I'm having some trouble running some speaker wire in an exterior wall. I've cut holes for old work gang boxes that will have face plates with banana connectors mounted on them, and I've got small articulating mounts for my speakers (this is for sides and rears). The problem is I'm having some trouble getting through the top plate in the wall to feed the wire into the stud bay.

The problem is in the attic the space between the top plate and the roof is about 4.5". This means I can't fit a drill in from the top, so I've come up with the following:

1. Use a large flexible drill bit fed into the opening for the gang box and drill through the top plate from below
2. Rent a right angle drill and find a 3/8" bit short enough to accommodate
3. Buy a 90* adapter for my regular drill and a short drill bit
4. Cut a big piece of drywall out near the top plate on the interior of the wall, drill the hole using a normal drill, then patch and repaint (would obviously really like to avoid this)

I opted for number 1, using a 6' long extension with a 3/8" bit I tried drilling through the top plate from below. I'm pretty sure (I hope so anyway) I got through it, and then went in the attic to check. Unfortunately at the very edge of the roof there's cardboard that's stapled in to stop the sprayed in insulation from falling out the edge of the roof into the soffit.

Anyway, before I go any further down this road, is there any easy way to do this I just haven't thought of? I've got to drop some more speaker wire into some interior walls but that'll be easy since I can just drill them out from above.

Any help/advice/suggestions/sympathy appreciated

When you drill through the top plate run the bit up as far as it can go and have some one hold it in place. Then run up to the attic and you should be able to spot the bit. Then attach a piece of string and have your helper slowly pull it back.

Attach your wire to the other end of the string and feed it down.

Whenever I have to drill up or down from/to anywhere, I take a wire hanger, cut the longest straight part and push or drill it, once it is through I can push it all the way up, or bend it slightly and have a helper turn it so I can see it.

Once you do this, then you can goto it, then drill down, or in your case you will see where your drill bit should be since insulation mught be covering your bit.

You could simply run the speaker wires behind the baseboards (under the sheetrock) instead and then feed the wire up the wall or use a product like wiretracks.

Without seeing it, it's difficult. But is it possible to access the top plate (it sounds like it's an external wall), by sliding a roof tile out of the way?

In other words, attacking it from the outside.

Without seeing it, it's difficult. But is it possible to access the top plate (it sounds like it's an external wall), by sliding a roof tile out of the way?

In other words, attacking it from the outside.

No, its a shingled and skinned roof. I am thinking about the possibility of removing the soffit and reaching in from the outside. Thanks for all the advice so far.