Home offices
A built-in office is a desk, tall storage and shelving drawn as one piece of cabinetry rather than furniture pushed against a wall. Valmont sets the desk height to the chair you use, plans the cable route and the power before the boxes are built, and machines grommets where they will not be seen. Everything is cut, edged and finished in our own shop and dry-fitted before delivery.
On the drawings, and on the quote.
- 01Elevations and a photorealistic rendering with the monitor and chair drawn in
- 02A desk top at a set height with a finished underside and a clean front edge
- 03Cable management routed through the cabinet, with grommets placed on the drawings
- 04A drawer bank or file drawer sized for hanging folders
- 05Tall units and adjustable shelving with a machined pin line
- 06Cabinet lighting wired in the shop, with the electrician making the final connection
No figures published. The drivers, in order.
| Driver | What we look at |
|---|---|
| Desk span and support | A long unsupported top needs a thicker core or a hidden steel flitch, which is a different line from a top carried on two cabinets. |
| Open shelving against closed storage | Doors mean hinges, alignment and finishing on both faces; open shelves mean visible edges and a finish that has to read well from every angle. |
| Power and cable routing | Grommets, a cable tray and a spot for a power bar are drawn into the cabinet, and the outlet location may have to move before the boxes are set. |
| Two desks or one | A shared office needs two knee spaces, two cable routes and a longer run, which changes the layout rather than just the width. |
The quote is itemized from the drawings, with the desk, the tall units and the shelving on separate lines so you can see what each part of the wall costs. Read the cost guide.
Measure, draw, quote, build, install.
The five steps in full, with the walkthrough you see before we build.
Step 01 is a measure with your chair and monitor in mind. We record the outlet and data locations, the window position for glare, the ceiling height and the door swing. Step 02 returns elevations and a photorealistic rendering, usually inside [n] days, with the desk height and monitor position drawn rather than assumed.
Step 03 is an itemized quote off those drawings. Step 04 is shop build: boxes, desk top, doors and drawer fronts are cut, edged and finished here, grommets are machined, cable trays are fitted, and any cabinet lighting is wired before delivery. The run is dry-fitted on the bench so the reveals are set. Allow [n] weeks.
Step 05 is install. The tall units go in first, the desk top is set level and scribed to the wall, and the shelving follows. The electrician makes the final lighting connection and any outlet change. Install runs [n] days, and we return to adjust doors and runners once the office is in daily use.
Asked before the first call.
What desk height do you build to?
We set it against your chair and your working posture rather than a standard number. Bring the chair to the measure if you can. If you want a sit-stand mechanism, tell us at step 01, because the cabinet under the top has to be drawn around it.
How do the cables stay hidden?
A grommet in the top drops into a tray or a chase behind the cabinet, and the power bar sits inside a unit with a rear cutout. All of that is drawn at step 02 so the routing is machined in the shop rather than drilled on site.
Can you build a two-person office on one wall?
Yes, if the wall gives enough width for two clear knee spaces with storage between or beside them. We draw both positions to scale at step 02 so you can see the elbow room before it is built rather than after.
Are the shelves strong enough for books?
Shelf thickness and span are set from the load. A book shelf is drawn shorter or thicker than a display shelf, and the pin line lets you move it later. Tell us at the measure if a run is taking hardcovers or binders.
Can the office cabinetry be closed off when the day ends?
Yes. Pocket doors or a tall unit with folding fronts can hide the desk and the screen when the room doubles as a guest room or a living space. Both add hardware and depth, so they are drawn and priced as their own line.