Building a built in wardrobe
A built in wardrobe is a fitted wardrobe built into the space of your room, and you build one at home by following 8 steps: measure the bay, plan the layout, build the frame, fit the doors, install the hardware, add the finish, check the square, and sign off the fit. A standard built in wardrobe is 200 to 220 cm (79 to 87 in) tall, 100 to 120 cm (39 to 47 in) wide, and 60 to 65 cm (24 to 26 in) deep, and a single cabinet takes 3 to 5 full working days from the first cut to the final door. Building your closet system starts here, at the carcass, because every rail, shelf and hanger that follows sits inside the frame you raise first, and the frame carries the whole system. The difference from a free standing unit is that a built in wardrobe is fixed to the wall and fills the bay from floor to ceiling, so it must be squared, level and plumb to the room before anything is fixed for good. The same principles that let you define your style type in clothing transfer to the build: you start from the shape of the space and the function it must serve, and you make every component serve that one brief. Wardrobe and closet compared, the fitted unit wins on capacity because it uses the vertical space a free standing unit leaves empty, and the build below keeps that advantage from the first cut.
Measure the bay, then plan the layout around what you actually store, and you will build a fitted wardrobe from scratch that fits the room and the load.
Measure and mark the bay
To measure a bay you take the width, height and depth at the top, middle and bottom, then mark the floor line for the base rail. A built in wardrobe follows the wall, so a wall that is out of plumb by even 2 cm (about 3/4 in) shifts the whole case if you copy the error. Measure each corner, write the worst case on your layout sheet, and cut the frame to the smallest width so the unit still sits flat. Check that the floor is level across the base line, and if it drops more than 5 mm (1/4 in), you will shim the base rather than build on the slope. Mark the centre of the bay and the door edge lines, and keep the door face clear of the wall by 3 mm so the doors open freely. This stage takes about half a day and protects the 3 to 5 days of building that follow.
Plan the layout
To plan the layout you match the zones to the person who will use the built in wardrobe. Plan a hanging rail 100 to 110 cm (39 to 43 in) above the base for full length garments, a second rail 60 to 65 cm (24 to 26 in) above the base for trousers and shirts, and a 30 to 45 cm (12 to 18 in) deep shelf band above both rails. Add a 25 to 30 cm (10 to 12 in) deep drawer stack at the base for underwear and knitwear, and a 2 to 3 cm (13/16 to 5/8 in) gap at the top of the cabinet for a box shelf. A small bay calls for building a small wardrobe, which keeps the two rails and one shelf band and drops the drawer stack to save the width. Sketch the zones on graph paper before you cut, because moving a rail after the carcass is up costs an afternoon that a pencil line costs nothing.
Build the frame
To build the frame you cut the carcase panels, join them, and set the case square on the marked floor line. Cut the two side panels to the bay height, the two end panels to the depth, the back panel to the width and height, and the base and top panels to the width and depth, and leave the back panel 1 mm shorter all round so it sits proud and easy to fit. Join the side, end, base and top panels with corner joints and 6 mm (1/4 in) dowels or screws, and clamp the case flat while the glue cures. Check the case is square by measuring both diagonals, and adjust until the two readings match within 1 mm. Screw the back panel in place, and add a 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20 in) horizontal brace across the back at mid height to stop the case racking. This frame is what makes the unit a built in wardrobe rather than a free standing closet, and it must be square before any rail or shelf goes in.
Fix it into the room
To fix the frame you anchor the built in wardrobe to the wall so it carries the load of a full rail. Locate the studs with a detector and mark them, then screw the case to the wall through the back panel at 2 to 3 stud centres on each side and at least one near the top. Use a spirit level to take the case to plumb in both directions, and pack the base with 3 to 6 mm (1/8 to 1/4 in) shims until the top edge is level front to back. Fix the base to the floor with screws or a base plinth, and seal the gap between the case and the wall with a flexible filler so air and dust stay out. This step takes an hour and is the difference between a unit that stands alone and one that is truly built in.
Fit the internal hardware
To fit the internal hardware you hang the rails and shelves into the squared frame. Screw the rails to the back panel at the heights you planned, using a rail height of 100 to 110 cm (39 to 43 in) for the top rail and 60 to 65 cm (24 to 26 in) for the lower rail. Fit the shelf supports at 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 in) centres, set the shelves in place, and add the drawer units to the base. Load each rail with a test weight equal to the clothing it will hold, and check the case does not rack, because a rail that sags means the frame was not square or braced. Fit a 5 mm (3/16 in) back panel if you left the back open, and add a dust strip 30 to 40 mm (1 1/4 to 1 5/8 in) tall along the inside top to keep the stored clothes clean.
Fit the doors and finish
To fit the doors you hang them on the squared case and apply the finish that makes the built in wardrobe read as part of the room. Fit the hinges 30 to 40 mm (1 1/4 to 1 5/8 in) from the top and bottom edges, close the doors, and mark the strike positions on the case. Cut the strike recesses, set the strikes, and adjust each hinge so the doors close flush with a 2 to 3 mm gap at the top, bottom and between the doors. Apply the finish in 2 to 3 coats, sanding lightly between coats, and fit the handles last so they do not catch the lacquer. A flat lacquered front in 1 of the 4 common finish families, white, oak, walnut or grey, is the fastest route to a clean result, and the doors are the only part a visitor sees, so the finish is where the built in wardrobe earns its keep.
Time and cost of the build
To time the build you add the stages together and price the materials against the finish you choose. The stages run about half a day for measuring and planning, 1 to 2 days for the frame and fixing, 1 day for the internal hardware, and 1 day for the doors and finish, which puts a first build at 3 to 5 full days and a repeat build at 2 to 3 days. The material cost for a 100 cm (39 in) wide unit is 200 to 400 pounds for the carcase, doors and hardware in a mid grade finish, and the cost rises to 500 to 900 pounds when you specify soft close hinges, a soft close drawer runner, and a lacquered or veneered front. A 60 cm (24 in) wide unit cuts the material by about a third, and the labour time by about the same, because the frame and the doors scale with the width. The numbers stay the same whether you call the unit a wardrobe or a closet, and the build is finished when the last hinge is set, the doors are flush, and the bay is squared.