fitted wardrobes

[mailee]

I have a set of fitted wardrobes to price and have a problem if anyone can help. They are to be fitted each side of a chimmney breast and the house is an old cottage with stone walls. Should I apply a lining at the rear or could I just board up to the walls. The reason I am asking is that space is tight and the more room I can gain inside the robes the better. Many thanks.

[jfc]

If you are making them on site then there is no reason why you cant scribe the sides into the back wall .

[engineerone]

personal suggestion, think about using wardrobes yourself.

if they are fitted, and there is a gap that appears between the back and the wall, then you can lose things down there.

so i would suggest a back panel, but as jason says you could scribe the sides into the rear wall, and then inset the back.

remember for a wardrobe, if you are placing the clothes along the width of the alcove. ie from left to right as it were, then you only need 500 mm back to front. however you might consider pull out rails in which case the robes could be narrower back to front.

other thing to think about is to get some idea about the number of long items your client have, ie outdoor raincoats, and ladies long dresses. otherwise, you can make the rails at two heights for most of the robe, to get more space. you could also make a pull out trouser rails system.

paul

[mrgrimsdale]

There's a tip about scribing in Sgian Dubh's "Rods" article in the rods thread: i.e. you scribe closing pieces to the wall and fit the cupboard sides to these, without scribing them too.
One prob with old buildings and closed cupboards on external or ground level walls, is damp, due to lack of ventilation. One good reason for having a back, with a ventilated gap between it and the wall.

cheers
Jacob

[Keith]

If it is an outside wall then it can be cold in winter and cause condensation to form inside the wardrobe. This will make the clothes go mouldy ; having had a nasty experience many years ago now I always fit a back.

Jacob beat me to it ;D

[tusses]

yep - you both beat me to it too !

as soon as I read old stone walls

definately need ventilation, also consider a vapour barier against the outsides of the wardrobe, with plenty of air flow between the wardobe and walls.

[engineerone]

it is also important to put in a plinth with proper air holes in it. not only will this ensure the base is level, it also reduces the likelihood of the bottom going mouldy.

might also be worth sticking reflective paper behind the back to cut down heat transfer losses too

paul

[tusses]

I wonder if you could 'tank' the walls and board over the top ?

[jfc]

Ive never had a problem with not putting a back on if i'm tight for space . Most of the wardrobes i do go up stairs and if there is a moldy old wall i sort that problem first . I aim for 600mm internal space inside my wardrobes that way a suit jacket can go in without squashing the shoulders in .
I do put a solid back on most of my work but if it is tight for space then it's tight for space .

[engineerone]

measuring the hangers i nicked from saville row

you could go down to 550 and still give yourself decent room for the jackets. that would give you about 570 outside.

paul

[big-all]

my general comments on building built in wardrobes

if the skirtings are level you can batton there out and use as the base off the unit and build your framework to secure to the wall above
you can then have a plinth underneath as 1 or 2 hidden drawers dependant on span and the need for a central support/wall ect

usualy neater easier to finnish the face off the wardrobes an inch or so back or forward from the face of the chiminie breast as thet are seldom vertical

you will need around 20" internal for your [there ]dresses and coats to sit in comfortably although 22 or 24" would help to stop contents poping the doors open when overloaded ;D ;D

dont forget the clearence required in small rooms its often better to have 3 narrower doors than 2 big doors that restrict the the position the bed can go in !!!
a door thats 24" wide may not fully open before hitting the bed will also make the wardrobe a dark hole if it restricts the light

make shure you measure the size off the bed including height incase you decide to have drawers at the bottom with the doors clearing the bed to open

as said above allow an area for the longer dresses
if you can keep the base to hanging rail the same then you can have ajustable shelves in the other areas where you dont need the full length you can use this space for shoes storage sock drawers whatever takes your fancy

as an aside when i fit a sock drawer in a wardrobe i make it half depth and have a secret drawer behind for valuables you need to choose a small drawer so it looks propotional and not stubby when you pull it out

[mailee]

Many thanks guys. It is all taken on board. I think I shall go for a back in the unit even if it is tight, better to be safe. It will have a plinth the same as the skirting around it so no problem there and it will also have a couple of drawers below it. I know for a fact that nothing is straight and level so will be scribing into Chimney breast, rear wall ETC. Will check what space I have to play with first and go from there. Big-all I do like that idea about the valuables drawer, very neat.