I have these two beat to shit sofas, with a shitty slipcover re-upholstering.  I've been shopping for new sofas but the only thing that I found that I like was $800 and I don't want to pay that much.  I'm either going to have my current couches re-upholstered or build my own, which will still require that I pay to have new cushions made.

At any rate, what am I looking at cost wise?  I'm thinking that the new micro-fiber stuff should work pretty well with the dog hair.  Is that expensive or cheap?  Any other tips?

I don't think that fabric work is something I can do on my own.

My sister-in-law, who would know, says it is too expensive to recover chairs and sofas, compared to just buying new.  Also the springs and foam break down over time as well as the fabric.  

Check around with local colleges and technical schools.  They sometimes offer night classes or short courses in upholstery.  I have some freinds who took the classes just to work on their own stuff.

Arc