PRESS RELEASE
Oct 2026
VALUE BEYOND PRICE
Value is about much more than supplying and installing flooring at the lowest possible price. It is about working closely with the developer to meet the demands of budgets, build programmes, quality standards and increasingly discerning homebuyers.
HOW IMPORTANT IS PRICE WHEN DELIVERING VALUE FOR MONEY?
‘Value for money’ is about much more than simply choosing the cheapest flooring product. It involves a whole host of different considerations. The starting point is working with a contractor who understands the housing market; has bulk buying power; and offers consistent availability and reliable delivery on a wide range of branded and own label products. Price matters, but value for money is about the balance between cost, quality and the benefits delivered throughout the life of the product. A flooring solution that performs well, looks great, and lasts longer will often represent far better value than the cheapest alternative.
WHAT ROLE DOES SPECIFICATION PLAY IN CREATING VALUE?
One of the biggest opportunities for creating value comes through specification.
It’s about working closely with the developer to establish the right specification for each house type and development — one that provides the appropriate combination of quality, durability, aesthetics, practicality and cost.
A good flooring specification should be appropriate to the location and intended use of the floor, rather than simply applying the same product throughout every property. Entrance halls, kitchens, bathrooms, living areas, bedrooms and staircases all have different requirements. Equally, the specification for a starter home may be different from that of a high-end executive property.
Getting the balance right can deliver benefits for everyone: the developer, the flooring contractor and, ultimately, the homeowner. Every housebuilder has its own approach to specification, procurement and customer expectations. Some developments may be particularly price-sensitive, while others are aimed at the premium end of the market, where flooring forms an important part of the overall specification. So, the starting point should involve a thorough understanding of what the developer is trying to achieve.
HOW DOES FLOORING CONTRIBUTE TO THE PERCEIVED VALUE A PROPERTY?
A quality floor significantly improves the feel and durability of the home and reflects directly on the overall build quality. Flooring contributes to property value by influencing perceptions of quality, aesthetics, durability, and future maintenance costs. While it may not always add direct monetary value pound-for-pound, well-chosen and professionally installed flooring can significantly enhance market appeal, shorten sales cycles, improve tenant attraction, and help support stronger sale or rental values. For many buyers and occupiers, flooring is not just a finishing touch; it is a key indicator of the overall quality of the property. When included as part of a house sale, flooring can further enhance perceived value by eliminating a common post-purchase expense, helping buyers feel they are receiving a more complete and attractive package.
As one of the more agile suppliers to the new build sector Designer Contracts operates nationally across England, Scotland and Wales through 13 regional depots. We have also bolstered stock levels at our Kettering central distribution centre to over £3.5 million, ensuring we can keep prices at very competitive levels. It means consistent availability across our entire range of carpet, vinyl, carpet tiles, laminate, safety flooring, wood and underlay.
Through or own transport fleet, we can deliver and fit a huge selection, quickly. Our portfolio includes premium range brands as well as our own Blue Book collections plus a wide range of environmentally sustainable floorcoverings.
From a builder’s perspective, having a comprehensive selection of attractive and practical flooring products to offer can enhance the overall appeal of a development.
HOW DO YOU ADD VALUE FOR THE HOMEOWNER…?
The ultimate consideration in any project is the homeowner and their experience of both buying and living with their chosen floorcoverings – and flooring is a highly visible part of the purchasing decision. A new home needs to look and feel like a quality product when the customer walks through the door.
A specification that looks good, performs well and meets the demands of modern family life can significantly contribute to customer satisfaction and the developer’s reputation.
At Designer Contracts we offer a full order to installation service across not only flooring but – through our own in-house facility – made-to-measure blinds and curtains, often more cost-efficient than buying from the high street.
We also provide information packs that help guide sales staff through the process of dealing with homebuyers. It’s important to make the job of the developer as hassle-free and streamlined as possible.
…AND THE BTR INVESTOR?
