Is the couch pictured your model? If so, it looks like most of the wear would fall on the cushions... you could just get those replaced or re-done, with the caveat that it would have to be in a coordinating/contrasting fabric.

Only 2 years? Is this a reflection on Crate & Barrel furniture? I guess it's true what they say about things not being made the way they used to - I've got a sofa that was previously used by both my parents and grandparents! I think it is 40 years old. Under a custom slip cover, it's holding up very well. I'm probably the last owner, though, as the springs are just beginning to go!

I am also curious about this. I bought a sort of foam couch (I loved it because I can pick it up single handedly to clean under, but it still looks like a couch - rather like the Karlstad from Ikea) about 5 years ago for $300 new, which is now falling apart (and has been for a while). Whatever couch we'll get will see a LOT of use, and I'd like to get one that's easily cleanable. But couches these days are so expensive! I've been thinking about getting a case study daybed from Modernica, but with shipping it's about $2k - it seems kind of excessive. =/ I guess the price of real things (outside of college dorm stuff) continues to surprise me. Otherwise I will probably go with Ikea, whose prices for couches seem reasonable to me.

How much do people spend on average for a couch? And how often do people get new couches? How long SHOULD a couch last?

Good furniture is expensive. It sucks, but it's better than replacing it every 5 years.

For a couch, start by trying to lift one end. It should be heavy and if it's being lifted by only one of it's four corners it should barely twist. These indicate that it's probably solidly constructed. I'd also check to see if the bottom of it is covered as I associate that particular attention to detail with quality, especially if the edges are finished nicely. Details are important and often something that flimsier furniture can't match. Joints should match up well, sewn corners should be neat and tidy, legs should be even, that sort of thing.

As for how much it would cost to reupholster vs. how much to buy a new couch, well, that's anothe story. First, is the body of the couch holding up well? Does it feel loose or shakey? Then it might be better to replace it. If not, you could slipcover it or recover it yourself. If you love the shape and it's holding up well, by all means, reupholster it. It might be more expensive (depends on how high quality you go on the new couch) but it might not and if you love the shape, keep it.

@cyli, I paid about $1,200 for mine from a furniture clearing-house (I'd guess that was about half of retail based on some research afterwords). I love it dearly and have had it for nearly five years. If it weren't for the cats scratching at it, it would look brand new. The cushions don't sag, the body is solid, etc. I would bet that if I recovered it in cat-proof fabric it would last me at least another decade, possibly more. My mother has a couch from the late 1800s, early 1900s that she still uses in her house, so they can last quite a long time, although the horsehair cushions were replaced when she had it recovered about 15 years ago.

Being an old jo-ann employee..5" green high density foam is about $30 a linear foot. Then I'm sure you can find fabric from a local home decor fabric store. But there are a few things you have to consider with the fabric. If you husband is using this thing daily you might want to get a crypton fabric or similar to prevent wearing showing through. Commercial grade fabric is meant to be sat on daily for long periods. Places like crate and barrel don't expect your husband to be working 8 hours a day on the couch. This is also most likely why the foam is going bad.

you can also have a reupholster do the work and make sure you pick a fabric that can withstand daily use, and high quality foam. And when you go shopping for the fabric make sure that the upholster is comfortable with what you have picked for being able to be used on your couch. I have come across people who pick the fabric without consulting and pick something that puckers, etc.

I know that the eco stance is to reuse/fix, but you might be better off donating this couch to good will and starting over (especially if you are moving). I would suggest looking at a higher grade of couch in the future. Surprisingly Macys has some really good couches. And you can also look at finer local home furniture dealers that are independent and sell name brands. You are going to shell out some dough to get a quality couch that is going to last you 30 years, but it is a one time expense that won't have to be repeated every 2 years.

I know I might get chastised for this, but your best bet for upholstery that is going to stand up to wear and tear is going to be leather. Good quality leather. Most couches at Macy's have a guarantee that your cat can't scratch their leather. There is a difference between top grain leather and that crap you get on $50 leather office chairs from staples.

To respond quickly to the first post- no, the photo posted is not our sofa, alas. That looks a ton better than ours :)

Thank you for the detailed reply. I think we paid about $1500 for this sofa. The cushions do come out, but the arm is showing wear too. (It's a microsuede fabric.)

If I found an uphulsteror I would work with them to pick out the appropriate fabric. The structural integrity of the couch is still perfect, but Mom seemed to think that we'd pay almost the cost of a new couch to get it redone. Of course, if it's $1200 to get it fixed up with good fabric versus a ton more to start over with good fabric I'll fix it!

cyli- we won't buy IKEA couches because they just don't last for us. We had one and it fell apart pretty quickly and was replaced by this one.

