Help with cost to build

[David Huston]

I have an entertainment center that I have drawn up on sketchup that I would like to build. My wife is impatient and thinks we should pay somebody to build it since I'm a hoobyist and nowhere near a professional cabinet builder. I was wondering if there is anyone here that might just give me a quick ball park on what retail would be on a project like this. I know that varies depending on location but let me know anyway. I am in north Florida if that helps at all. I have attached a PDF of the sketchup drawings with dimensions.

Thanks for your help

[David Huston]

Sorry forgot to attach the file. Duh!!

[Von Bickley]

The price will depend a lot on the type of wood that you use. I have no idea what a price would be for that entertainment center.
If you decide to do it yourself, and I would suggest that you do, just take your time and do not get in a hurry.
If your wife is in a hurry, let her get a few prices, that may help with her being impatient.

[Yonak Hawkins]

I have to agree with Von Bickley about your wife getting quotes. That way you and she will know what kind of delivery time can be expected, what kind of materials will be used and maybe some design suggestions. Then you and she can weigh the money and time considerations for the same product. Do you have the tools and are you up for this undertaking, commitment and skills-wise ? Be realistic. Are you the kind of woodworker who gets things done in a timely manner or do you let things linger ? If you decide to do it, promise your wife a time frame and then stick to it. This is not a 1-2-3 project, in my opinion.

[David Huston]

My wife is getting some quotes from those drawings. I was just wondering what guys around here thought. I would build out of birch ply and soft maple.

I think I have the tools and expertise! I don't have a planer or jointer but I have a local cabinet shop that I get lumber from and they will plane it for me. I feel like I get things done promptly but with three kids there are some interruptions. I don't feel like the construction of it will take me that long but the finishing might slow me down a little. I was thinking I would probably build the bottom section first and then the top section after the bottom was installed.

[Bruce Page]

I have no idea what a pro would charge you but if I built it the lead time would be 2.7 years and it would be pricy..

[Jamie Buxton]

$3500.
Well, that's the price if I get to pick the color of "white" paint. If we have to go through several rounds of selecting the color of paint, you pay for those too. For furniture, I use pigmented lacquer, not crappy sticky ol' latex paint, so messing with the color is not as easy as going to your local house-paint store.

[David Huston]

The bid she got came back at $3800. She said "that a little higher than i thought!" I guess now she has a monetary value to put on my "hobby"! Thanks for all the input. Will post pics when I get to this project.

[Dave Richards]

Does that mean you get to buy more tools?

[David Huston]

Dave,

I hope so!! Me and my dad just bought a Grizzly 1023SL off craigslist, so we need to get it up and running before I start this. Looking forward to the new saw, will definitely be an upgrade over the flexdrive craftsman we have now!! Thinking about getting a router extension for the new saw to help with doors and drawer fronts. Thanks again for all the sketchup help.

[Dave Richards]

Sounds like you're on the right track.

Glad I could help with a small bit of it.

[Lee Schierer]

Without going into details, I would guess, depending upon what material you decide to use, that you would have $1000-1200 in materials alone. Poplar with a painted finish would be the least costly, Cherry or Walnut, more costly.

[David Huston]

My figures were pretty close to $1,000. Not including drawer slides and hinges. Probably going to use birch ply and soft maple. Was thinking about using alder and glueing up the top but will probably stick with the ply. I don't have a jointer so a glue up that big kinda scares me!

Thanks

[Jamie Buxton]

Construction suggestion... I'd build that cabinet in at least two subassemblies. Moving something that big in one piece would be challenging. I'd break the design just below that ebonized "countertop". There would also be a subtop on the lower subassembly. Connecting the countertop to the upper part will keep all the walls together as you build it and move it.

[Mike Konobeck]

Definitely build it yourself!! That is the reason you are acquiring those tools, right? :-) I use these projects as opportunities to learn new things and get the right tools for the job.

If you have over $1k in material cost then you are buying your materials from the wrong place. Get Cut List for SketchUp and run the numbers. Soft maple can be a pain to finish. Hard maple is not much more expensive (maybe in FL it is) and is a nicer material/takes finish better. As long as you are going with maple then go with maple ply too. If you were planning to paint it then it doesn't matter and go with as cheap of wood as is available to you. Maybe I am looking at this wrong but it is essentially 6 cabinet sections that you would build/install versus building a piece of furniture that you would move in large sections.