Fitted wardrobes and built-in storage

The work splits into three stages. A carpenter measures the opening and scribes a frame to it, because almost no wall is plumb and almost no floor is level: the frame is what makes the doors line up afterwards. Carcasses go in next, either built on site from MDF and ply or assembled from workshop panels. Doors and interiors come last, and this is where the money goes. Hinged doors are cheaper and give full access to the interior. Sliding doors cost more and lose around 100mm of depth to the track, but they need no swing space, which is why they win in small bedrooms.

Eaves and chimney breasts are the two situations where fitted beats freestanding by the widest margin. A sloping ceiling wastes a third of a standard wardrobe's height; a fitted run follows the pitch and puts drawers where the headroom runs out. Alcoves either side of a chimney breast are rarely the same width, so a matched pair has to be made to two different sets of measurements.