Fitted Living Room Furniture
Discussion
The Moose said:
Bloody hell 
Get a carpenter in for a week. Some materials and a paint brush.
Job's a good 'un!
You say that, but just what are you getting. Has he planers, thicknessers, rip saws, through feeders, crosscuts, bandsaws, spindle moulders, overhead routers. spray booths etc etc to make it with?Get a carpenter in for a week. Some materials and a paint brush.
Job's a good 'un!
Can he buy or have the ability to cut finely manmade material, can he actually source the material. Is it PAR softwood? If it is, I doubt it is best quality, it rarely is. What cost for his labour, I'd guess £800 - £1000.00 per week plus materials. Even plain MDF comes in different standards, top quality rarely supplied by the local builders merchants etc.
I build and install furniture for a living, I also employ joiners that are more than capable of knocking up cabinets onsite, but, they would be the first to admit that can't get an onsite finish like you can in a workshop. The OP wants something more finished, more than an onsite guy can really deliver unless he spends a heck of alot of time on it.
Edited by Wozy68 on Friday 13th December 13:13
Neil H said:
I’m going to play around with some design software this weekend and see if I can make some plans of what I want.
All that's needed at this stage is a 2D view of the front, with rectangles representing doors, drawers, spaces etc and some writing to indicate which is which. If you can do it roughly to scale so much the better, it will make it easier for you to get a feel for the proportions.Wozy68 said:
The Moose said:
Bloody hell
Get a carpenter in for a week. Some materials and a paint brush.
Job's a good 'un!
You say that, but just what are you getting. Has he planers, thicknessers, rip saws, through feeders, crosscuts, bandsaws, spindle moulders, overhead routers. spray booths etc etc to make it with?Get a carpenter in for a week. Some materials and a paint brush.
Job's a good 'un!
Can he buy or have the ability to cut finely manmade material, can he actually source the material. Is it PAR softwood? If it is, I doubt it is best quality, it rarely is. What cost for his labour, I'd guess £800 - £1000.00 per week plus materials. Even plain MDF comes in different standards, top quality rarely supplied by the local builders merchants etc.
I build and install furniture for a living, I also employ joiners that are more than capable of knocking up cabinets onsite, but, they would be the first to admit that can't get an onsite finish like you can in a workshop. The OP wants something more finished, more than an onsite guy can really deliver unless he spends a heck of alot of time on it.
Edited by Wozy68 on Friday 13th December 13:13
Edited by The Moose on Friday 13th December 15:15
The question I guess is one of compromise. If you've got a fixed idea in your head of exactly what you want then you'll probably only get it by spending the money. If on the other hand you're prepared to make some compromise on design in favour of making it easier to make then the costs can be reduced and the quality of an on-site build will fall.
That said I'd expect a local person to measure up and do a lot of the difficult bits in their workshop and then assemble/finish on site.
For me I'd be designing it taking into account what I want and what I can build to a high standard and be happy that I'd end up with a very good product.
For example if you're not bothered between a high-gloss painted thing, or a hardwood, I'd go for hardwood as I can source it and work it better than I can paint it.
I would like an overhead router though, didn't know they existed!
That said I'd expect a local person to measure up and do a lot of the difficult bits in their workshop and then assemble/finish on site.
For me I'd be designing it taking into account what I want and what I can build to a high standard and be happy that I'd end up with a very good product.
For example if you're not bothered between a high-gloss painted thing, or a hardwood, I'd go for hardwood as I can source it and work it better than I can paint it.
I would like an overhead router though, didn't know they existed!
The Moose said:
Ok - so call it £2k (£1k labour, £1k materials) - it'll be at least 95% of the way there in terms of finish (my parents had a similar thing done all be it on a much larger scale) and the finish of the "built on site" is excellent. That's the route I would go.
Each to their own, and I understand where your coming from. Horses for courses
I'd say 2K labour and £750 the materials which equals to about 50% saving on workshop..... But I'm just pendantic, I know what to look for (and so do many of my customers) and it will still look built on site.
I'd shoot my machinest & painter if an onsite chippy could get to 95% quality level.
Having mine done by the guy that built my kitchen. Admittedly a gloss grey rather than veneer finish, but he is happy to do cabinet work - for not very much money compared to something like the OP (HOW MUCH???). Whole thing is completely custom like my kitchen, which was beautifully done, so I have faith in him.
Neil H said:
Yeah I’m wary of that – how should I go about vetting a local fitter though? I think the challenge is dealing with an unknown quantity vs a high street brand that has displays etc.
I agree, i can be hard to vet a potential tradesman, im in the building trade so i know that if i want a piece of furniture making i wont ask a first fix joiner who has just climbed down off a roof to do it for me.But any well recommended 'proper' joiner who has experience doing kitchen worktops, making up neat end panels etc would easily be able to make something like what you are after, once you have given them the plan of what you are after and the quality you are expecting, i would think many joiners would enjoy the challenge.
The chap that runs the saw mill I use does bespoke joinery. If you don't have a recommendation, might be worth asking at a local mill as they'll spend all there time doing precise work with hard woods.
