I’d do furniture, not built-ins.

Don’t do the glass/china cabinet built-in. If you are going to do this, stay with a classic look. If you are interested in a freestanding China cabinet, I see old ones offered for sale (or free) frequently.

I would do it for a forever home. Selling in 5 years - probably not. Its unlikely to increase the value of your house but can make your life better. Its hard to tell what exactly your moving plans are. Are you certain you're leaving or just vaguely thinking you might want something bigger in the future? I know a lot of people who bought a house thinking they would upgrade in 5 years and are still there 15 years later.

I like the look of the built in that was posted above, but it wouldn't allow the space for the dining room furniture that we currently have, including a china cabinet that has huge sentimental value. So this would be a negative if I was looking to buy that home.

Anonymous wrote:OP again... this is the type of built-in we priced out. A row of bottom cabinets along the 13' wall, with two towers of shelving going up to the ceiling at either end. Would you rip this out if you buy this house?

on one hand, i like this. on the other hand, as a potential buyer, i might have different plans for this room. i might also have furniture (eg. a dining table and chairs) that clashes with the built in. bottom line is - don't do this for resale, only for yourself.

Anonymous wrote:To me, this feels like I’m having dinner in a library. If you like it and can afford to do it for your own enjoyment for the next few years, go for it. I don’t think it’ll add value to the home. Now if you were to do this in a family room or home office, then I think it would add value.

+1

We have builtins like this in our home office/library. Personally I would not prefer it in a dining room. Love books but don’t love books + food. Seems like a very personal and specific choice.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:no not worth it, 12k is a lot. you can buy ikea built in and get a handyman to do it for 1/5 of the price. Or just get furniture

I mention Ikea because this is a low priced house

900k low priced!

To me, this feels like I’m having dinner in a library. If you like it and can afford to do it for your own enjoyment for the next few years, go for it. I don’t think it’ll add value to the home. Now if you were to do this in a family room or home office, then I think it would add value.

Anonymous wrote:OP again... this is the type of built-in we priced out. A row of bottom cabinets along the 13' wall, with two towers of shelving going up to the ceiling at either end. Would you rip this out if you buy this house?

I wouldn’t rip it out, but I wouldn’t necessarily “care” about it either. A room like this would probably be used as an office or playroom in our family.

If your house is the standard colonial, then the dining room is one of the smaller main living spaces. We’ve converted the family room to a big dining room instead. The designated dining room is now our music room (but used to be a payroom when kids were little.)

Just wanted to give an example that not everyone will use the house the exact same way as you.

If you plan to sell the house it’s a waste because it's unlikely the new buyers would want it.

They might even pay to rip it out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would do that and love it. But, I caution against glass shelves. To particular and I don't like the mix. Just do it like in the photo.

OP, where would the glass display cabinets go?

And PP, why no glass?

We're thinking of having some, but one side of a door with look like a china cabinet (with glass fronts) and the other side would not. I figured it would help the space feel more open, while also adding practical use for platters and glassware.

No, don’t make it asymmetrical. The glass is a dated look. You can also put platters and glassware on bookcase shelves like in the picture. You could add picture lights on the cabinet face or recessed lighting with spots to highlight the pieces.

If you really want to do glass, do it in the middle or both sides. Make sure it’s impeccably designed so it looks good and not cheesy. I’m a former interior designer.

Anonymous wrote:OP again... this is the type of built-in we priced out. A row of bottom cabinets along the 13' wall, with two towers of shelving going up to the ceiling at either end. Would you rip this out if you buy this house?

It looks ok but you lose the ability to put furniture on that wall so many would want it ripped up or even pass

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again... this is the type of built-in we priced out. A row of bottom cabinets along the 13' wall, with two towers of shelving going up to the ceiling at either end. Would you rip this out if you buy this house?

It’s nice but what’s going on in the middle? You’d need a very specific piece of art.

I think the more specific the built in is the shorter its life span. Thinking of a friend with beautiful cabinets and shelves designed to fit a deep late 90s TV. Or my grandparents who had all these wall niches for statues.

I think OP is safe to design around books and art though.

If you use your dining room frequently enough to get enough enjoyment from the built ins, I’d say go for it. We personally barely use our dining room a few times a year and I would rather spend my money elsewhere in the house

I think about doing this all the time in our dining room; it’s the single most underused room in our small rowhouse and would add a ton of usability. I say go for it, if you can afford it.

We might move in the next five years and have about 10 more critical projects to do, so I’m afraid I’ll never do it. But I will in our next house!