how much should it cost to take up an old carpet and put down a new one in a moderate sized living room?

depending on the quality of carpet it could run a few hundred dollars . we did our own , and payed for the carpet and layed it ourselves , so the cost was around a hundred and fifty , a few years ago . get a carpet company to come give you a free estimate and then ask them if they have " end of the roll " left and get a much better price . good luck .

Don't know what grade you are looking for but I usually charge around $18 for a 30 oz Polyester. For Investors I usually knock $2.00 a sq, yd. off. Shop around (yellow pages) Things are slow, I'm sure you can get a good deal.

Avg size, I'm thinking 12' x 15' or 15' x 15' so maybe 25 sq. yds. $400