Vanities and storage
Cabinetry made for the wall it stands against, with the waste offset so the top drawer closes and the drawers sized for what actually lives in a bathroom.
A stock vanity is made in two inch increments and your wall is not. The gap gets filled with a scribe fillet, the countertop overhangs unevenly, and the whole piece reads as furniture that wandered in. Built-in cabinetry is made to the measured opening after the walls are corrected, so it sits tight at both ends and the counter runs wall to wall.
Drawers beat doors in a bathroom, comprehensively. A door means reaching into a dark box past a trap; a drawer brings the contents out to you. The catch is the plumbing: a standard centre waste runs straight through where the top drawer wants to be. Offsetting the waste to the back wall and notching the drawer box recovers most of that space, and it is a decision that has to be made at rough-in rather than at fit-out.
For storage beyond the vanity we usually build a full-height tower or a recessed cabinet between studs. Between studs you get three and a half inches of depth, which is exactly right for bottles and nothing else. A shallow tower at 12 inches deep holds towels; anything deeper than 16 inches just becomes a place things go to be forgotten.
What is included
- Opening measured after walls are corrected, not before
- Cabinet boxes in moisture-resistant ply with a lacquered or painted finish
- Soft-close drawer runners rated to the drawer width
- Waste offset to the back wall and drawer boxes notched at rough-in
- Countertop in stone, porcelain or solid surface with a sealed cut-out
- Integrated or undermount basins set and sealed
- Mirror or mirrored cabinet positioned to the sconces and the faucet swing
- Linen tower or between-stud recessed cabinet where the room allows
- Handles and knobs fitted with a drilling jig, not by eye
How the work runs
Measure
Taken after walls are corrected and backer board is on, to the millimetre.
Drawing
Elevation showing drawer splits, handle positions and how the counter meets the wall.
Rough-in
Waste and supplies set to the drawing so the drawer boxes clear them.
Fit
Boxes set level and scribed to the wall, fronts aligned, gaps set with spacers.
Top and basins
Template taken on the fitted boxes, top set, basins sealed, faucet fitted.
What moves the price
- Built-in or freestanding
- A made-to-measure piece costs more and fits properly. Both are legitimate choices.
- Drawer count
- Drawers cost more than doors and are worth it. Three is usually the right number.
- Countertop material
- Porcelain, quartz, marble and solid surface differ in both price and upkeep.
- Basin type
- Undermount is easiest to clean. Vessel basins raise the effective counter height.
- Finish
- Sprayed lacquer holds up better in a bathroom than a brushed paint finish.
$4,800 to $19,000 (sample range) is a sample range for this demonstration site. Every project is priced from an approved drawing after a survey, never from a square-foot rate.
Questions about vanities & storage
Thirty-six inches suits most adults and is what we fit by default. Thirty-two suits a shared family bathroom where children use it, and thirty-four is the accessible maximum where that matters.
Usually yes. We move the waste to the back wall at rough-in and notch the drawer box around it. It has to be decided before the wall closes, which is why we ask early.
It is a beautiful idea with maintenance attached. It etches under toothpaste, mouthwash and anything citrus. If that will bother you, honed porcelain in a marble look is the answer we give most often.
Talk to us about vanities & storage
Send the room dimensions and a photograph and we will tell you what is possible before anyone visits.
Bathrooms only · Licensed and insured in Colorado · 4.9 from 214 reviews (sample)