Thanks for the helpful replies everyone. :)

This is always a hard one to sell but if you take the time you'll see that spending the money is VERY well worth it.
I sell furniture and fix it too; that said Crate and Barrel, Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn, IKEA, THESE stores are selling you their name, you want a name to tell your friends and make them go OOOOhhhhh! then get one otherwise......
Please spend the money to get a good sofa. Financially speaking you bought an IKEA sofa, let's say $500-800, and now a C&B sofa, let's say $1000 to be conservative; add in all the time, delivery, fees, taxes, and such and you've spent $2000 . Oh, Yeah and you still need a good sofa!
Go cheap again and in two years you'll STILL NEED A GOOD SOFA!! Just doing the ball park here one of our best manufacturers (Rene Carzeas) sofas goes for around $2100, the full price range range is $1800-$3000 depending on grade of fabric chosen. This sofa will last for around 15-30 years. When compared to your future outlook of (let's be really conservative) $1500 every four years and thats $11,500 over thirty years! This being ReNest and all that also equals 15 sofas in the trash and one hell of a carbon footprint. PLEASE, PLEASE spend the money right the first time! Do research and become an educated buyer. Find out what makes a good sofa,just for starters- stay away from down-it wears out, get Hard Wood not Hardwood-there is a difference, get sinous springs or eightway-hand-tied-not pirelli or other rubber strapping and DO NOT buy a NAME it increases the price by at least 50%!
GOOD LUCK!

We have a Laz-E-Boy microfiber sofa that we bought in 2001. It has held up extremely well through 3 cats and a 2 1/2 year old, with daily use. After 9 years, there is very little that I can complain about~and we just went and bought a L-shaped sectional for our den from them. Price for the couch was around $1000, I think, we also got a recliner at the same time which I am sitting in right now. The L-shape sectional was over $2000, but not by much.

We had amazing luck by shopping the Warehouse/Outlet store of good brands, then walking to the even more discounted area of the store.
We chose a Natuzzi sofa for $800 (haggling didn't work), in a microsuede-like fiber. It's been amazing.

I've heard Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn stuff doesn't last at all. In fact I was in there talking to one of their employees about a chair I was thinking of buying, and he said it should last two years! For a $1500 chair, I thought that was absolutely ridiculous (I got one from somewhere else). My sofa came from Dillards, and cost me $450 and looks and feels just the same as when I bought it 15 years ago. Of course, it sounds like your family is using your sofa a lot more. My advice would be, if you really like the sofa and the frame seems to be in good shape, get new cushions and get it recovered in a very durable fabric. If you're not overly attached to the sofa, go to real furniture stores (not C&B and not PB) and maybe also check out major department stores, and find something that will last; it doesn't necessarily have to cost a fortune.

We paid $900 plus $35 shipping for our Vreta Sofa Bed from Ikea 3 years ago and the only issue I ever had was with a seat cushion zip which I busted. I took it back (15 yr warranty) and they bought me a BRAND new sofa and took the old one away. This happened the first year we had it and the one we have now is still as good as the day it arrived. To be honest you have to look at the furniture you buy and what you will use it for. If it is for daily use you need something a little more rugged. We had hand me down furniture before which was literally falling apart. DH was very impressed with the design and sturdiness as well as the thickness of the leather on our sofa. This couch will probably last the entire 15 years.

Your mom is right about reupholstery costing the same as a new sofa: I'm having a sofa reupholstered right now, with new cushions, etc... and it's costing me about $2000. The reason I'm doing this, instead of buying a new one, is that I was able to buy a used Henredon sofa for $99 on Craigslist, and the sofa's frame and springs were in amazing shape, and I know it will last me forever.

For a good sofa that will last a long time, look for kiln-dried hardwood frame with dowel-fitted joints (not nailed), cushions that are either down-wrapped spring or down-wrapped high-density foam (although a high-quality fiber-fill wrapped spring/foam cushion works, too, if you don't like the look of down, or if you're allergic). For the springs beneath the cushions, you want hand-tied springs, not sinuous springs (furniture salesmen will try to convince you otherwise, but they're wrong).

Calico Corners sells high-quality furniture by reputable vendors (Crate & Barrel doesn't manufacture their own furniture; it's manufactured by third parties and C&B resells it, which is why there is a pretty broad range of quality in their furnishings), and you can get it in a wide range of fabrics. Henredon's upholstered furniture is top-quality, too, although I've heard iffy things about their casegoods in recent years. Their furnishings aren't cheap, but they will last and last, and will survive years of reupholstery. Baker's upholstered furniture is also in good standing in my books, too (I used to sell custom furniture). These sofas will all cost more than $2000, but they'll also last for 20 years and multiple upholsterings.

One more thing: about the cushions, theskip is right in that down doesn't last as long as a fiber-wrapped cushion. You have to fluff them every day and flip them once every week or two to ensure even wear, and you'll have to have the down envelope re-filled probably every year or two, especially with the wear your sofa is receiving. For a seldom-used formal sofa, down is A-OK, but for a hard-used sofa, go for a fiber-fill. Sorry. I got my recommendation bass-ackwards. I stick by everything else I said, though!