If you're renovating or building, think about the benefits of built-in bathroom cabinets. Yes, there are many pre-fabricated vanities and other bathroom fixtures you can choose from and they will do the job for you, but is that good enough? People are not pre-fabricated. Each of us has different needs and tastes. With a little professional assistance, you can have a bathroom that is both functional and beautiful, for a surprisingly affordable cost.

Disadvantages of Off-the-Shelf Bathroom Cabinets

There are dozens of different manufactured bathroom cabinets you can choose from. In the showroom, some of them look terrific, too. The problems begin after they are delivered to your home and installed:

• Gaps: Every manufactured vanity is designed to fit into the largest array of spaces possible. For this reason, they are not designed to fill gaps between the sides of the cabinets and the wall. If the wall is not plumb or has an uneven finish, the back of the cabinet will also have gaps. These gaps are all unsightly dust collectors.
  

• Storage: When you look at a bathroom cabinet in a showroom, you can only really guess if it has enough storage or the right kinds of storage for your needs. After the cabinet is installed and you begin to fill the shelves, you discover that you have to start improvising. A favourite shampoo, for instance, won't fit upright on the shelf or those cosmetics that were intended to go in a neat row along one easy-to-reach shelf turn out to be all cramped together.   
  

• Quality: How long is that cabinet you bought in the showroom going to look as good as it did when you bought it? Mass-produced cabinets tend to be built to a lower standard than custom-built ones. First the little things, like the edging tape on a melamine shelf, begin to come unstuck. Then bigger problems begin to show.
  

Benefits of Built-in Bathroom Cabinets

Built-in Bathroom cabinets are made by craftsmen who stake their livelihoods and reputations on the quality of the work they do. This begins with the initial consultation and doesn't end until long after your cabinets are installed. When you get a professional to help you with your bathroom cabinets, he will:

• Go over all the details of your storage needs with you in your own home. This will eliminate those oversights that result in a cluttered and unsightly bathroom.    
  

• Help you with the design process, suggesting materials and products that will make your bathroom look just the way you want it to look.    
  

• Custom fit your cabinets: When you get a measure and quote for built-in bathroom cabinets, the room will be measured to exact specifications. If a cabinet needs to be a few millimetres wider or narrower than "standard" to fit perfectly into a space, it will be built that way. When the cabinets are installed, there will be no ugly gaps, because the craftsman will have accounted for everything when he drew up your plans.
  

Built-in Bathroom Cabinets Need NOT Break the Bank

A cabinet that is mass-produced is cheaper to build than a custom-made cabinet. However, it is then sold wholesale to a dealer, who has to mark up its price in order to make a profit. A good custom cabinetmaker can buy his materials wholesale, just as a large manufacturer can, but most of his profits come from his labour. In the end, the price to you can often be surprisingly close to what you would pay for a similar off-the-shelf cabinet. The difference in price is more than made up for in the quality of the results.