Making A Case For Pre-Made Bathroom Vanities (And Why You Might Not Need Any Custom Cabinetry)

So you want to build your dream bathroom. The first step is hiring a guy to build all your dream bathroom furniture, right? The short answer is: not necessarily. While custom cabinetry is historically the best way to get a look tailor-made for your space, pre-made bathroom vanities have come a long way since your last renovation, and might be a better option. Rather than merely being the affordable “alternative” to custom work, pre-made bathroom vanities offer many of the same options, as well as a few unique features of their own.

Wide Range Of Sizes And Configurations

Probably the biggest advantage of custom built cabinetry is simply that it’s custom. That means if you have a big bathroom, a small bathroom, or a weird shaped bathroom, it doesn’t matter, because your cabinets can be designed to fit your space exactly. But you might be surprised by the extent to which pre-made bathroom vanities can be “sized” to fit your space. Most custom cabinets are a combination of standard-sized parts, and large collections of pre-made bathroom vanities often come in a variety of standard sizes as well, usually scaling up in six inch increments, starting at 24″ (with some even smaller offerings) and ranging all the way up to 72″. Some manufacturers even let you bridge together multiple vanities with connector parts to create vanities that are upwards of ten feet wide. It’s not quite the same as fine-tuning a newly built vanity to the dimensions of your space, but it’s probably more flexible than you might think.

A (Small) Variety Of Colors And Finishes

Another major advantage of having your cabinetry custom built is that you have total control in terms of choosing the color of your vanity: you get to pick the wood, stain, paint, and finish to get exactly the look you want. Most pre-made vanities come in exactly one dazzling color per style, which definitely limits your options in terms of variety. That said, lots of larger bathroom vanity manufacturers have really extensive vanity collections – including different versions of the same vanity in different colors, so if you find a style you like, you have a little more wiggle room to get it in a color you like, too. If you have your heart set on a specific color, you might be out of luck, but if you were going to paint your vanity white anyway, it might be worth considering your pre-made options.

Choose Your Own Stone Vanity Top (At A Steep Discount)

Most pre-made bathroom vanities also come paired with stone countertops. This is a big deal for a few reasons. It’s a nice, luxurious finishing touch, but one that definitely comes at a premium when you have vanities custom made. Because custom stone vanity tops have to be purchased, cut, and installed individually, they can be quite pricey. But manufacturers of mass produced vanities buy stone in bulk, cut it to fit their specifications, and pass the resulting savings onto you – giving you the same final result with a lot less hassle. To be fair, some vanities come paired with one-and-only-one possible stone top, locking in the look whether you like it or not, but many manufacturers also offer a surprisingly wide selection of stone types and colors to choose from. It’s not quite the variety you’d have hand picking stone, but enough to help you get the look you like and give your space a customized feel.

Coordinated Add-Ons And Matching Furnishings

One of the perks of having your bathroom furniture custom made is that whatever you need built, you can have built to match. But the flip side is also true: anything you don’t have built custom, you’ll have to find a match for yourself, which can often be challenging. You might think the problem is worse with pre-made bathroom vanities, but if you really want a consistent, cohesive bathroom style, it might be worth looking for a larger vanity manufacturer. If they make a lot of vanities, chances are they sell matching bathroom furnishings to go with them. Almost all vanities can be paired with a matching mirror, and more than you might think can be bundled with at least one coordinated storage cabinet.

Built-In Outlets And USB Chargers

If you’re looking for high-tech features, it used to be that custom cabinetry was the only way to go. But things like built-in drawer and shelf outlets have started showing up in pre-made bathroom vanities as well, often without a premium price tag attached. That means getting the same hardware and functionality, but without having to hire a specialized carpenter and electrician to make sure it’s installed properly and safely.

Unique And Distinctive Vanity Styles

Of course, the biggest difference between buying a pre-made bathroom vanity and having one custom built is that while you’d pay a steep premium to have any kind of ornamentation on a custom-built vanity, pre-made ones come in an almost infinite variety of styles and colors. Whether it’s ornate antique-style woodworking or really chic modern shapes and accents, pre-made vanities offer you more flexibility and variety of style, without a proportional hike to the price tag. Buying a new bathroom vanity doesn’t have to mean undertaking a major construction project, and getting a look you love doesn’t have to mean paying a premium. So unless you have your heart set on a custom cabinet job, it might be time to consider buying premade!