The closet in my primary bath was always weird to me. The door to it was at an angle and was extra narrow. It was very dark, and the previous owners had the typical wire racks around the perimeter. Shortly after moving in, I pulled those wire racks out and installed a modular system from the local hardware store. It wasn’t elaborate, but it helped me live with something more functional while getting a sense of what an ideal setup would be.

In the fall of 2021 when the initial demo of the primary bathroom took place, I also gutted that closet. I knew it would be a while before I got to work on it - getting the bathroom functional was my top priority. But I started planning early on. I had used SketchUp to do the modeling for the bathroom, but I opted to use the IKEA PAX Planner so that I could use the pre-built closet modules. It was really intuitive and easy to use! I could quickly move units, shelves and drawers around for the optimal space.

I checked my records….I did my first mockups in the planner in November of 2021, but it wasn’t until August 2022 that I felt it was time to start really preparing for the project, which meant buying materials. My goal was to get started around October, then spend a majority of my holiday vacation (Thanksgiving and Christmas) finishing it up. (Yes, I save up my vacation so I can do my DIY projects!)

Originally, I was on the fence about whether to use the PAX system or build from scratch. Despite having to continuously stalk the website, looking for product to be in-stock, and pay a shipping fee, I ultimately decided to buy the PAX units as a starting point.

Factors that went into that decision:

• Timing: I didn’t know exactly when I was going to get to start on the closet, but I wanted to be able to start at any moment.

• Speed: It felt quicker to assemble the PAX units than to cut and build from scratch.

• Accuracy: It felt safer to have pre-sized units, and not worry about getting measurements right.

• Cost: At the time, lumber prices were still high, and I wasn’t sure where they’d be when it was time to start building.

Let’s talk about cost.

Throughout the project, I was able to track my expenses using the Home Depot ProXtra site. Using the job code function, I was able to use a special code for closet when making my purchases. At the end, I was able to pull a purchase history report and see it all. Of course, I had to add in the cost of the cabinets from IKEA, paint from Sherwin Williams, and the hardware from Amazon.

Click here to see the project cost spreadsheet

Overall, the project was roughly $2600. ($200 of that was shipping cost for IKEA.) In the spreadsheet, you’ll see the breakout for the LED lighting. Another $300 that could be saved to help keep this within a set budget. And those drawers….the hardware alone was another $259. That’s just for the rails and pulls.

Painting the IKEA PAX units also required the use of really good primer - a shelac primer from B-I-N that would adhere to the glossy surface of the IKEA units. I did choose to use the really nice urethane trim enamel from Sherwin Williams. This is my FAVORITE paint for trim and cabinets - anything that will be high-touch.

Would I still use the IKEA PAX system if I did it all over again?

There were a lot of unique situations I had to deal with because of the way the PAX system is built. With the customizations I did (specifically the face frames and drawers) I would probably opt to build the system from scratch if I was to ever do it again (assuming the cost of lumber is not outrageous). I have lots of thoughts around this topic. Maybe another blog post…