The Good Life on a Budget

• Posted by JvW on June 2nd, 2009 filed in House

Back when we thought we were going to sell our house, we decided that a few home improvements would be necessary. We wanted to paint the trim, finish painting the walls, and replace our 25+ year old carpet with a shiny new one.

Of all the things we wanted to do, replacing the carpet was:

a. the easiest

b. the most expensive

c. a HUGE difference.

After checking out a few vendors, we decided to go with Empire. They offered us the best value - not the least expensive, but the best carpet for the money. It cost us $2152.50 for our new carpet installed in 2 bedrooms, a hallway, and the stairs. This also included the removal and disposal of our old carpet, which we considered doing ourselves, but decided against. Let me tell you, that was a fantastic decision. We had previously ripped out the carpet downstairs and replaced it with hardwood, and it was a formidable task.

Before:

Awful Blue Carpet in Master Bedroom (& Younger JvW):

One thing I never understood is WHY the heck anybody would carpet the house a normal beige color and then decide to make the carpet in the bedroom blue. Of all things. It was very weird and I am psyched to finally have it gone. In addition to being blue, 25 years puts a lot of wear into a carpet.

Behold, the after:

The Hallway Upstairs:

Definitely a worthwile project, the difference is amazing. It makes the entire upstairs look new. Plus, it feels SO GOOD under bare feet.