So, there’s a lot of extra time at home. How do I productively do something on the weekend besides read depressing news and generally skulk around like it’s end times? Why, let’s make a giant project out of it and install a projector in the backyard! What could be easier?
We have a decent-sized covered patio (roughly 10’x20’), and well, we’re out there a lot more than we used to be. So why not put a projector out back? There’s a pool too, so it needs to be big enough to see from the spa. Because reasons.
That's a 100" screen. That LED light on the left is brand new. There's one on the right too. We had to cut the holes for the lights. Turns out that's cement board on the ceiling (like Hardie Board you would use in a bathroom remodel), so that was fun. The projector is about the size of a Foster's beer can, and on an L bracket at the edge of the covered area. We cut the holes for the new lights and electrically wired those to the indoor switch that used to control the light in the middle of the patio. (We removed that light.) We put one on each side instead to avoid diffusing the projector's light. Then, we put in a new outlet, waterproof and all, and we got all fancy with the projector mount so now we can just slide it into place and take it down when the weather gets bad or we go out of town.
”But how?” Good question. Here’s how we did all this fun stuff (and probably lost a pound in sweat doing this over an afternoon in Texas).
The details:
This is the GoPro bracket we mangled for our needs. There were no screw holes in it, so we made some. Drill press and grinder and Dremel tool involved.
The attachment on the projector:
With this, we can simply slide the projector into place and slide it out when the weather is getting bad or when we're out of town. Note that the projector comes with a screw hole on the bottom that's the same standard as what you might screw a camera into on a tripod (1/4" x 20), so that worked out well.
How we got that giant screen to hang on a brick wall:
Those are 60lb. rated hooks (the screen is maybe 10-12lb.). We drilled into the mortar, put in anchors, and then screwed in the hooks. We need the stand-off on the hooks because there are decorative bricks that stick out 1 1/2" or so.
The electrical:
One giant outdoor-rated electrical box deep enough to hold the big transformer on the cord and also store the cord when not in use. I cut the hole and did the wiring on that part. It was great!
And finally, controlling the lights:
We realized that we didn't want a simple off/on solution, so I put a dimmer switch on the LED lights. The electrical outlet is going to a separate junction box so that it's always on and not controlled by the switch at all. Only the lights are on the (now dimmable) switch.
This was all done by me and my brother-in-law both as a way to pass time and the obvious: to make at least being out back a little more enjoyable when we really can’t go anywhere else.
Total cost for everything, besides sweat equity and a little know-how: around $750 or so. And I got slightly more than that back from a cancelled summer vacation. So win-win.
Have you done an unexpected project while stuck at home? Share in the comments. I’m curious to see what other people are doing in lieu of travel and otherwise going out this year.
Ps — I said “almost” in the title because next weekend I’ll drag an HDMI cable up through to where the new electrical is (right next to it) and make an outlet there so that we can watch regular TV as well. That won’t be nearly the same scope of project (maybe an hour), but then, and only then, will it be completed. :)