Getting my bookcases CUSTOM!

Everyone who knows me knows that I won't shutup about the better value of getting something custom made. Like many of you following this blog, I've just gotten tired of buying things that need to be thrown away after a few years. I like to invest in quality and buy things only once - but FINDING something of quality seems to get more difficult with every passing year. As time passes, the quality of furniture and cabinetry just seems to get lower and lower, as big-ticket retailers put pressure on their suppliers to make things cheaper and faster. Put simply, they just don't make stuff like they used to.

For years, custom made was a synonym for "expensive." But those days are over. Today, it's a far better value to simply have someone make it for you. It will actually last, and you will be far happier with the purchase.

Here's an example of an email I sent to a CustomMade woodworker and a purchase I recently made as a result;

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Dear X,

I have somehow convinced Lisa (my girlfriend) to move in with me. She hasbeen shopping on-line non-stop and found the exact bookcases she wants for our front reading room.

She is going to order them, but I wanted to check with you first in case you wanted to build them for us instead! It seems to me that these do not look particularly difficult to build -perhaps they could be made of poplar and painted white. And it also seems to me that we could get something made for basically the same price and get FAR better quality.

What are your thoughts?

Seth

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The response I got was that they could be made for around $1,700 including delivery, using cabinet-grade plywood. No ordering, no assembly, hand-made quality. And of course, we added some "custom" features and got it made to a custom size.

It hasn't been delivered yet... that's next week. But I will post pictures when it's done and in our reading room!