How We Price Furniture Assembly
- Our aim is to be clear about how we charge for our service.
- This page explains our rates and why we charge this way.
- The accuracy of our estimates is backed up by our Customer Survey Results
- All our quotes are for a fixed price assembly, so you know exactly what you will be paying.
We have been assembling furniture for a long time (since 2004) and are familiar with almost everything on the market. So when you contact us for a quote, we have usually built it before, if not, something very similar.
As of October 2018, the typical rate is £50 for the first hour or part thereof and then £36 per hour in half hours, this does vary across the UK. Rather than focus on the rate have a look at the section below to get an idea of how much assembling your furniture will cost, we are a lot quicker than you might think and assemble in 1/4 to 1/2 the time most people do who are good at DIY.
Typically we will need to know the exact product, so we can work out how long it will take and what it will cost. Based on how long the job will take we can let you know how soon we can build it for you. So please provide the following when asking for a quote:
DO PROVIDE For Each Item:
- An Internet Link for each item
- OR the Supplier Name, a Description and Part Code
- If you have LOTS OF FURNITURE or a MODULAR SYSTEM (such as Ikea Pax - Ikea Besta - John Lewis Mix It etc)
- There are usually a lot of parts any of which can influence the assembly time, and it is usually quicker and more accurate if you COPY & PASTE or PHOTOGRAPH your RECEIPT and email it to us.
- We do not accept attachments via the website, so when you fill in our enquiry form you will receive details of your nearest assembler by email. If you reply to this with your attachment it will be routed directly to the assembler to give you a quote.
PLEASE DON'T
- Email us the name of the product and say we can find it on a website such as Argos, Homebase, Next etc. - There are so many similarly named products that the chances are we would pick the wrong one.
- Ask how much it is to build a wardrobe without providing specific information.
Pre-Assembled / Second Hand
- We'll do our best to help, so please provide a photograph of it assembled (if you can one internal and external shot) to give us an idea of what we have to do. If not we'll only be able to estimate it and won't be able to offer a fixed price.
Part Assembled and Given Up
- This happens a lot, and unfortunatley we cannot give a fixed price. All we can say is that it should not be more than a certain amount. We cannot know what we need to do to correct any mistakes you might have made. For example you might have built the frame for a sliding door wardrobe and just want us to build and mount the doors for you (1 hours work). However we might have to spend some time leveling the frame you have built, before we start to ensure the doors run and close properly, which might mean it will take 90 mins in total instead.
A Rough Price Guide
We work out how long it will typically take then apply an "notional hourly rate" to get a price, after the first hour this is charged in half hours, to work out the quote.We use a "notional hourly rate" because our more experienced assemblers are a bit quicker and our less experienced ones take more time. The price you pay is the same, and fixed, as our aim is to maintain quality.
We would only charge extra when
- there was an exceptional reason for an increase in time i.e. you had created more work for us for some reason such as changing your mind half way through, or
- you requested additional items to be assembled.
WORKING IN TIGHT SPACES CAN ALSO CAUSE PROBLEMS, GENERALLY WE NEED A SPACE OF 2 FOOT AROUND THE ITEM WHEN IT IS LYING DOWN.
As you can see from the notes below it is difficult to say a wardrobe will cost X or Y until we know exactly which one it is.
PLEASE NOTE WE ARE CURRENTLY TRIALING AN AUTOMATED SERVICE IN SOME AREAS, SO PEOPLE CAN GET A QUOTE AND MAKE A BOOKING WHEN WE ARE CLOSED. THIS WILL PRODUCE DIFFERENT PRICES TO THOSE INDICATED BELOW. ONCE WE HAVE COMPLETED THE TRIAL WE WILL UPDATE THIS PAGE TO REFLECT THE CHANGES.
