Well … we made it! I know I was exhausted at this point but incredibly satisfied. The vision that started as a “basement arcade” landed in an entirely new place – the Pinball Loft. It was bigger than I had originally envisioned and in almost every way was better. Below are images of the final set up.
I’ve had a few friends over after the build and it became apparent that I needed places for people to put their drinks.
I already had about a dozen Pingulps from the good folks at Pinball Life but clearly that wasn’t going to cut it – sent Terry an email and quickly ordered 26 more
I always order the “right side” mounting option, but then mount them to the left side of the coin door. This puts it in front of the machine instead of to the side. I’ve want that room on each side to service games.
The sleeping loft required quite a bit of planning and effort. The outcome was exactly what we wanted, extra bunk for folks to crash in or relax with a glass of wine and if not utilized, a focal point for the room that with the cedar planking presents a very warm view where people gather and talk. We had to order custom matresses/pads (2 of them) and after sleeping there on several occasions, it’s pretty comfortable. At 50+ years old, I need to get up several times per night to visit the restroom … now THAT is a challenge climbing out night!
Bathrooms are not typically a point of discussion but mine did not start out as a bathroom . It was originally conceived as a work room. Partway through the build it became apparent that asking folks to go downstairs to use the restroom was not a good idea. I begrudgingly added a toilet and vanity. I asked the plumbers to add water supply and a drain beneath the floor in case I wanted to add a shower later. When I bought the first “appliance” (the red fridge), it started a cascade of looking for “all things red” for the restroom. Being a bit obsessive (wife is now laughing her a@@ off) I spent way too much time finding red trashcans, toilet paper holders, tissue dispensers, used pinball containers …
Other hobbies occupy the Loft as well and you’ll find my complete Ham Radio setup with attic installed antennaes. I’ve got a Rowland E-drum kit (that I struggle to play) and a few other items that tie in with my personal interests outside of Pinball. You’ll find a fuel filter from a Saturn 5 Rocket, the largest lava lamp that Mathmos makes, a piece of cardboard given to me by Steve Ritchie while he was dressed as a priest, the original Simpsons donut that was on display at Universal Studios and more!
I’m an artist by training and an Marketing/IT leader by trade. As a trained artist, I can’t help but enjoy graphic art (or course there is lots to be enjoyed in a Pinball game). As a result there is a good bit of it hung in the Loft. I’ve got a hard rule – none of it above the games or on the ceiling. I really want the Loft to have a clean/organized look. You’ll find work by Christopher Franchi, Python Anghelo, Tom Whalen, Blake Dumesnil, Scott Derby, Patrick Owsley and more. Like many people that love art … I’m “out of walls”.
If you saw the Steve Ritchie “pinball confessions” session at TPF 2018, I got the cardboard sign he held up before each “confession”. I chased him down after the session and he was gracious enough to sign it. I took a pic of him and Gomez during skit- it was genuinely funny!
Partway through the build, I saw a post on Pinside where someone had hung a vertical screen in their gameroom to play digital Pinball “attract screens” – thought I’d try that myself and before the room was finished I had the file built and ready to go. There are some complexities in hanging an LCD screen vertically but once I settled on the right mount, it was fairly straightforward. The mount also articulates and rotates so … when I want to stream a movie, I just pull it off the wall and rotate it to horizontal for viewing!
The only video in the entire Loft is Big Buck Hunter Reloaded. I ordered the Mini version and we love it. No need to go into detail here. If you want to know more about it. Read for yourself on this very blog.
As you probably know, my wife is an extrovert. All the cool people we meet start with her. As a result, we get lots of “famous” folks over to the loft to play some Pinball. What’s common among all of them is that they are nice people. Down to earth. People that I enjoy hanging with because they are great people first, not who they are or what they mean to others.
Chris Blue (Winner of the “Voice” and singer/song writer extraordinaire) loves Pinball and Iron Man is his fav. A humble and godly young man with an amazing family surrounding and supporting him.
Big Smo (recording artist, inventor of country rap – breakout album charted on 3 Billboard charts, reality TV star and more) just loves Pinball, fun and country people. Geez, how many people can claim to have invented a genre of music?
John Schneider (Movie maker, Country star, Bo Duke on Dukes of Hazzard) Whos is an extremely gracious man, with a lovely and talented wife (Alicia) enjoys Pinball, making movies and spending time with friends
Keith Burns (Founding member of the AMA Artists of the Year – Trick Pony, successful songwriter, actor and all around great guy) is a big Elvis fan (and besides playing guitar, beats a pretty mean drum as well). He and his wife Bonnie are dear friends.
Mark Uhran (Director and AA Administrator of the ISS. Yes – he’s the guy that directed the US side of the effort to put the International Space Station into orbit). Mark dropped by our annual Christmas party and toured the Loft. He and his lovely wife also happen to be neighbors.
All of them have enjoyed time at the Loft – and we’ve loved hosting them
I wanted the Loft to be first and foremost, a place to see, play and enjoy Pinball. To make sure the experience was complete, I installed a Klipsch Reference and SVS subwoofer based sound system running Sonos as my source. It’s 4 channels set up as 2 L’s and 2 R’s (on opposing sides of the room). The subs are SVS PB12-NSDs and are placed in opposite corners tucked underneath Pinball machines. It’s not quite “club level” sound pressure but it is awful close! As you can see, it leads to activities “other than” Pinball (and that’s just fine with me!).
Finally, as part of the complete “branding” package (that a marketing guy must do) I had some enamel pins, coasters and 5×7 info cards made up for the loft. Even though some of the visitors are not Pinheads, at least they can leave with a memento of their visit – just something small to say “I was there and it was cool” – if it’s your first visit to the Pinball Loft, we’ll be sure you get one!
The front side of the card is a simple image of one side of the room with the associated logos from the game manufacturers. I’ve also boldly stated that this is the largest (all working) private collection in TN. I know for sure there are larger collections our there – but also know that a significant portion are sitting in garages, sheds and barns and not operational. I’m not aware of any larger WORKING collections but if you know of any, I’ll be happy to claim “one of the largest…” in the next printing 🙂
The back side of the card has a short history of Pinball, how to play and some more background on the games. It wouldn’t be complete without pictures of my wife hanging out with Jack Guarnieri (Jersey Jack Pinball) and Joe Balcer (American Pinball).
Hey – thanks for getting to the very end! I hope you learned something and enjoyed the story along the way. Subscribe to the blog if you want to keep in touch and receive routine updates, Pinball reviews and more.
If you’re a Pinhead and traveling through Tennessee in the future, drop me a message on Pinside and we can arrange a visit if you’re so inclined.
More details of the build can be found at Pinside HERE
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