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Property/DIY

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Original poster

Having a built in cupboard done help

32 replies

Reastie · 06/12/2013 14:46

Hoping someone can help me with this random post.

We are going to have 2 built in cupboards made. Both ceiling high and in alcoves by fire places. One is maybe 50 cm wide (and flush with the fireplace, 2 doors that open and a few shelves), the other is 1 - 1.5 m wide (a bottom and top cupboard with a gap in the middle to put things on and shelves inside).

We are planning on paying a member of DHs family to make it. He is close family. He is charging per hour (a low hourly rate) but has given us an estimate of £700 to complete the work NOT including any materials. He says it's more likely to be an over rather than underestimate of hours but accurate as far as he can be at this point.

I just told my family this cost and they were completely at how much it is. I have no idea on cost of things (and it's not like we have alot of spare money) so assumed it was reasonable/mates rates.

Just wondered what your opinions of this was? I know it's very difficult but does this sound reasonable or over the odds? I'm resenting a bit paying potentially more than a tradesman (although said rellie is trained but hasn't done this type of work for years). I want to get a carpenter in to get a quote to check it's not over the odds but wondered what your initial thoughts were . FWIW I'm not sure if this price includes painting, I need to check that out.

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neepsandtatties · 06/12/2013 15:12

We had one alcove cupboard made about 1.5 metres wide (base cupboartd with doors, 5 bookshelves above, all built in, with tounge-groove effect back, using MDF) and it cost us £1200 plus VAT. That included materials (but MDF is v. cheap) but unpainted.

I'm not sure if that makes your quote cheap or not really? Doesn't sound widely off the mark for a commercial rate, but it doesn't exactly sound like he is doing it for 'mates rates' either.

deepfriedsage · 06/12/2013 16:44

I bought a unit from.ikea, it was about two hundred, cant remember as got some other things. To build it is about fifty pounds from assembly service. It's 120cm wide and about the same high. has a sliding door, shelves and a pull out shelf.

frazzeled · 06/12/2013 16:49

We paid £350 for one built in cupboard (floor to ceiling, just under a metre wide) and bespoke - unfinished (oak) so I had to oil. I got several quotes all similar. It was hours wise allot of work, and they are done really well. I would do two things - firstly get some other quotes to compare. Also it's worth a little extra I whoever doing it is very, very good. From where it sounds you are having them you are going to looking at them allot. Only shell out if you know the work will be really good.

frazzeled · 06/12/2013 16:49

Sorry bespoke shelving - in addition to cupboard, not inside it .

Original poster

Reastie · 06/12/2013 17:43

That's very interesting. By your comments it's either goo g rate or vastly over going rate. Fwiw they will be mdf and its fil doing it. . We need the work done but we are getting him to do it as a favour for him to get a bit of extra income as he's not in work at the minute. If it's cheaper to go to a tradesman I'd rather do that. I assume fil will do a good job and have been told by mil he is good but he hasn't done anything like this for years and going by his estimate for his Labour I'm a bit shocked at the ,family, rates. Hence why I came on here to see if it seemed about right.

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BikeRunSki · 06/12/2013 17:47

We had a solid pine cupboard built in, 1.5m wide, 1 high, 2 doors about 3 years ago by a local cabinet maker. £600, but I stained in myself.

BornOfFrustration · 06/12/2013 17:49

We've just paid £200 for an mdf fitted cupboard in our bathroom. Big enough to fit a washing machine and shelves for towels. I think they are quite a bit of work.

We would like some in the living room in the alcoves too, next door have the originals in and they're lovely, but I think they would cost a bomb.

ghostonthecanvas · 06/12/2013 17:59

Try getting an estimate from a company like jali online. My joiner says its very expensive doing made to measure. Also ebay have lots of businesses offering made to measure. It would give you an idea of cost. Jali are diy at home, ebay offer delivered and assembled or diy. It should help you compare.
The price you have been given doesn't sound like mates rates though.

Original poster

Reastie · 06/12/2013 18:35

Love the Jali website ghost . They don't seem to do built in cupboards like we what to be able to go with them though will keep a note of them as look very good to use for another project in the future.

born was that £200 for the workman or everything including materials?

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HaveToWearHeels · 06/12/2013 19:59

We have had a floor to ceiling cupboard fitted in one of our loft rooms (so curved ceiling) approx 2.5m wide with 5 doors and shelves inside. Cost me £150 in MDF and £300 fro chippy to build (2 days work). Chippy filled around the edges and then I painted.

rak5a · 06/12/2013 21:15

I think it also depends where you are. We're in London and have had some identical cupboards built and it was about £1200 (inc materials but not painting). Painting was about £500 which seems crazy but it took 4 days and was done totally properly. We had another cupboard we painted ourselves and even with primer, undercoat and 2 top coats it still looks terrible compared to the one professionally done. MDF can look cheap if the paint finish is bad, so be careful about that!

BornOfFrustration · 06/12/2013 22:19

It was including materials, but its nothing fancy and not huge. It was part of having the whole bathroom ripped out back to bare brick, but the cupboard was an after thought so it was listed separately on the invoice.

DH keeps going on about such and such's son being a cabinet maker so we should get him in. I know he has no idea how much these things cost if you want them to look good and be functional. The walls aren't straight in this ol' house for a start so it would be so much work to make it right.

I'd like the materials included for £700 though!

