In case you’re not ready to sit down with an architect just yet, there is a book used by those in the construction industry to estimate costs of construction projects, “RSMeans Square Foot Costs.” Your local library may have a copy of this book in their Reference Section. There is a section in the book dedicated to the construction of movie theaters. Whether you build a single screen or multiple screen theater, it’s all based on square footage. There are tables near the back of the book to make adjustments to square foot costs for specific geographic locations. It makes a big difference in the cost as to where you build. It is customary to add a 10% contingency to the total projected cost, for unknowns. It is somewhat rare for a job to be completed on budget, solely based on raw data. The contingency helps to bring the projected cost closer to the actual cost. It seems the costs of materials are always going up. Good luck.
In case you’re not ready to sit down with an architect just yet, there is a book used by those in the construction industry to estimate costs of construction projects, “RSMeans Square Foot Costs.” Your local library may have a copy of this book in their Reference Section. There is a section in the book dedicated to the construction of movie theaters. Whether you build a single screen or multiple screen theater, it’s all based on square footage. There are tables near the back of the book to make adjustments to square foot costs for specific geographic locations. It makes a big difference in the cost as to where you build. It is customary to add a 10% contingency to the total projected cost, for unknowns. It is somewhat rare for a job to be completed on budget, solely based on raw data. The contingency helps to bring the projected cost closer to the actual cost. It seems the costs of materials are always going up. Good luck.