A quote for cherry solid wood wardrobes can look complete on the first page and still leave the parts that decide the final invoice unwritten. Timber species is only one line item. What you are really buying is a made-to-measure joinery package: carcass construction, door style, finish schedule, internal layout, hardware, tolerances against your room, packing and freight terms, and who answers when a panel arrives damaged. The checklist below follows the order in which those items normally appear in a manufacturer’s proposal, so you can mark up the document line by line instead of comparing headline prices across suppliers.
1. Confirm What the Species Line Actually Says
“Cherry” in a specification can mean several different things, and the price gap between them is large. Before anything else, ask the manufacturer to state, in writing and on the drawing:
- the botanic name of the timber used for doors, frames, drawer fronts and carcass components;
- which parts are solid timber and which are engineered board with a cherry veneer or a printed decorative surface;
- whether edge banding, visible edges and internal faces match the visible faces;
- the grade and cut of the visible boards, and whether the grain pattern will be book-matched, quarter-sawn look or plain sliced.
A single product line rarely covers one construction. Cherry sits inside a wider solid wood wardrobes collection alongside oak, walnut and mahogany options, and each species behaves differently under the same finish. If your design intent is a warm reddish tone, ask for a physical sample of the exact board and finish combination rather than a photograph on a product page.
2. Read the Construction Detail, Not the Product Name
The name on a proposal tells you almost nothing about longevity. Look for four construction decisions and make sure each one is specified:
| Item to check | What a usable answer looks like |
|---|---|
| Carcass construction | Panel thickness, material of sides, top, bottom and back, how the back is fixed, and whether the carcass is assembled in the factory or built on site. |
| Door and drawer fronts | Solid timber or veneered engineered core, rail-and-stile versus slab construction, and how the finish is applied to moulded edges. |
| Movement allowance | How solid timber components are joined so seasonal humidity change does not split joints or warp panels; floating panels, joinery type and moisture-content target for the destination climate. |
| Hardware schedule | Brand and model of hinges, slides, handles and any soft-close items, load rating for drawers, and whether hardware ships loose or pre-fitted. |
If a proposal lists “made-to-measure sizing” and “material and finish options” without these details, request the specification sheet for your layout. That wording is an opening position, not a finished scope.
3. Check How the Measurement Was Taken and by Whom
Made-to-measure joinery fails more often at the site-survey stage than in the workshop. Your proposal should state who measured, when, and against which drawings. Ask specifically:
- Are the dimensions taken from finished floor to finished ceiling, including skirting, cornices, architraves and any services that run along the wall?
- Is out-of-plumb or out-of-square wall recorded, and how is the scribe or filler panel priced?
- Are the room dimensions on your architect’s drawings reconciled with an on-site check before production starts?
- Which party signs off the final shop drawing, and what happens to the cost if a dimension changes after sign-off?
Where no local survey is available, ask for a written survey template with the exact dimensions and photographs required, and treat the second round of dimensional confirmation as a contract milestone rather than an email exchange.
4. Test the Internal Layout Against How You Store Things
A wardrobe proposal that shows only the exterior elevation has not solved the storage problem. Insist on an internal layout drawing, then read it against daily use:
- Hanging heights: short-hang rows for shirts and folded workwear, a long-hang section for dresses and coats, and clearance above the rail so items do not press into the ceiling.
- Drawer placement: drawers at waist height are used; drawers under deep hanging are ignored. Confirm drawer depth against your actual items.
- Open versus closed storage: how many shelves will be visible, and whether glass-fronted or open sections appear elsewhere in the same room scheme.
- Lighting: whether integrated lighting is included in the wardrobe quote or left to the electrical contractor, and where the transformer and switch sit.
- Accessories: pull-out trays, trouser slides, valet rods, laundry bins and mirror panels are usually priced separately. Ask for them as line items so you can cut what you do not need.
If your project needs storage beyond a bedroom wall, the same supplier conversation usually covers modular and walk-in layouts too, which keeps door profiles, finishes and hardware consistent across rooms.
