Anyone built their own internal wardrobes? Recommended suppliers?

[Buffman]

Hi all,

Anyone built their own internal wardrobes? I had a design and price from Hammonds but to be honest their proposal was really uninspiring.

I quite fancy splitting the wardrobe down the middle with right hand side 2 sets of rails. The upper hanging rail will need a pull down system similar to this (recommendations welcome).

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The total height (usable height) is around 2.1m and width 1.6m




If I had the system similar to above would i need to make a stud frame in the centre to make it robust enough to take weight? Or could it be done just with end panels?

As I've just opened up the studwork I can add extra noggins in for connections now.

I was considering using this company.

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Im going to get the room replastered/reskimmed.









** not the layout I want, as seems very basic

 

[fobose]

I built one for the wife earlier in the year. We had a quote about 3 years ago for a local company to come in and they wanted £900 back then to do it. It's an awkward small little space with a sloped ceiling. My thought to was to split it in half and have a high and lower hanging rail. After lots of sketches I decided to have a wider hanging space and a shelving area on the side that was tucked away from the door entrance. It worked out really well and the wife loves it. I think all in I spent about £120 on materials. I already had the paint for painting the plywood shelves.

Not much of a before pic. It had a low shelf which was really annoying as lots of dead space above it:

Spoiler: before

Recent pic. It already had a light in the room, I changed it over for a fitting that was not hanging down in the way.

Spoiler: After

 

[~Divine~Wind~]

I'd be looking at the Ikea Pax stuff first, so much cheaper than the quotes we had for simple runs of straight wardrobes.

To me that sketch above simply looks like a shelving unit and then a couple of rails to the right would get what you wanted.
Ikea do normal and sliding doors

 

[Tinders]

Pax is great value. Wood is daft expensive at the moment and by the time you factor in fixtures and fittings, the pax route works out much better and it’s decent quality.

 

[Scam]

I don't know if it is of interest but I stumbled across this yesterday; https://diyalcovecabinets.co.uk/ Anyone heard of them?

We'd like some traditional built-in wardrobes either side of the chimney in our bedroom, then also units in the lounge around the chimney. From what I read on here they are stupid money for proper bespoke stuff (even our carpenter agreed) so I'm intrigued.. I did a quick price check and seemed to be coming out at £2k for two wardrobes which seems too excellent value.

 

[Buffman]

@fobose that looks good.

I'd be looking at the Ikea Pax stuff first, so much cheaper than the quotes we had for simple runs of straight wardrobes.

To me that sketch above simply looks like a shelving unit and then a couple of rails to the right would get what you wanted.
Ikea do normal and sliding doors

Aye ill have a look but to be fair I'd rather pay a bit more for something "premium" and I suspect a pax wouldn't work as I'll need to cut a number of cover panels to make it look integrated.

Ive attached a better visual of what I'm after below.

 

[Tinders]

Pax is pretty decent quality to be fair, unless you are using fancy wood, i cant see anything MDF based being much more premium than a PAX set.

 

[Buffman]

Pax is pretty decent quality to be fair, unless you are using fancy wood, i cant see anything MDF based being much more premium than a PAX set.

Fair point, I guess the issue with a pax set is they will come in standard 150 size (too short) or 200 width which is too long. It's also slightly deeper (58cm which means I'd start protruding into the room. Not insurmountable but possibly more effort to make it look better integrated into the room.

 

[Hilly]

I installed a Pax into an alcove and made it fit - had to trim some of the bottom and top and also take up the carpet, underlay and remove the skirting boards from behind and it just fit;
Remember, if you're getting sliding doors, the doors slide OVER the top of the wardrobe by a tiny amount, so that'll take some fudging potentially.

I saved at least a grand with doing it like this - with the help of my partners dad (who used to be a carpenter - handy).

 

[~Divine~Wind~]

Fair point, I guess the issue with a pax set is they will come in standard 150 size (too short) or 200 width which is too long. It's also slightly deeper (58cm which means I'd start protruding into the room. Not insurmountable but possibly more effort to make it look better integrated into the room.

Just manhandle them chop em to size, hell we did the same with "bespoke" kitchen units
Some companies wanted thousands to built the unit we wanted, we made it out of 2 standard Carrcasses and just trimmed where needed then used 2 slimmer wall cabinet doors on the front. Also butchered a PAx unit to fit around a chimney haha

As above for the parts you want to cover, just add a bit of plinth or even skirting at the bottom if you can afford the height loss.

As @Hilly mentioned the sliding doors will take some erm fudgery
For that what I'd be lookign at would be say

1x 100cm wide Pax unit
1x 50cm wide Pax Unit
This would give 3 doors to the front, I'd say a coloured one on the outers then a mirror door in the middle.
The double "wall" you've created where the 100 and 50cm meet should give you the extra weight bearing if needed for the pull down thing.

Also leaves you a little to the outside to blend them in and make them look more "fitted"
I batoned down the wall, whacked wood panels to the sides and painted them the same colour as the walls.

The Pax range is pretty modular as well so can add as many shelves/drawers/slots, poles as you need/want

 

[JRJ]

We went down the PAX hack after some crazy quotes for built in cupboards, pretty happy with how they turned out.
Built a 100mm high plinth level, built the carcasses on top and trimmed the base with skirting and scribed in a piece for the wall.

 

[Buffman]

I had a look at pax, but preferred the option of completely custom as it allows me to pre plan/got very little depth in the wardrobe to work with. I had a look at that "my slidint wardrobe company and looks pretty good/helped me with queries.


Haven't ordered yet as I need the plastering done. Only thing I'm not sure on is if I should dot and dab the wall where Ive starred knocking out the plaster as it seems quite blown. Possibly easier for my plasterer to dab out the whole wall rather than sections.

Going to put extra timber supports in the studwork at the positions I need for the shelving units to back onto, and also generally to strengthen

 

[inflames]

Interesting thread, been thinking of doing something similar. Specially after looking at the Pax system, what was my first idea. Unfortunately most of the parts, for the layout and style seem to be out of stock and have been each time I have looked.

 

[Buffman]

Dimensioned out what I want better so I could add studwork to the back the tie any cover panels too (screw straight in rather than hang from plasterboard)






This side will be supporting one side of the pull down rails. Does anyone think that 18mm centre piece will be sufficient down the middle? Could bolt through both sides if i can find the right bolts? Will be pull down rails both ends.

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Bought a new countersink set. Never had one like these before, wish I had bought ages ago!



Whole room is going to be plastered, with ceilings overboarded and the rest skimmed.

 

[Buffman]

Well I've started.....got most the internals in just realise I'll have to take the pull down shelf out to then fit the other shelf...

Initially I intended to put a veneer cover panel on the bottom section but to be honest I'll have to cut down the thickness to 9mm or so to do it... I could do it with a router across the whole back section just might take a while!

Anyone see any issues taking 9mm thickness out a 300mm by 1600mm panel? (or alternative ways to do it?)

 

[Buffman]

Scribed this board in nice and tight. Was in two minds and took me many hours but probably worth it. Looks like a good finish if I do say so myself

Just need to fit the wardrobe doors next

This was before thickness taken out

After

 

[~Divine~Wind~]

Looks well neat that man, good effort

 

[Buffman]

Finished wardrobe, bit of cleaning up to do but glad it's finished!

Soft closers auto close it which is quite cool, ******* to set up considering no walls level and I wanted tight tolerances! Fortunately the pull down rails get down with about 2mm to spare

My dog just wants me to get carpet back upstairs