measuring carpet?

wallbash

as i really don't want to pay for bad carpet, it seems such a waste of money.

No such thing as a bad carpet, its just one that will take less abuse.
Do you take your shoes off when you get home, do you own and use a hoover ( told you I can be a little rude)

sniggings

wallbash wrote: »

No such thing as a bad carpet, its just one that will take less abuse.
Do you take your shoes off when you get home, do you own and use a hoover ( told you I can be a little rude)

oh right, the edit feature does come in handy

yeah i take my shoes off and use a hoover (will be buying one of those too, as the flat I'm moving from has it's own)

Guess the £140 quote is an option then, least I'll have carpet down in all the flat,if i decide to stay I can change it.

Nada666

160 square feet for £80. That is only 50p per square foot. £5.30 per square metre. That about covers the cost of the underlay (£3.50 to £5) - your fitting is almost free.

I would not recommend fitting carpet yourself. And under no circumstances fit it in the presence of a partner or potential love interest! It's one of those things that seem trivially simple but are simply not worth the hassle. Save money decorating yourself (painting ceilings and walls - that's straightforward). But not fitting carpets. Laminate is easier than carpet!

Don't forget the bathroom - if you have fitter in you may as well throw in new vinyl for it, too.

As to different carpets in a small flat - I am assuming you are buying plain coloured ones. (Does anyone buy patterned carpets anymore?) I think a different zone for the bedrooms is okay. As to hallway leading to sitting room - If it is a big hallway it might work lengthening the room but at only 6 feet wide it is probably not worth it. I would just see it as a separated corridor. (Of course, that's me - if you like the idea go ahead.)

sniggings

Nada666 wrote: »

160 square feet for £80. That is only 50p per square foot. £5.30 per square metre. That about covers the cost of the underlay (£3.50 to £5) - your fitting is almost free.

I would not recommend fitting carpet yourself. And under no circumstances fit it in the presence of a partner or potential love interest! It's one of those things that seem trivially simple but are simply not worth the hassle. Save money decorating yourself (painting ceilings and walls - that's straightforward). But not fitting carpets. Laminate is easier than carpet!

Don't forget the bathroom - if you have fitter in you may as well throw in new vinyl for it, too.

As to different carpets in a small flat - I am assuming you are buying plain coloured ones. (Does anyone buy patterned carpets anymore?) I think a different zone for the bedrooms is okay. As to hallway leading to sitting room - If it is a big hallway it might work lengthening the room but at only 6 feet wide it is probably not worth it. I would just see it as a separated corridor. (Of course, that's me - if you like the idea go ahead.)

I can't see them laying underlay costing £3.50-£5.00? isn't there 99p underlay as looking at the place the carpet is coming from, if there is they will sell it

I was working it out at £2m2 for underlay, so around £30, which leaves £50 for fitting, the door bar things are still in place from the last carpet, so maybe the carpet wood things need costing in too, this is all based on then even using underlay:eek: if they are I can now see £140 is not so bad.

oh and luckily the bathroom and kichen has good flooring down.

adandem

Have you considered laminate or vinyl in the hall? It would be far more hard wearing than a low cost carpet.

piggles1

I moved into a completely bare flat as well, and decided it would be a false economy to make-do, and that it would be better to get the carpet all done and fitted straight away. Unfortunately, it was so enormously expensive I had to cut costs here and there and get cheaper per metre carpet for some areas, and the same colour in two rooms, to get the cost down. The result is I'm 1k poorer and surrounded by horrible carpet

I wish I'd left the bedroom and just got a rug. And therefore freed up some money to get the tough hall carpet through to the living room as well. I could have lived with it much less 'perfect' and done it in stages exactly how I wanted it.

If the HA are contributing to the cost, the choice is: pay £140 and it's all done, half of it for free, and can be forgotten about for 5 years. Or pay significantly more, and risk a) not getting the one you really wanted, and b) wondering if you'll need to change, say, a bedroom carpet again later on because you've got bored with the same colour everywhere. I suppose it really depends on whether the size of your overall moving budget stretches to exactly the quality and carpet and colours you want.

