Is Home Depot the best option? Long Post.

[siouxi31]

I have a list of things that need to get done to the house this spring. They include the possibilities of replacing the windows/patio door, new carpet or laminate wood flooring or a combo of both (this is only for the lower level of our house which is about 35'x27' roughly) and a new kitchen counter. My budget is about $7000.00.
I went to Home Depot yesterday just to get an idea of what everything would cost so that I could prioritize what really needs to be done vs. what could fit into the budget.
First was the countertop. My wish is to have Silestone but I'd be fine with laminate countertops if I can't have my wish. Actually, the rough cost of having Silestone purchased/installed wasn't too bad. It was 1700.00. This consists of the countertop going over a 12" base, 73" (over sink and dishwasher) and a 31" base. You can see it's a small kitchen so getting laminate would really decrease the cost.
The patio door cost is about 1100.00.
Then I checked into the cost of having laminate wood flooring installed in the very roughly measured 35'x27' area of the house and it came to 6000.00!!!!
I thought that estimate was huge so now I'm thinking of just having the wood laminate flooring installed in the kitchen and entryway instead of on the majority of the first floor and just having carpet laid on the rest.
I really would like all of the windows replaced in the house (that's 8 windows) but I didn't have the cost estimated since they have to come to your house to estimate the cost of the windows plus installation.
The floor has to be done. Bottom line. But I REALLY want the windows done because they are old and the house is a bit drafty. I'm hoping new windows would help. Plus the current windows are a pain to clean. They're the original windows from our house that was built in 1978.
I went to Home Depot because I'm trying to make this simple on myself and get everything done at one place. We're the type of people who have the skill to take on some of these projects but we never seem to be able to complete projects so I don't want to get involved in installing the wood laminate myself--maybe I'll have to though.
So, my question is this. Do you think going through Home Depot is a good deal or is it better to go directly to a window/door company and a flooring company to get these items done? FYI, the patio door itself costs 599.00 and the installation of it is a little over 400.00. I would think that installation would be a better price if the windows/doors were done at one time by the same company and that it may be a better savings if I went directly to a window/door company.

 

[Beth76]

I would not go through Home Depot. They contract people out for their installs, so they're not necessarily the best. I had my basement finished a year ago and my contractor (who is a good friend of my dad's) said never to let HD install anything for you. They're not even cheaper usually. When I got my carpet installed (from a local independent rep) he was actually a little cheaper than HD, for a better quality carpet. And he also told us that the HD installers are sub-par. (We had an estimate done for carpet a few months before from HD, but never bought anything from them).

 

[RUDisney]

You need to find yourself some carpenters for friends.

FWIW, I go to HD for some things, but not major things. You need to price around for all of your major purchases. While the silestone price seems reasonable, the flooring, I'm not sure if you mean a Pergo type product or a Bruce, prefinished HW, you can get better quality going through a flooring company. The off-the-shelf Bruce HW at HD has a deep V between the boards. this was a concern for us because we didn't want to be scrubbing with toothbrushes to get them clean between joints. We opted for a micro-channel that has hardly any gap where the wood meets. For our family room, the cost was about $1,800 - $2,000 installed. The room is 35X20. We bought the wood through a wholesaler and one of our carpenter friends installed it. See why you need a friend in "the business?"

I'd also want the best windows that I can afford. You'll save heating $$$ with a better product. I'd go to a few window distributors before I'd make a selection. You can usually tell if one if over-inflating the value of his product if you educate yourself on this purchase.

Is it a pain to run around town and price your project? Sure, it is. But, why not stretch your money to get everything you want instead of having to settle for less... or having to settle for the first quote you receive?

Home Depot is not the beat-all, end-all. Many times that we've checked, local lumber yards can beat or match HD prices while providing better wood, etc.

 

[WishingOnAStar]

I'd like to echo what everyone seems to be saying. Home Depot contracts out their work. And, what they do is find a contractor in whatever field they need who is willing to work for what they are paying. From first-hand experience (we own a plumbing company), what they are paying is not enough to attract good, reliable contractors. We could not afford to stay in business or pay any employees by accepting what they offer.
So, the old saying is true- "you get what you pay for".

I would definitely ask friends, family, whoever for recommendations for contractors in your area. You may be able to find one - like someone who does remodeling, basement finishing, etc. that can do the windows, floor, and carpet. I know we work with one contractor who does all that (it falls under a home improvement license) and hires us for plumbing and someone for electric. That way, it's all done by one company, you'll get a discount and you're only dealing with one person for everything.

Good luck!

