cost of getting a bookcase built

F

Firefly

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Hi all,

We'd like to get a bookcase built in to the corner of our livingroom. It will be approx 4 feet wide. Assuming we procure the wood ourselves, what would be a reasonable cost of getting this done? There are no existing units etc to be removed and we would like the bookcase to go upto approx 7 feet.

Thanks,
Firefly.
 
I recently made a bookcase myself. Approx 7 feet wide by 8 feet high. I got some quotes at the time (three sections, multiple shelves, finished in white gloss possibly sprayed). Prices ranged from about €500 from a carpenter who quoted over the phone with a very relaxed "yeah, I can do that.." attitude, up to about €1200 from a local fitted furniture manufacturer.

In the end I built it myself out of MDF board with wood mouldings to the leading edges. All in for the materials, fittings, paint etc I would guess I spent about €350. It did take me several days but then I was taking my time as I'm not trained chippy, let alone cabinet maker. I'm very pleased with the finished product and I think only the factory made job for four times the price would have looked any better. Having said that, building it myself meant I could adjust and alter the design as I went on so now the shelves are tailor made for the books they hold.
 
I did a night class years ago on Making Your Own Built-In Furniture. We were living in an older house at the time and I made a corner unit for our front room but not as big as what you're thinking of doing, Firefly. It turned out fine but not as well as PetrolHead's.

One suggestion would be to have a chat with someone in one of the built-in furniture companies around Town. They have a list of guys who do their fitting also. I got Cash and Carry Kitchens on Tramore Road to do a wardrobe job in my daughter's bedroom and it turned out well. If you give them the wall measurements, they'll give you a few ideas.

No connection whatsoever to them or any such company.
 
Thanks lads. Fair play PetrolHead, but hanging the proverbial picture would be a tough task for me! I'll ring around and see what happens.
F.
 
Have you looked at the Ikea Billy range? (here).

You might be able to put together a unit from what they offer and assemble it yourself. They have a range of finishes and an advantage is that they also have doors for their units (solid, glass and half-and-half) which might be good for your purposes.

You can "plan" your unit with their planner, too (here).
 
dubgem said:
Have you looked at the Ikea Billy range? (here).

You might be able to put together a unit from what they offer and assemble it yourself. They have a range of finishes and an advantage is that they also have doors for their units (solid, glass and half-and-half) which might be good for your purposes.

You can "plan" your unit with their planner, too (here).
Click to expand...

I actually bought an Ikea Billy unit for our utility room (holds books and other important things like spirits!). It's fine and does the job but was looking for something a bit classier & sturdier for the livingroom and would prefer something built-in rather than free standing as the kids might pull it down!
 
Firefly said:
I actually bought an Ikea Billy unit for our utility room (holds books and other important things like spirits!). It's fine and does the job but was looking for something a bit classier & sturdier for the livingroom and would prefer something built-in rather than free standing as the kids might pull it down!
Click to expand...
An idea could be to use the Billy range or similar to build the basic structure and then add to the front some beading and fancy woodwork. I have done it before and there are load of such products to upgrade boring functional kit to something unique.
 
We have a toy storage unit from IKEA. I'm sure the Billy bookcase is the same, they recommend fixing the unit to the wall (with L brackets I think) for safety. As a mother of three children, they are dead right. Bookcases are not ladders, but the kids can be halfway up before you get to them.
 
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