1. Shop drawings of the wardrobe and its opening

Drawings come first, because everything else in the submittal is read against them. For a sliding wardrobe the drawing set should show the elevation of each door run, the plan section through the carcass and doors, and the setting-out relative to the finished wall faces, skirting, ceiling line and any adjoining cabinetry.

Check that the drawings record overall width and height, plus the clear opening; the number of door panels and their overlap; the track position at head and sill and the clearance needed for the panels to pass; and the internal layout — hanging zones, drawer banks, shelved areas and any lighting provision. Where a run turns a corner, ask for the sliding door corner wardrobe arrangement in plan, not only in elevation, because the return and the door travel path are easy to miss on a single view. Drawings for our built-in pieces are prepared from the project's dimensions and issued for your written confirmation before production starts.

2. Materials, board make-up and finish schedule

A materials schedule that only says "wood" is not a specification. The submittal should name the carcass and door board make-up, the edge treatment, and the surface system for each component separately, since doors, carcass and interior fittings rarely share one construction.

For the door faces, state the finish by reference to a physical sample rather than a code alone: walnut veneer wardrobes, matte finish melamine wardrobes and matte lacquer wardrobes look similar on a screen and behave differently under hand, light and cleaning products. The schedule should also record the interior finish of the wardrobe — whether the inside is finished to the same standard as the exterior — and the direction of the grain or pattern on each panel. For villa and hotel rooms that repeat across floors, ask for one approved sample per finish type, signed and dated, and reference that sample number on every subsequent drawing.

3. Hardware, track and door system

Sliding wardrobes fail on hardware long before the board fails, so the submittal must list what is behind the doors: the top track and bottom guide, hangers and rollers, door stops, bumpers, handles or handleless edge details, and any integrated lighting and its transformer. For each item, request the manufacturer's name and product reference, the load rating for the panel weight and size you are being quoted, and the maximum and minimum panel dimensions that system accepts.

Two details decide whether the installation runs smoothly on site: the adjustment range built into the hangers, which is what allows a door to be trued up against a wall that is not perfectly plumb; and the clearance required at head and sill for the track assembly. If the ceiling or floor finish is still being decided when you tender, ask the supplier to state the tolerance they need and record it as a site condition rather than assuming the joinery will absorb it.

4. Dimensional basis and site verification responsibility

Made-to-measure joinery is only as accurate as the dimensions it is taken from, so the submittal should say plainly who measured what, when, and against which drawing revision. State whether dimensions are field-taken or derived from construction drawings; whether floor levels, wall alignment and skirting were confirmed at the time of measuring; and which party carries out the final site check before production is released.

Our configuration basis is made-to-measure sizing with material and finish options and a layout tailored to each project. That flexibility is the point of custom joinery, but it also means the released dimensions must be signed off by someone on your side. We ask for that confirmation in writing against the issued shop drawings, together with the revision number of the architectural drawing those dimensions follow.

5. Internal layout and user requirements

The submittal is where storage planning becomes contractual. Rather than a single wardrobe elevation with shelves implied, ask for an internal layout per unit: rail heights and the number of rails; drawer widths, depths and runners; shelf spans; shoe, luggage and accessory provision; and the position of any mirror, ironing or vanity fitting. In villa and apartment work we often pair the wardrobe run with a custom minimalist bedroom wardrobe layout using handleless doors, which changes both the edge detail and the clearance needed for the door to travel.

Where rooms repeat — guest floors in hospitality work, identical apartments in a residential tower — require the submittal to identify each unit type by name and confirm which layouts are duplicated and which are unique. That is also the moment to fix the spare-parts list for hardware that will need replacing years later.

6. Packaging, freight and delivery sequence

Joinery damaged in transit cannot be repaired on site, so the submittal should describe how the wardrobe is packed and shipped: panel protection and edge protection, the carton or crate marking system that ties each package to a room and unit number, and the container loading sequence for multi-unit deliveries. SANTERSON handles freight forwarding by sea, air and rail, with customs documentation, packing lists and door-to-door delivery arranged as part of the order.

Ask for the delivery split to match the site programme. Wardrobes installed late in a fit-out still need to arrive before carpet, curtains and final decoration are completed, because the track setting depends on finished floor levels. Confirm Incoterms, the named delivery point, insurance cover and who unloads — details that vary by project and country and should be written into the submittal rather than assumed.

7. Installation method, sequence and site conditions

Request the installation method statement: fixing details to wall, floor and ceiling; what substrate or blocking is required where fixings land; the sequence relative to wet trades, flooring and electrical first-fix; and the access and storage the site must provide for panels of full wardrobe height. Where doors travel over a finished floor, state the flatness the floor must achieve so the lower guide runs true.

Our service scope includes on-site installation support with inspection and snagging at completion, followed by warranty coverage, spare parts and ongoing maintenance. The submittal should record which of those apply to your project, who attends site, and what the site contractor is expected to have completed beforehand.

8. Quality control, inspection and handover records

State how the work is inspected before it ships: dimensional checks against the released drawings, finish and colour verification against the approved sample, hardware assembly and door operation tests on the factory floor, and photographic records of each unit before packing. For multi-unit projects, agree in advance whether a pre-shipment inspection is offered, what it covers and how findings are documented.

At handover, the package should include the as-built drawings or marked-up revisions, the finish and hardware schedule with references, the spare-parts list, care and cleaning instructions for the specified surface, and the warranty document. A submittal that ends at "delivered" leaves the facilities team without what they need on day one.

9. Commercial terms, exclusions and assumptions

The quotation and the technical submittal must say the same thing. List what is included — carcass, doors, hardware, interior fittings, lighting, packaging, freight to the agreed point, installation attendance — and equally what is excluded: site measuring if not supplied, making good of walls or floors, electrical connection for internal lighting, removal of existing joinery, and any local certification the project requires.

Also record the assumptions behind the price: the drawing revision used, the currency and Incoterms, the validity period of the quotation, and the minimum order quantity for custom and OEM work. Where a supplier offers flexible quantities or private labelling under an OEM arrangement, that should be stated with its conditions rather than left to a later conversation.

10. Approvals log: who signs what, and when

Close the submittal with a simple approvals table — item, submitted date, reviewed date, approved or returned for comment, and the name of the person who approved it. Production should not be released until drawings, finishes, hardware, dimensions and internal layout are all shown as approved. This one page is what prevents a finish change request from arriving after panels have been machined.