Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

£975 for carpeting one room

64 replies

Capels · 25/07/2023 14:36

I went into a family run carpet shop today to ask for a quote. It's just the one room, an averagely sized living room in a flat. Nothing grand

The size of the room is 15ft x 11ft

For carpet, underlay and fitting they want £975

I didn't even choose any particular carpet, he simply translated the measurements into square foot and said that's how much it'll be.

AIBU to think that's ridiculous?

OP posts:
LakieLady · 25/07/2023 16:08

I had the spare bedroom, 10' x 12' approx, done 2 years ago. The carpet was lower end of mid-range, but I got a decent underlay (I aways remember the father of a friend, who had a high-end carpet business, saying that cheap carpet with good quality underlay would look better and last longer than expensive carpet with cheap underlay).

Total cost was a little over £500.

Reugny · 25/07/2023 16:12

You need to shop around including going to the chains.

Some of the family run carpet shops are aimed at particular socioeconomic groups.

When someone I know who lives in Central London got flooring just after Covid for a larger room he went to two branches of a well-known chain. The second branch charged him £300 less for fitting his flooring. (It was hard flooring.)

AnObserverInThisDarkWorld · 25/07/2023 16:24

Fitting cost for a Small business probably covers - fitter's wage (it's a skilled trade so more than minimum wage and probably also includes petrol/transport), shop expenses (utilities have shot up as we all know), insurance, tools, wages for shop staff if they're separate to the fitters (some small shops will just employ one or two people who do both)

Then there's all the fittings, carpet, underlay...

Some people have no idea, saying £220 was expensive

(Although how he can quote without knowing the actual carpet is odd)

maddiemookins16mum · 25/07/2023 16:31

We’ve just had our stairs and landing done, mid range price, including underlay and fitting for £430.00. Our landing is the size of a large dining table.

Badbudgeter · 25/07/2023 16:34

I did a 5m*4m room with two bay windows for less thank£600 plus £80 fitting. Independant place, carpet fitter was self employed but worked with the shop a lot.

crazeekat · 25/07/2023 16:42

really expensive . even a good carpet pile and scotch guard shouldn't be more than £600

babayhaga · 25/07/2023 16:53

Why would you need new under lay?

Bramshott · 25/07/2023 16:56

Most of the cost will be the carpet rather than the fitting - can you look at a cheaper one?

Twospaniels · 25/07/2023 16:58

In the last 2 yrs I have had 3 bedrooms carpeted. They each measure 11’ x 11’. Carpet, underlay and fitting were £400 each room and the carpet was between mid-high range of prices, same with the underlay. This was at a local family carpet shop

SnowSnows · 25/07/2023 17:09

Depends on the carpet! Every one of my rooms have cost between £1000-£1200 to carpet. But I always choose high quality wool carpet, usually £60-£70 per sq m, as I know I will keep the carpet for 15+ years

MongoFrogman · 25/07/2023 17:16

Just had a 22sqm carpet fitted by a single branch shop in zone 2, south London.

I paid £1150 for carpet, 10mm underlay and fitting.

Pretty sure that I paid for a 5m by 5m roll (i.e. 25 sqm) and not just the size of the carpet without the offcuts.

They said that prices had gone up 6 times in the past three years. The one I went for was £30 sqm.

Destiny123 · 26/07/2023 12:03

babayhaga · 25/07/2023 16:53

Why would you need new under lay?

Lol ours was in about a million dust fragments from when fitted prob 25y ago. Wasn't a single chunk over 15cm in diameter in a 4m room.wish I'd photographed it

ComtesseDeSpair · 26/07/2023 12:08

seafronty · 25/07/2023 16:00

Just carpeted our bedroom. 4.5m x 4.5m. A good thick carpet, underlay, door bar, fitting. £220. And I thought that was £20 too much but hey, whatever. You must be getting gold thread through yours.

You got a good thick carpet, underlay and fitting at £10 per square metre?! Where is this place?

ADHDGURL · 26/07/2023 13:08

Go to a manufacturer website (EG Cormar Carpets) they will list local recommended installers.
A days fitting can be (£175-220) as its charged by day on standalone jobs not PsqM.
Hope that helps

Frabbits · 26/07/2023 13:17

Capels · 25/07/2023 14:39

That's what I thought and was expecting.

I didn't hang around after he gave me the £975 figure.

I'm baffled.

Show quote history

Rather than "not hanging about" why didn't you ask what sort of carpet etc that was based on?

Weird to just walk out.

Shiloh139 · 26/07/2023 13:27

Definitely not AIBU. I have just had a very nice plush bedroom carpet installed with new underlay that I think was 10mm thick for about £450. My room was 5x3m (10 x 16 feet). I bought the carpet online and used a fitter I'd found via Facebook local group recommendations.

I went to a carpet shop initially and the exact same carpet but lesser quality underlay would have cost me £575 including fitting. £60 of that was the installation cost.

£975 when they don't even know what carpet you want and there's no mention of underlay, grippers or door bars/strips is unreasonable.

spanieleyes · 26/07/2023 13:34

Just come back from the carpet shop!£350 for dining room and stairs, including fitting but reusing underlay.

strongcupofTea · 26/07/2023 14:08

That's more then what I paid for the stairs, hallway and 2 bedrooms with tapi and it included fitting. We paid just over £800 for midrange carpet.

bunchofboys · 26/07/2023 17:23

Carpet is really expensive. We have just renovated and john lewis quoted me £15k for a very average carpet throughout. I got the same carpet for £6k from an independent in the end. I have no idea how people afford fancy silk carpets.

Dreamqueen · 26/07/2023 17:49

Last year had two bedrooms, upstairs landing, stairs and a walk in cupboard done for £1100. It was a mid range carpet with the best underlay. All done from a local carpet shop. I'm very happy with it. Up north if that makes a difference.

tillyandmilly · 26/07/2023 17:54

Buy rugs cheaper thats what we have done!

cinnamonfrenchtoast · 26/07/2023 17:58

Blimey, prices have skyrocketed recently Blush

We got two bedrooms, a hallway, staircase and living/dining room done with underlay and fitting for less than a grand six years ago!

pannikin · 26/07/2023 19:19

I think I paid just a bit more than that to have my stairs and entire upstairs carpeted (minus bathroom)
2 double bedrooms and a box room, included underlay, fitting and decent carpet from an independent shop

Namechanger099181919 · 26/07/2023 19:24

We’ve paid 850 for living room ( 14x11ft) stairs, landing (large), double bedroom, stairs and landing again. This was 2/3 months ago - carpet was a cheap one ( we were selling up) and had old underlay.
this was fitted as well.