Costing your Woodwork - Do It Yourself Tips

"So how much will it cost"??? -- Usually the first question that I get from prospects. While for exact costs you would need the detailed design & probably some professional help, doing a broad estimation is no rocket science & one can do this on her/ his own since woodwork consists of broadly 4-5 elements.

1. The Carcass: The box in other words
2. The Shutter: Called the "Palla" by our carpenter brethren
3. The Hardware: Self explanatory
4. Accessories: All the steel stuff that you will put inside the wardrobe/ box (Tie hangers etc.for wardrobe &  Bottle Pullout, Drip Tray Etc. for kitchen)
5. Labour

Now that we have the elements here are the broad costs of each. Keep in mind that what I am mentioning here are thumbrule values and market rates

1. Carcass (Factory Made White Colour): Costs anywhere between INR 350 psft (frontage*) for Particle Board (ok for Wardrobes but not recommended for Kitchen) to INR 800 (frontage*) for hi quality Marine Ply (recommended  for Kitchens). If you want to bring down this cost you can go for handmade carcass which should cost approx 25 - 30% less.

2. Shutters (Machine Made) : Cost from INR 175 for Laminate Marine Ply Shutters to INR 450 for Membrane MDF Shutters

Tip: The above means that the total "Wood" Component would cost from INR 525 psft to INR 1250 psft. Safe to broadly assume around 1000 in your thumb-rule calculations. Assume the same rate for Kitchen as well as Wardrobe

3. Hardware: 

Kitchens: If you are going in for a number of drawers then assume approx 3500 per drawer (Hettich or 304 Grade Steel baskets). To cut costs (e.g. if you are planning to rent the house) you can minimize on the number of drawers, however with this the utility of the kitchen would go down.
Apart from the drawer cost, it is safe to assume INR 15000 for the rest of  the hardware (hinges, channels etc. etc.)
Handles: These seem inconsequential but cost a bomb if you go in for the exquisite ones available in the market. For Kitchens factor approx 5000 - 8000 for Handles alone

Wardrobe: Dont need much hardware. Usually the cost can be managed under INR 5000 for a normal wordrobe & INR 12000 for a Sliding Wardrobe

4. Accessories: 

There is a lot of variety here. For e.g a Magic Corner can cost from anywhere between INR 15000 to INR 90000. Hence don't take a guess here, go to a hardware & accessory shop and check out the rates of what you need.

5. Labour

For a Factory made Carcass & Shutters the "assembly" cost can be assumed at INR 80 psft. For Hand Made Carcass & Factory Made Shutters assume approx 150 - 180 psft


For those of you who have ended up more confused than before after reading the above, here is the "thumbrule" calculation

For a Wardrobe of Height 7 Feet X Width 3 feet= 21 sqft

Cost of Carcass & Shutter = INR 1000 X 21 = 21000
Cost of Hardware (Non Sliding) = INR 5000
Labour Cost = INR 80 X 21 sqft = INR 1680

Bingo !!!  Broad Estimate = INR 27680

I will not do a sample for the Kitchen and would rather let you do it on your own and come back to me with your questions when stuck...heh heh ..After all I want to make this interactive..

Happy Estimating

NM

PS1: A simpler thumb-rule for estimating overall interior costs is available at http://www.homedesignbangalore.com/2013/11/home-interiors-thumbrules-for-costing.html

PS2: For the Critic in you...who would say that (1) I am oversimplifying (2) That my estimates are not correct and you can get it "cheaper" in the market (3) Too many things have been left un- answered & not considered, I would only want to say that my effort is only to set you thinking on how YOU can "go about" estimating to help set up a budget for your interiors. Of Course for the actual work I would want you to come back to me :) or to the larger "Brotherhood" (or should I say "sisterhood") of Interior Designers.