Hamptons latest must-have? Home screening rooms

Home movie theaters have gone from being a rare luxury for houses in the Hamptons to an essential amenity.

Private screening rooms for homes in the Long Island enclave have now become more in-demand than wine cellars or tennis courts — and Hamptons homebuilders have learned that these days, spec houses on the market need to accommodate this desire.

Christopher Burnside, a builder of spec homes, told the New York Times that if a house doesn’t come with a home theater, then “the buyers ask why not, with the implication being the builder cheaped out. Wine cellars are kind of optional, but home theaters aren’t.”

Luxury homebuilder Michael Davis, who builds one spec home a year, recently built a $23 million estate on Parsonage Lane in Sagaponack with an ocean view and a home theater that can seat 18. The theater features a 120-inch digital screen, a JVC 3D-capable projector and Marantz Surround Sound.

“A home theater, if you do it right, is a self-contained capsule,” Davis said. “They’ve become very popular since 2008 because now it’s all about streaming media. And kids seem to gravitate to being subterranean.” [NYT] – James Comtois