Mine will do all the stuff you can't do with DIY tools, or they'll make all the hard bits and leave you to fix it all together, or they'll come and do it all for you.
Mine will do all the stuff you can't do with DIY tools, or they'll make all the hard bits and leave you to fix it all together, or they'll come and do it all for you.
Holy thread resurrection! Had a visit from Neville Johnson recently and following a 2 hour visit from the designer, received a quote of ~£10,000 for what amounted to around 8 MDF cupboards. After politely telling them where to go, I am now looking at options again. The Ikea Besta series is now looking more viable, approx. 1/10 the cost of this absurdly overpriced NJ stuff.
This is the kind of layout I'm looking for, although I probably won't be able to wall-mount due to the wall not being solid, so I'm maybe thinking of floor-to-ceiling but in the same layout:
The wall is just shy of 5m long. Any suggestions, ideas of cost for an independent manufacturer? We just want a plain white gloss finish, no natural wood.
This is the kind of layout I'm looking for, although I probably won't be able to wall-mount due to the wall not being solid, so I'm maybe thinking of floor-to-ceiling but in the same layout:
The wall is just shy of 5m long. Any suggestions, ideas of cost for an independent manufacturer? We just want a plain white gloss finish, no natural wood.
I reckon the guy who did my bedroom cupboards would do that for a couple grand max
crazy Irish fella
http://www.fittedfurnitureuk.com
crazy Irish fella
http://www.fittedfurnitureuk.com
TheBMWDriver said:
In the end I ordered stuff from a guy in Manchester. I went and visited his factory and the quality of the work seems to be good. I have my first test unit coming form him next week. I am happy I will be ordering a lot more.
Link?I'm in manchester myself and looking for some fitted stuff
If you want to wall mount on a stud wall, then you could put a sheet of 3/4" ply over the wall and fix the wall units to that. This will spread the load as you can fix the ply in multiple places, then fix the wall units directly to the ply. Of course you may need to cut the ply so that it doesn't show 'around' the wall units. Or you could use MDF and paint it the same colour as the wall.
We sometimes have to get builders to fix a 'back board' to a stud wall before we can install our equipment (can be up to 100Kgs) to the wall, though it doesn't have to look as pretty as a living room.
RE the Hulsta stuff: We saw some reallynice bedroom units last year which we would have loved to buy, but the cost for the whole project was already looking like hitting near five figures. By fluke it worked out that the taller Ikea wardrobes were exactly the same height as our room (to the mm) so I managed to get a fitted look for a fraction of the price. We bought handles elsewhere and some different white gloss bedsides from another shop, but I think we did OK based on our starting design, verses our much lower budget Ikea version.
At the end of the day it's only a bedroom in our case, so I don't spend too much time in there with my eyes open anyway, but if you can get the result you're after for a fraction of the cost, then why not...There's always something else you can spend the money on more exciting than furniture. About £5K verses under £1k in our case:
This was what inspired us:
This was our low cost Ikea based version:
We sometimes have to get builders to fix a 'back board' to a stud wall before we can install our equipment (can be up to 100Kgs) to the wall, though it doesn't have to look as pretty as a living room.
RE the Hulsta stuff: We saw some reallynice bedroom units last year which we would have loved to buy, but the cost for the whole project was already looking like hitting near five figures. By fluke it worked out that the taller Ikea wardrobes were exactly the same height as our room (to the mm) so I managed to get a fitted look for a fraction of the price. We bought handles elsewhere and some different white gloss bedsides from another shop, but I think we did OK based on our starting design, verses our much lower budget Ikea version.
At the end of the day it's only a bedroom in our case, so I don't spend too much time in there with my eyes open anyway, but if you can get the result you're after for a fraction of the cost, then why not...There's always something else you can spend the money on more exciting than furniture.
About £5K verses under £1k in our case:This was what inspired us:
This was our low cost Ikea based version:
If you're not bothered about having it totally flush to ceilings/walls/floors I think the Ikea idea has a lot of merit. They do some great finishes now, and it's a doddle to fit. They also do all the extras you're after.
I struggled with wardrobes in my last place and decided to give IKEA a go. They were great. And our room height was such that they practically looked built in for peanuts cost wise.
I struggled with wardrobes in my last place and decided to give IKEA a go. They were great. And our room height was such that they practically looked built in for peanuts cost wise.
OldSkoolRS said:
If you want to wall mount on a stud wall, then you could put a sheet of 3/4" ply over the wall and fix the wall units to that. This will spread the load as you can fix the ply in multiple places, then fix the wall units directly to the ply. Of course you may need to cut the ply so that it doesn't show 'around' the wall units. Or you could use MDF and paint it the same colour as the wall.
We sometimes have to get builders to fix a 'back board' to a stud wall before we can install our equipment (can be up to 100Kgs) to the wall, though it doesn't have to look as pretty as a living room.
