Ocean Park TORCA condo
The neighbor's outlet sat in our stud bay across the party wall, so Dmytro moved the box one bay over.
Tech: Dmytro · On site: 1 h 10 min
TV Mounting in Santa Monica, CA
Santa Monica mixes Craftsman bungalows inside protected historic districts, 1960s and 70s buildings where condo owners and rent-control tenants share one hallway, and newer steel-stud condos downtown. Dmytro's Westside crew knows which walls hide lath, which boards want paperwork before a drill comes out, and how to get your TV on the wall the same day.
TV mounting in Santa Monica is flat-rate: $119 up to 60", $129 for 61–85" and from $179 for 86" and larger, plus $40 for each additional TV. Mounts from $39, cables hidden in a raceway for $39 or inside the wall for $69. No travel fee and no surcharge for plaster or brick.
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Los Angeles County
Same-day slots, 7 days a week
No travel fee — one price across the area
- 1968median year homes in Santa Monica were built
- 66%of homes in Santa Monica are in buildings with 5+ units
- 20+TVs mounted in Santa Monica by Dmytro's crew
- about 1 in 3Westside building jobs that need an insurance certificate
Mounting TVs on Santa Monica plaster, dingbats and downtown condos
North of Montana and Ocean Park houses are mostly wood frame with lath and plaster or an early gypsum lath. A stud finder struggles through plaster, so we confirm every stud with a thin test hole and drill with the hammer off — plaster cracks if you rush it. Lag bolts go 2.5 inches into the stud past the plaster, which here is often a full inch thick. Studs behind plaster.
The 1950s–60s apartment buildings — the two-story "dingbats" over carports — are wood frame with drywall and are the easiest walls in the city. What matters there is the lease: small bolt holes, a slim mount and a raceway instead of cutting drywall. Downtown's newer condos along Ocean Avenue and 2nd Street use steel studs and concrete; they get toggles or concrete anchors, and the building gets our insurance certificate before we arrive.
Ocean air, balconies and patio TVs
Within a mile of the beach, a standard black steel mount on a balcony starts to rust in a season. For patio and balcony TVs we use weather-rated mounts with stainless hardware and seal every hole through the stucco. Many buildings limit what can hang on a balcony wall, so we check the rules first. Outdoor TVs in LA.
Renter-friendly installs
Santa Monica has more renters than owners, and most leases allow small fasteners if the holes are patched at move-out. Four quarter-inch holes in two studs is the least damage for a TV that won't fall; cords go in a paintable raceway ($39) that peels off later. Apartment TV mounting in LA.
Homes in Santa Monica by the numbers
53,274 homes and about 91,169 residents. The age and type of a home decide what is behind the drywall, so we check this before we quote.
When homes were built
- 2010 or later 7%
- 2000–2009 6%
- 1980–1999 14%
- 1960–1979 37%
- Before 1960 37%
What kind of homes
- Detached houses 19%
- Townhomes 3%
- 2–4 units & other 11%
- 5–19 units 39%
- 20+ units 27%
28% owner-occupied · 72% rented
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates: year built, units in structure, tenure.
What this means for your TV wall
In Santa Monica, 38.6% of homes are in buildings of 5–19 units and 72.1% of households rent, so most TV walls belong to a landlord or a condo association, and we plan holes they will sign off on. With a median year built of 1968, many of those buildings predate 1978; where a cut would disturb old paint, we keep the opening tiny or run a raceway instead. Detached houses are where lath and plaster still turns up.
TORCA buildings: owners and renters share a hallway
From 1984 to 1996, the TORCA charter amendment let Santa Monica landlords convert rentals to condos once two-thirds of tenants agreed and each received a purchase offer. So a 1970s stucco building can hold an owned unit upstairs and a rent-controlled one below. The owner answers to an association; the tenant answers to a landlord. Before we book Dmytro's visit, we ask who manages the building, send our certificate of insurance to that office, and check whether your TV wall is shared with a neighbor. On a shared wall, our box goes in a different bay from the neighbor's outlet, or we skip the box and use a painted raceway. If approval is still pending, we hold the date instead of drilling first. Towers in Marina del Rey, next door, run on very similar paperwork.
Rather have a pro do it?
Send a request — we'll confirm the exact price and a time that suits you by text or call. 3-year warranty on every install.
Historic districts: Third Street and 11th Street
Santa Monica's first historic district, designated in 1990, follows Third Street between Ocean Park Boulevard and Hill Street and counts 38 contributing buildings from 1875 to 1930. In Mid-City, the 11th Street Bungalow district holds Craftsman houses built from 1904 to 1925, and alterations there face landmark review. Inside, the walls are the hard part: old-growth studs under thick plaster. Dmytro pre-drills those studs, keeps both in-wall openings small and catches dust right at the bit. For a porch TV in a district, the cable stays inside the wall so nothing new shows on the facade. Over an original brick hearth he looks for cracked or spalling brick first and moves the anchors to sound courses. If the old firebox now burns gas logs, he runs them and reads the wall's temperature before picking a height.
