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#72587 12/04/06 09:27 PM
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 812
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Okay, we bought a house, that's old news. Now, time to start planning stuff. My mother has a layout for the living room, and the wall on which she wants the TV isn't exactly the easiest wall to access in a Levittown House. No attic access from above (second floor) and no access from below (cement slab.)

We need to know how to get a cable (TV, not electric) to that wall. Below is a rough drawing of the floorplan, both floors, showing the wall we need to get to in red on both sketches. The only possible solution I see is through that closet and down into the wall.

Oh, did I mention, "NO HOLES IN THE CEILING!" (Which might wind up being "Tough luck!")

[Linked Image from i29.photobucket.com]

The greyed out areas on the upper levels are access spaces, kinda like a crawlspace behind the wall and under the roof. Why couldn't she have it on one of those walls...

Let me know if you need anymore details. I'd provide interior pics for judgement, but I forgot to take them. [Linked Image]

Thanks,
Ian (Armed with hammer and dust mask for drywall/plaster destruction) A.

[This message has been edited by Theelectrikid (edited 12-04-2006).]


Is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane?
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 444
S
Member
You could always try Sony's "location free" TV. Look ma, no more cables!

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTER SHOP.enfinity/....

{ Edited to tidy up link }


[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 12-06-2006).]

Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,803
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'Sony Wirefree' aside, [ which looks really good at that price, they're $800 here! ], where are the windows, Ian? Always a problem with a tv on an inner wall is reflection on the screen and sun glare.
Suggest a few test-runs [with Mom involved, please, it's her home!] at chosen locations in daylight before you start eagerly tunnelling into the plasterwork! And don't forget you also need some electrickery for the doohickies!
Practice your 'totally horrified look' in the mirror, in case "run it under the carpet" gets mentioned! [Linked Image]

Alan

Edit italic.

[This message has been edited by Alan Belson (edited 12-05-2006).]


Wood work but can't!
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 812
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Hmm, windows, I forgot about those. Whole front wall of the living room, back wall of the dining room, and that's it for this area of the house. There's none on the Living/Dining room wall, since you'd be looking at a car the whole time. [Linked Image]

Ian A.

[This message has been edited by Theelectrikid (edited 12-05-2006).]


Is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane?
Joined: Jan 2004
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no basement? You could drill top plate from attic, and with a divers-a-bit setup, you could get through the 2nd floor/1st ceiling to stud space of the wall, and drop bead chain-with-weight from attic for fishing. Or you could drill top plate in attic, and drill through 2nd floor/1st ceiling from a hole above the baseboard in closet.

Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 812
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There is no attic above this wall.

Ian A.


Is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane?
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 100
J
JJM Offline
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Some ideas...

Does the living room or bedroom have ceiling can lighting? Often you can remove the cans for access, which will either yeild a cavity all the way to the target wall, or you can use a flexi-bit with extensions through the joists to the target wall.

If there are any appliances on the kitchen partition wall, you removing them might give you the access you need for the other (lving room) side. Cabinets can SOMETIMES be easily removed. No matter what, ALWAYS patch any holes to restore fire ratings to walls... don't just leave the holes open because nobody sees behind there.

On the second floor, you could use the attic crawl space to flexi-bit through the closet wall studs, once you get to the target bedroom partition wall stop (otherwise the bit comes out into the bedroom area). Insert some rods with a light ball chain attached to the end (and wire attached to the other end). Now make your hole on the target wall, insert another flexi-bit to "meet" the rod in the other wall. Remove flexi-bit and insert a "wet noodle" to grab the ball chain. Now pull the rest of the ball chain with wire too.

In the attic crawl spaces on either side, you could also open up the floor in those areas again, yeilding a cavity to the target wall or allowing for the insertion of a flexibit. If you can't easily remove floorboarding, like having to cut through a the solid sheet of plywood, then you're probably better off cutting out some sheetrock from the floor below.

If the second floor has hardwood flooring, often a few boards can be removed and access holes drilled to allow for fishing. Put the hardwood boards removed back right, and you'd never know anyone touched it.

If there are ceiling mouldings, often there is just enough of a gap to allow some creative fishing, giving you "access points" so to speak. Problem is, removing ceiling mouldings is often a destructive process, damaging both the mouldings and wall material.

For the LV wiring only, you could also remove baseboard mouldings and notch the sheetrock or plaster to accept the wiring. That would be least desirable for me, as would running the wires on the inside of closets. Better off making the holes in closet, where patching and painting wouldn't be that noticable.

I think you'll end up getting frustrated and end up making holes for your sanity, but if you truly want to minimize them, those are some ideas I can think of.

Joe

Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 100
J
JJM Offline
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By the way, is this home platform framed or balloon framed?

If the living room and bedroom walls are exactly atop of one another, try locating your outlets in the same wall cavity, so you can pass the cables from the bedroom partition wall to living room partition wall... then all you need to worry about is from where is easier to branch off to the source(s) (bedroom wall or living room wall).

If the house is balloon framed, the living room and bedroom "partition" wall could be load bearing straight to the roof, so there would be no drilling upstairs to downstairs. Also above the second floor, the cable could almost roll down the slanted ceiling into the side attic "crawl space".

I think the most helpful thing you can do is get some diagrams on home framing... this will give you the "X-ray vision" template on what your possibilities might be for running the cables.

Good luck!

Joe

Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 193
G
Member
Cutting holes is not such a bad idea. It would be a great time to talk her into a new paint job for the room. If it's like most houses it just a plain off-white?

Tell her you know she'd like to paint it something else anyway. Nows a perfect time.


"If common sense was common, everyone would have it"-not sure, someone here

Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 812
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I'm not that lucky, it's all RED wallpaper, and it matches our couch perfectly.

Ian A.


Is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane?
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