MaxiHome's Custom Carpentry Process: Step by Step

Most disappointment with custom carpentry in Singapore renovations comes down to one thing: homeowners did not know what they were agreeing to until the pieces were already cut. The workshop quoted a number, collected a deposit, and the next time anything concrete happened was installation day — at which point small misalignments, finish discrepancies, or dimension errors were already fixed in wood.

We have structured our custom carpentry process specifically to prevent that. Every step between your first conversation with us and the day our team installs your built-in wardrobe, feature wall, or TV console is deliberate, documented, and transparent. You should never be surprised by what arrives at your home.

This article walks through each stage of the process — what happens, who is responsible, how long it takes, and what we need from you at each point. If you are planning a BTO renovation, a resale flat refresh, or a condo fit-out and you are considering built-in carpentry, this is the clearest guide we can give you before we meet.

Stage one: the initial consultation

Everything begins with a conversation, not a quotation. We find that homeowners who arrive with a floor plan and a general idea of what they need are far better served by talking through the project first — before any numbers are discussed — than by being handed a price list.

At the consultation, our project team will ask about your space, your storage priorities, your timeline, and your aesthetic direction. We will want to know whether you are working with a renovation contractor or managing the project yourself, because the sequencing of carpentry work relative to electrical, tiling, and painting affects both the timeline and the installation method.

We will also be honest at this stage about capacity. Our project team handles a limited number of custom carpentry builds each month. We accept new projects on a first-come-first-serve basis, and there are periods — particularly around the peak BTO collection seasons and the months before Chinese New Year — when our schedule is tight. If we do not have the capacity to do your project properly within your timeline, we will tell you at the consultation rather than take the booking and rush the build.

You can begin this conversation at our showroom at 5 Ubi Link, open daily from 11:30 AM to 9 PM, including weekends and public holidays. Bring your floor plan if you have one. Bring dimensions if you have measured. Bring reference images if they help you communicate what you are after. The more specific you are, the more useful the consultation will be.

Stage two: site measurement

Once we have agreed in principle to proceed, we schedule a site measurement visit. One of our project team members visits your home — or your BTO unit after key collection — to take precise measurements of the spaces where carpentry will be installed.

This step is non-negotiable. No reputable custom carpentry workshop quotes or builds from floor plan dimensions alone. Walls in Singapore homes, particularly in older HDB flats, are rarely perfectly square. Ceilings vary. Existing trunking, water pipes, or conduit runs can reduce available depth in ways that do not show on a plan. The only reliable measurement is the one taken on-site.

During the measurement visit, our team will also assess practical constraints: the swing radius of doors if we are building a wardrobe, the location of power points if we are building a TV console or feature wall, the height of existing ceiling beams or cornices, and the condition of the walls where fixings will be placed. Any constraints that affect the design are flagged at this stage, not discovered on installation day.

For BTO homeowners, we recommend scheduling the measurement visit after your defects inspection is complete and any structural rectifications have been signed off. Changes to walls or floors after our measurements require a re-measurement, which adds time to the project.

Stage three: detailed design and shop drawings

With measurements confirmed, our design team produces detailed shop drawings — the technical documents that our factory team in Malaysia uses to cut, construct, and finish your carpentry pieces.

Shop drawings are not mood board images or 3D renders for aesthetic approval. They are dimensioned, annotated construction documents showing every panel size, joint type, hinge specification, internal fitting configuration, and finish detail. When you sign off on shop drawings, you are signing off on what will be built — not a general concept.

We walk through the shop drawings with you, typically at the showroom or via a shared document, and explain each element. If you want to change the internal layout of a wardrobe, add a pull-out drawer tray, switch the laminate finish, or adjust the depth of a shelf — this is the stage to do it.

Changes to shop drawings before cutting begins cost nothing beyond the design time. Changes after cutting has started incur material costs. Changes after delivery to Singapore are generally not possible without rebuilding components.

This stage typically takes one to two weeks from measurement confirmation, depending on the complexity of the project. For projects involving multiple carpentry pieces across different rooms, it may take slightly longer.

Stage four: factory production in Malaysia

Once shop drawings are approved and signed off, the build moves to our factory in Malaysia. This is a factory owned by our group — not a subcontracted workshop — which gives us direct control over construction standards, material specifications, and production scheduling.

The production stage for a standard built-in wardrobe or TV console typically takes two to four weeks, depending on the complexity of the piece and the current production queue. Custom pieces with specialised hardware — soft-close internal fittings, integrated lighting channels, framed mirror panels, or high-gloss lacquer finishes — take longer than standard laminate builds.

Materials used in our custom carpentry are specified in the shop drawings and confirmed before production begins. We use moisture-resistant particleboard or MDF as the primary carcase material for most builds, with solid timber elements for frames and exposed edges where specified. Laminates are sourced from established suppliers and matched to the client’s selection at the showroom. Hardware — hinges, drawer slides, handles — follows the specifications confirmed during the design stage.

During production, our project team maintains visibility over the build schedule. If a material is out of stock or a specification needs to be re-confirmed, we contact you before the build continues rather than substituting without notice.

