Bespoke joinery is expensive compared with flat-pack and cheap compared with almost any structural work, and most people have no reference point for either. A fitted wardrobe wall can be £2,000 or £8,000 and both figures can be reasonable.
This guide explains where the money goes, gives realistic ranges for the work we are asked for most in Hampshire, and sets out how to read two very different quotes for the same job.
Why bespoke costs more than off the shelf
A flat-pack wardrobe is made in tens of thousands, in standard sizes, from the cheapest board that will survive assembly. A bespoke wardrobe is drawn for one alcove, cut for that alcove, and scribed to a wall that is not straight and a ceiling that is not level.
The design time is real. So is the survey, the setting out, the workshop time, the delivery and the fitting. In a typical bespoke job, materials are perhaps 25 to 35 per cent of the price and the rest is labour and overhead.
What you get for that is fit and longevity. Bespoke joinery uses the full height and full depth of the space, has no gap at the top collecting dust, and is built from 18mm board with proper carcass construction rather than 15mm with cam locks. It will outlast several kitchens.
Realistic price ranges
These are supply-and-fit ranges for the south of England, for painted MDF or veneered board with standard soft-close ironmongery. Solid hardwood, glazing, integrated lighting and specialist finishes all push above them.
- Alcove shelving and cupboard unit, one alcove: £900 to £2,000
- Pair of matching alcove units either side of a chimney breast: £1,800 to £3,500
- Fitted wardrobes, single wall of around 2.5m: £2,500 to £5,000
- Fitted wardrobes, full dressing room: £6,000 upwards
- Media wall with recesses for TV and fire, plus storage: £3,000 to £7,000
- Under-stairs storage with fitted drawers and cupboards: £2,000 to £4,500
- Home office wall with desk, shelving and cupboards: £3,000 to £6,500
- Window seat with storage: £900 to £2,000
What drives the price up
Complexity, not size. A tall plain run of doors is comparatively cheap per metre. The same width broken up with drawers, glazed sections, internal fittings and lighting is not.
- Drawers — each one is a small box in its own right, typically £120 to £250 extra
- Internal fittings: pull-out rails, trouser racks, jewellery inserts, soft-close mechanisms
- Integrated lighting and the electrical work that goes with it
- Glazed or mirrored doors, and any door over about 2.2m tall
- Spray finishing in a workshop versus hand painting on site
- Solid hardwood or real wood veneer instead of paint-grade MDF
- Sloping ceilings, chimney breasts, boxed pipework and access hatches
- Difficult access: a third-floor loft room with a tight stair adds fitting time
Where you can sensibly save
Keep the exterior simple and spend on the interior. Plain slab or shaker doors with the same layout across the run cost far less than a mixture of styles, and the storage inside is what you actually use every day.
Reduce the number of drawers. Two deep drawers in a wardrobe are useful; six shallow ones are expensive and half of them end up empty.
Consider painting on site yourself, or having the joinery delivered primed. A workshop spray finish is superior and costs several hundred pounds more per run.
Do several pieces at once. Survey, delivery and setting up are largely fixed costs, so a wardrobe wall and an alcove unit booked together cost less than the same two jobs six months apart.
How joiners price
Most bespoke joiners price a job as a whole rather than by square metre, because two jobs of the same area can differ by a factor of three in time. A typical quote is built up from workshop hours, fitting days, materials and ironmongery, plus an allowance for the survey and drawings.
Day rates for a skilled fitting joiner in the south of England are commonly £250 to £400 per day, and workshop time is charged similarly. A wardrobe wall that takes four workshop days and three fitting days therefore has around £1,750 to £2,800 of labour in it before any material.
That arithmetic is worth doing when a quote looks unusually cheap. If the labour alone cannot fit inside the price, something has been left out.
Comparing quotes
Ask every quote to state the same things and the differences become visible immediately.
- Carcass material and thickness — 18mm MR MDF or veneered board, not 15mm chipboard
- Door style, material and finish, and whether spray or hand painted
- Ironmongery brand and whether soft-close is included
- Exactly what is inside: number of drawers, shelves, rails, lights
- Whether scribing to walls, ceilings and floors is included
- Whether decoration and making good are included
- Lead time, fitting days, and who removes the old furniture
- Payment schedule and workmanship guarantee
Deposits and payment
Bespoke joinery normally involves a deposit, because materials are bought for your job specifically and cannot be resold. Somewhere between 25 and 50 per cent is common for a workshop-made commission, with the balance on completion.
Get the specification in writing before paying anything, and keep any changes in writing too. Variations are the most common source of disputes in joinery, and they are almost always resolved instantly if there is an email trail.
Common questions
- How much do bespoke fitted wardrobes cost?
- In the south of England, a single wall of around 2.5m typically costs £2,500 to £5,000 supplied and fitted, depending on drawers, internal fittings and finish.
- Why is bespoke joinery so much more than flat-pack?
- Materials are only around a third of the price. The rest is design, survey, workshop time and fitting to walls, floors and ceilings that are never square.
- What deposit is normal for bespoke joinery?
- Usually 25 to 50 per cent, because materials are bought specifically for your job. Always get the full specification in writing first.
- Where can I save money on a joinery job?
- Keep door styles simple and consistent, reduce the number of drawers, and consider painting on site rather than paying for a workshop spray finish.
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