[quote=sdduuuude]He sends me to a wholesale outlet to pick out the carpet, which he picks up and installs. Much cheaper this way.[/quote]
I did this in my last house and saved at least 50%. If you want hardwood, strongly consider “cabin grade”. What this means is factory second. Often times it means the finish is off a little or the stain is uneven. Georgia Carpet is one place that sells these direct:
I bought “cabin grade” Mannington Island Chestnut for $2.49/ft and it looked gorgeous. Everyone said so. You could never tell it wasn’t “first grade” in a million years. I found an installer who would lay the hardwood at $2.50/ft (call around). So total job was < $10k.
By contrast, all-in-one flooring places were quoting me $10-12/ft for the exact same flooring installed. So it would've been $20-25k.
