How fitter supply/fit custom wardrobe for cost of materials

[rupert]

I have seen a wardrobe fitter who has carried out a fitted wardrobe installation for a friend which has been finished to a high standard.

The price he paid for full height (2400), 8 cupboards, spanning 3.3M was £1450.

The construction method used was pretty simple. Make boxes, stand them up, screw together, install shelves, install wood effect vinyl wrapper cupboard doors. Simple and look brilliant.

I am very capable of doing something like this, so thought about sourcing materials and doing the job myself. However after costing the same job done for my friend, the price for materials only comes to the same price this fitter charged for supply and fit!

How is it possible for him to offer such a price? The materials look of good quality. 18mm MFC and the price is the same whether you go for a white carcass, walnut, oak etc.

I got a quote from a few CNC places and the carcass/shelves material costs was coming in at around £900.

Add to that cost of basic vinyl wrapped wood effect doors at around £80 a door at £640, the price comes to the same as charged by the fitter?!

Are the CNC company charging too much for the cutting? I guess if I buy the MFC sheets whole and cut the pieces myself I will be able to bring the cost down considerably, but I just shocked how this fitter can be making any profit at that price.

Cheap Chinese MFC in bulk? Or just economies of scale from the fitter? Any ideas?

 

[nathandavies]

cutting himself, and not charging much.
perhaps he is getting as much work as he can by charging little, to build a reputation.

 

[RogerBoyle]

who did you price the materials with ???
Why are you pricing it with CNC companies :?:

Its quite possible that the materials he used may have been old stock , or he dropped onto some from another job etc. or he got a good trade discount
Used a track saw and cut them to size himself

If you really want to know you could always ask him (the fitter)

 

[Roughcut]

I recently heard of someone who was quoted £2995 for a similar size fitted wardrobe to be supplied and fitted.
Although they thought the price was too high for them to accept.

 

[RobinBHM]

The carcase material wont have cost much, about 4 sheets needed at approx £50.00 each.

£1450 just sound a good price, installed. Thats a bit less than £400 per double Robe which is probably about what it would cost from Howdens etc (and add on delivery, installation and the hassle of waiting for missing parts.....)

Robin

 

[Otto]

That is cheap, must have made his money by making the carcases. Here in Ireland, a flat pack double wardrobe carcase would cost around €290. Two sheets of 18mm melamine chip, set of feet, bit of rail, some screws and a wall board would set you back €90 - so for each carcase he'd make €200.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Just out of interest, what are you (pro's) hoping to pay yourselves as an average day rate once you've netted off the material costs. In other words whats the current approx. market rate for a man day of joiner?

 

[nathandavies]

depends on a huge amount of things bob, overheads, machines etc etc I've heard a good wage for a joiner is 30k

 

[kernowjoiner24]

What, 30k a day ??? :lol:

As said, there's no real set price I work to personally, depends whether or not ive made any money on the materials, and how much the jobs made me sweat !

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

when I built my house in 2007 we were paying chippys around £120- £150/day

 

[nathandavies]

in wood trades I think the nicer the work the less well paid, (I wait to be corrected)
I used to be a shuttering carpenter up to my knees in mud and concrete and at the time money was a lot better than joiners. but they were in nice cosy workshops.
unless of course you are the best of the best, then pick a figure. (though I still don't think you'll be a millionaire)

 

[Otto]

Some 'craftsmen' over here charge a different rate depending on whether a client has electric gates or not. I know clients who have parked their X5's down the road prior to the builder coming too.

 

[petermillard]

Just out of interest, what are you (pro's) hoping to pay yourselves as an average day rate once you've netted off the material costs. In other words whats the current approx. market rate for a man day of joiner?

I wouldn't presume to call myself a joiner, but I base all my costings on a day rate of £325 per day (gross) and I expect to do a bit better than that on fitted furniture. Not really sure what was being quoted on here by the OP - is '8 cupboards over a 3.3m span' 8 singles? 4 doubles? 4 doubles with topboxes? FWIW £1450 is around what I charge for a fitted double wardrobe and top box with panel doors, designed, delivered, installed and painted, so the OP's pal got a very good deal, IMHO.

OTOH London's a big place; could be that it's just a different segment of the market.

Cheers, Pete

 

[bugbear]

in wood trades I think the nicer the work the less well paid, (I wait to be corrected)

Indeed. The free market factors in all things. This is why nurses, who love their job and becomes nurses out of vocation are paid bugger all and treated like dirt.

BugBear