BrokenFairylights · 06/12/2013 22:24

I would second the fact that the cost will depend a lot on where you live, we are in Wales near Cardiff. I had a cupboard built in the hall, full height, proper door, shelves and hanging etc. made from plywood and was left unpainted, it took roughly a day and we paid a local carpenter the rate for a full day which was £150. We bought all the materials and painted it ourselves maybe an extra £150 so £300 all in. So depending where you live I think the quote you've had seems very expensive.

PastaBeeandCheese · 07/12/2013 07:41

Had a quote for this yesterday funny enough.

We would like a large, floor to ceiling cupboard in the dead space on our landing so a bit more involved that your proposal as there isn't already a space for it.

Quote is £385 for labour, materials and VAT.

The last point is key.... Presumably you are paying your FIL cash so it would seem very expensive given most tradesmen are adding 20% VAT.

Original poster

Reastie · 07/12/2013 10:15

Yes we are paying him cash pasta . The original reason why we are getting him to do it was as we figured it would be cheaper than a tradesman as he would charge less and be good for him as he would like a bit of extra money. He wants to be paid per hour but a very low hourly rate, which DH thinks is fine but I'm not happy with as he is VERY slow and he estimates it will take him 100 hours to make both of them hence the huge cost. DH is really funny about it all and wants to get his Dad to do it (probably because he's said he could so doesn't want to change his mind) but I'm finding the whole situ difficult and just wish we would have never agreed to it. I want to get a carpenter quote if only to compare to prove to DH that we aren't getting a good deal (we have savings, but on a monthly basis we don't have alot of spare). Argh

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BrownSauceSandwich · 07/12/2013 12:43

Sounds like an awkward situation, and in hindsight it would've been better to get a couple of quotes first, then offer it out to family if they can do a competitive price. But I realise how annoying it must be to hear that kind of comment once you're already in the soup. Sorry

Only you and your husband can decide between you how much you can afford to pay to keep the peace in the family, and whether you can afford not to. I think if it were me, I'd be inclined to say that I was sorry, but we'd underestimated the job (or overestimated our means) and had to rethink whether we could afford to do it at all.

I do sympathise with your OH... He's landed himself in a sticky situation, and he must be a bit embarrassed. And I don't think the price is wildly excessive, if it's even excessive at all. I'd be tempted to (covertly) get another quote or two, just to help you make a decision. If they come in much more expensive, all your problems may be solved!

Original poster

Reastie · 07/12/2013 13:01

That's what I'm going to do brown , I'm not sure whether I'll get the quotes covertly or not but a quote I will get. Annoyingly if/when FIL does do it he won't come and do the job, he does little bits here and there when he can be bothered so I can see this going on for months . DH having money discussion this morning and looks like we're struggling a bit ATM so at least that should give me some breathing space to sort out what to do. I genuinely thought getting FIL to do it would mean everyone is happy - he gets a bit of money and something to do (he twiddles his thumbs alot at home, but tbh it seems I think he quite likes doing nothing) and we get work we need doing done but for less than a tradesman price.

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MinimalistMommi · 07/12/2013 16:14

Doesn't sound like he's doing you the favour, sounds like you doing him the favour!

MichaelFinnigan · 07/12/2013 16:27

A skilled tradesman is about £120 (mates rates end) to £180 (top end)
I'd kit expect it to be more than three days work. Maybe four if its awkward and fiddly

Mdf is about £30 for a big sheet. You probs need three or four

MichaelFinnigan · 07/12/2013 16:28

Sorry per day for the tradesman

Rooners · 07/12/2013 16:40

100 hours? Look I'm no chippy but am currently building some kitchen cabinets from wood - not proper joiner type joints or anything but perfectly serviceable, solid wood cabinets using old Victorian reclaimed doors and normal pine for the frames.

It's nowhere NEAR that including materials.

MDF will sag anyway...I hate MDF shelving with a passion.

Tell your DH that you don't want to do it after all, find a nice cheap free standing cbd that fits the space on ebay and just put some shelps up (made of solid wood) above that.

It's a huge waste of money and might not be a good job...you have never seen his work and it'll be worse if he does it and then you hate it/it's crappy.

I'm sorry for him but 100 hours? Really? It took me about 5 hours to build mine the other day...with a 11mo baby helping.

Rooners · 07/12/2013 16:41

shelves...wonder what shelps are.

Original poster

Reastie · 07/12/2013 17:49

rooners we can't get ikea type shelving/units as we are building a filing cabinet into the unit (when I say building it into it, what I mean is sticking a filing cabinet into the alcove and putting a cupboard in front of it). Btw FWIW I had mdf shelving/cupboards build into DDs bedroom about 17 years ago and it still looks good.

Think I will see if the whole project can wait. Don't know what else to do.

Gah

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Rooners · 07/12/2013 18:16

In that case I'd do the work yourselves and tell him it was easier than you thought, and you needed it done in a hurry.

Alcoves are easy - you just need some simple battens, screwed into the wall at whatever height you need and then cover the front with the doors - and framing down the sides etc to attach hinges to.

It's not that hard.

Use MDF if you're happy with that but pine will last longer and look better.

Original poster

Reastie · 07/12/2013 18:26

rooners seriously, we wouldn't be able to do it, we are useless! And my problem is DH is being so weird about it, he thinks I'm making a deal over nothing and I shouldn't question his DF. All awkward. Have just been looking on Jali and wondering if we could get a wardrobe in the bedroom to fit the small space (and just get a pretty filing cabinet and put it somewhere else in the room). Their wardrobe unit to the size (87cm width, 45cm deep and 230 I think high) was just over £800.....so not saving by doing that.

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