• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Millennial Boss

Follow Julie on Social:

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • About
  • Binge
  • Courses
  • Save Money
    • How to Save $26,000 in 7 Months
    • Paying Off Student Loans
    • DIY Wedding Flowers
  • Start a Business
    • Sell on Etsy
    • 101+ Easy Ways to Make Money Working From Home
    • Start A Lash Business
    • Start A Candle Business
    • Start a Lip Gloss Business
    • Start a Lifestyle Blog
  • Sell on Etsy
    • Etsy Shop Ideas for 2022
    • How I Made my first $1000 on Etsy
    • Create Printables to Sell Online
    • eRank Review
    • Sell Wall Art
    • Etsy SEO Tips
  • Printables
    • Free Heart Templates
    • Hot Chocolate Bomb Tags
    • Selling Etsy Printables
    • Gingerbread Man Templates
    • Butterfly coloring pages
    • Unicorn coloring pages
    • Best Digital Planners on Etsy
  • Contact

How to Make a Backyard Movie Theater with a projector screen

Last updated on September 19, 2020 By Millennial Boss Leave a Comment

This post may contain affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you purchase through my links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

My friend Emily made $375,000 on Etsy in her first 2 years selling digital products. She's a new coach in the E-Printables online course teaching you how to get started with this side hustle too. She's a mom of two kids and does this part-time. Join us?

My friend Emily made $375,000 on Etsy in her first 2 years selling digital products. She's a new coach in the E-Printables online course teaching you how to get started with this side hustle too. She's a mom of two kids and does this part-time. Join us?

diy movie theater for backyard
diy backyard projector pinterest
backyard theater guide pinterest

I am so excited about my latest DIY home project which is a backyard movie theater with a projector screen!  We are spending much more time at home this year than in years past so we really wanted to make the backyard special.

Now, we can spend cozy nights as a family watching our favorite movies on the projector screen under the twinkly lights of the pergola. Just last night I snuggled up with a blanket and a glass of wine and was able to stream my favorite TV show on the projector screen.  Amazing!

backyard movie theatre projector-min (1)

Yes, I can always watch a movie in my basement but there is something very special about the ambiance created with a backyard movie theatre. Just add popcorn and I feel like I’m transported to a whole new place.

This renovation project started last year when we upgraded our concrete patio and splurged on patio furniture.  This year, we decided to add a pergola to provide some shade in the hot summer months.

Once the pergola was complete we decided to add a projector screen and projector to really create the whole backyard movie experience. This post is a DIY post on how to create your own outdoor backyard theatre.

Step 1 – Build the pergola that will become the frame for the movie theater

I always knew I wanted a pergola for shade and the fact that our pergola can double as the frame for our projector screen is even better!

We chose this one from Backyard Discovery which has amazing DIY backyard kits that you assemble yourself. The pergola kit ships to you with directions and everything you need to build the pergola. 

You can pay extra to get professional installation if you don’t want to DIY but we did this project ourselves and its totally doable without the professional install.

I recently let Backyard Discovery know that I had purchased their pergola kit and was planning on writing a post. They sent me their Aspen Playhouse which I can makeover in my next post!  What a thoughtful gesture and I can’t wait to write about the playhouse makeover soon.

My husband and I were able to assemble the pergola together just the two of us. He did the majority of the work and only called me outside a couple of times to help with holding one end of the pergola up.

We had never built anything like this before and frankly, we were surprised by how easy it was. It took us two days to assemble the pergola and we only worked a few hours each day with plenty of breaks. We have a one-year-old so it takes awhile to get things done!

Here is why I love this pergola kit:

  • Love the color of the wood
  • Quality is great
  • Shipping was fast
  • Easy to setup yourself

We actually installed a clear roof over the pergola because we live in the Pacific Northwest and we have drizzly rain most of the year. Now, we can use our home theater year round which we’re really excited about.

Step 2 – Install the projector screen to the pergola

After we had the pergola complete we installed our projector screen directly to the longest side of the pergola frame. We chose the 100 inch projector screen pictured below and we are super happy with the quality and the size.

This screen may seem big but that is the whole goal of an outdoor movie theater and adds to the realness of the experience.

We didn’t do anything fancy to install the projector screen. We just screwed it into the side of the pergola using standard screws and a drill motor.

So far it has held up with the weather and the projector image looks really crisp on this screen. This here is the projector screen we chose.