Stage five: delivery and installation

When production is complete, the carpentry pieces are transported from our Malaysia factory to Singapore and scheduled for installation at your home.

Installation is handled by our trained installation team, not outsourced labour hired per-project. This matters because the team installing your carpentry is familiar with the construction methods used in our factory — the joint types, the fitting tolerances, and the sequence in which components are assembled on-site. Installation quality and production quality are part of the same system.

Before your installation date, confirm with your renovation contractor, if applicable, that the relevant walls, floors, and ceilings are ready and finished. Carpentry installation should take place after painting is complete — installing first, then painting around built-ins, typically leads to uneven edges and visible gaps at junctions. If your renovation is still in progress, we will work with you to sequence the installation correctly.

Typical installation timing

A standard wardrobe installation takes four to eight hours depending on size and complexity. TV consoles and feature walls vary widely — a simple floating TV console may take two to three hours, while a full feature wall with integrated storage and lighting channels may take a full day. Our team will give you a more specific time estimate for your project before the installation date.

On installation day, our team will need clear access to the relevant spaces, adequate working room, and a confirmed power point for tools. After installation, we do a joint walk-through with you to check all doors, drawers, and fittings, confirm that finishes are consistent, and address any snag items before the team leaves.

Stage six: post-installation support

Custom carpentry, like any furniture, may require minor adjustments in the first few weeks after installation. Hinges may need re-alignment as the piece settles. Drawer slides may need a small calibration. These are normal and expected, not defects.

Our furniture is covered under MaxiHome’s warranty terms. For specific coverage details, including what is covered for custom carpentry builds, please see our warranty policy. If you notice anything after installation that concerns you, contact us directly — we would rather resolve a small adjustment quickly than have you live with something that does not sit right.

For day-to-day care of laminate-finished carpentry in Singapore’s climate, the main considerations are moisture and heat. Keep wardrobe interiors dry and well-ventilated, particularly in bedrooms where the air-conditioning is off for extended periods. Wipe down surfaces with a slightly damp cloth, not a wet one. Avoid placing moisture-generating items directly against laminate surfaces without adequate air circulation. These basic habits preserve the finish significantly longer than any coating or treatment.

How long does the full process take?

From initial consultation to completed installation, a typical custom carpentry project at MaxiHome takes six to ten weeks. The breakdown roughly follows this pattern:

• Consultation and agreement: one to two weeks, depending on project scope and your decision timeline.
• Site measurement: scheduled within one to two weeks of agreement.
• Shop drawings and sign-off: one to two weeks.
• Factory production: two to four weeks.
• Delivery and installation: scheduled within one to two weeks of production completion.

For BTO homeowners who collect keys and want carpentry completed before they move in, we recommend starting the consultation process as early as possible — ideally before key collection, so that measurement can happen immediately after and the production timeline does not compress your moving schedule.

For renovation projects with contractor dependencies, the timeline needs to account for sequencing with other trades. Our project team can advise on where custom carpentry fits within a typical renovation sequence.

What makes our process different from most carpentry workshops

Singapore has no shortage of carpentry workshops, and the variation in how they operate is wide. The most common failure modes we hear about from homeowners who have had difficult experiences elsewhere are:

• Measurements taken only from floor plans
• Builds subcontracted to a third-party workshop the homeowner never meets
• Finish standards that drop between factory and site
• No clear person to contact when something goes wrong post-installation

Our process is structured around the opposite of each of these. We measure on-site. Our factory team in Malaysia is part of our own group — not a subcontractor. Our installation team knows our production methods. And our project team remains your point of contact through the entire process, including after installation.

Backed by over 100 years of combined industry expertise across our management team, we have seen enough carpentry projects go wrong — in our years in the trade and through the experiences homeowners share with us — to know exactly where the process needs discipline and where it benefits from flexibility. We have tried to build both into how we work.

Our custom carpentry services are available alongside a full range of ready furniture — including wardrobe options, TV console options, and a bed frame collection — so if a built-in is not the right fit for your situation, we can help you find a ready-made piece that works just as well.

Starting a custom carpentry project with MaxiHome

If you are at the planning stage — whether that is a new BTO, a resale flat refresh, or a condo that needs better storage — the right time to have the first conversation is now, not after you have finalised everything else.

Custom carpentry is first-come-first-serve. Our project team takes on a bounded number of builds each month, and projects that come in earlier in the planning cycle get the most considered treatment. We would rather spend more time on the design stage with you than rush the shop drawings to fit a compressed timeline.

Bring your floor plan to our showroom at 5 Ubi Link — we are open daily from 11:30 AM to 9 PM, including weekends and public holidays. We will talk through what you are planning, what is realistic within your timeline and budget, and whether custom carpentry is the right solution or whether a well-chosen ready-made piece achieves the same outcome. There is no obligation in the first conversation, and no quotation until we have measured.

If you would prefer to start with a quick question before visiting, message us on WhatsApp at +65 6518 9649. We are typically available during showroom hours and will give you a straight answer.