Built-in bookshelves on Long Island, made for your wall

Built-in bookshelves for Long Island homes

We build built-in bookshelves on Long Island that are made for one wall in one house: yours. Instead of buying a bookcase and hoping it fits, we measure the space, build shelves and cabinets to the inch, and fasten them to the framing. Then we trim them to match the room, so they look like part of the house instead of furniture pushed against the wall.

Built-ins make the most of spaces that are hard to furnish. The alcoves on either side of a fireplace, the wall under a staircase, the short knee walls in a cape’s upstairs bedrooms, or the long blank wall in a finished basement. A lot of colonials around Stony Brook and Setauket have living rooms and dens that were practically made for a pair of bookcases beside the fireplace.

Built on site, fit to the room

No wall is perfectly flat and no floor is perfectly level. That’s why built-ins are fit in place. We set the lower boxes level first, shimming where the floor dips, and fasten them into the studs. The sides get scribed, which means trimmed to follow the curve of the wall, so there’s no gap to caulk. Crown at the top and base at the bottom tie the shelves into the room’s trim, and the face frames hide the edges of the plywood.

Planning what goes on them

Good built-ins start with what you want to store. Heavy hardcover books need shorter shelf spans and thicker shelves than photos and baskets. A TV needs a wire path and some air around it. Kids’ games do better behind doors. We ask these questions up front so the shelf spacing and cabinet sizes work for you, not just for the picture.

Paint, wood and durability

Most built-ins we make are paint-grade, built from cabinet-grade plywood with solid wood face frames and shelf edges. Plywood holds screws well and stays flat, and the solid edges take the knocks from books sliding in and out. We fill, sand and caulk before paint so the joints disappear. If you want a wood finish instead, we build with veneered plywood and solid wood trim so the grain looks consistent. Either way, we’ll show you samples of the door style and shelf edge before we start.

Before we come out

• Pick the wall or space, and take a rough measurement if you can
• Note outlets, vents, switches and windows on that wall
• Save a few photos of built-ins you like, even from magazines

Part of a bigger project

Built-ins often go in with other work, like a finished basement, new trim and crown, or a fresh coat of paint. Our same crew does the framing, sheetrock, carpentry and paint, so the room comes together at once. If you already have cabinets that need hanging, see our cabinet installation page.