Handyman
TV Mounting Cost Calculator
Prices TV mounting, where what the mount is fixed to is the whole job.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Hours times crew times rate, plus the mount and the call-out. The visible work is quick: locate the fixing points, mount the bracket, hang the television, level it and tidy the cables. The cost varies with what is behind the wall and what the customer wants hidden. A flat mount into timber studs is the straightforward case. A tilting or full-motion mount, a masonry or metal-stud wall, cable concealment inside the wall or an above-fireplace position each add real work.
What moves the number
- Wall construction, since timber studs, metal studs, masonry and plasterboard alone differ entirely.
- Mount type, as full-motion arms exert far more leverage than a flat mount.
- Whether cables are concealed in the wall, which means cutting and patching.
- Position, particularly above a fireplace, which brings heat and height issues.
Where this one goes wrong
A full-motion mount with an extended arm multiplies the load on its fixings, so what it is anchored into matters far more than with a flat mount. Timber studs are straightforward. Metal studs need the correct anchors rated for the load rather than ordinary toggles, masonry needs the right fixing for that material, and plasterboard alone will not reliably hold a television however good the anchor claims to be. Find the structure rather than trusting a hollow-wall fixing. Above a fireplace is worth a conversation: heat rising from a working fireplace can exceed what a television tolerates, and the viewing angle is uncomfortably high for most rooms.
Before you quote
- Locate actual structure rather than relying on hollow-wall anchors.
- Match fixings to the wall type and to the mount's leverage.
- Raise heat and viewing angle before mounting above a fireplace.
Questions
About this calculator
Can a TV be mounted on any wall?
It needs something structural to fix into. Timber studs are ideal, metal studs need correctly rated anchors, and masonry needs the right fixing for that material. Plasterboard alone will not reliably hold a television regardless of what an anchor claims, particularly with a moving arm.
Is mounting above a fireplace a good idea?
It has two problems worth raising first. Heat rising from a working fireplace can exceed what the television tolerates, and the viewing angle is uncomfortably high for normal seating. It looks tidy and it is frequently regretted, so it is worth discussing before drilling.
Can the cables be hidden in the wall?
Usually, and it is the part that turns a quick job into a longer one, because it means cutting openings, routing cables and patching and painting afterwards. Power in particular has requirements about how it may be run inside a wall, which is worth establishing rather than improvising.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
Put this calculator on your site
Free to embed. Paste this where you want it to appear. It stays up to date automatically because it loads from BDEVY.
Please keep the attribution line. It is the only thing we ask in return.
How to use this calculator
- Hours on site (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 3 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $85.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $60.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on site | 3 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $85 |
| Parts and materials | $60 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $410 |
| Labour | $255 |
| Before tax | $410 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $410: $255 of labour, $60 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only labour rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Labour rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $43 | $284 |
| $64 | $347 |
| $85 example above | $410 |
| $128 | $539 |
| $170 | $665 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 3 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $85.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $60.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.