The Top Questions Our Customers Ask
Whether you’ve been considering a custom closet for years or you’ve just started doing some research, you’re bound to have some questions about how the process works in order to achieve your goals and get the best possible solution for your needs. We asked our experienced Designers the questions they are asked most frequently and have shared the answers to them below. After having built and installed custom closets for over 30 years, we have gained valuable insights and hope to pass that knowledge along to you so you can feel more comfortable moving forward with your project.
Here are the top questions customers ask about custom closets.
1. How much will my custom closet cost?
Custom closet designs, like many other things in life, range in price depending on exactly what you want. Just as you can buy a used car for $2,500 or a new car for $65,000, what you spend on a custom closet depends on your needs.
The size of the closet, the finish/color of the material, the number of drawers and rollouts, and the convenient accessories you add to your closet all affect the price. Importantly, The Closet Works’ custom closets include a low-price guarantee, so you can be sure that what you are paying for your custom design is the lowest you’ll find on an apples-to-apples comparison.
2. What can I expect when working with The Closet Works?
One thing is for sure: you can expect an exceptional customer experience throughout the entire process while working with our team.
It all begins with a free consultation. A Closet Works Designer will visit your home to see and measure the space. They will also identify and review the items you plan to store in your closet system and discuss your goals and storage challenges. Most of our Designers have well over a decade of experience in the industry, and they’ve heard (and seen) it all. They’ll make recommendations for storage solutions that will suit your needs and your budget.
After the initial consultation, your Designer will work with you to create your custom design. When all the details are finalized, they will send you a proposal. Once you place your order, our engineering team will get the ball rolling and our craftsmen will begin creating all of the components for your project. Finally, we’ll carefully install your custom job—often in just one day. For more details, read about our process.
3. What’s the best way to organize my stuff?
This is sort of a trick question because the best way to organize is different for each person. Everyone has different goals and needs. Obviously, the point of a custom closet is to be a functional place where you can store and organize all of your clothes, shoes and accessories (and whatever else has a home in your closet). And while that’s enough for some of our clients, others have large spaces to work with and want aesthetics to drive the design.
Regardless of whether you’ve got a small reach-in closet, large walk-in closet, or wardrobe closet, our Designers take the time to understand your challenges and will optimize the space so it becomes an efficient and effective solution that fits your specific needs. We’ll design shelves for sweaters that are just the right size and for shoes that are the right width for a few pairs—not an odd number. And if you don’t have a conventionally constructed closet (or not enough of them), a custom wardrobe closet might just be the perfect solution and can have just as much storage space.
4. What should I do to prepare for installation?
If you often scan your closet in the morning and pass over that out-of-style dress or your once-favorite shirt that now, sadly, has a stain on it, now is the time to review your wardrobe and let go of those clothes you’ll never wear. You’ll feel better if you do. If you are still finding it difficult, here are some tips on how to let sentimental items go, guilt-free.
Before the installation crew arrives at your home, you’ll need to clear your closet space of all its contents. If we will be removing existing hanging rods, wire shelves or racks, we will also patch the holes and even touch-up with the paint that you provide before we begin installing your new system. Or, if you want a really clean and new look, we suggest you have your painter come in before us, remove the existing system and patch then paint the entire closet.
Next, if you’ve got knick-knacks or pictures on adjoining walls, it’s best to remove them so that everything stays intact during installation.
Finally, don’t make changes to the closet before we arrive unless you’ve discussed it with us. If there are existing baseboards, don’t remove them. If there aren’t currently baseboards, don’t add them. If you’d planned to have new carpeting or other flooring replaced in your closet, that will need to be done before we install your custom closet system. Average installation time (depending on the project) is typically 4 to 5 hours so please plan accordingly.
5. What’s the warranty?
Our lifetime limited warranty is simple: if we install your custom closet and something breaks, we’ll fix it. Whether it’s three years later (not likely) or fifteen years later, if a feature or part of your closet breaks, and you haven’t moved or modified the original installation, we’ll fix it as quickly as possible.
6. What is the typical turn around time?
The timeline for the entire process varies and depends on a lot of factors including product selection, design approval and deposit. You can download more specific information about the custom closet process here. Typically, free consultations are booked 1 week out. Installation is generally scheduled for 4 to 6 weeks ahead.
7. What type of material do we use?
The Closet Works utilizes the best material available. All of the boards are 3/4″ furniture grade melamine laminated particle board. We utilize 2mm thick edgebanding whenever available which is guaranteed never to chip or peel. When 2mm is not available, we use 1mm banding, which is thicker and more durable than the standard 0.018″.
All of our drawer boxes are constructed of 1/2″ birch plywood and utilize dovetail joinery for the best possible strength and durability. Our standard drawer slides are steel, full-extension, ball bearing and have a 100 pound rating minimum. Many of our doors are made in-house and we offer over 25 different glass insert options, a wide selection often not available anywhere else. All of our hardware is the finest quality 32mm system joinery, and our wide array of decorative hardware and accessories come from the most respected manufacturers in the industry. If you would like to learn more, please visit our product specifications page.
We also take any environmental concerns into consideration and manufacture eco-friendly materials.
We hope this answers a few of your burning custom closet questions. If you’ve got more or do not see your specific question listed, you can always reach out to us or check out more of our frequently asked questions.
