carpet replacement

morrigan08

OK this winter we are replacing our carpet upstairs. (I would like hardwood, but DH does not, and whatever since we don't spend much time up there). 

So what companies do you recommend? Lowes/Homedepot? One of those you call and they come to your house and you choose?

I am going to rip up our old carpet since it isn't that hard. We don't have much room to store the furniture downstairs so they will have to work around it /move as they go. Or would it be better to move it so we can be gentlier with it and not risk nicks and scratches? I guess we could store in the garage and stuff the dining room. 

heatherkj

We used an independent contractor (same one for old house and new house). We found that he was able to give us a much better deal, both on his labor and on the carpet, since he let us order and pay directly through his supplier (so not as much mark-up!).

We've always ripped up old carpet ourselves, but it is a bit more work than you might think--you have to rip up old staples, which takes some time. 

Also, it might depend on who you use, but we had to have all of the furniture and stuff out of every room to be carpeted. If he had moved furniture as he went, it would've taken him at least twice as long, which = a lot of money. When we were in our condo, he was essentially carpeting the entire place, so we moved all the furniture into the second bedroom and onto our laminate floor in the dining area. He carpeted everything that was empty, then we moved all of the furniture back. He came back the next day to do the one remaining room.

star678

We wanted to replace our carpet quickly so we went with Empire.  The guy came, we picked our color and type, and they came the next day-- ripped out the old, installed the new, and were on their way.  24 hour total process which was VERY much appreciated because I hate when things get drawn out. 

However, I will say the carpet is on the cheaper end.  It has served it's purpose well and looks pretty good after it's been freshly cleaned, but it's not high end.  (We did choose the cheapest carpet, I think, because we had just gotten back from our honeymoon and were pretty broke at the time.)  I would use Empire again, especially if I were willing to pay for higher end carpet from them or if the room I was carpeting wasn't used frequently.

mrs.dilligaf

I am super cheap, and we compared everywhere before buying.  We had decided on one at a local carpet place, but I took the sample around.  I found the exact same carpet (different name, but all the specs were the same) at Lowes.  It was over $1000 cheaper with upgraded pad.    We also had a moving coupon and got another 10 or 20% off.  They do use outside labor for the install, but our guys were great.  Maybe you can check for local reviews.  For us, removal was free and installation was on sale for $39 for everything.  We would have been charged if they had to move furniture, but we had just moved in so it worked well. 

Loveofjoe11

A close friend sells Empire, so that's what we did.  I agree with Kim, I'm not quite impressed with the quality.  I hated the buying process, it was like haggling for a car with Empire.