Wall Mounting a TV - New build house?
Discussion
We have recently bought a brand new house. We bought off plan so it is still being constructed. I had planned to wall mount our TV in the living room and also another in 1 of the bedrooms/mancave. However, the house builder wants £605 per TV for essentially running 3 cables behind the wall. The price doesn't actually include any brackets etc, only the running of cables.
I know very little to what's actually involved in mounting a TV on the wall but what I do know is, £605 for running some cables is not going to happen. My plan is to get a company to come in, once we are moved in and install the TVs for me. However, since the house is still being built, is there any forward planning I am missing? Is there anything I should request the house builders do in order to make wall mounting the TVs easier/neater?
I know very little to what's actually involved in mounting a TV on the wall but what I do know is, £605 for running some cables is not going to happen. My plan is to get a company to come in, once we are moved in and install the TVs for me. However, since the house is still being built, is there any forward planning I am missing? Is there anything I should request the house builders do in order to make wall mounting the TVs easier/neater?
I've lived in two new builds, and wall mounted all my own TVs, with cables behind the plaster board.
Do it yourself, its very easy, and plaster board is very strong when the weight is spread nicely and downwards.
These will be your friend, and use the tool:
http://www.screwfix.com/c/screws-nails-fixings/hol...
For cables - a hole behind the TV, and a hole next to the plug socket covered with a brush plate tends to the job.
Get a wire detector, or generally, wires go straight up (or down) from plugs, and watch out for heating piping doing the same.
Do it yourself, its very easy, and plaster board is very strong when the weight is spread nicely and downwards.
These will be your friend, and use the tool:
http://www.screwfix.com/c/screws-nails-fixings/hol...
For cables - a hole behind the TV, and a hole next to the plug socket covered with a brush plate tends to the job.
Get a wire detector, or generally, wires go straight up (or down) from plugs, and watch out for heating piping doing the same.
Easty-5 said:
The house builder wants £605 per TV for essentially running 3 cables behind the wall.
That's outrageous! 
I decided part way through an extension that I wanted cabling for the TV, four surround sound speakers and a sub woofer. I got the bits, and the builder just put them in for free.
You can do it yourself as I have but I would not bolt it to the plasterboard if the TV is say 50" as it will probably fall off the wall! You'll need to mount the bracket to something solid so either screw it to the batons in a stud wall or drill all the way through to the block wall and use frame fixing screws like this:
Hiding the wires is easy, use a Stanley knife or jigsaw to cut a 4 inch channel in the plasterboard. Hide the wires behind the board using some trunking, then stick the channel of board back where it came from. Next fill the bits where you cut it out and paint, you'll never know the difference.
Whole job can be done in half a day.
Don't use an angle grinder to cut the plasterboard like I did, it will fill your house with plaster dust and seriously piss your missus off!
Hiding the wires is easy, use a Stanley knife or jigsaw to cut a 4 inch channel in the plasterboard. Hide the wires behind the board using some trunking, then stick the channel of board back where it came from. Next fill the bits where you cut it out and paint, you'll never know the difference.
Whole job can be done in half a day.
Don't use an angle grinder to cut the plasterboard like I did, it will fill your house with plaster dust and seriously piss your missus off!
Cut hole at top, where TV will go.
Cut hole at bottom, where wires will come out
Get some string and dangle it in the top hole.
Get a vacuum cleaner and poke it in the bottom hole.
If you are lucky and there is no horizontal batten in the way you can Hoover the string out of the bottom hole, tie your cables to it and pull them up out of the top hole.
If there is a horizontal batten I'm afraid you'll need to cut a strip of plaster out.
Cut hole at bottom, where wires will come out
Get some string and dangle it in the top hole.
Get a vacuum cleaner and poke it in the bottom hole.
If you are lucky and there is no horizontal batten in the way you can Hoover the string out of the bottom hole, tie your cables to it and pull them up out of the top hole.
If there is a horizontal batten I'm afraid you'll need to cut a strip of plaster out.
Agreed £650 is so taking the piss. £65 more like.
At a minimum I'd run power, coax (for terrestrial), cat5. A hdmi might be useful also, back to the same point as the cat5.
The cat5/hdmi will allow you to site an xbox/dvd/sky remotely, giving a much nicer look. No point mounting your TV on a wall if it has wires dangling to one of these boxes.
cat5's can transport anything, which is why i'd run one of these before a hdmi.
At a minimum I'd run power, coax (for terrestrial), cat5. A hdmi might be useful also, back to the same point as the cat5.
The cat5/hdmi will allow you to site an xbox/dvd/sky remotely, giving a much nicer look. No point mounting your TV on a wall if it has wires dangling to one of these boxes.
cat5's can transport anything, which is why i'd run one of these before a hdmi.
I would see if you are allowed to have a trade on site, depending upon the stage the house build is at. It will be much easier for them to put some pipework in or do the cable runs before the plasterboard goes up, failing that see if they can go in at a later stage and do the first fit of cables. Ultimately though, just get an installer or mate in a trade around to give you a hand after you have moved in, but before you have got too cosy.
It is quite easy, the thought of doing it is much worse. I knocked down a chimney breast and built my own floating wall with the TV sunk in to it, and all the cables buried in plastic pipe in the wall for future proofing.
As has been mentioned, TV size will dictate fixing method, though I have seen commercial heavy weight 50" plasmas on partition walls.
It is quite easy, the thought of doing it is much worse. I knocked down a chimney breast and built my own floating wall with the TV sunk in to it, and all the cables buried in plastic pipe in the wall for future proofing.
As has been mentioned, TV size will dictate fixing method, though I have seen commercial heavy weight 50" plasmas on partition walls.
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