Re-Upholstery - It pays to shop around!!

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foggyparrot

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Whilst at Americana last weekend, we met a couple who had recently acquired a Winnie Chieftan (we have invited them to join the forum, so please look out for them!). The coach is quite an old one but a real classic.

Because of our love for the older Winnies, we couldn't help but take a peak inside. We couldn't believe what had been done with the upholstery! It had been re-done in a gorgeous cream Italian leather. We hung around until they came back and they gladly showed us around and told us what they had had done.

We were incredibly interested as we had almost commited to having our interior re-upholstered at a massive cost of £4.5k!

The upholsterer who had done the work had actually BUILT them a dinnette (the original having been removed!) and constructed two swivel tub chairs to replace the originals. The cost? Just over £2,000!!

Needless to say, we were straight on the phone to the upholsterer who has quoted us less than half of what the other company quoted for a lot of extra work on top!

Don't feel that you have to spend massive ammounts of money for re-furbishing your pride and joy. Sharon and Dennis (the Winnie owners) have spent a lot of time thinking outside the box and come up with a lot of other solutions to the traditional thinking with regards to replacement parts. Almost everything they have done they have had the labour and materials sourced locally.

I really do hope that they accept our invitation to join the forum so that they can share thier experiences with us!
 
The prices I have been quoted on various items from the main upholsterer's makes your eye water:cry::cry:
 
I often get asked about interiors and soft furnishings....keep us posted as to the end result Foggy :BigGrin:
 
With our first RV (a very old Chevy:BigGrin:) we had new curtains, covers, cushions etc made in Turkey and paid the extra baggage (£60!!!) to get them home.

Still did the entire vehicle for less than a grand including a weeks holiday in Turkey :thumb::thumb:

Thats really thinking outside the box!!! :Rofl1::Rofl1:
 
dazzer said:
With our first RV (a very old Chevy:BigGrin:) we had new curtains, covers, cushions etc made in Turkey and paid the extra baggage (£60!!!) to get them home.

Still did the entire vehicle for less than a grand including a weeks holiday in Turkey :thumb::thumb:

Thats really thinking outside the box!!! :Rofl1::Rofl1:
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You mean someone actually OPENED the box and let you out Dazzer? :Rofl1: :Rofl1:

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foggyparrot said:
Whilst at Americana last weekend, we met a couple who had recently acquired a Winnie Chieftan (we have invited them to join the forum, so please look out for them!). The coach is quite an old one but a real classic.

Because of our love for the older Winnies, we couldn't help but take a peak inside. We couldn't believe what had been done with the upholstery! It had been re-done in a gorgeous cream Italian leather. We hung around until they came back and they gladly showed us around and told us what they had had done.

We were incredibly interested as we had almost commited to having our interior re-upholstered at a massive cost of £4.5k!

The upholsterer who had done the work had actually BUILT them a dinnette (the original having been removed!) and constructed two swivel tub chairs to replace the originals. The cost? Just over £2,000!!

Needless to say, we were straight on the phone to the upholsterer who has quoted us less than half of what the other company quoted for a lot of extra work on top!
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Hi foggyparrot,
A very interesting post.
Would you please share the name and phone number of the upholsterer.
Many Thanks,
Wilbury
 
My wife's business remodels the interiors of yachts and boats. (She also does houses.) Often, someone will buy an old tub and, when they look around at $multi-million yachts, they want theirs to look the same. That's where my other half steps in and creates some magic.

She's even taken new yachts straight from the factory and changed things to match the owner's requirements.

The changes cover the gamut from upholstery to window and other soft treatments, to bed coverings, to table/shelf decorations, and a host of other things. When she's done, she usually leaves something extra as a "gift" to the boat/yacht owner. It might be as simple as a throw. More recently, she's doing a lot of custom embroidery, so embroidering the boat's name on a set of towels gets quite a (positive) reaction.

It really doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. There are two basic components in the equation - materials and labour. I've seen my wife run around 17 fabric suppliers to find curtain material on sale for $2/yard vs the normal price of $25, because her client didn't have a lot of money. Her competition would charge $50 and up per yard for the same stuff.

One other component is, of course, the design. My other half doesn't charge for the design, although she has a lot of talent in that area, and other companies charge top $$$ for doing it.

Another factor is warranty. My other half warranties her work for life. If something isn't quite right, or some stitching comes undone, or a fabric stretches, she'll redo it for free. Clients are amazed when she sits on their yacht and notices an almost imperceptible stretch in, say, an ultra leather. She removes the item, fixes it, and returns it promptly.

So, I agree, it pays to shop around, and get some referrals.
 
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For anyone looking for a good deal in the UK try A1 trimmers in Knottingly. They are good and don't rip you off. I have had two vans refurbished by them and I paid half the price that I was quoted else where.
No I do not have anything to do with this company!
 
I think that what you have said Tom about after sales service, design and those nice finishing touches that your good lady wife prides herself on are probably a lot more important than price. How refreshing that there are some people out there that still take a pride in what they do!

I think that this is what made us commit immediately to Dave's (Dave and Diane, the upholsterers) quote (that and the quality of the work they did in the Chieftan). Not only were they quick to offer suggestions of how to make the whole thing look and feel better, they even talked about colour contrasts, improving comfort, streamlining and general design advice. They are obviously passionate about what they do and will not compromise on quality of materials and work.

