In short
- Height and the number of doors matter more than the width of the run.
- Site-painted and factory-finished are genuinely different costs with genuinely different results.
- Fixing conditions — concrete, plaster, or stud — change the labour before anything is built.
- Access is a real cost on narrow houses and upper floors.
Built-in cabinetry is quoted from a drawing rather than from a rate, for the same reason kitchens are: the work is in the specifics. These are the variables that actually move the number, in the order they usually matter.
The six variables
- Height, more than width
- A run that stops at 2,100 millimetres is a different job from one that runs to a 3-metre ceiling. Full-height work needs more material, more fixing, and installation from a platform rather than the floor.
- How much of it has doors
- Open shelving is comparatively inexpensive. Every door adds a finished panel, hinges, adjustment and alignment. A unit that is half closed storage costs considerably more than the same unit fully open.
- The finish route
- Factory-finished panels give the most even surface and cost more. Site-painted work lets you match an existing wall colour exactly and hides fasteners more easily. Neither is universally better and the choice changes the whole sequence of the job.
- What is behind the wall
- Fixing into a stud partition, a masonry chimney breast and a concrete condo wall are three different problems with three different labour costs. This is established at the measurement visit, not assumed.
- Shelf spans and load
- A shelf carrying books over 800 millimetres needs thicker material, a stiffening edge, or an extra vertical divider. Designing for real load rather than photographed load is a cost, and skipping it produces a visible bow within a couple of years.
- Access to the room
- A narrow front hall, a tight stair turn or a third-floor room changes how units are made and delivered. Sometimes it means building in sections and assembling on site, which is more labour.
The two people underestimate
First, integrated lighting. Adding LED to shelves or cabinet interiors is straightforward at design stage and involves a driver that has to live somewhere accessible, a switch, and usually an electrician. It is rarely the cost people expect.
Second, the junction with existing trim. A built-in that meets a deep Victorian baseboard has to be notched around it, scribed to it, or replace it locally. All three are fine; all three are work; and the decision is easier to make at drawing stage than on installation day.
| Project | Typical scope | Planning band (CAD) |
|---|---|---|
| Single alcove unit | Base cupboard with open shelving above, painted finish | $3,500 – $7,000 |
| Matched alcove pair | Two units around a chimney breast, closed base, shelving above | $7,000 – $14,000 |
| Full-wall library | Floor to ceiling, adjustable shelving, defined base, one wall | $10,000 – $22,000 |
| Media wall | Full composition with ventilated equipment bay and cable routing | $9,000 – $25,000 |
| Under-stair storage | Graduated drawers or pull-outs, drawn from the stair geometry | $5,000 – $12,000 |
Craft Mill Works
Design and project coordination
Written and reviewed by the Craft Mill Works design team, based on the cabinetry and millwork projects we coordinate across North York and the Greater Toronto Area. [Add a named author and a short professional biography before launch — see README § Adding articles.]
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