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Are you excited about getting new wardrobes for your home designed and made, but worried whether the execution will go well or not? Well, there is no shortcut to good carpentry work and workmanship, but there are definitely ways to make the overall experience more pleasant. Here are seven steps that will not only ensure smooth execution but also help you to achieve good workmanship and finish in the carpentry work.
Finalize the design

• It is important to finalize the fitted wardrobe design, which should include the shutters as well as the position of the internal shelving. This is to ensure that there are no changes once the carpenters start the work.

It is essential to have a measured drawing with detailed dimensions of the proposed wardrobe design to ensure efficiency in the carpentry work.

• Select the veneers or laminates and finalize the outer finish of the wardrobe design before the work starts. Also, choose all the hardware, such as the door handles, hinges (for hinged doors) or the sliding fittings for sliding panel wardrobes.

Tip: Collect ideas for fitted wardrobes from images you see in magazines & sites. Choose the one you want. Show it to the carpenter, or better still, paste the image on a wall of the room in which the carpentry work is going on, for reference.

Freeze the carpentry rates and material specifications
Once the fitted wardrobe design is finalized:

• Specify the different materials: quality, brands, colour of laminates, type of veneer and so on. Also, specify the design and quality of the hardware, which includes nails, screws, hinges, handles and any other materials to be used.
• Now finalize the rates of the carpentry work. The carpenter can work in two ways: on labour contract, where all the materials are purchased by the homeowner or one could give the whole contract to the carpenter, which includes purchase of materials as well as supply of labour to execute the carpentry work.
• Make sure to agree on the mode of payment with the carpenter. One can go for a weekly payment or stage-wise payment, depending on the progress of work.

Note: It is important to confirm acceptance of the quote and material specifications in writing, to avoid any kind of discrepancy when the work is in progress or during closure of the project.

Ask for the time schedule and BOQ (bill of quantities)

• Ask the carpenter for a stage- wise time schedule for the fitted wardrobe carpentry work so that both the carpenter as well as the homeowner can easily monitor the progress of work.
• If the carpenter is working on labour contract, he should prepare the BOQ of all the materials that will have to be purchased for the site. It is advisable to order the fitted wardrobe accessories and materials in (at least) two stages in order to avoid wastage. If the project is small, the materials can be ordered at one go.

Inspect the materials

It is important to check all the materials that enter the site; they should be as per the specifications mentioned. Check the brand and quality of the materials, the thickness of boards, solid plywood, laminate, veneers and so on.

Monitor the progress of work

Be alert and monitor the progress of work on a regular basis to check whether the carpentry work is as per the time schedule specified by the carpenter.

Check the finish

Here is how you can check the finish of a fitted wardrobe:

• Once the basic structure of the wardrobe is fixed at site, cross check the dimensions of the wardrobe and the position of the internal shelves with the measured drawing of the wardrobe design.
• All the fitted wardrobe doors with hinges should be at the same level and not one higher than the other.

Measure and make final payment

• If there are any defects, bring them to the carpenter’s notice so that they can be rectified before you make the final payment.
• Once the wardrobe is finished with laminate or veneer, make sure that there are no air bubbles or waves created while applying the laminate, veneer or spray paint.
• There should be no extra holes in the shutters of the wardrobes that were formed due to wrong drilling by the carpenter – they should be immediately rectified.

Additionally, there should be no projecting nails or sharp edges on the wardrobe, or rusted hinges.

• The final finishing should be done with polish or inner laminate and all the handles should be fixed.
• Once the wardrobe design is complete, check that the hinged doors of the wardrobe open smoothly or the sliding shutters move smoothly.