Is a custom closet system worth the money?

It depends on what is wrong with your closet. A custom system is worth it when the space is awkward, the closet is used every day and the kit shelves you have tried do not fit your clothes. A basic kit is usually the better buy for a plain rectangular closet and a modest budget.

Where a custom system pays off

• Odd spaces. Sloped ceilings, knee walls, corners, and very deep or very narrow closets are hard for a standard kit to use well, and a made-to-measure layout can use every inch.
• Heavy daily use. Drawers, pull-outs and a layout planned around what you actually wear change how fast you can get dressed.
• A walk-in that is mostly wasted space. Moving from one rod and one shelf to two rods, shoe shelves and drawers can add a lot of usable storage in the same floor area.
• Selling the house. A neat, finished closet can read well in a showing, though how much it adds to price depends on your market and your buyers, and nobody can promise a return.

Where a kit or a tidy-up is enough

A reach-in closet with straight walls is the easy case. A wire or track system gives you adjustable shelves and rods, and you can install it yourself. See how to install a closet organizer system for the method and the fastening rules.

If the real problem is too much stuff, new fixtures will not fix it. Sort first, and measure what you hang and fold. A professional organizer can help with that step, and what a professional organizer costs in Virginia explains how they charge.

Questions to settle before you pay for custom

1. Would an adjustable kit hold everything you own in the same closet? If so, the extra cost buys looks, not space.
2. Is the closet one you use every day, or a guest closet that rarely opens?
3. Will you still live here in five years? Custom pieces are built for one space.
4. Do the finish and drawer hardware matter to you, or only the layout?

What to look at in a custom quote

Custom closet work is cabinetry in all but name. Virginia's regulations define finish carpentry as the installation, repair and finishing of cabinets, sash casing, door casing, wooden flooring, baseboards, countertops and other millwork.^[3] A Class C contractor licence covers a single contract or project over $1,000 but less than $30,000,^[4] so for a job of $1,000 or more ask for the business's Virginia licence number and class. A licence number in an advertisement or on a business card does not necessarily mean the licence is valid, so check it with DPOR.^[5]

The Board for Contractors advises you to solicit at least three bids and make sure all the bids are based on the same set of specifications.^[5] Its own example is a cabinet one: bids based on prefabricated cabinets in standard sizes and on custom-made cabinets are not comparable.^[5] Put a kit-based quote and a custom quote side by side only after you have written down exactly what each includes: materials, drawers, doors, installation, haul-away, patching and warranty. For prices and deposits, read how much a custom closet system costs in Virginia.

Doing it in stages

If you are unsure, split the project. Put in a kit system now, live with it for a season and see what is missing. A kit often can be moved or reused, while custom pieces cannot.

Stop and call a pro if

• The plan means cutting into walls, moving studs or changing framing.
• You want closet lighting wired in or a switch moved. Virginia requires an individual who does electrical work for the general public for compensation to hold a tradesman licence.^[1][2]
• The closet wall is damp, stained or showing mold.
• A bidder wants a large deposit up front or cannot show a Virginia licence for a job of $1,000 or more.

Related answers and getting quotes

Browse interiors answers or the interiors directory. When you are ready to compare, describe your closet and local businesses can quote it in writing.