Birch Fitted Furniture Group, Stephenson Ind.Est, Telford Way, Coalville, Leicestershire, LE67 3HE

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are a selection of Frequently Asked Questions. If you can’t find your question below, please email design@diyfitted.com, or call 01530 830 029, and we’ll be delighted to help you.

Do your units have backs in them?

We offer units with backs (full carcase) and without backs (front frame).

Full carcase is slightly more expensive, but is generally considered to be a superior product. It’s also easier to install and saves you decorating the back wall.

Front frame is a cheaper, and more basic product. It also takes longer, to fit so can sometimes end up being more expensive when installation costs are factored in! You also have to decorate the back wall so it’s no unsightly when you open the wardrobe doors.

See full carcase or front frame for more info.

What are the units made from?

The doors are all made from 18mm MDF (except Shaker, which is 22mm thick).  The doors are wrapped in a PVC foil finish to give them a wood, painted, or high gloss effect.

MDF is the leading cabinet-making material in the world. It is superior to ‘real’ wood in the following respects:

  1. It doesn’t expand and contract with temperature.
  2. It’s consistent to drill into, whereas timber is a lottery. Hinges and handles fit better, and last much longer, when using MDF.
  3. It’s much better to machine than timber. You can have a larger selection of door designs, and more intricate ones.
  4. It’s a lot cheaper! If every fitted bedroom used timber instead of MDF, the average fitted bedroom would cost £10,000 or more!

The carcases are made from 18mm MFC (Melamine Faced Chipboard). This is the same material that is used for most kitchen carcases in the western world.

What payment methods do you offer?

We accept payments via debit or credit card, BACS, cheque, or cash (you will be given a VAT receipt if paid by cash).

You will receive an e-invoice, and a hard copy sent by post.

Do you use couriers?

NO!

We use our own fleet of vehicles and employed drivers. This is to ensure that the product is handled correctly and delivered unblemished into your property.

We are in control of the product from start to finish, from manufacture until it’s actually in your room.

Do you come and check the measurements?

No we don’t. The measurements are your responsibility as you are buying the product at trade price on a supply-only basis.

We encourage our customers to double (or even triple!) check their measurements. If you are employing a fitter, they should survey your room and check the measurements.

I'm worried that my measurements won't be accurate enough...

Don’t worry!

There are tolerances built in to the design to account for uneven walls, floors, and ceilings, so it’s VERY hard to go wrong with your measurements!

As a matter of course, we design a 40mm infill up against any wall, and a minimum of 80mm infill to the ceiling.

If, for example, you’d mis-measured your wall by 20mm (2cm), it wouldn’t matter as the tolerance would be enough to take the discrepancy. You or your fitter would simply reduce the size of the filler.

The same applies to the ceiling, with the added bonus that the units are on adjustable legs (just like kitchen units). If your ceiling measurements are out, you can either jack the legs down, or increase/decrease the size of the top infill.

Unless you are DRASTICALLY out with your measurements, the room will fit!

How does coming direct save me money?

In simple terms, it’s because the furniture isn’t marked up.

Our average supply-only price is around £1600 + VAT per room. This sort of design would usually take up to two days to install.

A High Street showroom, with all its overheads, would charge £200 per day installation and add a 70%-150% mark-up.

The exact same furniture when bought from a showroom would cost in the region of £3400-£5000 + VAT. That equates to a saving of between £1800-£3400for the exact same product! Even if you’re hiring your own fitter at £200 a day, you’re still saving thousands!

It’s a no-brainer if you can fit the furniture yourself, or hire your own fitter.

How is the sale conducted?

We sell online via email. Whether we’ve done your design ‘live’ face to face or via ZOOM, or whether we’ve done it remotely based on an email you sent, your quote will always be emailed to you.

The nature of the purchase is that every single CAD image and line of the quote is emailed to you. There is a clear email trail of the purchase from start to finish. As a consumer, you couldn’t ask for a more transparent purchase and clear purchase- everything is in black and white from start to finish.

I'm worried about paying online. What if you go out of business?

It’s a fair question, and it’s a question that you should always ask when parting with large sums online. We don’t blame you for asking at all!

If you’re worried about any online purchase, we recommend that you pay by credit card as you acquire credit card protection on purchases between £100-£30,000.

What we say to customers is that we have been in business since 1986 and are the trusted supplier of over 200 companies across the UK.  We have been trading profitably for 34 years.

We are a strong, long-established business with a first class reputation, and multiple income streams. Further, we own our purpose-built factory outright, so don’t have large rent overheads like a lot of manufacturing companies do.

We are a family business, and intend to keep going for at least another 34 years!