Turning your basement into a home theater room can add value to your home and keep your kids out of your hair, but there are some common pitfalls to avoid.

1) Don’t sheetrock the ceiling—you may need to access pipes and flooring to the upstairs—but do invest in an attractive ceiling treatment that looks finished.

2) Don’t overdecorate with busy patterned flooring or try to cram too many items into a small space. When it comes to HT, less is more.

3) Do add dimmers and tuners to overhead lights so you can fine tune them later, and do take advantage of under-lighting on shelving and display areas.

4) Don’t chop up the room just because you need electricity in a certain place. Install wood columns instead of walls to maintain a spacious look. Finally,

5) Do install plenty of electrical outlets so you don’t end up overloading only a few. Electronic components, TVs, and gaming device use lots of electricity.