Built in Wardrobes

[MarkV]

I have to make some rather large built-ins (12ft ceilings ) during the course of renovating my old Queenslander. What I am after is some links to info/books to give me an insight into what sort of issues I should consider when designing them. Of course any firsthand knowledge would be much appreciated.


Cheers Mark

[arms]

firstly you should decide what you need to put in the robe,this is usually clothes(hanging and storage)and long term storage , i usually section robes off at 2400 mm from the floor and use the bottom section for everyday use and the top section for long term storage,in the bottom section it should contain a mixture of long and double hanging with shelf and drawers for jocks and socks,to get the proportions right work out how much of each item you have and allocate this amount of space but add 10 percent for future purchases,in an old queenslander the doors should be on hinges with a pattern to match the existing walls,sliders are ok but they wont match very well but it is a personal choice.
kind regards
tom armstrong
www.armstrongcabinets.com.au

[wombat47]

Built one last year with 11 ft ceiling. Because of the height and the placement (across corner of room with 60cm sides at right angles to the wall), the framing was 3x2 "wall frame" with noggins fitted at strategic points (to fix hanging rails, etc.).

The inside is gyprocked and fitted with mdf colonial style skirting - the original 10" skirting boards were used on the outside of the wardrobe. The outside also has picture rails to match the rest of the room.

This corner style gives a massive amount of storage room as well as enough floor space for her to use as a dressing room (why? she's a teenager).

Inside is fitted with both double & full length hanging on one side and shelving on the other. Above arm's length height there are shelves on both walls which go up to the ceiling. She needs to go and get the ladder to get at the higher shelves but that was part of "the plan". All the junk is up there and she has to think twice before getting to it.

The doors were a bit of a splurge - a pair of solid colonial bi-folds which have been hung on normal hinges (like French doors). This takes up less opening room than one standard door. Bit of a mistake there - she doesn't need to keep as much floor space clear of belongings to allow for opening the door.

I spent ages looking on the net for plans, how-to's, etc., but didn't hit gold. Spent some time in the planning stage - working out height of hanging rails, etc. so we knew where to place noggins. Also bought the doors before we did the framing - seemed easier to build a doorway to fit a door. The hardest bit was figuring out how to fit the top plates to suit the plan, rather than where the joists were - they ended up being secured with very long coach bolts to a piece of hardwood spanning the tops of the joists.

[seriph1]

I would advise against building 12ft cabinets as they will greatly reduce the feeling of space in the room and probably overwhelm the area - we have 10footer's in our bedroom (12 footer's here in our Victorian ) and feel they are too tall..... and I can't even remember what stuff we have up there ..... must send the wife up there one day to find out

[julianx]

I find the best place to get design ideas is from the experts.Grab your tape measure and pencil and do the rounds of some of the more up market built in wardrobe companies, the ones with show rooms, you don't have to buy anything. Places like ikea arn't too bad for ideas either even though the quality is pretty average they have some interesting design concepts.

[seriph1]

off topic totally I know but ......

julian reminded me of This Old House a couple weeks ago ..... it showed a B.I.R. system that actually hangs off the wal - bloody brilliant .... you mount a rail along the wall (fixed to the studs of course) and you hang the cabinet sides from it and assemble from there .....

[Tip hunter]

If you go for a design using two sliding doors leave an area in the middle for full length hanging of rarely used stuff. Formal wear and the like. This reserves a spot from wear and frustration geting around door edges. Use drawers rather than shelves as it looks neater and limits the stuff it in approach. Remember that many people now are bigger than in the past so make hanging areas deep as possible. The standard is fine for smaller people but for a six foot four guy like me i get really tired of angling every thing that hangs so the door can be closed especially bulky stuff like coats. Just set the door forward a little if you are putting it in. Suspending units on the wall is good for future cleaning and reduced clutter but is more difficult for big loads. Don't skimp on support rails and shelf supports. You will be suprised how much some people load in. Get quotes for pre edged melimine sheeting in 450 and 595 dimensions. Easy and quick. Set blade low in saw, use a good blade and hide the bad side (chipping). Thin smear of nomore gaps wiped in with a wet cloth makes them invisible also. Go for less shelves or drawers remembering that a percentage of each must be kept clear for opening and closing. With little drawers this adds up to a lot. I used 300 deep and am very happy. This months issue of the family Handyman has a story on a wardrobe fitout. Its available everywhere. Dont forget shoe storage

[wombat47]

I would advise against building 12ft cabinets as they will greatly reduce the feeling of space in the room and probably overwhelm the area - we have 10footer's in our bedroom (12 footer's here in our Victorian ) and feel they are too tall.....

I think this depends on how you make and finish them. If you make them to look like a piece of furniture standing against the wall, then I agree with you. But if you make them to look like a wall with a door, painted to match the rest of the room, they blend in.

A friend, with similar wall heights, had a commercial wardrobe installed which is about 35cms short of the ceiling - I think this looks odd and the sliding mirror doors are certainly overwhelming.

Re fitting out: I used an Elfa system which entails fitting a horizontal support at the top - the verticals clip into it and simply hang against the wall. Brackets, which support the shelves, clip into the verticals. This system was chosen because it cut down the number of holes which had to be drilled in the walls (very soft lime plaster over brick). Theoretically, this system can carry the weight of hanging clothes and has fittings to attach rods. Call me a pessimist, but I fitted the rods independently.

We bought rectangular baskets, length to fit the width of shelves, in place of drawers.

[MarkV]

thanks for all the info Guys I will take it all on board and see how I go By the way I made a mistake in the original post the ceilings are only 10ft But the point about overwhelming the room is well taken

[wombat47]

Attaching photo of one top corner of wardrobe - use your imagination for the rest of it.