Custom Built-In's & Pre-Fabricated Cabinetry
Furniture sits in a room. Built-ins become the room. Done right, they look like the house came that way.
Custom or pre-fabricated: the real trade-off
We build both, and which one is right for you is a straight practical question rather than a matter of taste.
Pre-fabricated cabinetry, finished on site
Standard cabinet boxes set in place, then trimmed, scribed, panelled and painted so the run reads as one piece. Costs less, arrives faster, and in a room with reasonably normal walls and a standard ceiling the finished result is very hard to tell apart. This is the right choice for most media walls, offices and laundry rooms.
Fully custom
Built to the exact opening. This is what you need when the ceiling is not a standard height, the wall is visibly out of square, the depth has to be non-standard to clear a window or a walkway, or the design has curves, arches or angles in it. It costs more because every piece is made once.
Where built-ins earn their money
- Media and TV walls. The single most requested. Storage below, shelving flanking, and the television integrated rather than hung on top of everything.
- Floor to ceiling shelving. Around a fireplace, down a hallway, or wrapping a study.
- Mudroom lockers and benches. The highest-use built-in in a family house. Hooks, a bench, a place for shoes underneath, and cubbies above.
- Home offices. A desk wall with real filing storage and cable management, which matters more now than it did five years ago.
- Window seats and reading nooks. Storage inside, a cushion on top, and a bay window that finally does something.
- Laundry and pantry. Counter over the machines, drying rod, tall storage.
- Under-stair storage and decorative millwork. The awkward spaces that furniture cannot solve.
The details that decide whether it looks built in
- Depth is a design decision, not a default. A media wall needs roughly sixteen to eighteen inches to hold components and let them breathe, plus a chase for cables. Bookshelves only need eleven or twelve, and building them deeper makes the room feel smaller for no benefit.
- Shelf span. Three quarter inch shelving sags over a long span under books. We keep spans short or add a centre support rather than letting you discover the problem in a year.
- Scribing to the wall. Walls bow and corners are rarely ninety degrees. The filler strips and scribes are what close that gap invisibly. A cabinet pushed against a wall with a visible wedge of shadow behind it is the giveaway.
- Continuity with the house. The baseboard, crown and casing profiles on the built-in should match what is already in the room. That single choice is most of what makes it read as original.
- Paint grade or stain grade. Paint grade uses MDF and poplar and gives a flawless painted finish. Stain grade uses hardwood with matched grain and costs more, because the material has to look good undressed.
- Electrical and ventilation. Outlets inside the cabinet, a low-voltage chase, and airflow for anything that generates heat. All easier before the unit is built than after.
What drives the price
Built-ins are priced per project rather than off a list, because a nine foot media wall and a mudroom bench share almost nothing. These are the levers.
- Linear feet and height. The two biggest numbers. Running to a ten foot ceiling costs more than stopping at eight, and not proportionally.
- Doors and drawers. Open shelving is the cheapest thing you can build. Every door adds hardware and fitting. Every drawer adds a box, slides and a front that has to line up with its neighbours.
- Custom versus pre-fabricated carcasses. The choice described above, and usually the largest single swing.
- Material and finish. Paint grade against stain grade, and how many coats and colours are involved.
- Hardware. Soft-close everything, lift-up doors, pull-out trays and integrated lighting all add up quietly.
- Site conditions. Removing existing cabinetry, repairing what is behind it, and any electrical that has to move.
How the work goes
- Walkthrough and measure. What you need to store, what is going on the wall, and how the room is used.
- Design and elevation drawings. You see the front view to scale, with the door and drawer layout and the finish.
- Material and finish selection.
- Build. Shop-built where that gives a better finish, site-built where fitting the space matters more.
- Install. Set, levelled, secured, scribed and trimmed.
- Fill, caulk, prime and paint.
- Hardware, shelving and walkthrough.
When freestanding furniture is the better answer
- You are renting, or selling soon. Built-ins stay with the house. A good freestanding piece goes with you.
- The room is still finding its purpose. If the office might become a nursery, do not build the office in.
- The wall is short. Under about six feet, a well-chosen cabinet or bookcase often looks better and costs a fraction.
- You want it next month for very little. Custom work has a lead time and a price, and we would rather say that plainly than take a deposit and disappoint you.
Why bring this to us
Cabinetry and trim are the parts of a remodel where the difference between competent and excellent is visible from the doorway. Dustin trained our install team on structure, precision and accuracy, and built-ins are where that shows.
You approve elevation drawings before anything is cut, one project manager runs the job, every trade in your home is background checked and insured, and the finished work carries a 365-day workmanship warranty.
Recent work
Related services
- Fireplace remodels, which almost always come with flanking built-ins
- Custom accent walls for the wall the built-ins sit against
- Kitchen remodeling for pantries, banquettes and coffee bars
- Interior painting to finish the millwork and the room together
Let's design the wall
Book a consultation and we will measure the space and draw you an elevation before you commit to anything.
Custom built-ins and cabinetry in McKinney, Plano, Frisco, Prosper, Dallas, Carrollton, Celina, Allen, Aubrey, Little Elm, The Colony, Anna, Fort Worth and the surrounding DFW metro.