Carefully curated furniture, lighting, curtain and blind packs have been developed to make furnishing a house easier than ever for the buy-to-rent investor. As well as landlords who need a turnkey solution, the packs are often an ideal solution for first-time buyers.
The company has reinvented its furniture packs with two clear new offers: Solution, a pack curated and designed to meet the requirements and expectations of landlords, first-time-buyers, student accommodation and investors; and Elevate, a developer pack offering a more aspirational range of furniture. Its lighting pack, Glow, has also been totally refreshed.
The idea is to provide landlords and investors with easy, great value solutions to furnishing rental properties across the market, whatever their requirements and size of property – and without waiting on lengthy new furniture lead times.
WHAT ROLE CAN VALUE ENGINEERING (VE) PLAY?
As more customers look to reduce costs but still expect functionality, aesthetics, compliance requirements, sustainability demands etc to be met, there’s often a balancing act to be done. A VE alternative aims to deliver all these considerations – along with high expectations of performance and durability, lifecycle cost (not just upfront) and installation efficiency – within a budget.
It’s a skill that needs a fair degree of expertise to execute, requiring smart material selection, lifecycle thinking, and efficient installation. For that reason, all our customer facing teams have been extensively trained to offer value engineered alternatives where appropriate.
Consistency can also create significant efficiencies. Selecting products that are available in appropriate quantities, have reliable lead times and can be installed efficiently across multiple plots can help reduce waste, delays and additional labour costs.
HOW DOES INSTALLATION RELATE TO THE VALUE PROPOSITION?
It’s fundamental as the homeowner ultimately judges flooring as a complete finished product, not just a combination of ‘good materials and good workmanship.’
A well-installed floor has clean edges, neat transitions, accurately positioned seams, consistent appearance and properly finished details around stairs, skirtings, doorways and fixtures – details that might seem relatively minor commercially, but can make a big difference to a homeowner.
When someone is buying a new home, the option to choose their flooring ahead of moving in is a massive benefit. If a developer offers that as part of the process, it’s a real selling point because buyers want the experience to be as seamless as possible—they want to do everything in one go and move into a finished home. Knowing that their selected flooring will be installed professionally before they move in adds huge value. A new home is a major purchase, and buyers expect it to be finished properly.
A poorly fitted floor can become a highly visible symbol of wider workmanship problems, even when everything else in the property is perfectly satisfactory. Conversely, beautifully installed flooring contributes to feeling the house is well built and finished with care.
In short, well laid flooring protects the specification, reduces snagging and remedial costs, protects the housebuilder’s reputation and improves the customer’s experience.
HOW CAN CUSTOMER SERVICE ADD TO THE OVERALL VALUE?
We talk about ‘valued customers’, so working with a contractor who offers a high level of service automatically adds to the overall worth of the relationship.
Post-completion service is where reputations are cemented. If a homeowner raises an issue, the flooring contractor who attends promptly and resolves it without defensiveness enhances the builder’s brand. The homeowner doesn’t see ‘the subcontractor’, they see the house builder. The flooring contractor is representing that brand.
A good contractor also understands that when the market is challenging it’s important to work with developers to offer the kind of incentives that drive sales. Offering to include flooring and/or window dressings in a sale, for example, can have a far higher perceived value than throwing in the cost of Stamp Duty or a mortgage payment or two.
Earning and maintaining the all-important ‘five-star status’ has become a top priority for developers as it is designed to guide potential house buyers in their purchasing decision and encourage excellent service by house builders. Buying a home from a ‘five-star builder’ contributes to a homeowner’s sense of achieving greater value.
Ultimately, best value is about finding the sweet spot between cost, quality, performance and customer expectation. A contract flooring company that can help a housebuilder achieve that balance is offering far more than flooring. It is providing expertise that can improve the finished home, protect the developer’s margins, reduce unnecessary costs and enhance the customer’s experience. In an industry where every pound matters, that is what genuine value for money should look like.