To get a price idea I'd suggest going to a carpet chain to see the quality. Don't take your room measurements with you, that way you can't be drawn into a conversation about overall cost. If you note down the one(s) you like, it can then be priced up from the website of the carpet chain. Calculate from their room costs (they have fitting costs as well), then add on the underlay* as well. Add it all together and if you start to feel ill with the price of it, take up the HA offer and spend money on really bright furnishings and rugs instead.

*underlay bumps up the price but it lengthens the life of the carpet and you can only do it when the carpet's fitted, otherwise you'd have to get the fitters out again to add it at a later date.

It's a tricky decision, and although your £140 might look like wasted money, I think if I could have carpeted mine for a tenth of what I paid, I'd have done that. Lovely carpet really is a luxury, and priced to match. Buying almost what I wanted, but not quite due to the cost, turned out to be a false economy for me. G'luck!

sniggings

adandem wrote: »

Have you considered laminate or vinyl in the hall? It would be far more hard wearing than a low cost carpet.

signed an agreement not to lay laminate, as it's a flat.

sniggings

piggles1 wrote: »

I moved into a completely bare flat as well, and decided it would be a false economy to make-do, and that it would be better to get the carpet all done and fitted straight away. Unfortunately, it was so enormously expensive I had to cut costs here and there and get cheaper per metre carpet for some areas, and the same colour in two rooms, to get the cost down. The result is I'm 1k poorer and surrounded by horrible carpet

I wish I'd left the bedroom and just got a rug. And therefore freed up some money to get the tough hall carpet through to the living room as well. I could have lived with it much less 'perfect' and done it in stages exactly how I wanted it.

If the HA are contributing to the cost, the choice is: pay £140 and it's all done, half of it for free, and can be forgotten about for 5 years. Or pay significantly more, and risk a) not getting the one you really wanted, and b) wondering if you'll need to change, say, a bedroom carpet again later on because you've got bored with the same colour everywhere. I suppose it really depends on whether the size of your overall moving budget stretches to exactly the quality and carpet and colours you want.

To get a price idea I'd suggest going to a carpet chain to see the quality. Don't take your room measurements with you, that way you can't be drawn into a conversation about overall cost. If you note down the one(s) you like, it can then be priced up from the website of the carpet chain. Calculate from their room costs (they have fitting costs as well), then add on the underlay* as well. Add it all together and if you start to feel ill with the price of it, take up the HA offer and spend money on really bright furnishings and rugs instead.

*underlay bumps up the price but it lengthens the life of the carpet and you can only do it when the carpet's fitted, otherwise you'd have to get the fitters out again to add it at a later date.

It's a tricky decision, and although your £140 might look like wasted money, I think if I could have carpeted mine for a tenth of what I paid, I'd have done that. Lovely carpet really is a luxury, and priced to match. Buying almost what I wanted, but not quite due to the cost, turned out to be a false economy for me. G'luck!

cheers, very useful post.

Decided to go the £140 route, the way I'm talking you would think i have loads of money

Think the £140 carpet this pay packet and maybe a fridge,then washer next and god knows when for the cooker.

I would have first went for the better carpet but I can now see that would be daft when I need white goods, oh and a sofa :eek:

sniggings

just checked and the £140 does not include underlay :eek:

So for 15m2 @ £3.99 they were going to charge me £80 for fitting a small bedroom and tiny hall.

So just letting them lay the LR and MB that the HA is paying for!

Anyone recommend an online carpet shop, I'll just buy the carpet and underlay myself and lay it, will replace the other rooms very soon I expect.

teddysmum

With small rooms, if you are willing to have different colours/types in each, a way to afford better quality is to buy remnants. Many stores have several rolls on show, to choose from and the cost per metre can be less than half the original price.