I’m I being a cheap skate

[Bellex]

Hello all,

I’m buying my first house. A new build which doesn’t include flooring amongst other things. Today I went to the suggested flooring supplier to get some quotes for flooring. Third time in as the previous visits have been a disaster due to staff not knowing about the arrangement with the developer and wanting to book me in for a measure up. And to be honest at this point I was going to go somewhere else as I really need to know how flooring is going to cost so I can budget for it.

I went in today, explain and the guy understood. He then started to show me the amtico flooring, having looked at this previously I know it costs on average £150 per square metre so is on the pricey side. My friend has also recently had issues with hers which I explained, he said he’s never ever heard or seen any issues with it. So he showed me other laminate options all of which came to over £75 per square metre.

So I politely gave him a nudge to show me something abit cheaper. I ended up picking a laminate £25.99 per square metre with fleeting and then a carpet runner and two separate laminates for the bathroom. This all came to £3600 for roughly 115 metres squared plus stairs.

The guy did repeatedly kept coming back to amtico which would of cost me £18,000. I’m buying this house alone and I’ve saved up for the past 2 years to do so. I have additional costs like a media wall, the garden plus actually furnishing it as I have no furniture. £18,000 seems a lot to pay just for flooring but the guy kept saying it was an investment?

What are you thoughts? (For reference the house is 3 bed semi for 195k)

Im also in a position as they still haven’t given me a date. The house should be ready March this date has already moved right once and from the looks of the houses and lack of road I am worried that this date isn’t realistic

You are right - it’s not realistic. I can tell you that because no new build property is ever ready on time. Don’t believe a word the developers say until you can see it’s nearly ready and the neighbours are actually moving in.

And if you are rented, don’t give notice to your landlord until then.

If you like luxury vinyl tiles you can get many other brands for a lot less than Amtico or Karndean.

Or if you like laminate you can get some that’s suitable for kitchens and bathrooms .

Ask your parents’ carpet fitter for recommendations for retailers and preferably someone to ask for . Work out what your budget is and stick to it.

Remember to allow for underlay, smooth edge, threshold bars, Scotia trim etc and labour on top of the price per meter.

Then go to then recommended shop, ask for “ Bobby “, say “ John from Best carper fitters sent me, I’m looking for 50m2 of ? Laminate and 70m2 of carpet and my budget is £X per meter “.

Then don’t look at anything over that. If they try once, shake your head and say “ That’s lovely but it’s not in the budget “ . Don’t justify or apologise.

If they try twice , say “ Ok thanks for your help today, I’ll go and think about it “ and walk out.

Amtico categorically does not cost £150 a sq m
Shop around definitely. Independent places are better on the whole than the big chains

@Hoppinggreen any good tradesman will have insurance to cover any accidental damage to your property while they are there. OP definitely shouldn't go with the tradesmen the builder is recommending, with the quotes OP is being given they sound like they're all in on backhanders and rip-offs.

@Bellex don't worry about the builder being late to finish... I was doing an extension and then company who fitted my carpets was happy for me to buy the carpet and hold it until I was ready. They came at a date to suit me and even came out twice so I could shift furniture into one room while they carpeted the other and vice versa.

There are some fantastic people out there who'll help you decorate and maintain your property. The builders recommendations are not those people.

[quote JustGotToKeepOnKeepingOn]@Hoppinggreen any good tradesman will have insurance to cover any accidental damage to your property while they are there. OP definitely shouldn't go with the tradesmen the builder is recommending, with the quotes OP is being given they sound like they're all in on backhanders and rip-offs. [/quote]
It’s not just financial, it’s the hassle factor though.
I am not advocating OP use a supplier she is unhappy with and/or thinks is too expensive - I was just saying that there can be good reasons to use the builders recommend person

I have white laminate upstairs and tile downstairs, carpet on the stairs and landing.

Would you consider tile?

Sometimes if the builders are recommending a supplier they get a kick back.

Definitely worth shopping around.

Thanks for all for your advice.

I have looked at tiles as an option but the cost of putting them down seem to out way the choice. I got some quotes and due to size of the area they wanted 1800-2000 for 3 days work.

Im going around some more places next weekend and my friend has recommend someone that doesn’t have a show room but has samples

OP your choice sounds ideal.

The salesman probably gets a lot more for the exoensive one. Of course he’s pushing it.

You are being very sensible, but don't just get prices from one supplier!!

Go elsewhere. try a local business. I've been lucky to find a business that will rein me in if im going too expensive.

Are the prices higher because they are coordinated with your builder? We went for fitters we found that got there as we completed in the day and got most of it done and the rest the next day. We did save a lot doing it that way