise in a quiet scene destroys immersion
- ▪Manual SPL cross-check is faster AND more reliable than software calibration alone
- ▪Re-calibrate after final furniture installation — seating, carpet, and soft furnishings all affect the acoustic measurements
FAQ: First Home Cinema Builds and Acoustic Construction
How is a room-within-a-room constructed for acoustic isolation?
A room-within-a-room involves building a secondary structure inside the existing room that is physically decoupled from the outer structure. This typically means isolated walls (with air gaps and mass-loaded layers), a floating floor, and an independently suspended ceiling. The goal is to interrupt every structural path through which vibration could transmit — walls, floor, and ceiling all independently.
Why is an acoustically transparent screen used?
An acoustically transparent screen allows the front left, centre, and right speakers to be positioned directly behind the screen — exactly as in a commercial cinema. The perforations in the screen material allow sound to pass through with minimal attenuation, placing the audio at the correct position on screen. The trade-off is a slight reduction in image quality versus an opaque screen, which a good projector and proper setup largely eliminates.
What is the Epson TW9400 projector?
The Epson TW9400 is a 4K home cinema projector with a three-chip LCD (3LCD) technology. At the time of this project (2019), it was Epson's flagship residential projector, known for good brightness, reasonable black levels, and reliable operation. It was subsequently replaced by newer models in Epson's lineup but represents the level of projection quality achievable at mid-to-high residential budgets.
What is Control4 ARC and how does automation integrate with a home cinema?
Control4 is a home automation platform. The CA1 (Control Automation 1) is their entry-level processor for managing a single room — lighting, AV, climate — from a unified interface. ARC is Anthem's Room Correction software (not related to Control4). The two systems work independently: Control4 manages scenes and control; Anthem ARC optimises acoustic performance.
How long did this first project take from garage to completed cinema?
The full build — structural conversion, acoustic construction, AV installation, calibration, and finishing — was documented across multiple site visits spread over several months. This timeline is typical for a garage conversion that includes floating construction, full wiring, and bespoke joinery rather than a simple system installation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Zebra Home Cinema's first project?
A full garage-to-cinema conversion completed in 2019 — the room that started the company. It was a working two-car garage transformed into a dedicated, acoustically-treated, Dolby Atmos cinema, and remains one of the most-referenced projects when clients ask what's possible in an existing residential garage shell.
How long does a garage-to-cinema conversion take?
Most residential garage conversions run between 12 and 20 weeks from first design conversation to final calibration. The variables are structural — insulation upgrades, acoustic isolation from the rest of the house, ceiling height adjustments, electrical and HVAC re-routing — which together account for the majority of the build window before AV equipment is even on site.
What structural changes does a garage need before it can become a cinema?
Proper insulation (thermal and acoustic), full vapour barrier, soundproofing of shared walls and ceiling, electrical capacity for projection and amplification, and HVAC that can keep a sealed room comfortable without introducing noise. Most garages also need a structural ceiling treatment to allow for in-ceiling Atmos overheads.
What does a garage cinema cost?
Door-to-door, a properly executed garage cinema in the UK or Ontario typically lands between £40,000 and £150,000 depending on size, equipment specification, seating, and the structural condition of the starting space. The room build itself is often 40–50% of the total, with equipment and seating making up the rest.
Can any garage become a home cinema?
Most can, but not all. The deciding factors are ceiling height (you need enough headroom for projector throw, in-ceiling speakers, and acoustic ceiling treatment), wall construction (concrete and brick are easier to isolate than thin stud walls shared with living space), and external noise (a garage facing a busy road needs significantly more isolation work than one in a quiet position).
