I need to replace carpeting in a rental house with something cheap and durable. The living/dining room space is about 850 sqft and I need to budget for materials and installation. Is laminate the way to go?
I do not know about your area specifically as I am in Idaho. My area is about $3-4/sq ft for labor. Transitions, etc can add to the cost. Material cost can vary significantly depending on what you select. Be careful of the cheap laminates as they are cheap for a reason. They are prone to separating and they scratch/chip easily. Laminate is probably not the best choice for a rental in my opinion, speaking from experience. I would use a cheap darker colored carpet with a moisture barrier pad (knowing you have to replace every 5-10 yrs or so) and a good felt vinyl for the dining area (if tile is out of your budget).
As an additional thought:
Be aware that baseboard should be removed and replaced which would cost additional expense from what a ‘typical’ installer would be capable of doing. For instance, if carpet was in the room originally then the baseboard would have to be lowered after laminate install. Many times this would show wall imperfections between the new height of the base and the old height. Sometimes this means mud and/or texture needs to be applied. And then there is painting that area as well.
Just some things to clarify with your contractor.
job prices are depending where property is located , ex/ in south Florida regular laminate floor labor runs for around $2 sf ,material depending owner selection but could be as low $.70-$1 sf ,also take count for underlayment and baseboards