Fitted Wardrobes - How Much!?
Discussion
Can anybody tell me why fitted wardrobes seem to cost so much? I’m being quoted about £1k per metre! Some are even higher. Drawers are an extra £50 each on top too. I need a 3 metre run fitting and I’ve been quoted over £3k and told its “half a days work”.
It just seems madness? The panels are all purchased from the wholesalers and I get the fitter has to cut and fit them but it just seems extortion to me…or am I just way out of touch and being a tight fisted g*t?
Has anyone else got experience of this?
It just seems madness? The panels are all purchased from the wholesalers and I get the fitter has to cut and fit them but it just seems extortion to me…or am I just way out of touch and being a tight fisted g*t?
Has anyone else got experience of this?
Half a days work to fit maybe… but how long to custom make them to fit your job?
They are expensive but they are the only option to get a decent finished product in certain situations. Of course if it’s just a straight of full height wardrobes then other much cheaper options are available.
They are expensive but they are the only option to get a decent finished product in certain situations. Of course if it’s just a straight of full height wardrobes then other much cheaper options are available.
Yes IKEA are very reasonable. I put IKEA wardrobes in my daughters bedroom at a cost of about £500 if I recall. They are good but they aren’t fitted. This kind of brings me back to my original question … if IKEA can sell wardrobes of about 2.4m in length for £500 why are fitted ones £3,000 when the materials are pretty much the same?
fellatthefirst said:
Yes IKEA are very reasonable. I put IKEA wardrobes in my daughters bedroom at a cost of about £500 if I recall. They are good but they aren’t fitted. This kind of brings me back to my original question … if IKEA can sell wardrobes of about 2.4m in length for £500 why are fitted ones £3,000 when the materials are pretty much the same?
You're not really asking that question, are you?IKEA wardrobe parts are churned out of machines in factories, using the cheapest materials possible, at uniform size.
High quality, fitted wardrobes are none of those things.
I had a very bad experience with a well know national company who's name rhymes with "barps".
If I was buying again I'd be looking for a local carpenter to build "normal" wardrobes to the size and shape I needed, if that makes sense.
Or get as close as possible with Ikea stuff, which I did a few years ago in our old flat in London. Which worked really well.
If I was buying again I'd be looking for a local carpenter to build "normal" wardrobes to the size and shape I needed, if that makes sense.
Or get as close as possible with Ikea stuff, which I did a few years ago in our old flat in London. Which worked really well.
We bought this lot in stages and I think it cost about 2k in all with all the fittings, including laundry bins, shoe racks, rails, soft Close drawers,glass display tray (don't bother) and led lighting from IKEA. They do them in full 1m and 50cm widths so you can calculate to the nearest 50cm and then I guess just have 25cm a side max to fill. This is 3m wide (2x1m and 2x50cm)
Takes ages to assemble. Ikea furniture is not made to come apart so moving to a new house was a nightmare taking apart again but as it fitted our dressing room so well coincidentally it had to be done. Now just needs the surround doing.
Takes ages to assemble. Ikea furniture is not made to come apart so moving to a new house was a nightmare taking apart again but as it fitted our dressing room so well coincidentally it had to be done. Now just needs the surround doing.
I'm just about to embark on building them myself, think of it this way:
Sheet materials alone at current prices for a 3m run are likely to cost circa £500-600 + paint (whatever you pick as your top coat is going to vary the cost quite a bit).
You've then got to invest in the tools to do the job. You'll need a rail saw, mitre saw, drills, various jigs (for euro hinges, parallel and or perpendicular guides) and various oither things if you want to achieve a top quality finish. A lot of the professionals will likely have an edge bander and panel saw as well which they need to front and maintain. Want a perfect finish? You'll need a paint sprayer and paint booth and a RO sander.
Then you've got to consider the cutting and painting time. This can take 4-5 days if done by a professional. Depending on where you are in the country, that is likely to cost anywhere from £200-300 a day. Then you need a day for fitting assuming everything goes smoothly like you have fairly level walls and floors and the area is clear / not much removal of existing joinery or electrics to do.
Then you've got actual hardware like hinges and draw slides and door knobs. This really quickly adds up if you buy Blum stuff. If you have a lot of drawers this can be £100s.
So assuming £100 for paint and £250/day for labour, you're already at £2.5k+ before tool and knowledge investment.
Sheet materials alone at current prices for a 3m run are likely to cost circa £500-600 + paint (whatever you pick as your top coat is going to vary the cost quite a bit).
You've then got to invest in the tools to do the job. You'll need a rail saw, mitre saw, drills, various jigs (for euro hinges, parallel and or perpendicular guides) and various oither things if you want to achieve a top quality finish. A lot of the professionals will likely have an edge bander and panel saw as well which they need to front and maintain. Want a perfect finish? You'll need a paint sprayer and paint booth and a RO sander.
Then you've got to consider the cutting and painting time. This can take 4-5 days if done by a professional. Depending on where you are in the country, that is likely to cost anywhere from £200-300 a day. Then you need a day for fitting assuming everything goes smoothly like you have fairly level walls and floors and the area is clear / not much removal of existing joinery or electrics to do.
Then you've got actual hardware like hinges and draw slides and door knobs. This really quickly adds up if you buy Blum stuff. If you have a lot of drawers this can be £100s.
So assuming £100 for paint and £250/day for labour, you're already at £2.5k+ before tool and knowledge investment.
Edited by Yegap on Wednesday 7th July 11:36
It’s pretty easy for a skilled DIYer or a joiner to get the built-in look with IKEA Pax wardrobes.
