Carpets - good quote?

BallandChain

Went to my local independent carpet shop and was quoted £192 for 21.26 square yards of Berber carpet, £224 for 24.93 square yards and £47 for 5.21 square yards. The price includes underlay and fitting. Is this a good quote? I got a discount for cash which brings it to £450. The carpet was marked up at £5.99 sq yard but got an extra £1 knocked off so got it for £4.99 sq yard.

underlay_guru

Hi,
From your prices, you are paying around £9 per square yard (10.76 per m2), and am assuming this includes underlay and fitting. For the price, the price doesnt sound bad, but I would still consider the following:

WHAT UNDERLAY ARE THEY SUPPLYING TO YOU?

Carpet underlay can range from £1 to £15 per m/2, and you really only get what you pay for. Basically, the cheaper the underlay, the quicker it will flatten. A cheaper underlay will also not support your carpet as efficiently as a better quality one, causing premature wear and damage to the carpet. you could always buy your own underlay from somewhere like www.carpet-underlay-shop.co.uk or www.tradeprice.com. You can get a half decent underlay delivered for only around £1.95 per square yard.


HOW COMPETENT ARE THE FITTERS?

Good reputable fitters cost money, whereas a fitter charging bottom dollar may hash up the job. I had experience of a fitter a few years ago who went to a job with no tools, and used a bread knife from the customers kitchen to cut and fit the carpet!

BallandChain

Thanks for the response. I really can't say what the fitters are like as I have never used this shop before. We are a bit limited for choice in the area we moved to. The underlay is £4 a square yard though the guy didn't show us the quality of the underlay. I guess I can get him to show me the underlay he will use as we still have to put down a deposit.

underlay_guru

No problem. A decent underlay on top of a berber will not only keep the carpets backing supported, it will also provide a more bouncy and luxurious feel, effectively making the carpet feel more expensive than it actually is!

Good luck!

BallandChain

Well the guy from the carpet shop was going to ring me as he had to measure up the carpet to make sure it would fit. He didn't ring back so I went to a different carpet shop. I have more confidence in the guy I saw. Even though we had the measurements, he is coming out to double check measurements and hasn't wanted a deposit like the other guy was going to charge. (I hadn't paid a deposit until he was going to ring.)

This time I've chosen a hessian backed carpet with underlay for £450. I did enquire about having underlay for a foam backed carpet but was told you can't have underlay with that type of carpet as the grippers might rip the carpet. I didn't know that. All being well he's coming to measure up and we will have the carpets down within a week. Will keep you posted!