How would a contractor install 2 in-wall speakers in an existing first floor room (with bedroom above it)? Specifically, would the wiring be routed inside the wall to reach the audio equipment? Maybe along the floor? (except in my case we will be installing laminate flooring).
How costly a job is this, with me supplying the speakers and wiring?
Thanks
I doubt is can be routed inside the wall going horizontal. What is below the room? It can probably go along the floor under some trim. Even fishing the wire above the fire stop in the wall is a daunting task. It could run from $50 to $350 to impossible depending on construction. No one can give a good estimate not seeing the setup.
Make sure you specify how you want this done before work is started.
I'm assuming you have no basement or crawlspace, if you did that is where I would run the wires. If you don't you have a few options:
1 Cut a groove in the subfloor to run the wires under the laminate flooring. probably a PITA and won't work with slab construction. 2 Run the wires behind the baseboard. May require a groove to be cut in the back of the molding or trimming the drywall a bit. Don't run the wires in the space left for the flooring to expand & contract. 3 If your ceiling joists run parallel to your wires you could run them across the ceiling but would requires a few small cuts to fish the wire.I would go with option 2 and trim the drywall if needed. Shouldn't be much trouble getting the wires up to the speakers unless like Ed said you have fire blocking in the walls.
An electrician with remodeling experience is the right person for this job. If your lucky you can find one to do it on the weekend off the books since speaker wires probably don't need a permit.
What do you mean except in your case? Don't install your floor until you have decided how you will wire the speakers. It might be best to delay the floor until all the wires are installed.
We don't know some of the most critical info, like:
Where is the audio eqpt in relation to the speakers? Is there a basement or crawlspace underneath?
be sure to install "in the wall" speaker wire (usually has white jacket) not all speaker wire is made for concealed spaces.
There are many ways to wire: Inside the walls, inside base/crown molding, from above, from underneath, etc. In your case it sounds like inside the base molding is a good idea. I hid mine inside the crown molding and through the basement. The cost will vary depending on the difficulty of the job and/or how you want it done. $20-40 an hour is about right. Get three estimates, check references.
He'll be lucky to get two people to call him back interested in doing the job.
esp with him supplying materials
Actually, the speaker installation will be part of a much larger job, which will include kitchen remodeling, laminate floor installation, and ceiling smoothing. I will only be supplying the speakers. To insure they will use the appropriate type of wiring, I was thinking of also buying this myself.
There is a bedroom above and no basement below. It is a c>
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