Demonseed

I set out to do 2 restretches today, one the hallway was installed after the bedrooms, the hallway was maybe 6 x 5, I basically told the customer I could fix a small buckle in the bedroom, but the only way to repair the hallway would be time consuming and very costly. The carpet had been down a few years had some wear and due to the number of doorways, the top stair, miscellaneous furniture, and obstacles, I wouldn't do it. (clearly the fault of the original installer)

The second restretch, a similar problem, although the bedroom was substantially buckled. This customer had the original retailer back to restretch the carpet twice, and the problem kept recurring. Yet in this case, the installer and customer were to blame. The customer had work done on her floorboard heating, and repositioned the units after the original install, in the process of doing that the HVAC guy released all of the carpet from the tack strip in those sections, and then just plopped the new baseboard units on top of the carpet in the new locations. She never mentioned she had this work done, the first 2 restretches, apparently no one released enough carpet to see that there was no tack strip in front of the new units.

This woman also said to me, I am sure you will make the buckles go away for a few months and I will have to call someone else to fix it again, 45 minutes later after I installed the new tack strip, had the power stretcher hooked up and 2+ inches of stretch up the wall, I said I doubt this will ever buckle again.

Both jobs though, it was obvious, the hallway was installed last.

Floordude

Uhhhh??? you left money on the table?? Talked yourself out of some cheese???

Give them a price, for each area, if you have to, but never tell them it will be costly. If they ask why one area is more then the other, break it down. Because restretches are usually done on the spot, no look-see and write a proposal, to fax to them. Proposals are drawn up on the spot, for restretches. Sign here and I'll get started, works for me. No matter what price is on the bottom.

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Demonseed

In general I agree, but at the same time I can be a nice guy, it was an older couple. I looked at the 5 by 6 hallway for a good 15 minutes along with the 2 bedrooms, it basically was a matter of being honest, I can eliminate the buckles in the hallway, but in the process I have to cut open seams in worn carpet, create new seams and basically charge as much in labor as they would pay just having the carpet replaced, with no guarantee of how things would look aside from the buckles being gone.

Celtic

SO......

Are you going to replace it or let granny and her walker trip over it some cold winter night?

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Demonseed

LOL, I am usually the last person to give anyone a break, or walk away, but at the same time when I do a restretch or a repair, if I do not think I can make it look acceptable, I would rather walk than put my name on the job. If the carpet was newer or in better condition, than I may have made the effort. This little hallway/landing, had a stair leading up to it, a bathroom door across from the stair, and 2 closet doors, the buckles were located where the step was and between the closet doors on the width, and also buckled the opposite side of the doorway seam into the bedrooms, both bedrooms had closet doors leading both ways. The rooms were not rectangles and had several notches etc.

While I could have done something to make the hallway look better, I could not guarantee it, without completly taking everything apart and hoping for the best. Now to attempt this I would have to tell the elderly couple you are looking at $350-$400 for me to remove these buckles, when I cannot guarantee anything, but the removal of the buckles. The entire area involved was approximately 60 SY, they may have paid it, but it didn't seem like the right thing to do.

Angus

We will not do a job if the customer just wants the hall restretched. Chances are, if the hall is loose, so are the bedrooms, living room, etc. If the other rooms are loose, no amount of stretch in the hall will keep. Over time, it will keep pulling on the loose carpet. Unless they want to sign a waiver, we will not do it. Even then, it's not good business. The customers that do not care, are usally selling the home anyway. So it will be "the next owners problem". This happens quite a bit in my area. There are tons of people doing "fix and flips" around here.