Project example: a 55-inch TV with hidden wires in a remodeled living room near Bolsa Avenue — what it involves and what it costs

The scenario

A single-story house has been opened up: the wall between the kitchen and the living room is gone, the doorway has moved, and fresh drywall covers the new walls. The household wants the TV on the long wall facing the sofa with no cords showing.

The remodel moved or cut some studs, and the drawings are gone. The outlet that used to sit behind the old TV spot is now behind a kitchen cabinet, and the nearest one is a few feet away.

The wall faces the sofa and the kitchen island at once, so the position of the screen is worked out from both.

The household also wants the cords from the sofa-side console to stay out of sight, and a pair of speakers sits on either side of the long wall. The installer treats the speaker wire as a separate low-voltage run so that nothing stray ends up next to the power kit.

What the job involves

1. Tape outlines the screen and the installer sits at the sofa and at the island to judge height and distance.
2. A stud finder gives a first guess; probe holes where the plate will sit prove the studs after the remodel.
3. The plate is bolted into proved studs, and a wide plate is used where they sit off-center.
4. The TV hangs on the plate and locks.
5. An in-wall rated power kit and a CL3-rated HDMI lead are run through the wall from the TV to a low plate beside the existing outlet.
6. The openings are closed with plates, and the run is tested before the room is cleaned.

Hardware and materials

• Fixed or tilting mount for a mid-size screen
• Lag bolts and, where needed, a backer board
• In-wall rated power relocation kit
• CL3-rated HDMI cable and low-voltage wall plates
• Stud finder, probe-hole bit, laser line

Add-ons often paired with this job

• Mount a soundbar as well — +$48–$78. The bar goes on its own bracket and uses the same low-voltage run.
• Full-motion (articulating) mount — +$28–$48. An arm needs a plate that spans two studs.
• Take down an existing TV first — +$38–$76. Taking an older set off its old spot and filling the holes is a separate charge.

Why it is done this way

A remodel leaves no clue about the framing, so the studs are proved again, not assumed.

The in-wall run uses parts rated for it: the standard power cord stays out of the wall. An in-wall kit moves the plug location without adding a circuit.

A new outlet would be an electrician's job and is not part of this scenario.

Open-plan rooms add one more thing to consider: the screen can be seen from the kitchen, so its position is checked against the line of sight from the island stools before anything is bolted on.

What would change the price

• Fire blocking inside the wall stops the cable path and needs a bigger opening.
• The nearest outlet is too far for a kit, which makes it an electrician's job.
• A stud is cut or moved under the planned center, so a backer board is used.
• The wall turns out to be an older plaster section, which adds the plaster charge.
• A 65-inch set instead of 55 stays in the same band; an 70-inch one does not.