 

[Rock'n Robin]

At the very least I would call around and get estimates. Most reputable home improvement companies give free estimates. If they start to pressure you to make a decision right that minute, send them on their way. DH is the sales manager for a local company and ran his own shop for over 10 years, so I know what I'm talking about. Windows will definately get you the best return, esp. with energy costs the way they are. As for flooring and counters, unless you need to sell your home right away and the current condition would deter buyers, I would wait and save more until you have the $ to get what you really want.
We had an estimate on hardwood for the kitchen and it was like $3200! But DH has already decided whatever flooring we choose (that is this year's major project) someone else will do it--we have 8 door openings in that room--closet, back door, garage entry, laundry room, basement, opening to family room, opening to dining room, and pantry. He is perfectly willing to admit he does not have the patience for that kind of project.
Robin M.

 

[DVC-Don]

I've used Home Depot three times for issues here. Once our water heater failed and leaked onto the basement floor. I called a couple of local plumbing contractors and never got the call back, then I went online at the HD web site and filled in a form and BAM! Got a call back within an hour from a contractor that works for them and a couple of hours later had my new water heater installed and the old one gone. Funny thing was it was a contractor I had used a couple of years ago for something else.

Second time was our roof which was older and needed to be replaced. We had a contractor come out, but our neighbor (who is a deputy sheriff) called me over while the guy was talking to my wife and told me there was a big investigation going on with that contractor. So we said good bye to that fellow and called HD again. We scheduled the replacement for a month later and BAM! (sound like Emeril) a crew showed up (10 guys) and replaced our roof in one day. We just had a major wind storm here and several neighbors lost parts of their roofs, but our still looks new.

Last one was last summer and we needed to replace our sliding glass door. This time I just visited HD and bought one and had them install.

Plus with warrenty issues, I just have to call a HD number and not try and track down some contractor who has gone out of business (happened a few times to us) Happy HD customer.

 

[siouxi31]

Thank you all so much for your responses.

We've had some people come in to do some roofing, siding and baseboard/door replacement in the house and weren't happy with any of them which is why I was just gonna go to HD. I've changed my mind with your responses and I'll contact some window/door/floor companies instead.
It seems these people were always knocking on our door asking if we wanted estimates and I turned them away because I wasn't ready at the time. Now that I'm ready, there have been no knocks on the door.
I'll have to start doing my research.

 

[kristen821]

Putting laminate flooring in yourself isn't too hard if you want to save some money. I've heard that putting windows in is easy too, but that was from a friend of ours who owns a window/sliding company. Counter tops are also easy to put in my Dad put his own counter tops on before when I was younger and there wasn't much swearing in the kitchen so I know it must have been easy. Good luck!

 

[KathyTX]

So, my question is this. Do you think going through Home Depot is a good deal or is it better to go directly to a window/door company and a flooring company to get these items done?

Buying your materials at Home Depot is fine; trusting them to find and oversee your installers isn't a very good (or economical or convenient) idea.

Our experience with them (only through estimate phases, we went with other options) was that scheduling was difficult, prices were inflated, and you had no control over who installed or what their experience or quality was.

Your best bet is to ask around and find someone who's had similar work done to get good recommendations, and then go straight to the installer/flooring/window company.

By asking around at work, I found a man who did a fabulous job installing ceramic tile floors and replacing my kitchen countertops (Home Depot had quoted this as three different people, not nearly as creative as the ideas the actual guy brought to us, more expensive and a LOT more time.) Also through my friends at work I found a local man who acts as a general contractor on remodeling jobs, and we now call him when we need general repairs. We've used him to install new French doors, design and build a big built-in entertainment unit, find roofing contractors and painters and various repair guys... his phone number is worth its weight in gold! He knows who to go to, the quality of their work, and coordinates everything. LOVE this man!!!

 

[SplshMtn99]

If it helps you, we had 8 windows replaced about 4 years ago by a local contractor. Used Harvey windows. 6 over 6. (grills inside) Its was $200 per window installed. So $1600.

DH & I also replaced laminate countertops a few years back. Bought at Home Depot. An 10' piece, a 3' piece & and 18 inch piece. Cost $300. We did it ourselves. Including cutting for sink.

 

[Mercy]

Just a thought on your counters. We just remodeled our kitchen and initially we thought of Silestone or some other engineered stone surface (Zodiac, Cambria, etc.). However when we priced those compared to granite, the granite was actually cheaper and so much more beautiful. Anyway, from your measurements you only have about 20 sq. ft. of countertop, I paid under $50 a sq. ft. for my granite, so with that you're talking about around $1,000. Just DON'T by it from HD, they are way more expensive. Just shop around for a granite fabricator in your area, look in the Yellow Pages. They guys who did our counters did a fantastic job!

 

[kristen821]

I find Menards to be cheaper a lot.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

Remember if you choose a contractor to investigate with the BBB first to make sure there are no open complaints. You could also check with the local home builder's association or home remodeler's association for references. Are there any home shows going on near you now? We had one 2 weeks ago and another one next week with lots of companies having displays.
Robin M.