Home Improvements

Started by Wingspan, October 29, 2007, 02:16:00 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

SunMo

home depot are a bunch of whores too, but not as bad as empire obviously.

their minimum labor charge for a carpet install is $500, but right now they are running a deal $159 for one room or $199 for unlimited rooms.  of course, you can't get any carpet on sale for that deal, so I'm still paying $600 to have 150 sqft of carpet and padding installed.
I'm the Anti-Christ. You got me in a vendetta kind of mood.

Wingspan

Quote from: SunMo on November 09, 2007, 01:54:45 PM
holy shtein...did they figure you getting two layers of wood floor?

Nope, in fact they said any subfloor repairs would be extra.

I know i will have to replace at least 1 panel under there since the dog pees in the one spot a lot.
Connection Problems

Sorry, SMF was unable to connect to the database. This may be caused by the server being busy. Please try again later.

Wingspan

Quote from: FastFreddie on November 09, 2007, 02:05:00 PM
So, you actually paid empire $25?

Sorta.

I gave them a check. Which is now cancelled.
Connection Problems

Sorry, SMF was unable to connect to the database. This may be caused by the server being busy. Please try again later.

SunMo

I'm the Anti-Christ. You got me in a vendetta kind of mood.

Father Demon

Empire Today did my kitchen/bathroom/laundry room, and my experience wasn't all that bad with a couple of hitches..

1) Their price, after much negotiation and threatening to cancel, came out about $400 more expensive than HD, but I liked the pattern better and the scheduled date.  I could have done it myself for about $900 less than I paid Empire Today, but a) I travel a lot, b) I didn't want to farg it up, and c) it would take them far shorter to do it than it would take me.

2) They gave me a quote without even asking for a deposit.  They gave me a "right now" quote, and a "good for 30 days" quote, which was about $900 more expensive.  An obvious and blatant high pressure pitch to get the deal signed, but I knew that so it wasn't even a factor for me.  I actually laughed at the guy when he told me there were two different quotes, and said we are either getting this done now where it's a good deal for both of us, or I won't be calling back once you walk out my door.

3) They scheduled for 2 days after the quote (don't believe next day installation), and it also took them two full days (don't believe the one-day install for anything bigger than a small room).  They took up my old linoleum, they did panel repair work for free (which I negotiated into the contract), having to replace two whole sections of sub-floor (we had a toilet leak and a washer leak over the last 7 years), and they also moved our island to a new location for free (offered a pizza early on to the laborers, and they did little things like that)

4) Problem - they disconnected, moved, and reconnected my refrigerator and water line, even though the contract said they wouldn't do that and weren't responsible.  When they reconnected, they (unknown to me) put a small slice in the line, and tried to fix it with super glue.  I learned of the slice, but not of the repair job.  As you may have guessed, the super glue didn't hold up, and within a week my floor was warping big time.  Called the manager, and he came out to take pictures.  He called the contractors and scheduled a repair job for the next day.  The contractors came in, and tried salvaging pieces of floor that "weren't that bad" so I was on the phone again.  Manager came out, and made them throw out the entire floor, and put in a brand new one (after blowing fans and heat on my sub panels for 36 hours to dry it out). Talking with the manager, they gave me an additional 10% off for our troubles, plus gave us an additional discount of $250 for us to eat all our meals out for a few days.  After the same contractors re-installed my floor, they had an actual employee (and field manager) come in to ensure the fridge was correctly connected and working.

5) Also a small problem - I negotiated that I would buy my own floor molding and they would cut it and install it.  That saved me some bucks.  But once installed, the contractors said they wouldn't do the caulking and paint touch up, so I was on the phone with the manager again.  He sent out a guy the next day to do all the caulk and paint job.

Bottom line, after discounts and food credits, we paid about $300 more than if I had done it myself.  Seriously worth it.  Of course, the contractor took a bath, but that's his problem, not mine.
The drawback to marital longevity is your wife always knows when you're really interested in her and when you're just trying to bury it.

Wingspan

I just found out after some quick searching that every single empire franchise is different, and their prices wouldnt be the same from one metro area to another and there are no company standards.

ha
Connection Problems

Sorry, SMF was unable to connect to the database. This may be caused by the server being busy. Please try again later.

PoopyfaceMcGee


Sgt PSN

Quote from: reese125 on November 09, 2007, 01:59:30 PM
Who's leading Empire's team? Jesus?

This is a pretty funny Jew joke.  And I'm positive it wasn't on purpose.

PoopyfaceMcGee

The dimmer switch was probably the easiest "home improvement" ever.

It's odd that in a fairly nice, new construction home; they put two-piece crown molding, chair rail, and picture frame molding in the dining room... but wired the dining room light with a regular flip switch.

mussa

rich people hire people to do the work for them. if your smart and don't have the money to throw away like the majority of people, you'll man up and do it yourself or find a friend who can do it. otherwise your spending waaaaay too much money. btw i work for beer. call me.
Official Sponsor of The Fire Andy Reid Club
"We be plundering the High Sequence Seas For the hidden Treasures of Conservation"

Wingspan

Quote from: Wingspan on November 09, 2007, 01:49:39 PM
My rationale was that they've been around so long, that maybe they were worth a look.

Here's how my floor prices look...

550 sq ft, Bruce 2.25 hardwood.

Self Install
Wood= $2200
Tool Rental & nails= $25-50 per day= $250
Total: $2600ish

Home Depot Purchase and Installation: $4500

Lowes Pruchase and Installation $4200 (longer install wait)

General Contractor $5200

Empire Today $8,900

So on a whim today i stopped by Floors USA in king of prussia....and they actually offer al a carte pricing on floor installation.

I can knock down the price by ripping out the carpet and linoleum myself...

So according to them, the job will be done before thanksgiving and in one day...and cost a total of $3500
Connection Problems

Sorry, SMF was unable to connect to the database. This may be caused by the server being busy. Please try again later.

PhillyPhreak54

What kind of wood are you using Wing?

How much board footage will you be using?

phillymic2000

rip it up, pay the extra 900 bones and enjoy the thanksgiving holiday.

mussa

Putting in new insulation in the attic of my new place. i am just laying the new on top of the old, in the rafters, not on the roof. no harm in this, is there? i havn't found anyone who says otherwise.
Official Sponsor of The Fire Andy Reid Club
"We be plundering the High Sequence Seas For the hidden Treasures of Conservation"

Cerevant

Putting it on top is fine, but don't block up the eaves without putting baffles in - you need that airflow.

You should only put the insulation in the roof joists if you are going to finish the attic space.  If that is your plan, you will need a vent space at the peak.

The rule is that you need to have air flow on the "cold" side and a vapor barrier (the paper backing is OK, but plastic is better) on the warm side.  Otherwise you will get condensation, mold and all kinds of nasty stuff.
An ad hominem fallacy consists of asserting that someone's argument is wrong and/or he is wrong to argue at all purely because of something discreditable/not-authoritative about the person or those persons cited by him rather than addressing the soundness of the argument itself.