This in itself was the deciding factor when the 'other' companies simply talked about re-covering what we had with no suggestion of upgrading, changing or improving what is effectively a 12 year old package. Apparently, upholstery foam degrades quite quickly after a few years and it is often necessry to change it at the time it is re-covered. This is something that has never been quoted for before but is done as a matter of course by Dave and Diane.

Obviously the price is the most appealing but, I stress, that we would not make a decision based purely upon economics.

Thank you all for your comments to date and we will keep you updated as to progress.

Mike and Jill.
 
Re-Upholstery

Hi
Thanks for all the info on re-upholstery, I am afraid that we were one of the few who seem to pay thro the nose. £3.5k for a not too big rig, new curtains and upholstery, all done in a day, but falls apart in two holidays.

Take this as a lesson, shop around and chat to other owners before committing hard earned cash to your pride and joy .http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/images/smilies/angry.gif
:Angry:

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Not only were they quick to offer suggestions of how to make the whole thing look and feel better, they even talked about colour contrasts, improving comfort, streamlining and general design advice. They are obviously passionate about what they do and will not compromise on quality of materials and work.
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Passion has a lot to do with it, along with creative ability and the ability to turn out a first class job. The people you dealt with obviously possess all the above.

My creative abilities are zero, with my artistic abilities being even worse. My art teacher in grammar school once told me "son, you'll never make it through life"; Maybe he was right :Smile:

My other half is the opposite and, although she's a very good artist, she does most of the design in her head. She has the ability to instantly visualize how things could look, and many clients have come to trust her judgement. Most folks don't have a clue and tell her to "do what you think". So many times I've seen her walk onto a boat or into a house and say "this would look much nicer if you did this and this".
 
Hi foggyparrot

We signed up.

Like the write up, I'll post you all some pics of the work that we have had done on the RV, shortly.

Take take, see you soon.
 
Shaz&Den said:
Hi foggyparrot

We signed up.

Like the write up, I'll post you all some pics of the work that we have had done on the RV, shortly.

Take take, see you soon.
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Hi Shaz and Den nice picture, welcome to the fun looks like you ar going to save us funsters a lot of money, so do keep us posted and let us have details asap.

ruth:BigGrin:

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Welcome Sharon and Dennis and thank you again for all of the information you have given us.

We've had loads of requests for the details and phone number of the aforementioned upholsterers and providing there is no objection the names of the people doing it are Dave and Diane. They work out of Ilkeston in Derbyshire and the phone number is 07946 838719.

Hope this helps.

Mike and Jill
 
Just to give you some idea of price at A1 trimmers. I am having my Hobby 7500 re upholstered in leather, new curtains and the mattress rebuilt all for under a £1000.00
They are very professional in what they do. John the owner is a qualified Motorhome builder so knows his way round Motorhomes when it comes to taking trim panels off to re trim them.
They do a lot of living areas of Horse boxes for the rich and famous. Steven Henry had his box done there.
Don't think you have to pay lots to get a good job done. Just don't be ripped off.
They can be contacted at:
Brears Farm, Kellingley Rd, Knottingley, West Yorkshire WF11 8DL
Tel: 01977 607976

As I said I have no interest in this company, just a satisfied customer.
 
Thanks for the info Mike.
I have a customer who is looking for an upholsterer....I shall pass that number on to him :Smile:

PS did your parcel arrive OK? :Wink:
 
Lindy,

Once again, the well oiled machine that is Stateside Tuning, has triumphed and the bits arrived post haste and without delay!

The Sweet Chilli crisps are here and waiting for you to collect!

Many thanks to Flyboy for the info on the upholsterer that did his work. Once again it's refreshing to see that there are options available to everybody.

Obviously I will keep everyone informed as to how our work progresses. You won't believe what Dave is going to do with our coach, I will be posting some before and after pictures for anyone thats interested along with a breakdown of prices so that everyone has an idea of what can be achieved and for what sort of prices.

Thank you once again Linda!

Mike and Jill.
 
Shaz&Den said:
Hi foggyparrot

We signed up.

Like the write up, I'll post you all some pics of the work that we have had done on the RV, shortly.

Take take, see you soon.
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Welcome to fun guys:thumb:

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Mmmmmmmmmm sounds good!

Could you let me have their contact details please foggy?

I would really like to get mine done as its 10 years old and needs a face lift...bit like me really!

Cheers!

patrick
 
foggyparrot said:
Welcome Sharon and Dennis and thank you again for all of the information you have given us.

We've had loads of requests for the details and phone number of the aforementioned upholsterers and providing there is no objection the names of the people doing it are Dave and Diane. They work out of Ilkeston in Derbyshire and the phone number is 07946 838719.

Hope this helps.

Mike and Jill
Click to expand...

Patrick said:
Could you let me have their contact details please foggy?

I would really like to get mine done as its 10 years old and needs a face lift...bit like me really!

Cheers!

patrick
Click to expand...

Phone number is in the post above Patrick :Smile:
 
Patrick said:
Could you let me have their contact details please foggy?

I would really like to get mine done as its 10 years old and needs a face lift...bit like me really!

Cheers!

Patrick
Click to expand...
Pat the refurb should be a cinch, as for the face lift the Royal Liverpool employs surgeons not Bl**dy magicians:Rofl1::Rofl1::Rofl1:
Geo
 

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