I am interested in setting up a fairly basic speaker set up in my living room and I have no idea how much installation is going to be. Can anyone give me a balpark guess?

The room is 25'x13'x8'. My couch is along a long wall with the TV opposite the couch on the other long wall. The wall the TV is on is an exterior wall. The wall the couch is on is an interior wall with a closet space running behind the wall so there is some access on that wall. I would like to install a 5.1 system with the receiver below the TV in an armoire. I figure the Sub (and center chanel) wont be a problem because Ill just sit it beside (or in for center chanel) the armoire and have the wires running to it in the open. However, the front and rear surround speakers will have to be installed. Due to the room and mandatory aesthetics (read wife), the speakers will have to be mounted on the ceiling where the wall meets or the wall where the ceiling meets (i.e. as high on the wall as possible, as close to the wall as possible).

I guess my question is, can you run speaker wire accross the ceiling? Better yet, to be a little more general, what is a typical cost of installation for a non-prewired house for 5.1 surround?

I will see if I can put up some diagrams to help illustrate my set up. Any opinions or information would be greatly appreciated.

100-150 per run. Depending on the complexity

I'm looking into the same thing trying to decide if I should pay, or do it myself.

Here is an article that might help if you are thinking about doing it yourself.

Audioholics Installing Surround Sound Primer (http://www.audioholics.com/tweaks/home-wiring-construction/installing-surround-sound-primer)