Carpenters in Crawley, West Sussex
Fitted wardrobes in Crawley: a place for everything at last
Wardrobes, alcove shelves and cupboards made to fit your room wall to wall and floor to ceiling. Give rough sizes in the form and a local carpenter will call you back.
- Built to your room, including slopes, alcoves and the stair box
- Hinged or sliding doors, with rails, shelves and drawers inside
- Alcove shelving, under-stairs cupboards and home office nooks
- Free to ask, with typical UK prices on this page
Too much stuff, too little room
Freestanding wardrobes waste space. There is a gap above that gathers dust, a gap at each side that gathers nothing useful, and a back panel that stands clear of the wall. In a small bedroom that lost space is the difference between tidy and cluttered.
So clothes end up on a chair. Suitcases live on top of the wardrobe. The hoover has no home. You tidy up, and a week later it looks the same.
Built-in storage changes the sum. It runs wall to wall and floor to ceiling, so the room you already own holds far more.
Three steps to a price
Say what needs doing
Put your name, number and area in the form, then describe the job in your own words. Rough sizes help, such as how many doors or how wide the alcove is.
Take a call from a local carpenter
A carpenter who works in your part of Crawley rings you at the time you picked. They ask a few questions and, for most jobs, arrange to come and measure up.
Decide in your own time
You get a price for the work. Ask for it in writing, compare it if you like, and only go ahead if you are happy. There is no charge for asking.
Where fitted storage earns its keep
- The main bedroom. A full wall of wardrobes with hanging at two heights, shelves and drawers.
- The small bedroom. Many houses have a boxed-in section over the stairs. A carpenter can build a cupboard or a raised bed with storage round it.
- Loft rooms. Sloping ceilings rule out shop-bought furniture. Low cupboards built into the eaves use space that is otherwise lost.
- Alcoves. Shelves and a base cupboard either side of a chimney breast, cut to walls that are never quite straight.
- Under the stairs. Pull-out drawers or a cupboard for coats, shoes and the hoover.
- A work corner. A fitted desk and shelves in a spot too small for an office.
What fitted storage typically costs
Tap a job to see the usual UK price range. Each figure is taken from the published guide named with it.
These are typical UK guide prices from the published guides named, not a quote. What you pay depends on your home: the sizes, the timber and fittings you choose, and what the carpenter finds once work begins.
Every guide price in one table
| Job | UK guide price |
|---|---|
| Fitted wardrobeA fitted wardrobe, supplied and installed. The guide's average is about £2,600. Sliding doors, drawers, lighting and made-to-measure work all add to the price. | £1,500 to £7,000typical about £2,600 |
| Alcove shelvesBuilding eight MDF shelves in an alcove about 2 metres wide, left unpainted. Which? last checked these costs in 2018 and they leave out VAT, so allow for more now. | £225 to £480 |
These are typical UK guide prices from the published guides named, not a quote. What you pay depends on your home: the sizes, the timber and fittings you choose, and what the carpenter finds once work begins.
The published guides behind these figures
How a fitted wardrobe is made
The carpenter starts by measuring the wall in several places. Floors slope and walls lean, even in a newer house, so the wardrobe is built square and then the edges are shaped to meet the wall. Carpenters call this scribing. It is what gives a fitted wardrobe its seamless look.
Most are built from MDF or a wood-faced board. MDF takes paint very well and does not warp, so it suits a painted finish. Wood-faced boards suit an oak or walnut look. Solid timber is used where strength matters, such as the frame.
You choose the inside to suit what you own. Long hanging for dresses and coats, short hanging in two tiers for shirts, shelves for jumpers, drawers for small things. Tell the carpenter roughly how your clothes divide up and the layout follows from that.
Doors can be hinged or sliding. Hinged doors let you see the whole wardrobe at once. Sliding doors need no space to swing, which helps where the bed is close.
Storage for Crawley's house types
Houses built in Crawley's new town years were planned with modest bedrooms and very little built-in storage. People owned fewer things then. Today the same third bedroom has to take a child's clothes, toys and a desk.
A carpenter who knows these houses will have met your room layout before. Terraces and semis of the same age often share a floor plan along a whole road, so the tricks that worked at one address work at the next.
If you have had the loft converted, or plan to, ask about eaves cupboards at the same visit. And if you only need shelves, say so. A set of alcove shelves is a far smaller job than a wardrobe and is priced to match.
Carpentry services in Crawley
- Door hanging and repairsInternal and front doors hung, eased, repaired and re-framed.
- Kitchen fittingUnits, worktops, doors and trims fitted level and true.
- Staircases and banistersNew balustrades, handrails, spindles, treads and whole flights.
- Decking and garden carpentryTimber and composite decks, steps, fence panels and gates.
- Skirting and architraveSkirting, architrave, window boards and second fix work.
- Flooring and loft boardingLaminate and wood floors laid, floorboards fixed, lofts boarded.
- Carpentry repairs and small jobsFrames, floorboards, loose rails, boxing in and other small jobs.
Where in and around Crawley
Carpentry help for every part of Crawley and these places close by.
- Town centre, Northgate, West Green and Southgate
- Three Bridges
- Pound Hill and Worth
- Maidenbower
- Furnace Green and Tilgate
- Broadfield and Bewbush
- Gossops Green and Ifield
- Langley Green and Forge Wood
- Horley
- Copthorne and Crawley Down
- Pease Pottage and Handcross
- Charlwood and Rusper
- Horsham
- East Grinstead
Good to know first
- No charge and no strings. Sending the form is free. Nobody can make you accept a price, and you can say no at any point.
- Four boxes to fill in. Name, phone number, area and the job. You are not asked for an email or the number of your house.
- Every price shows its source. The figures on this site are typical UK guide prices taken from published cost guides, each one named and linked. They give you a feel for the job. They do not replace a quote for your own home.
- Your details stay with the job. They are used to get your carpentry sorted and for nothing else. They are never sold on.
Common questions
Are fitted wardrobes worth the money?
If you plan to stay put, they usually are. You gain storage a shop-bought wardrobe cannot give, and the room looks calmer. The thing to weigh up is that they stay with the house when you move, so they suit a home you intend to keep for some time.
How long does a fitted wardrobe take to build?
The MyJobQuote guide gives one to two days for a plain two-door wardrobe and up to a week or more for a large one with six doors. Part of the work may be done in a workshop first. Painting, if it is done on site, adds drying time.
Will the carpenter paint it as well?
Some do and some leave it primed for you or a decorator to finish. Ask when you get the quote, and check that the price says which it is.
Make the room you have work harder
Moving to a bigger house means stamp duty, agent fees and legal bills on top of the price. Fitted storage costs far less and can give a cramped home years more useful life. Every month you put it off is another month of living round the clutter.
Give the rough width and height of the space, and your part of Crawley. Asking is free.