Yes, there is space for a 55" screen, but beyond that it is tight -- the more important issue, however, is gas v. electric underneath the screen. You may need to spend more for a higher quality firebox, or insulate to protect your screen.

We don't burn wood in the house, and have gas for cooking, but the fireplaces are on the opposite side of the house that we selected for our gas piping -- added after we moved into our new house. Instead of adding a gas canister outside our fireplace wall, or running the gas pipe through the house, we added a wire for an electric fireplace. I can't wait to add one -- they are very pretty, and even though our home is traditional, our fireplace is more modern. When we renovated in 2005, we removed the too big stock fireplace mantle and installed 12x12 marble tile, five wide and 4.5 high -- 60" x 42.5" -- your fireplace box may be different, but since you are building, you might be able to make it smaller than usual giving you more height to play with for the screen. But you will still want it to be at least as wide as your screen, and preferably wider, if your screen extends from the wall. You will also want to install wiring (perhaps more than one set) in case the initial wiring fails. Or if you are wireless, that works, too. For the hearth, we also used the 12x12" granite tile, in place of the one level of brick that I viewed as an accident waiting to happen. Now 12 years later, with the 55" flat screen on top of the 60" fireplace surround -- the fireplace surround needs a little more visual weight, so I am exploring stone and wood options for a mantel and mantel surround. It's tight, but there are options on Houzz for your consideration. I also painted my fireplace interior in black, it helps to balance the black screen when there is nothing on -- the yellow brick fire box did n't go with anything else. And the tile is blue pearl, gray like the screen. Until I install an electric fireplace, I have a nice set of vintage andirons, and four birch logs from a tree that didn't make it. For energy efficiency I need to install a bonnet above the handle to open the fireplace flu, and added a cap to the chimney to keep the birds from nesting. Today, I would probably search harder for a granite remnant rather than using the 12" tiles, but we decided to use the same blue pearl tile that we had used for our kitchen backsplash to complement our blue pearl countertops -- at about $18 per square foot, rather than $80 a square foot, it was cost-effective, too. Lesson learned --- if you are installing a stone surround, you need to have the fireplace screen on site so that the stone can be fitted around the screen. And hope that the screen lasts a s long as the fireplace! Now that I am adding a wood mantel surround, I will be careful to leave enough space for the flat screen -- the amount of tile I expose can be different -- the top above the firebox showing granite does not need to be as tall as the sides are wide.

Good luck!

Since you are building, you are in a great position to NOT put the TV over the fireplace, and instead plan a spot for it, perhaps even building a built in to hold it. I really dislike the huge blank black screen hulking over an otherwise lovely room. My sister has a large TV on the wall perpendicular to the fireplace, and it looks fine (as fine as a large TV can look in a living room).

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/on-my-soapbox-mounting-the-flatscreen-too-high-dsvw-vd~4537748

Thank you all. CLC, the ceilings are 8' on the main level. It's too late in the construction phase to change this :( I have never wanted cathedral ceilings, but now I see why they work so well with a fireplace and a mantle.

mathomson5, Thank you for your feedback. We will be using gas logs and a mantle is a must if I have a fireplace. At what height does the mantle need to be so it doesn't appear to low to the floor?

This is the layout of the room. Any suggestions on a layout that you think we will for the tv?

Hi --- how high the mantle so it doesn't feel too low? Our screen installer provided guidance on the usual height of a 55" screen from the floor to mediate between My Beloved Spouse (MBS) and me -- MBS wanted it higher, I wanted it lower, but not so low that I would lose my option of a mantel. 49.5 inches -- the half is for the marble tile on the hearth. The top of a 55" screen is just below the standard molding on our side windows. AND visually, even though it is above the midpoint, the moldings and hearth make it seem as if the bottom of the screen is in the middle of the room -- when I install a mantle, I will have about four inches on either side -- 1/3 of the distance to the window molding -- and about 2-3 inches higher and about 6-7" extension from wall -- this will provide a solid "base" to the screen, even if viewed from the side.

So to answer your question -- the screen bottom is 4' from the floor. As for "hulking" above a fireplace, and having not one, but two focal points in your living room, it's a personal choice, and I would consult a designer who could use your furnishings that will go into the new home, and help to balance the light with the dark screen using wall, floor, window coverings -- or you could install a cover (that will likely always be open). There are good designers in all of the large stores, who work on commission, and who do provide staged purchase plans for new purchases, and work with what you have. Because of your spaces, I recommend Thomasville if they are close, or Ethan Allen -- the proportion is everything, and they were among the first to offer (return to) smaller scale furnishings. My "vintage" American of Martinsville and Thomasville work well.

Although we like our screen above the fireplace (that we do not yet use) it rests on the long end of our 15x40' kitchen, informal eating, informal living area. And we have dark cabinets and counters, on the other end of this long space, and some dark vertical elements as well -- so our room is very balanced. We used the same dark blue pearl tile above the counters as we used to frame the fireplace. Our wood floors are medium to dark.

We can watch the screen while we cook or entertain, informally, or leave it off and attention flows to the outside with its large French door and view of the backyard. It's all about you and your family and how you will use your space -- you could keep it flexible by planning to attach the screen to more than one wall -- when we renovated out kitchen, the installer just kept wiring -- he said we had paid him for the full day, and he just kept adding outlets in the kitchen for small televisions in addition to our sound system that added speakers near the kitchen exhaust fan for our six burner wolf gas range. It's the best, and we have raved about it for 12 years. There is some difference in the two speakers that we likely could fix, but we usually use only one set of speakers at a time -- or there is so much other noise we don't hear the difference between the two systems. When I am cooking, it is nice to hear well, and I am not as focused on the screen. or your home, I would add speakers in your kitchen, so you will never miss an instant replay. Or course it is all wireless now, but the stationary speakers seem to have a higher quality IMHO.

Wherever you put your screen, and your speakers, you may add a slight swivel to the screen mount, and additional speakers, and smaller screens discretely placed on bookshelves around the room or in the kitchen. You could even purchase one of those expensive pieces that allows the screen to depart vertically into a buffet or hutch on the wall opposite the dining table in the seating area. The wall opposite the table has more room for a "hidden screen, especially one whose doors when open could serve as the "tops" of related pieces adjacent to the screen. You have probably seen the barn door versions on HGTV -- likely available in a more formal style -- that cover open bookcases when open. And that way you could use the dining table for meals or large projects and still watch the screen. Talk about hulky furniture. Be sure it comes in there pieces not one.

But you do need to be careful with gas fireplaces with screens on top, to preserve your screen, and to follow the best available building codes, whether or not they are applicable in your jurisdiction.

Again, I hope this helps.

I have an older home with 8 ft. ceilings. While it does not have the presentation that 9ft ceilings or higher have, the rooms are cozy, I do not waste money on heating and cooling the top of a high room, and I can clean cobwebs and change lightbulbs with ease:)

We are in the process of remodeling our family room with 8ft. It has a traditional wood burning brick fireplace. We want to remove the mantle and lay white stone veneer all the way up to the ceiling. Also planning a 40” TV above the fireplace. Will it look too crowded? Can I place the TV on an adjacent wall so that the fireplace is the focal point? Below are the two rooms and the pic of the stone we plan on using. We also want to add a bench on one side of the fireplace and some shelving on the other side.