New House! Best advice for carpets, curtains, spot lights etc

LionKing

Hi,

I have just bought a new house from George Wimpey (WooHoo!!)

The house is a shell...needs carpets, lights, curtains etc. GWimpey have given me a allowance in their Options Centre where you can select finishings.

Has anyone had any experience with GWimpey previously and can u haggle in the option centre?

Is the Option Centre overpriced compared to other furnishing outlets (eg MFI, Argos etc)?

ANy advice on current deals or reccomendations for:

Curtains
Curtain rails
Carpets
Beds
Microwaves

Would be much apprecitaed!

Also, how expensive is spot lighting to install? The house is almost complete so GWimpey won't do the extra work.

Thanks

chillipepper_3

NEVER buy carpet from builders, I was in the carpet trade for 7 years and heard some shocking prices quoted for very low grade stuff. Shop around and be wary of half price deals etc etc. Retailers will high price goods for 28 days then sell them legit for half the price for the rest of the year stating 50% off.(constant sale culture) So always barter with these deals you will get 10 - 20% off the total cost of an order.
i.e.: was £40 now £20 per m2, when the product is only worth £20 anyway.
Its a legal thing! It happens on sofas (sdf!!!) flooring and many more stuff too.
Independent retailers tend to offer the best over all advice and can give some really competitive deals. Larger retailers can sell the carpets cheap but charge a lot for underlay, grippers etc etc, so maybe an idea to buy your flooring then go to B&Q for your bits.
(Allied are selling off all their bed stocks as ceasing to trade in them so lots of good legit deals to be had with them)

Spots should be a relatively easy DIY job but don't quote me on that.

Allders (department store) are in liquidation and are selling things off very cheap, last days should be within the next 20 days or earlier, check to see if you have a store nearby.

vansboy

Focus give you a 10% Homemovers discount card, if you apply within 6months of moving in.

& they've lots lights n other stuff too.

Don't forget the Homebase Spend n save card - thats free in store too. & they have regular 10% discount weekends.

VB

Js_Other_Half

If it is a brand new house, you should be able to claim the VAT back on any carpets you buy... don't ask me how you do it, cos we didn't find out for over a year after we moved in to our new house...:p

What county are you in? We went with a recommended firm (for carpets) used a lot by our developer, and would be happy to recommend them - they're based in West Yorks.

loracan1

Ikea are ideal for things like curtain rails and the newels on the ends. Their kitchen departments have all sorts of bits of things (colanders, drawer sorters/potato ricers) at reasonable prices.

LionKing

Thanks for the help guys.

JS_Other_Half -I live in Berkshire. Can u please get me further info on the VAT refund on new carpets for a new house. I have done a Google search (http://www.selfbuildit.co.uk/vat_reclaim.htm) on the subject and it appears to apply to "Self Built Houses". Does a new house built by George Wimpey apply? Can you let me know the process of applying....thanks.

Can anyone advise on 100% wool carpets. How durable are they compared to normal carpets and are they worth the additional expense? Is it best to go for a 50oz, 80oz or 100oz carpet? What is a good brand carpet and best places to buy (eg Allied Carpets). Any recommendations....would like a plain, deep, neutral colour carpet to go with light wall.

I went into the Option Centre today and they told me i could not use Ceramic floor tiles in my kitchen as they have already put in the fitted kitchen units (this was done before i reserved). Is this true or can they cut the floor tiles?

Also need help with curtains. Is it best to get them handmade or are ready made curtains just as good? Advice on best places to buy would be much appreciated.

Thats hopefully enough questions for now :-)

Really appreciate the help as i think i would be a lost puppy without!

vansboy

Not trying to be funny here, but I would guess that with your Q's, you'd be better off getting budget stuff for now, see how things go & make some changes later.

Then, if you've made a few mistakes on quality/colour/style you can bin it , then start again.

VB

flea72

i would say go to ikea for all soft furnishings, espec curtains - you cant even buy fabric by the metre, for the price ikea charges for a ready made pair

Milky_Mocha

For curtains you could get some good fabric deals on ebay. I got some good fairly heavy brown suede curtain fabric on there with small longitudinal white patterns - approximately 10 metres for forty quid. I could have had it for much less but did not bid at the last minute hence got caught in a bidding war. Then if you know of a good tailor they could be made into whatever you want.

I don't know how far into Berkshire you are but I know a very good tailor in South London. She made us a pair with good lining, 1.5 diameter eyelets and four matching cushions with the leftover fabric - all for about £100. They get compliments all the time.

LionKing

Anybody know about claiming VAT back on carpets for a new built house??

Counting_Pennies_2

Not sure where you are in Berkshire, but if you are in Reading, there is a Fabric Warehouse in the RoseKiln Lane trading estate next to Currys and they do very cheap curtains and poles etc.

My friend bought curtains and carpet from their building company and not only is it a rip off, but every house ends up looking the same due to the poor choice there is.