Research shows that the word cheap is one of the most highly used online search criteria. So, one must assume that a lot of people looking for bespoke fitted furniture, whether for bedrooms, home studies or living rooms will be searching for ‘cheap fitted furniture’, particularly in these credit crunch sensitive times.Where will that take them and what really is cheap fitted furniture?

Everybody should be looking for value for money when investing in home improvements like fitted wardrobes or a home study but the lowest price will not always be the cheapest.  The lowest price will invariably involve some degree of compromise, such as using standard size rather than bespoke units and thereby sacrificing storage space and may well limit the degree of choice in colours and finishes.

However buying what appears to be the cheapest fitted wardrobes or home entertainment furniture unit may incur unforseen costs.  Does the price include an expert design and planning service to ensure not only that it fits properly but that it performs all the functions required and doesn’t restrict access to important services or limit the space available for the bed or the plasma screen TV?  Does the design allow for discrete wiring or plumbing?

But most importantly, does cheap furniture come with a 10 year insurance backed guarantee to ensure that you get a minimum decade of service from it?

Other hidden costs might include the replacement of clothing damaged by mould growth if bedroom furniture is not fitted with backs ( see previous post) or the cost of replacing it in a new home if and when you move ( see Who says you can’t take it with you?).

And, if you do move and the property market is still flat, will your bespoke fitted furniture be the ‘cherry on the top’ that creates the level of interest that allows you to hold out for the asking price? Cheap looking fitted furniture units that a prospective buyer knows they will want to replace as soon as they move in could cost you thousands of pounds in a tough property negotiation.

Cheap is not always the cheapest in the long run and may mean that by spending less than you should in the short term your pleasure in the purchase is reduced, you may spend more over time by replacing it sooner and when you finally move away from your current home you might take less money with you.

A frequently asked question about fitted wardrobes is whether they should have backs on them or whether they should just be front frames with the walls and ceiling forming the interior.

If the wardrobes are entirely on internal walls then there may be a case for not having backs if you are desperate for every cubic inch of storage or because the room is so narrow that you need to restrict the wardrobe depth to 550 mm.  The cost saving is marginal and you will not get the feel of a proper piece of fitted furniture whenever you open the doors.

However, if even one end of the wardrobes is on an external wall think very carefully about the condensation risk. On a winter morning you open your wardrobe doors and let in a flow of centrally heated air that comes into contact with the cool external wall, you close the doors and trap that warm, moist air inside the wardrobe and it spends the next ten hours cooling and precipitating its moisture content onto the walls.  Much later you open your wardrobe again and let in another batch of warm air to repeat the process through the night.  Don’t be surprised if your clothes start to smell of damp and begin to grow a patina of black mould.

Fitted wardrobes on external walls must have backs on them and a free air space between the backs and the walls.  Ideally, the back should be of 18mm thick laminated chipboard or MDF.  Otherwise, what you saved by cutting corners on the wardrobes will be spent on dry cleaning or replacing your precious clothes.