A quotation for sliding door corner wardrobes often arrives as two pages: a set of elevations, a unit price and a lead time. On a commercial fit-out — serviced apartments, villa rentals, hotel guest rooms or a residential showhome package — that is not enough to compare one supplier against another. Two proposals that look identical on paper can differ in door travel, carcass build, internal layout and who carries the risk when a site dimension turns out wrong. Before you sign, work through the checks below.

1. Confirm the corner geometry before the doors

Corner units fail at the junction, not on the front face. Ask the supplier to state which configuration they have drawn: an L shaped corner wardrobe running into one adjacent wall, a U shaped corner wardrobe wrapping two returns, or a diagonal-ended unit that projects into the room. Each changes what the doors can do.

In a plan drawing, check three things with a scale bar and dimension strings:

• the clear internal depth at the corner apex, and whether that depth is carried through to the carcass or lost to a scribe/filler
• where the door track ends — doors need run to clear the handle zone of the return leg
• whether the corner post is structural or decorative, because that decides whether you can shorten the unit on site

If a drawing shows no dimension strings, request them. A proposal without dimensions cannot be compared with a competitor's.

2. Read the door specification, not the door photograph

Sliding systems are where quality differences hide. For every line item, the proposal should name:

• the track type — top-hung or bottom-rolling — and whether the threshold is recessed or proud of the floor finish
• panel construction and total panel weight class, since a heavy door on a light runner will bind within a year of guest use
• overlap and the seal at the meeting stiles, which controls dust ingress into the wardrobe interior
• door face material: mirror, glass, lacquer or wood tone. Compare mirror sliding door wardrobes against matte sliding door wardrobes on maintenance as well as appearance — fingerprints and edge chips show up in housekeeping reports, not in a rendering
• the number of cycles the hardware is proposed for, and which parts are stocked as spares

Ask specifically how the doors behave where the floor is not level. On site, walls out of plumb are normal; a good proposal states the adjustment range at the head and sill rather than promising a perfect opening.

3. Check carcass and internal layout against actual use

A guest-room or rental wardrobe is judged by hanging capacity, not by decoration. Request an internal elevation showing rail heights, shelf pitches, drawer positions and any lighting provision. Then test it against the room type:

• short-hire guest rooms: full-width double rail, one luggage shelf, safe niche
• long-stay apartments: hanging plus drawers, with space for a standing vacuum or ironing board
• villa and showhome projects: display niches and glass-front sections can be justified, but they must not reduce the working hanging zone

For open display sections in the same scheme, open corner wardrobes and glass-front options sit in the same collection, so ask for them on the same drawing set to keep carcass height, plinth and finish consistent across units.

Confirm what is included in the unit price: back panels, edging on visible returns, pre-drilled fixings, and any integrated lighting transformer. Items quoted as "optional" later are a cost increase you have already committed to.

4. Verify how made-to-measure is actually handled

Corner wardrobes for commercial projects are not stocked sizes. The product range here is specified per project — sizing, material and finish are set to the space, and dimensions have to be confirmed before production. That makes the survey step the one to pin down in writing:

• who takes the final site dimension — your contractor or the supplier's team — and at which construction stage
• which floor and wall finishes are assumed when the dimensions are taken, since a 15 mm change in screed or cladding moves the opening
• the cut-off date after which a dimension change is chargeable
• how tolerance gaps at the ceiling and side returns are closed on site: scribe, filler panel or shadow gap

If the supplier offers custom and OEM service, ask what is genuinely bespoke — carcass size, door face, finish, hardware brand — and what is a fixed module. Bespoke carcass dimensions with standard internals is usually the most cost-effective route on repeat room types.

5. Price the whole delivery, not the unit rate

Wardrobes are heavy, awkward and easily chipped, so the logistics line matters as much as the joinery. In a proposal covering international supply, look for: packing method and protection of door faces; container loading plan; who prepares customs documents; delivery point (kerbside, lift lobby or room of use); and packaging disposal. Where freight is quoted as door-to-door, confirm which leg each party owns.

Then check the installation scope: fitting team supplied by whom, snag process, replacement of transit-damaged panels, and spare hardware held for the maintenance period. A proposal that bundles production, delivery and installation under one coordination contact — as a turnkey furniture and fit-out supplier would — reduces the number of interfaces you manage, but only if the responsibility boundaries are written down.

6. Score the proposal before comparing prices

Put every quotation through the same shortlist test:

• dimensioned corner geometry, including door run and return legs
• named hardware, panel construction and adjustment range
• internal layout matched to room type, with rail heights stated
• survey responsibility, dimension cut-off date and tolerance method
• packing, delivery point and installation/snag scope
• finish sample reference, not a photograph, for every wardrobe face in the schedule

A supplier that answers all six lines with drawings and named components can be compared honestly on price. A supplier who cannot is cheaper only until the first site correction.

If you are preparing a wardrobe schedule for guest rooms, apartments or villa units, send us the room layout and the finish schedule and we will return dimensioned corner elevations, door options and an itemised quotation. Contact SANTERSON — enquiry — to start with your drawings.