# pricing a large wardrobe wall closet. ?



## Tribalwind (Sep 30, 2009)

Ok, 
A friend/acquaintance of mine is moving into a new home soon and is in need of a wardrobe. 
her and husband were looking for options, so i let them know this was something i could build. it would be 10'8" wide,8'tall and there's 33" of depth to play with so figured maybe 26" deep.. they had found something at IKEA for around $1,700 which was smaller(98×92x26)and particle board!. 
i'll be going to the new home tomorrow to see the space and talk about possible built-ins as well.

here's a quick preliminary design, i plan on going with veneered ply with tape or hardwood edging, or all-solid wood depending on the budget and time constraints(i have some huge 3×12' tulip slabs but need to dry more) may do 2 sets of full length doors rather than the 10 small doors..drawers either on wood runners or full extension slides, pant racks on right show 2 options,as are the hampers in the middle and shelves. probably all pocket and dowel joinery as needs to be assembled on-site. BLO or poly finish.

any suggestions on bidding this? design suggestions welcome as well ! 
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/mini?mid=5de2db02a35167666ea86c852b53eebd&etyp=im&width=400&height=300





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## Julian (Sep 30, 2008)

Save the solidwood for a furniture project and just use good ply faced with wood for the closet organizer. Just figure your material and try to come up with an estimate as to how long this will take you then go from there with price.


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

as sooin as you make something out of solid wood compared with plywood/veneers the price escalates rapidly.

If they are already looking at IKEA, and to keep the price DOWN, then I wouldnt blink an eye and use veneered particle core plywood, keep the doors and drawers to a minimum so…....go left.


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## rhett (May 11, 2008)

Don't use wood glides for a piece that will see lots of use. If they hang up even a little, your client will believe the entire piece to be flawed no matter how nice it is. I might look into some prefinished 2sides plywood and prefinished edgeband. Nice maple ply with an indestructable finish. You may be able to meet their pricepoint since there will be little to no time in finishing. No MDF and no offgassing if you go with Columbia purebond.


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

I recently did one of these as a built-in.

You said this is a "new home" but I can't tell if it is new construction. If it is not new construction I would advise taking a very close look at the space to determine if the walls, ceiling and floor are true and square. I discovered, after agreeing to the job, that I was dealing with a floor that was not flat and level as well as problems with the walls and ceilings. Compensating for this and making everything look right in the end added greatly to the amount of time required. It also increased my frustration level by several notches.


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

I have yet to see a home with flat floors and square straight walls and/or ceilings. That should be expected and not a surprise.


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## JAGWAH (Dec 15, 2009)

I suscribe to Closets magazine, a trades publication. What I've found is these units are made better by large companies and more money can be made selling their ,"Plug N Play" units.

It's hard to sell custom and pointless to compete with factory made and their special finishes. The only way you'll succeed is when the units have to be out of the norm for size, woods or style. Then that's where you can shine and make a very nice profit.

I can install two sets of your Ikea style cabinets in a day easily, maybe even a third, and make $250 for my labors each. I'd rather install premades and make $500 daily then build myself and make little more.

Find a good supplier and check out their install rates.


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## JAGWAH (Dec 15, 2009)

One of the places I send clients who want unique wardrobes is to a nearby auction house that specializes in European wardrobe closets. I have one and another that's a Chifferobe this is a pic of one like it.

While this style of furniture is not for everyone it is an alternative.

I have a client now that wants two of the antique closets to flank a Murphy bed. This is going to be in the ChaChing style since it will have to be customed and styled to look as old as the side pieces. I'm just waitng for her to find the perfect two old wardrobes at this auction house.


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## Tribalwind (Sep 30, 2009)

thank you for all the input thus far. good point on the depth, i could get more sides out of a sheet if theyre 23.75 or so,accounting for kerf. most likely will end up being all veneered ply,i have to find out the real budget for this today. i'll recommend the stand-alone carcass too,you're right, the walls will definitely not be square it's an old place not new construction(even new isnt often square!) and i do Not have time/patience to screw around with custom fitting each piece flush with the walls.

being that it's almost 11 feet long i obviously cant use a single plywood board for top and bottom,
i'm thinking i should make the 2 side hanging wardrobe parts,and join them together with shelving in the center..seems like a very typical design anyway. think it needs beefing up with corner brackets or would the lauan backing keep it all rigid enough? could also do a ply back at least at top and bottom for the center part.that may be overkill though i guess.

jagwah, i used to get CLOSETS mag also, i may have some around still,thanks for the tip.
for this i think i'd save by just getting some sheets of ply at the BORG,
and keep everything simple or budget-appropriate. which im still fuzzy about. thinking around 2600+/-? on this piece,or 2k on bargain basement,no drawers,no pull-down top clothes bars/slide-out pant racks etc,1-coat finish.

i haven't found anything close in size,materials,accessories to compare to?!


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