Restretch

[Floorist]

I have a restretch to go bid on Monday. All these years and I hate bidding on them. I usually just guess about how long it will take and figure an hourly rate. Sometimes, I make out really good, sometimes not. I remember one that I bid for $200 and was done in 30 minutes. I have bid them by the yard, but that is hit and miss. Ideally, I could just tell them that I want so much an hour, but most want an exact price. Any better way to do it? I'm open for suggestions.

 

[DarisMulkin]

I charge 1/2 my labor price being strip is down and also the pad. Break a seam that is another story.

 

[highup]

I gave an out of state home owner an estimate that it would be at least $500 to restretch the carpet in a rental home that he owns. Wrinkles everywhere and it looks like the carpet was bumped in lightly with a kicker. 3 bedrooms, a small office, living room/dining room and hallway.
Worst part is, the carpet is 5 years old and rental quality.
I told the owner I would keep him informed and could stop at any point if he wants me too when I hit the $500 mark.
It's a difficult layout and every direction one would need to stretch creates problems elsewhere. To alleviate movement of doorways and floor registers, most rooms need stretching in both directions and seams will need to come apart. In a hallway, I need to create a new seam. by stretching the carpet from opposite directions towards the middle.......... It's a shameful mess of an installation.

 

[highup]

...........and yes, it's occupied. A very nice older couple are the renters.

 

[Floorist]

Bid by the hour on one years ago. 200 yards and the "installer" rolled it out seamed it and tucked it in, didn't even kick it, according to the HO, and it looked like they were telling the truth. Seven doorways in the hall. 3 or 4" of extra carpet between each. A step down around a corner about 12 feet long. Didn't get the job and was not disappointed. I had estimated three days to fix it.

 

[Nick]

Problem is , We make it look to easy , and people go with the cheapest guy .

 

[highup]

Here's one I did a couple months back. Four bedrooms like this. There were wrinkles under the beds too. There was also a 16 by 26 room with a 4 by 9 hallway that led to two of the bedrooms. Wrinkle in this small hallway also. I only had to take one bedroom door seam apart in all of this.
I live in Oregon, and the customer (a retired couple) live in Nebraska............ this is a beach house, so you can imagine how often they use the place. The carpet is 4 years old, and a year after it was installed, the whole place was re-stretched. How come it needed to be re-stretched again? I was nice, only billing the store for $495 including travel time. I worked with the beds in the rooms because they were so large and difficult to remove.
The first two images are the same room from opposing angles. The carpet had wrinkles against the walls too. If you look real close at the third image, you can see where the tacks in the strip actually contacted the backing in a few places.