Build vs Buy Closet: $200 Plywood Tower or $450 Kit Compared

A closet organizer bought from Home Depot went up in one bedroom, and a plywood version built from scratch went into a second, much deeper closet. Modern Builds compared the two on price, quality and assembly time. The bought system cost $450. The DIY build cost $200 in materials, according to the builder's own breakdown.

The bought system

The kit runs on a French cleat style metal rail that attaches to the 2×4 studs behind the drywall. A stud finder located the studs. The rail comes with many pre-drilled holes, and it lined up with three studs on each length. He cut the second bracket to length with an angle grinder, making two separate cuts so the holes would land on the studs. The directions call for at least two screws into studs; the kit also includes heavy-duty toggle bolts, which he did not need.

The closet rods were cut to length and screwed to the brackets. The design has two levels of hanging storage. The top shelf comes in three sections on shelf pins, and he cut the left and right parts with a circular saw and a 12 in. speed square. A safety cleat at the bottom of the tower is screwed into a stud, and he added a screw from the top down.

The four drawers use a folded miter with veneer, which gives continuous grain around the drawer. The drawer slides screw into the same holes the shelf pins use. The whole assembly took just over 3 hours, about double what he expected, although he says filming slows things down and he could do a second one in about an hour and a half.

The DIY build

The second closet is 38 in. deep and built into the hallway framing. The tower is 18 in. deep, cut from about a sheet and a half of 3/4 in. plywood on the table saw, with the verticals at 72 in. to match the height of the bought tower. The bottom and middle divider were cut to 22 1/2 in., along with three adjustable shelves. The case was assembled with wood glue and 18 gauge brad nails, about 1.5 in. long.

Shelf pin holes were drilled with painters tape on the bit as a depth stop, using a bit sized down 1/64 of an inch for a snug fit. The pins sit 1 in. from the front edge and 2 in. from the back. One shelf came out 1/ in. too short, so he glued a thin strip onto it, since veneer would cover the seam on the face.

Drawers and finishing

The drawers use 1/2 in. birch plywood: three with 6 in. sidewalls and a top one 3 in. tall. They finish 18 in. deep and 21 1/2 in. wide, 1 in. narrower than the cabinet opening to allow for the hardware. A rabbet groove for the bottom panel was cut with the blade lowered to about halfway through the material, in multiple passes. The drawers are butt joints assembled with a brad nailer.

Iron-on edge banding covers exposed plywood edges and is trimmed with a sharp razor blade or utility knife. Nail holes were filled with wood putty and the case sanded with 220. The slides are the cheapest bottom-mount slides at Home Depot, rated at about 50 lbs per drawer.

Installing and comparing

A plywood cleat screwed into the 2×4 studs holds the tower, and the same cleat serves as a support brace at the bottom. The single-piece top shelf was squeezed into place, and the closet rods put slight pressure on the plywood to keep it square. He says the DIY rod is much sturdier, and he could not do a chin-up on the bought one.

The DIY version has a deeper tower, more adjustable shelves and a heavier-duty rod. It took about two build days, which he assumes at 12 to 16 hours. He prefers building, but notes the bought option needed far fewer tools, no workshop space and no building experience.