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Q: Installing cable TV in my bedroom ( No Answer,   7 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Installing cable TV in my bedroom
Category: Miscellaneous
Asked by: ibcdb-ga
List Price: $20.00
Posted: 06 Aug 2005 21:39 PDT
Expires: 12 Aug 2005 00:26 PDT
Question ID: 552629
I live in Northern California and I would like to install cable in my
bedroom (we are Comcast customers).  First I had the cable company
come out to my house to try and install it, but they wanted to drill a
hole into my room from the outside of my house and run wires from my
garage to my room (clear accross the house).  My parents didn't go for
this idea because it looks tacky.  The cable guy said I would need to
call a general electric contractor if I wanted someone to go up into
the attic and "fish" the wires down through the wall.

Since then, I've had two electricians out to my house.  One quoted me
a price of $275 and I said that was too much.  The next guy actually
went up in my attic and said he couldn't find any cable wires near by
to splice and that he'd have to crawl all the way over to the garage,
get the cable from the box, run it to my room, drill a hole in the
sheet rock and fish it down to where I wanted it.  He said it would
cost $375!  I said no thank you.

I have another guy coming out to the house on Tuesday.  I told him
everything I just told you above and he said he'd only charge me $210
(but he hasn't seen it yet).

I live in a single story house.  The attic entrance is right outside
my bedroom door where I want the cable installed.  I do have a low
roof line so there will be crawling involved.  I admit it's messy.

How much should I expect to pay for this type of service?
Answer  
There is no answer at this time.

Comments  
Subject: Re: Installing cable TV in my bedroom
From: redhoss-ga on 07 Aug 2005 06:18 PDT
 
How about a wireless solution:

http://www.camera-supply.com/
Subject: Re: Installing cable TV in my bedroom
From: myoarin-ga on 07 Aug 2005 07:16 PDT
 
Do you know any ten-year olds in the neighborhood?  One of them could
probably do the crawling faster than an electrician, and for way less.
Subject: Re: Installing cable TV in my bedroom
From: drackman-ga on 07 Aug 2005 13:23 PDT
 
Your parents are correct to be concerned about how the cable run on
the outside of the house.  A consientious cable guy will try to do a
good job and hide the cable as well as possible.  But you could just
as well end up getting a lazy cable guy who will do a half-ass job
that looks like crap.  If your house has vinyl siding, they can often
hide the cable underneath a strip.  If they're not hell-bent on taking
the most direct route, they could run the cable along the bottom of
your siding or other wall covering where it meets the foundation (they
should be able to hide it under there where you can't even see it),
then up the corner of the house closest to your bedroom, either tucked
under or hugging close to a strip of siding, and then tucked under or
hugging the strip of siding leading to the entry point into your
bedroom.  If you have a brick house, they still should be able to do a
good job of hiding or running the cable so that it blends in with the
visual features of your house.  Also, if your house is white, buy
white cable, and at the location where you have to bring it out of
hiding to run into the side of your bedroom wall, you probably won't
even see it.  Buy good quality cable with specification of RG-6/U. 
The quad shielded is best.

After saying all of that, I would save up enough money to pay a
pofessional electrician to fish it through the walls for you.  Once
it's done, it's done, and there will be no concerns about anything
being unsightly.  See if your parents will split the cost with you. 
It will, afterall, add to the value of the house by having one more
room wired for cable.
Subject: Re: Installing cable TV in my bedroom
From: ibcdb-ga on 07 Aug 2005 13:27 PDT
 
I checked out that wireless solution and it doesn't appear that I
would be able to control what channel I wanted to watch from my
bedroom so I don't think that's a very good option.

Also regarding having a 10-year old climb up in my attic, that doesn't
solve my problem either since this person will have to get the cable
from the "box" and fish it down through my wall, drill a hole in my
wall...etc.  I want this professionally done.

I still just want to know how much I could expect to pay a general
electric contractor to do this for me.
Subject: Re: Installing cable TV in my bedroom
From: ibcdb-ga on 07 Aug 2005 13:31 PDT
 
Thanks drakman for your commnet.  I must have been writing my response
when you posted yours because I didn't see it until after the fact.

My parents are very firm on the matter: it must be fished through the wall.  

Regarding them splitting the cost - thanks for the suggestion.

All I really want to know is what is fair.  For some reason I feel
like those guys were trying to rip me off.  I just want to pay what
the fair going rate is for this type of work.
Subject: Re: Installing cable TV in my bedroom
From: drackman-ga on 07 Aug 2005 16:10 PDT
 
Something like fishing a cable through walls can hold a lot of
unknowns.  The high estimates you've received thus far allow for those
unforeseen problems.  If you simply picked an electrician out of the
phonebook, it's pretty safe to assume that the estimates you receive
will be on the high end.  What you need is a reference.

"Hi, my good friend, Joe, said I should give you a call.  I need to
have cable TV service added to a bedroom, and I don't want the cable
run along the outside walls.  It will need to be run from where the
cable enters the house, up the wall into the attic, across the attic,
and then down through the wall into my bedroom.  Joe said you would
give me a professional job at a fair price."

Start thinking about all of the friends you know including all older
adults.  Somebody you know will know a good electrician or will know
someone in one of the other building trades who knows one.  If you
call someone with a reference, you will probably get a quote of
something like $50 an hour labor, plus materials, with a minimum
charge of $75 labor plus materials.  If they tell you it's a two-man
job; that they'll need someone to help feed cable to them or for some
other helper-type function, ask if you can help to keep the cost down.
 Going with a professional will ensure that it's done properly and
according to code.
Subject: Re: Installing cable TV in my bedroom
From: myoarin-ga on 08 Aug 2005 08:56 PDT
 
Hi, 
I was just suggesting to use the youngster for the crawling, intending
for the rest of the work to be done by an electrician.

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