Now, if you don’t want to build a pergola and use that as the frame on your outdoor theatre, you can just buy a stand up projector screen like this one here. We saw another family use this screen when we were camping and thought it was pretty cool.

Personally, I like the feel of the outdoor theater built into a pergola because it adds to the cozy experience of watching a movie outside but you can do this project as a standalone effort too.

diy backyard projector pinterest

Step 3 – Setup the projector behind your furniture

We had the hardest time picking a projector because we had never purchased one before. There were so many options in all different price ranges.

We decided to go with a projector in the medium price range and we are super happy we chose the one we did. The picture quality looks amazing and we definitely do not need to upgrade to something better.

The projector we chose comes with a carrying case too which makes it really easy to transport.  Our goal is to eventually install the projector in a box to the back side of the pergola like we saw on YouTube but for now we have it setup behind the patio furniture. We take it inside after we are done using it.

We run an extension cord from the back of the house to the projector which powers the theater.

Here is the projector we bought and love.

Why we love this projector:

  • Picture quality is GREAT
  • You can watch shows during the daylight too
  • It’s on the affordable end and still works great

If we wanted to, we would upgrade the sound quality perhaps with some outdoor speakers. For now, the speakers that come with the projector are fine for our purposes.

Don’t forget to use your FireTV stick so you can stream your favorite movies and TV shows directly to your projector! We plug it into the back of the projector.

We also brought out our wireless range extender to help our internet work better in our backyard but we haven’t even had to plug that in yet. Our internet was coming in just fine with no interruptions to the streaming. Your internet quality in your backyard may vary and you may have to use an extender.

If you don’t want to use WiFi, you can always use a DVD player and plug that into the projector when watching a movie.

Step 4 – Set up the twinkly lights to make it feel cozy

backyard-projector-screen-min
We love watching family movies on the big projector screen!

I found these twinkly outdoor lights on clearance at a local supermarket and I think it really adds to the feel when you are watching a movie.

You can’t see it in the picture really but I also added an outdoor rug from Wayfair which is another extra that I think makes the project really complete. I like to take my shoes off when watching a movie but don’t want to put them down on the patio floor which gets dusty and dirty. The rug helps out alot.

The patio furniture itself is from Joss & Main, I talk about it more in this post linked below.

Related Post:  My favorite backyard projects to makeover your home this year

 

Overall, this was a really exciting project that really added to our happiness at home this year.

What do you think? Are you thinking about setting up a home backyard theater?

  • About
  • Latest Posts
Follow J
Millennial Boss
Julie paid off nearly $100k of debt and is on her way to financial independence. She is the creator of the Make Money with Printables side hustle course where she teaches people how to sell printables on Etsy and blog as a side hustle.
Follow J
Latest posts by Millennial Boss (see all)
  • How to Make a Backyard Movie Theater with a projector screen - September 19, 2020
  • HONEST Passive Income Planner Girl by Michelle Rohr course review - May 25, 2020
  • 35 Pink Aesthetic Wallpapers with Quotes and Collages - May 20, 2020
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Backyard, Home

About Millennial Boss

Julie paid off nearly $100k of debt and is on her way to financial independence. She is the creator of the Make Money with Printables side hustle course where she teaches people how to sell printables on Etsy and blog as a side hustle.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

About Millennial Boss

Julie paid off nearly $100k of debt and is on her way to financial independence. She is the creator of the Make Money with Printables side hustle course where she teaches people how to sell printables on Etsy and blog as a side hustle. Learn more..

Footer

Please note that Millennial Boss has financial relationships with certain merchants mentioned. Affiliate links may be used and commission earned in this post. While all attempts are made to present correct information, it may not be appropriate for your specific circumstances and information may become outdated. Copyright © 2021. All Rights Reserved.

About Millennial Boss

Millennial Boss is a lifestyle and personal finance blog created by Julie, who paid off six figures of student loan debt and is now on the path to financial independence and early retirement through side hustles. She lives in Seattle and teaches others how to start blogging and sell printables on Etsy.
Learn more here.

About Millennial Boss
How to Pay Off Debt
Save More Money Faster
Start a Blog that Makes Money
Sell Printables on Etsy
Disclaimer & Privacy Policy

Looking for something?

  • Selling Printables on Etsy
  • Disclaimer and Privacy Policy
  • Media
  • Contact

Copyright © 2025 · Wellness Pro On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in