5. Pin Down the Finish Schedule in Writing
Colour and sheen are where a cherry wardrobe either matches the room or does not. The proposal should name:
- the finish system (clear lacquer, lacquer with stain, oil, or painted sections within the same unit) and the number of coats;
- sheen level for doors, carcass interiors and any adjoining cabinetry in the same space;
- a physical sample panel sent to site and viewed under the room’s own lighting before approval;
- how touch-up on site is handled, and which product the installer is authorised to use.
Keep one approved sample after delivery. It is your reference if a replacement panel is needed later, and it removes an argument that would otherwise be settled by memory.
6. Compare the Whole Commercial Scope, Not the Unit Price
Two proposals for the same wardrobe can differ mainly in what they exclude. Rebuild each quote on one sheet using these rows:
| Cost element | Question to ask |
|---|---|
| Design and shop drawings | How many revision rounds are included before production release? |
| Tooling and prototyping | Is a prototype or sample door required, and is that cost credited to the main order? |
| Packaging | Case type, corner protection, moisture barrier, and whether panels are labelled per room and per elevation. |
| Freight terms | Incoterms, port or door delivery, who handles customs clearance, and which documents are supplied. |
| Insurance | Coverage in the quote or arranged separately by the buyer. |
| Installation | Who installs, whether a factory technician travels, and what site preparation is expected of the builder. |
| After-sales | What the warranty covers, how damage claims are documented, and how replacement parts are shipped. |
For multi-room fit-outs, ask whether one supplier is quoting cabinetry together with one-stop furniture and building materials supply. Bundling joinery, doors, flooring and finishes with a single production coordinator reduces the number of interfaces you manage, but only helps if each line item is still priced and specified separately.
7. Verify Production Capability for Custom Work
Solid wood wardrobes are rarely a catalogue purchase; the layout, door profile and finish usually sit outside standard ranges. Ask what custom furniture design and prototyping actually involves for your unit: whether 3D modelling and elevations are produced from your drawings, whether a physical prototype or sample door is made before the full set, which materials and finishes are available in-house, and what order quantity the workshop will accept. A supplier who can show you the drawing pack, a sample board and a finished reference unit has answered the capability question; a supplier who answers only with photographs has not.
8. Read the Delivery and Installation Plan as Part of the Quote
Joinery that arrives late or unlabeled stalls trades on site. The proposal should describe the sequence: production release, packing list per room, shipping method, expected arrival window, and who receives the goods. For international orders, confirm logistics and door-to-door delivery arrangements in writing, including customs paperwork and container loading plan, then check that the installation stage is defined as well: fixing method to the wall, allowance for site decoration after installation, snag list process, and replacement parts. Confirm transit time, import terms and warranty scope for your own country case by case rather than assuming published service descriptions apply to your project.
9. Red Flags in a Wardrobe Proposal
- A price per linear metre with no drawing, internal layout or hardware schedule behind it.
- “Solid wood” used for the whole unit while carcass and back panels are described elsewhere as board material.
- Finish described as a colour name with no sample panel and no sheen level.
- Freight quoted as “door to door” without Incoterms, insurance or customs responsibility stated.
- Warranty stated as a number of years but with no written process for claims, photographs or replacement parts.
- Site dimensions carried straight from architect drawings with no confirmation stage before production release.
10. A Pre-Contract Checklist You Can Send Back to the Supplier
- Botanic name and construction of every component, with solid timber and engineered parts listed separately.
- Signed shop drawings including internal layout, room elevations and scribe details.
- Approved physical finish sample held on site.
- Named hardware brands, models and load ratings.
- Packing list format, labelling convention and container loading plan.
- Incoterms, insurance responsibility and required customs documents.
- Written installation scope, snag process and replacement-parts procedure.
If a supplier answers all seven items with documents rather than assurances, the quote is comparable with other quotes. If they answer with adjectives, ask for the documents before you place the order.