Built in Wardrobes

[vGolfer]

We have almost finished renovating an old Victorian place in Hawthorn. Our room and the kids room have large fireplaces with marble mantlepieces and have the gap on both sides of the mantle. He had some free standing old pine wardrobes but now want built ins.

Any hints on the best place to start? I really don't want to go to one of the big wardrobe places as I'm sure they'll rip me...should I go to a local joinery and try there?

We have 12ft ceilings. I want the wardrobes to be floor to ceiling...perhaps not the top cupboard. Maybe some type of plaster bulkhead above as I just hate the look aof having the wardrobe then a gap to the ceiling.

Each wardrobe would be about 120mm wide and we need 4 of them Any idea what we could expectr to pay?

[Auld Bassoon]

Hi vGolfer,

Firstly, I assume you mean 120cm wide (1200mm)?

Depending on the depth, the timber used (especially), and the quality of joinery, etc, I'd suggest that you'd be starting out at around $800 or so each to have them custom made. Quite possibly a bit more, especially if complex shapes need to be made to accommodate out-of-square walls, fireplace, etc (which I would assume a Victorian house to be).

First you need to think about the general design (eg raised panels on the doors, or just louvres), crown or other mouldings, flat or convex doors, number of internal compartments and/or shelves - and their adjustability.

Why not make them yourself?

[ozwinner]

Hi vGolfer,

Firstly, I assume you mean 120cm wide (1200mm)?



Nah, hes only 12mm high.

Al :eek:

[vGolfer]

Hi vGolfer,

Firstly, I assume you mean 120cm wide (1200mm)?...

Why not make them yourself?

Geez, I can't even tell the diff between 120mm and 1200mm so what hope would I have? ;)
I have thought about trying myself, but we've spent so much on the reno I don't want to stuff it up by making dodgy wardrobes.

[dinium]

Hi vGolfer,

Depends on how much you want to do yourself. We built 4 large floor to ceiling robes (1.8m to 2.4m wide) into a reno down the Peninsula last week.

We ended up framing and plastering them in ourselves (spending way too long on cornicing and skirting before we learnt how to scribe). But the net result is sensational - they look like they've been there since the house was built.

Total cost for the four robes (without inserts - shelves, drawers etc) was less than $200. If you didn't want to do it yourself - try the local paper for handymen or use the grey army.

The inserts will cost less than $400 for all four - but we're buying flat pack drawers from Armstrongs in Moorrabin and again, doing the rest ourselves (melamine from bunnings).

Armstrongs can do the entire inserts for you (quite cheap, but their timelines were too long for us).

Good luck!

[Jack52]

there are cheaper places than Bunnings to buy melamine-- just have a look in the yellow pages for plywood panel suppliers and ring around

[Aangelique1611]

Hey there, see attached, im assuming you have something like this in mind? I have been making enquiries about getting 2 of this style of wardrobe built into my apartment with 280cm ceilings. Apparently having one lot of doors ontop of another makes it more expensive? Anyhow, Im in sydney but am receiving quotes of between $3500-$6500 to do the job - ie. have 2 wardrobes installed (one needs to be 2m wide and one needs to be 1.25m wide so bigger than yours however they are charging me almost the same each as aparently size is not a big factor its the structure they have to lay that is where the work cost is and the doors as the expensize material???) Anyhow, i thought i'd offer my feedback and what i have discovered from getting some over the phone quotes from what seem to be cheaper wardrobe places ... am interested to hear peoples thoughts on if the pricing sounds right though...
A

[Aangelique1611]

whoops! just realized this was an 06 thread rather than 07 :) assuming its already done then :)

[Gra]

Ask Felder, he likes to do wardrobes:D:D:D:D:q:q

[Aangelique1611]

Ask Felder, he likes to do wardrobes:D:D:D:D:q:q
Felder???

[Gra]

sorry, having a go a Felder, he dropped a sheet of melamine on his foot the other week building a relative a wardrobe, was just trying to get a rise out of him....

[Aangelique1611]

cupice. if only i had some handy relos!

[vGolfer]

whoops! just realized this was an 06 thread rather than 07 :) assuming its already done then :)

We still haven't had them installed! We have had quotes which are a lot cheaper than what you have. They have quoted around $1700 per double unit (ie left and right side). Pretty good price - we're just all reno'd out at the moment.

[Felder]

Ask Felder, he likes to do wardrobes:D:D:D:D:q:q

You'll keep..........
:sneaky2:

[Howdya do that]

Pictures Felder!
You wont get the job if we dont see samples of your work:p

[Aangelique1611]

gee thats fantastic! Did you just get your quotes from the built in wardrobe folks in the yellow pages? or did you go somewhere special? Any learned tips for me?

[vGolfer]

We had three quotes...2 were around the $1700 mark per pair and the third was about $500 more from memory.

One was from teh yellow pages. One was a carpenter bloke that has done a fair bit of work for my brother and does good work. The last was from a wardrobe place in Bridge Rd, Richmond.

The only thing about the Richmond mob was they only do them with the steel exposed hinges...they look OK but not really my cup of tea. I'd rather have the hinges on the inside.

They were all pretty simple wardrobes...some may want a bit fancier but ours that we were quoted on were very very basic.

[Aangelique1611]

were they hinged doors? one door on top of the other?