How Much to Charge for Custom Closet Installation
Custom closet work is typically priced per linear foot of the system: roughly $100–$250 per linear foot for melamine reach-in and walk-in systems, and $250–$600 for wood or premium finishes, installed. Drawer banks run $150–$400 each, doors and fronts $100–$300, accessories $30–$150, demo and disposal of old shelving $75–$200, with drywall patching billed separately and a job minimum around $800–$1,500.
The working rates
- Melamine system, installed — $100–$250 per linear foot
- Wood or premium finish — $250–$600 per linear foot
- Drawer bank — $150–$400 each
- Doors / drawer fronts — $100–$300 each
- Accessories — $30–$150 (valet rod, hamper, shoe fence, jewelry insert)
- Demo and disposal — $75–$200
- Job minimum — $800–$1,500
What changes the per-foot number
- Finish — melamine versus veneer versus solid wood
- Depth and configuration — double-hang versus long-hang versus shelving
- Ceiling height — full-height systems mean more panel and more leveling
- Floor and wall condition — out-of-square rooms are slower, always
- Lighting — integrated LED, per foot, plus any electrical
The design fee filters, then disappears
Charge $100–$150 for the in-home design, credited in full against the order. Buyers don’t mind at all. Tire-kickers do — and that’s precisely the point. On every job you win, it costs you nothing.
Price the walls you find
An out-of-square closet in a hundred-year-old house takes noticeably longer to install level than a new build. Look at the floor and the corners before quoting, because the per-linear-foot rate assumes reasonable conditions and quietly stops working when they aren’t there.
Accessories are the easy margin
A valet rod, a shoe fence, and a jewelry insert are small numbers with good margin, and customers add them enthusiastically when they see them as options. Put the full accessory menu on every quote — most people take two.
Frequently asked questions
Per linear foot or per closet?
Per linear foot for the system, plus itemized components. It's the only structure that lets a customer swap a drawer bank for shelving without a full requote, and it makes the difference between a reach-in and a walk-in self-explanatory.
Should the design consultation be free?
Charge for it and credit it against the order. A free in-home visit is an hour of driving, measuring, and drawing, and a meaningful share of prospects will collect it from three companies and buy from none of them.
What's a fair job minimum?
$800–$1,500 depending on market. A single small reach-in still requires a measure visit, an order, a delivery, and an install day — four fixed costs that don't shrink with the closet.
Do I charge for patching drywall after demo?
Yes, or exclude it in writing. Wire shelving anchors pull drywall out when removed, and the customer who wasn't warned assumes a finished wall is part of the price.