RE the Hulsta stuff: We saw some reallynice bedroom units last year which we would have loved to buy, but the cost for the whole project was already looking like hitting near five figures. By fluke it worked out that the taller Ikea wardrobes were exactly the same height as our room (to the mm) so I managed to get a fitted look for a fraction of the price. We bought handles elsewhere and some different white gloss bedsides from another shop, but I think we did OK based on our starting design, verses our much lower budget Ikea version.
At the end of the day it's only a bedroom in our case, so I don't spend too much time in there with my eyes open anyway, but if you can get the result you're after for a fraction of the cost, then why not...There's always something else you can spend the money on more exciting than furniture. About £5K verses under £1k in our case:
This was what inspired us:
This was our low cost Ikea based version:
Interesting. My bedroom is exactly the same height to the mm as the ikea tall robes, but they say you need a few centimetres to be able to build them and get them upright . Did you build yours upright ?We sometimes have to get builders to fix a 'back board' to a stud wall before we can install our equipment (can be up to 100Kgs) to the wall, though it doesn't have to look as pretty as a living room.
RE the Hulsta stuff: We saw some reallynice bedroom units last year which we would have loved to buy, but the cost for the whole project was already looking like hitting near five figures. By fluke it worked out that the taller Ikea wardrobes were exactly the same height as our room (to the mm) so I managed to get a fitted look for a fraction of the price. We bought handles elsewhere and some different white gloss bedsides from another shop, but I think we did OK based on our starting design, verses our much lower budget Ikea version.
At the end of the day it's only a bedroom in our case, so I don't spend too much time in there with my eyes open anyway, but if you can get the result you're after for a fraction of the cost, then why not...There's always something else you can spend the money on more exciting than furniture.
About £5K verses under £1k in our case:This was what inspired us:
This was our low cost Ikea based version:
OldSkoolRS said:
If you want to wall mount on a stud wall, then you could put a sheet of 3/4" ply over the wall and fix the wall units to that. This will spread the load as you can fix the ply in multiple places, then fix the wall units directly to the ply. Of course you may need to cut the ply so that it doesn't show 'around' the wall units. Or you could use MDF and paint it the same colour as the wall.
We sometimes have to get builders to fix a 'back board' to a stud wall before we can install our equipment (can be up to 100Kgs) to the wall, though it doesn't have to look as pretty as a living room.
RE the Hulsta stuff: We saw some reallynice bedroom units last year which we would have loved to buy, but the cost for the whole project was already looking like hitting near five figures. By fluke it worked out that the taller Ikea wardrobes were exactly the same height as our room (to the mm) so I managed to get a fitted look for a fraction of the price. We bought handles elsewhere and some different white gloss bedsides from another shop, but I think we did OK based on our starting design, verses our much lower budget Ikea version.
At the end of the day it's only a bedroom in our case, so I don't spend too much time in there with my eyes open anyway, but if you can get the result you're after for a fraction of the cost, then why not...There's always something else you can spend the money on more exciting than furniture. About £5K verses under £1k in our case:
This was what inspired us:
This was our low cost Ikea based version:
Interesting. My bedroom is exactly the same height to the mm as the ikea tall robes, but they say you need a few centimetres to be able to build them and get them upright . Did you build yours upright ?We sometimes have to get builders to fix a 'back board' to a stud wall before we can install our equipment (can be up to 100Kgs) to the wall, though it doesn't have to look as pretty as a living room.
RE the Hulsta stuff: We saw some reallynice bedroom units last year which we would have loved to buy, but the cost for the whole project was already looking like hitting near five figures. By fluke it worked out that the taller Ikea wardrobes were exactly the same height as our room (to the mm) so I managed to get a fitted look for a fraction of the price. We bought handles elsewhere and some different white gloss bedsides from another shop, but I think we did OK based on our starting design, verses our much lower budget Ikea version.
At the end of the day it's only a bedroom in our case, so I don't spend too much time in there with my eyes open anyway, but if you can get the result you're after for a fraction of the cost, then why not...There's always something else you can spend the money on more exciting than furniture.
About £5K verses under £1k in our case:This was what inspired us:
This was our low cost Ikea based version:
Yes, we built them in the upright position (as per the Ikea instructions) and then we slid them into place. It was a bit fiddly, but two of us managed OK (we may have 'forced' our teenager to help briefly).
It helped that we had no carpet down at the time and I've had the carpet laid upto the wardrobes and not under. Also, you can't tilt them at all when sliding so you have to be very exact with your measurements otherwise they might not fit (the left one had to be forced into position as it literally touched the ceiling in one back corner). At least the carcass is cheap enough that you could buy one to try out. If not the other option is the 2.00 metre high version, but that leaves a big gap on top of course.
It helped that we had no carpet down at the time and I've had the carpet laid upto the wardrobes and not under. Also, you can't tilt them at all when sliding so you have to be very exact with your measurements otherwise they might not fit (the left one had to be forced into position as it literally touched the ceiling in one back corner). At least the carcass is cheap enough that you could buy one to try out. If not the other option is the 2.00 metre high version, but that leaves a big gap on top of course.
Edited by OldSkoolRS on Wednesday 2nd April 21:39
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