There are a few ways to do it; you can buy an extra carcass and use it to make filler panels to slot in between the units and the walls /ceiling. Or you can build a stud frame around the units and plasterboard (and skim) up to them - then use architrave to give a neat finish.
I did it with filler panels and they look really good. Have a look online for the IKEA hacks and you’ll find loads of examples but you should do 3m for less than £1500, including getting a joiner in for a day to do it.
There are a few ways to do it; you can buy an extra carcass and use it to make filler panels to slot in between the units and the walls /ceiling. Or you can build a stud frame around the units and plasterboard (and skim) up to them - then use architrave to give a neat finish.
I did it with filler panels and they look really good. Have a look online for the IKEA hacks and you’ll find loads of examples but you should do 3m for less than £1500, including getting a joiner in for a day to do it.
Crumpet said:
It’s pretty easy for a skilled DIYer or a joiner to get the built-in look with IKEA Pax wardrobes.
There are a few ways to do it; you can buy an extra carcass and use it to make filler panels to slot in between the units and the walls /ceiling. Or you can build a stud frame around the units and plasterboard (and skim) up to them - then use architrave to give a neat finish.
I did it with filler panels and they look really good. Have a look online for the IKEA hacks and you’ll find loads of examples but you should do 3m for less than £1500, including getting a joiner in for a day to do it.
Good luck with that, have you tried to get a joiner recently, never mind for a day to help you bodge your own solution togetherThere are a few ways to do it; you can buy an extra carcass and use it to make filler panels to slot in between the units and the walls /ceiling. Or you can build a stud frame around the units and plasterboard (and skim) up to them - then use architrave to give a neat finish.
I did it with filler panels and they look really good. Have a look online for the IKEA hacks and you’ll find loads of examples but you should do 3m for less than £1500, including getting a joiner in for a day to do it.
sociopath said:
Good luck with that, have you tried to get a joiner recently, never mind for a day to help you bodge your own solution together
No, I haven’t, because invariably I do a better job than most trades. But I do know people are struggling to get trades in so maybe he’ll have to wait a while and be patient. What design and materials is £3k based on?
'Fitted' wardrobes will vary wildly, I'm sure there are people paying £30k for top end fitted wardrobes and some people probably have a DIY fitted wardrobe for £300.
PAX / online-bedrooms are good cheaper alternatives to a fully bespoke made wardrobe but they're not the same as a bespoke wardrobe made by a joiner. Materials will be different - not many joiners will use melamine covered chipboard, I'd expect MR-MDF as a minimum, finished in a colour of your choice to a design of your choice with a bespoke installation service to scribe everything in.
£3k is a lot of money but bear in mind the joiner is paying for materials, workshop, various very expensive machinery, transport, insurance, spray services etc. I doubt their take home salary ends up being anywhere near what people imagine.
'Fitted' wardrobes will vary wildly, I'm sure there are people paying £30k for top end fitted wardrobes and some people probably have a DIY fitted wardrobe for £300.
PAX / online-bedrooms are good cheaper alternatives to a fully bespoke made wardrobe but they're not the same as a bespoke wardrobe made by a joiner. Materials will be different - not many joiners will use melamine covered chipboard, I'd expect MR-MDF as a minimum, finished in a colour of your choice to a design of your choice with a bespoke installation service to scribe everything in.
£3k is a lot of money but bear in mind the joiner is paying for materials, workshop, various very expensive machinery, transport, insurance, spray services etc. I doubt their take home salary ends up being anywhere near what people imagine.
Anything fitted seems to come at a price. We want 3m long bookcase, no doors or anything fancy just open shelves from mdf and got quoted £1400. Decided to buy 5 ikea billy bookcases and some reeded trim, fitted it between and to the sides then finished off with skirting and cornice. Cost was about £250. A bit of labour time went into it but a lot of that was working out the design and what looked best. End result looks great
£1k/m is about right.
1/2 a day to fit is a bit optimistic but there will be many days actually making it and then there is painting (possibly).
Factor in sheet materials are over 100% more than they were 12 months ago and like has been mentioned there is a massive shortage of good, skilled labour and you get your price.
1/2 a day to fit is a bit optimistic but there will be many days actually making it and then there is painting (possibly).
Factor in sheet materials are over 100% more than they were 12 months ago and like has been mentioned there is a massive shortage of good, skilled labour and you get your price.
Crumpet said:
It’s pretty easy for a skilled DIYer or a joiner to get the built-in look with IKEA Pax wardrobes.
There are a few ways to do it; you can buy an extra carcass and use it to make filler panels to slot in between the units and the walls /ceiling. Or you can build a stud frame around the units and plasterboard (and skim) up to them - then use architrave to give a neat finish.
I did it with filler panels and they look really good. Have a look online for the IKEA hacks and you’ll find loads of examples but you should do 3m for less than £1500, including getting a joiner in for a day to do it.
^^ This. Most chippies are happy to help with this sort of thing if you pay by the day. (Obviously at the moment hard to get any trades rounds) There are a few ways to do it; you can buy an extra carcass and use it to make filler panels to slot in between the units and the walls /ceiling. Or you can build a stud frame around the units and plasterboard (and skim) up to them - then use architrave to give a neat finish.
I did it with filler panels and they look really good. Have a look online for the IKEA hacks and you’ll find loads of examples but you should do 3m for less than £1500, including getting a joiner in for a day to do it.
Feel free to flame me but could OP be spending his time and money on something other than built in wardrobes? I mean you can get a couple of garment rails for under £70.
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