Built-Ins near you

A built-in should look as if it came with the house. The designer or carpenter measures the whole wall, not just the space for the unit, noting windows, doors, outlets, heating vents, baseboards and the ceiling line, then draws elevations you can review and adjust before anything is cut.

Built-ins carry heavy, steady loads: rows of books, a television, stacks of dishes or board games. The materials have to stay flat and square under that weight and take the finish you want.

A built-in is fastened to the house, and that fastening is what makes it safe. Tall bookcases and media units are exactly the kind of furniture that can tip forward when a child climbs the shelves or hangs on a door. Health Canada's tip-over advice is to anchor furniture to the wall with anti-tip devices such as angle braces or safety straps, secured to a wall stud or with heavy-duty drywall anchors made for that type of furniture, to secure a flat-screen television to the wall if possible, and to keep heavier items such as books low so the unit doesn't become top-heavy.

Built-ins often include shelf or cabinet lighting, an outlet behind the television, a charging drawer or a reading light over the window seat. Plug-in and battery lights need no wiring, but any new circuit, outlet, switch or hard-wired fixture must be installed by a licensed electrician, not by the carpenter and not as a weekend project. Plan the electrical rough-in before the unit is built so boxes land where the design expects them, cables run inside the wall rather than across the back of a shelf, and fixtures are rated for use inside cabinetry.

In Quebec, the Corporation des maîtres électriciens du Québec (CMEQ) states that no one may do electrical work of any kind for others without being an electrical contractor, so hire a master electrician and check the licence. In Ontario, the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) says a notification of work should be filed before electrical work starts; the Licensed Electrical Contractor you hire files it and arranges the inspection. Other provinces have their own permit systems, which the electrician will follow.

Bookcases on either side of a fireplace with a mantel above are a classic design, but wood, paint and books are combustible, and a fireplace or stove heats its surroundings all through the heating season. The clearances to combustible materials, including the mantel, trim and side cabinets, are set by the fireplace or stove manufacturer's installation instructions and by the building and fire codes that apply where you live. Gas fireplaces have their own instructions, and a television above any fireplace has to suit both the fireplace's and the television's requirements.

Most built-ins are painted to match the trim, and they take the same wear as cabinets: fingers on doors, books sliding along shelves, heels against a window seat. Shop-sprayed parts give the smoothest finish, while units built on site are filled, caulked, primed and painted in place. Our cabinet painting page explains primers, application methods and curing in more detail.

Built-ins make use of awkward walls and can't be knocked over, but they stay when you move and they commit a room to one arrangement. Buyers often appreciate well-made bookcases, window seats and entry benches, while a very personal design can look like something to tear out.