Project example: a 75-inch TV above a stone fireplace on a pull-down mount — what it looks like and what it costs

The scenario

The room faces the harbor through sliding glass doors, and the opposite wall is a long linear gas fireplace framed by pale stacked stone that rises most of the way to the ceiling. A shallow ledge sits above the opening, and the seating is on the other side of a wide rug.

The request is a 75-inch TV over the fireplace that can come down to eye level when watched and rest high out of the heat when the fire is on. The stone is thick enough for anchors in the stone body, and a drywall section beside the surround offers a place for the cables.

What the job involves

1. The installer reads the fireplace maker's clearance above the opening and the TV's maximum temperature, then runs the fire for a while and measures the wall at the planned bottom edge of the parked screen.
2. The probe shows whether the stone is solid or a veneer on framing, and the anchor plan follows: sleeve anchors in the stone body, or screws through a veneer into framing.
3. The bracket's plate is held to the stone, its slots shifted so every anchor lands in a stone and never in a mortar joint, and leveled with a laser.
4. Holes are drilled with a hammer drill and a masonry bit, the anchors are set and the plate is tested by hand.
5. The pull-down arm is fitted, the 75-inch TV is hung and the swing path is checked to clear the front of the ledge.
6. A rated cable path runs through the drywall section beside the surround to a cabinet, and the screen is tested in both positions.

Hardware and materials

• Pull-down fireplace mount rated for 65–85 inch panels, with gas-spring arms
• Sleeve anchors for solid stone, with a hammer drill and a masonry bit
• Thermometer for the heat check, laser level and painter's tape
• In-wall rated power kit and CL3-rated HDMI cable for the drywall section
• Vacuum with a drilling shroud and a drop cloth

Add-ons often paired with this job

• Hide the wires inside the wall — +$115–$195. In-wall concealment is possible only in the drywall section; the stone itself stays closed.
• Mount a soundbar as well — +$65–$100. A bar on the cabinet avoids anything on the stone.
• Take down an existing TV first — +$55–$105. An older TV on another wall is taken down as a separate line.

Why it is done this way

A pull-down mount solves the usual dilemma of a fireplace TV: it can sit above the heat when the fire is on and come down to eye level when the room is watched. The clearance numbers in the two manuals decide the parked height, not a rule of thumb.

Anchors go into the stone body because mortar crumbles under a drill and under load. The cable path is the one place the stone cannot help, so it moves into the neighboring drywall, where rated parts keep the wall safe and the stone untouched. The mount is supplied in this scenario, so its line adds to the price.

What would change the price

• The heat test fails at the preferred height and the parked screen goes higher.
• The stone is a thin veneer and the plan moves to framing behind it.
• An 86-inch set moves the base range to the top tier.
• The drywall section is blocked by fire blocking, so a paintable raceway is used instead.
• A new outlet near the fireplace is an electrician's job and is priced separately.