Riser Construction

The riser was constructed using 2x6s with 2x4s on top. This yields about 7+ inches of height. After adding a top sheet of plywood, the total height is about 8 inches.

This figure shows a close-up of one section with an attachment to the concrete.

The riser is not directly attached to the concrete. Instead, four wood blocks with two bolts are anchored to the concrete and positioned to hold the riser. This image shows one of these blocks. A moisture barrier was placed under the 2x6s.

This image shows the riser with its top layer of 2x4s and fiberglass insulation stuffed between the studs to dampen the interior. BTW the framing is held together with wood screws instead of nails. I felt that using screws would be a little more solid.

Some builders would have stuffed the interior with sand, which is very inert and prevents the riser from vibrating, but insulation was easier, and at the time, I felt it was good enough.

It might have been possible to place some openings in the riser and use the insulation as a base trap, but this seemed like an added complexity with a small (if any) benefit.

This image shows the riser now covered with 3/4-inch plywood. Since the riser is at most 8-9 inches tall, it was not necessary to add a stair step, which simplified the construction slightly. However, as stated elsewhere, the riser height should have been 10-12 inches tall, and in that case, a stair step probably would have been necessary.

Instead of making the platform a rectangle, I cut the corners at a 45-degree angle, as seen in the photo. This was done partly because it looked better, but more importantly, to reduce what I thought might be a tripping hazard when people walked around the corners of the platform.

The riser was designed to fit three home theater recliners. Originally, it was going to be open on all sides, but during the early construction, it was decided that building a short half-wall would be better for several reasons.

1. The short wall would more clearly separate the area between the wall and the door, making it feel like an aisle.
2. The wall covers up the rear of the theater seats to give a cleaner look when entering the theater.
3. A power outlet was added halfway, hiding the recliners' power cords.
4. The shelf top on the half-wall could be used to place the remote control for the theater.

The wall also created a minor issue: occasionally, stuff on the shelf would fall behind the seats, making it difficult to fish that stuff out.

In many home theaters, the riser is completely covered in carpet, but as shown in the photo, this riser was designed to have carpet on the top center where the seating will be. Then, the riser is framed with oak trim on the outside edge and around the base. The same oak trim is added to the top of the short wall to make a small shelf. Baseboard molding was added around the bottom of the wall to be consistent with the rest of the room's baseboard molding.

Not visible in the image, the back of the half-wall was painted grey, and some picture frame molding was added purely for aesthetics.

A professional installer installed the carpet island on the riser (I don't do carpet). The only remaining work is to add the three recliners.

Most home theater risers have some lighting to help viewers access the seating and avoid tripping over the riser. For this design, I added a groove around the edge of the riser that can fit a rope light. Adding the rope light was also just a nice accent to the riser.

Even though it was not necessary, the rope light extends around all three sides of the riser. This provides nice illumination around all sides of the riser and allows me to hide the power outlet for the rope lights in the back corner of the riser.