From our Santa Monica job log
A few jobs from the last months — the kind of walls and setups we see here most.
11th Street Craftsman bungalow
Inch-thick plaster: Dmytro scored it before each opening and pre-drilled the old studs so none split.
Tech: Dmytro · On site: 2 h 30 min
Wilshire-Montana 1960s apartment
Beside a sliding glass door, Dmytro set the arm's stops short of the glass; cords run in a painted raceway.
Tech: Dmytro · On site: 1 h 15 min
On-site notes from Santa Monica jobs
- Street parking north of Montana is permit-only on many blocks — we ask for a guest pass or driveway spot when you book.
- Spanish revival living rooms often have an arched plaster niche; a 55-inch TV rarely fits inside, so we usually mount on the flat wall beside it.
- Downtown condo towers restrict drilling to weekday hours and want the elevator reserved.
Contact Us
Ready to book or have questions? Send a request — we’ll reply within minutes.
What TV mounting costs in Santa Monica
One price list for all of Southern California — the wall type does not change the price, and neither does the drive. Lath and plaster, brick fireplaces and steel-stud condos are billed exactly like drywall.
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Up to 60" | $119 |
| 61–85" | $129 |
| 86" and larger | from $179 |
| Each additional TV | from $40 |
| Frame / art TV | from $169 |
| Fixed | $39 |
| Tilting | $49 |
| Full-motion | $69 |
| Heavy-duty, for 86"+ | from $59 |
| Internal (inside the wall) | $69 |
| External (cable raceway) | $39 |
How we serve Santa Monica
Jobs in Santa Monica are handled by our Southern California crew — Kostiantyn, Oleh, Dmytro — on the same flat rates as everywhere else, with the same hardware on every truck and the same 3-year warranty. Crews run out of the Westside, the Valley and North Orange County. Pick a slot in the calculator and we confirm it by text.
Read before your Santa Monica install
- Apartment TV Mounting in Los Angeles: Renter-Safe and Quake-Aware
- Best TV Mount for Plaster Walls: Old Houses, Lath and Hidden Studs
- Apartment-Friendly TV Wire Concealment: No-Drill Solutions for Renters & Condos
- Outdoor TV Installation in Los Angeles: Patios, Pergolas and Backyard Theaters
- How Much Does TV Mounting Cost in Los Angeles? 2026 Prices
Free tools
Recent installs around Santa Monica
Craftsman bungalow living room in Mid-City
TV beside an arched plaster niche, North of Montana
Bedroom TV in an Ocean Park condo
Painted raceway in a Wilshire-Montana apartment
Spanish revival fireplace wall in Sunset Park
Living-room TV near Main Street, Ocean Park
Craftsman bungalow living room in Mid-City
TV beside an arched plaster niche, North of Montana
TV mounting in Santa Monica, CA: common questions
How much does TV mounting cost in Santa Monica?
$119 up to 60 inches and $129 for 61–85 inches. Plaster costs the same as drywall, and there is no travel fee or parking surcharge.
Can you mount a TV in a rent-controlled apartment?
Yes, as long as your lease allows fasteners. We use small holes in two studs and a removable raceway, so the wall is easy to patch when you move.
Do you install TVs on balconies near the beach?
Yes, with weather-rated mounts and stainless hardware — if your building allows it.
Does my TORCA condo building need to approve the install?
Usually the association, plus your landlord if you rent. Send us the management contact and we email our certificate of insurance, the same day in most cases. Mention a shared neighbor wall so we plan around it.
Can you hide wires inside a historic bungalow's plaster?
Yes. Behind lath and plaster, in-wall concealment adds about 1.5 hours with a listed power kit ($69); the TV cord itself never goes in the wall. Where a cut in pre-1978 paint would exceed a small repair, we use a raceway.
How fast can you reach Santa Monica?
About 2 in 3 requests that come in before noon get a same-day slot. Send a request with your screen size and parking details; a single TV with an in-wall power kit on an open stud bay takes about an hour.
What customers near Santa Monica say
★★★★★
“1926 house, plaster walls, and I was worried about cracking. Dmytro found the studs behind the lath, drilled clean holes and there is not a chip anywhere. The raceway is painted the wall color and basically invisible.”
Schedule your TV installation in Santa Monica
Get the exact total in the calculator, pick a time and we confirm by text — or call us and a person picks up.