How Much Does Built-In Furniture Cost?
It's become so routine to just buy what's available in the store these days, but have you ever considered some new custom built-in furniture? There are many benefits to creating your own custom furniture.
Built-in furniture can help you maximize much-needed space in the home by fitting perfectly into specific areas and making use of wall space with shelving and cupboards. The best part about it is that you get to add your own personal touch and design flair to each item.
Below we will discuss the costs and advantages associated with hiring a professional to help design and create built-in furniture pieces for the home. You may just be surprised at how affordable it can be.
What Are The Benefits of Built-In Furniture
Most furniture can be bulky and, when it comes to space, is not a one size fits all kind of product. Consider some of the following advantages of choosing custom, built-in furniture.
- Tailor made: Working with an expert to create your unique furniture can be very rewarding. Forget about a middleman, a professional will welcome your creative ideas as well as provide advice for your project.
- Quality workmanship: A skilled professional will take the utmost care and focus to create your one-of-a-kind piece of furniture. This quality cannot be matched by big corporate mass-produced furniture. Each item of furniture is treated like a piece of artwork.
- Storage: Built-in furniture provides exceptional storage space as it can make full use of the wall and can also be created to store specific size items.
- Interior trim: You can match your interior trims and designs to blend in with custom built in furniture. It becomes one with the home's decor.
- Lighting: Combine lighting with built in furniture, shelving, and cabinets to add an ambiance or atmosphere.
- Sustainability: Discarded furniture in the U.S has increased by 385% since 1970. This may not seem significant until you consider the population has only grown by 50% and housing by only 100%. When you opt for custom built in furniture you can choose to have it built sustainably. Quality built furniture lasts.
- Supply chains: Bypass all the added markups from wholesalers, importers, distributors, and retailers. You will know exactly where your built in furniture materials came from and the conditions under which it was constructed.
- Emotional connection: Having a custom furniture piece built for you creates a sense of sentimental meaning. You were part of the construction and design, you connect with your contractor, and become part of the final product.
Whether you are looking for a masterpiece or just a basic personal touch, speaking to multiple professional custom furniture builders will give you a better idea of what you should be budgeting for. It also provides the opportunity to choose a contractor you feel comfortable with and which best suits your built-in furniture design.
What Is The Cost Of Built-in Furniture
If you are wanting to create a one-off, custom, built-in furniture pieces, such as cupboards or wall units, the expertise of a carpenter or furniture builder will require a fair amount of labor hours. Labor costs alone can set you back between $2,000 - $6,000 or more and this excludes the cost of materials. Carpenters usually charge $30 - $130 an hour.
Wood and timber for a wall unit can cost between $1,000 - $5,000. If you opt for exotic woods and luxury appointments you could spend a lo.
The massive price variation is due to the endless number of options you have when creating a unique, personalized built-in furniture piece. One of the main costs associated with custom furniture is the joinery fees. There is no set fee and local professionals quotes will vary based on demand, their skill levels, and the intricacy of your built-in furniture project.
You could complete a simple wood table for around $500, whereas more detailed pieces of furniture requiring multiple joins can cost you $6,700+. On a national average, most American homeowners spent $2,500 on their custom furniture.
As you can see, the cost of built-in furniture is highly variable, and overall the price will come down to what you want to have built as well as it's value to you. Below we will discuss what may affect the overall costs.
Factors Affecting The Cost Of Built-in Furniture?
When you choose to build custom built in furniture, it's unique and personal to you. Consider the following variables which ultimately affect your overall cost of built-in furniture.
- Materials: Is there a specific type of wood you will be using? Different wood species have varying costs and can it be sourced locally? The further away it is the more you will pay for it.
- Build and Design Quality: Built-in furniture requires skilled artisans to create quality products, it's not mass production. Specify exactly what you want to be built and discuss options with your carpenter.
- Wood Joining: How many wood-joins will your built-in furniture piece require? In some cases, a dining chair can cost more than a dining table because of the detailed joinery and time it takes. A simpler design will always be cheaper.
- Design Work: Are you creating a completely new design or customizing an already existing one? Furniture design time is an important step if you want a quality produced piece. If you require more design time, expect the cost to be higher.
- Labor and Rent: Where will your built-in furniture piece be created? Workshops will charge rent for any space your furniture takes up during construction. It's better when it's locally built, you invest in local craftsmanship and workshops instead of overseas factories.
The best built-in furniture designers can give you comprehensive quotes that cover the material and labor charges. Shopping around for multiple quotes before taking a final deal will help you find a contractor that will suit your style and unique requirements.
Get a Free Localized Estimate
The easiest way to gauge the cost of built-in furniture for your project is by communicating directly with a local professional.
If you are interested in a free and more specific quote from local carpenters and built in furniture experts, simply use the form provided on this page to fill in your home ZIP.
