I am planning to build a wardrobe and I'm considering between IKEA and carpentry work.

Below are the ideas I gathered from IKEA,

Would it be cheaper to buy it off from IKEA with paid assembly service or to have a carpenter build one for me?

Hinge door wardrobe $950

235cm (H) x 150cm (L)

Sliding door wardrobe $1200

235cm (H) x 200cm (L)

Quality wise??

Quality wise??

Go for custom make. Anytime, better than off the shelf purchase in terms of quality.

Go for custom make. Anytime, better than off the shelf purchase in terms of quality.

Would it be more expensive compared to IKEA price?

Go for custom make. Anytime, better than off the shelf purchase in terms of quality.

i beg to differ bro...

i custom build cos i want my space to be maximised..

quality wise, it depends on where you buy it from..and of course how good is the workmanship of the carpenter who custom-built the furniture.

the shelf in my wardrobe in my parent's home broke after 1 day..and nothing was placed on it!

this is whats its supposed to be..

mine was like this after 1 day...

the plug was supporting nothing but the weight of the shelf itself only!

Would it be more expensive compared to IKEA price?

it depends on a lot of factors.

but generally custom making will cost more because it is made to measure. think tailoring compared to buying a shirt off the shelves from Isetan.

of course, if you get some scandinavian pinewood wardrobe, then it might cost more than custom making a similar sized with solid plywood with laminate...

Thanks all for the reply.

I see the prices quoted for custom-made wardrobe are generally from the range of $198 - $220 per feet.

For the calculation, per feet here means psf, i.e. 7.74 ft (height - 236cm) * 6.56 ft (length - 150cm)?

Does the per feet cost include sliding door/hinge door, shelvings and poles, or is it priced separately?

Sorry for the question as I am new to custom-made furniture. (:

Thanks all for the reply.

I see the prices quoted for custom-made wardrobe are generally from the range of $198 - $220 per feet.

For the calculation, per feet here means psf, i.e. 7.74 ft (height - 236cm) * 6.56 ft (length - 150cm)?

Does the per feet cost include sliding door/hinge door, shelvings and poles, or is it priced separately?

Sorry for the question as I am new to custom-made furniture. (:

do clarify if its casement or sliding door...

glass or wood...laminate or not...

you are doing pole system wardrobe i guess?

if you are..then it will depend on the package you are taking. i recently purchased my pole system wardrobe too, and i noticed there are 2 kinds.

1 which is ala carte, ie you pay for what you choose, and the package kind..so it depends really.

One advantage of buying such wardrobes from Ikea is there's 10yrs warranty for their BESTA wardrobes. Custom made don't have.

Also, ikea can swipe credit card and earn rewards and points, rebates or even do installment free <5yrs payment plan. Custom made furniture doesn't have all of the above.

Ikea! anytime.

My ikea wardrope is still going very strong after ten years. And the beauty is I can still rearrange the internal with new accessories from ikea until today as the size of the frame they are selling remain the same till today.I can even change the door and have a whole new refreshing looks. So what if its made of chipboard, what matters is that its still sturdy and reliable if its assemble properly from day one.

Thanks all for the reply.

I see the prices quoted for custom-made wardrobe are generally from the range of $198 - $220 per feet.

For the calculation, per feet here means psf, i.e. 7.74 ft (height - 236cm) * 6.56 ft (length - 150cm)?

Does the per feet cost include sliding door/hinge door, shelvings and poles, or is it priced separately?

Sorry for the question as I am new to custom-made furniture. (:

Normally custom-made wardrobe will bulit to the full height (built-in wardrobe).

$198~$220 per ft is just a price guide line.

It like wat previous forumer mention, ala carte style.

U mention wat u want in mind to ur carpenter, then they come out quotation. Then discuss for price by minus here n there or if the carpenter fine ok with the price. Then all good.

Some pple say Ikea stuff quality not good, can't last. But i think no company will have the right mind of offering a 10yr guarantee on wardrobe systems, 25yrs guarantee on kitchen if they are using crap materials/workmanship. I've a 5yrs old wardrobe, still looks as good as new.

Making me think hard now whether to do Ikea or not...

I'm one of the many ppl whom is not a big fan of Ikea's wooden products too. (seen too many examples)

But I know Ikea does carry some furniture series which is NOT made of chipboard wood. I guess you probably can bank more trust on those.

Edited July 22, 201115 yr by stardust205

I personally have custom made wardrobes as well as Ikea wardrobes and cabinets.

The custom made ones have lasted 10yrs and still going strong while for ikea stuffs, some are still going strong while some have collapsed.

I think that its what you wanted that matters.

- Durability: Custom made ones depends on luck (workmanship varies from contractors to contractors) while Ikea ones, some are very good (Besta, Detolf) while some series are not durable at all.. well at least you can have a feel urself at Ikea before buying

- Cost: Custom made ones are generally more ex and for cheaper ones, you'll be worried abt materials used and workmanship..

- Form fitting: Custom made ones have an advantage because you don't have to worry abt gaps at the ceiling, side walls that might collect dust and requires cleaning.

- Flexibility: If you prefer to change furnitures every few years due to different needs or like to change to a different style, you can easy move the ikea furnitures abt.. for custom made ones, probably not so much..

Just my 2 cents worth.. cheers

With Ikea, you really gotta see what kind of wood they're using. The cheaper ones are usually particleboard, meaning it's compressed wood chips within the laminate, so if the laminate is compromised, it would start falling apart. If you're moving house, movers are usually very reluctant to move it because they are afraid of it falling apart.