Wardrobes
| Item | Time | Price On Its Own | As Part of Bigger Job* |
| A cheap 2 door wardrobe from Argos / Homebase such as Malibu / Napoli | 30 mins | £50 | £18 |
| Argos / Homebase Hallingford Wardrobe 3 doors or 4 doors | 90 -120 mins | £68-£86 | £54-£72 |
| Most 2 door wardrobes will take about 1 hour (Next, John Lewis, Very etc). A simple 2 hinged door Ikea Pax | 60 mins | £50 | £36 |
| John Lewis Mix-It 2 doors, rail and shelf (drawers and other internals add time) | 90 mins | £68 | £54 |
| A basic Ikea Pax wardrobe 2m wide with Auli sliding doors and some Komplement fittings. These are modular so can vary enormously. | 180-240 mins | £122-£158 | £108-£144 |
| Rauch Lima 2 Door Sliding Wardrobes (other styles may take longer). | 90 mins | £68 | £54 |
| Most 2 Door Sliding Wardrobes (longer if doors require assembly) | 120-180 mins | £86-£122 | £72-£108 |
| Prague 4 Door Wardrobe with Drawers | 120mins | £86 | £72 |
| The Mexican Corona / Puerto Rico antique pine 2-3 door wardrobe takes a long time to assemble. | 120-150 mins | £86-£104 | £72-£90 |
Chests of Drawers
The assembly time of anything with drawers in it, will be affected by the number of drawers and style of drawers.
| Item | Time | Price On Its Own | As Part of Bigger Job* |
| A cheap Argos / Homebase chest of 3 drawers such as Malibu / Napoli | 20 mins | £50 | £12 |
| An Ikea Malm chest of 3 drawers or Aspellund | 30 mins | £50 | £18 |
| An Ikea Malm chest of 6 drawers (there are two) | 50 or 70 mins | £50 | £27 or £43 |
| An Ikea Nordland chest of 3 drawers | 60 mins | £50 | £36 |
| Most Next and John Lewis 3 or 4 drawer chest will take about 1 hour to build. Generally 30 mins for the frame then 10 mins per drawer. | 60 mins | £50 | £36 |
| A 6-8 drawer chest could easily take 2 or more hours, such as the Isobella from Next | 120 + mins | £86+ | £72+ |
Beds
These are generally simple to build but as soon as there is storage they will take longer
| Item | Time | Price On Its Own | As Part of Bigger Job* |
| Most simple beds singles, doubles and kingsize. | 30-45 mins | £50 | £18-£28 |
| A Double Bed with 2 drawers | 60 mins | £50 | £36 |
| Most Ottoman Storage Beds | 60-90 mins | £50-£68 | £36-£54 |
| Childrens beds with storage, desks etc: usually 2-3 hours depending on what is involved | 120-180 mins | £86-£122 | £72-£108 |
| Mrs Flat Pack Beds will take 2 1/2 - 3 hours, depending on space | 150-180 mins | £102-£122 | £90-£108 |
| Most Stompa Beds 2 - 3 hours. | 120-180 mins | £86-£122 | £72-£108 |
Nursery Furniture
| Item | Time | Price On Its Own | As Part of Bigger Job* |
| Simple Nursery Sets (wardrobe, baby changer and cotbed) | 120 mins | £86 | £72 |
| Mamas and Papas sets vary quite a bit | 120-180 mins | £86-£122 | £72-£108 |
Add VAT at 20% to the above prices.
Ikea Besta Systems
These are modular and we will need a list or parts and a picture of how it should be installed to give a quote more...
Other Items
| Item | Time | Price On Its Own | As Part of Bigger Job* |
| Fixed Dining Tables | 20-30 mins | £50 | £12-£18 |
| Extending Dining Tables | 30-40 mins | £50 | £18-£24 |
| Dining Chairs - each | 10-15 mins | £50 | £6-£10 |
| Bookcases | 20-30 mins | £50 | £12-£18 |
| Display Cabinets | 40-70 mins | £50 | £24-£43 |
| Sideboards | 60-120 mins | £50-£86 | £36-£72 |
| Trampolines with surround < 8ft | 60 mins | £50 | £36 |
| Trampolines with surround 10ft-14ft | 90-120 mins | £68-£86 | £54-£72 |
* This price is a pro-rata indication and will be rounded up based on the hourly rates.
Exceptions
- The Mexican Corona style of furniture usually takes twice as long as other types.
- The old MFI Hygena / Schreiber furniture now sold through Argos / Homebase will take 2-3 times longer than most other equivalent suppliers. However most of our assemblers do not carry the tools to cut the plinth and cornice down and may decline to quote for this furniture. PLEASE NOTE A lot of Argos furniture named Hygena is based on newer designs and not as difficult as this, so it can be confusing. The newer style does not have plinths and cornices to cut.