AMN Construction · Finish carpentry · Bathroom vanities

Bathroom vanities, built for a wet room.

A vanity is the cabinet that holds the bathroom sink. We build custom vanities, floating vanities and linen cabinets in our small boutique shop in Carpinteria, made for the moisture of a bathroom, and install them around your plumbing.

Email photographs and measurements 805 886 0988

In short

Bathrooms are wet. Materials and finish are chosen to resist water, including the edges nobody sees.
A floating vanity hangs from blocking inside the wall. That blocking goes in before drywall or tile.
Choose the sink, faucet and countertop before the vanity is built. Each one sets a dimension.

DrawersJoined at the corners and run on slides that close softly and carry real weight.
Cabinet boxThe carcass. Plywood holds screws and shrugs off moisture better than particleboard.
Toe kickThe recess at the floor. Cabinets are leveled from the floor’s highest point.
Countertop lineMeasured only after the cabinets are fixed in place.

A vanity in elevation: box, drawers, toe kick and the countertop line.

Step by step

How a cabinet is built, frame by frame.

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How a cabinet is built

Cut the partsSides, bottom, top and back are cut from one sheet of cabinet-grade plywood, so the grain and color match.
Assemble the boxThe parts are glued and screwed into a box, then checked corner to corner so it is square.
Face frame or edgeSolid wood is fixed to the front edges. It is what the eye reads, and where the doors will hang.
Doors and drawersDoors and drawer fronts are made and hung with an even gap all round, the same width everywhere.
Finish in the shopPaint or stain goes on in the shop, sanded between coats, and cures before the piece leaves.
Level, fasten, scribeOn site the cabinet is leveled from the floor’s high point, fastened to the wall, and a filler is cut to the wall’s real shape.

Built by Tom. Fifty years of custom cabinets and finish carpentry, from Oregon and Hawaii to Malibu, Pacific Palisades and Westlake Village, and now from Goleta to Carpinteria. Meet the carpenter

What we do

What is included.

Custom vanities built to the width, depth and height your room and sink need.
Floating vanities, hung on the wall with open floor beneath.
Linen cabinets and tall storage to match.
Drawers notched around the drain and supply pipes, so the space under the sink gets used.
Moisture-resistant plywood boxes, with a finish that seals every face and edge.
Installation scribed to the walls, coordinated with the plumber and the countertop fabricator.

How it goes

Step 1
You send photographs of the bathroom, rough measurements, and the sink and faucet you have chosen or are considering.
Step 2
We measure on site and locate the drain, the supply pipes and the studs.
Step 3
For a floating vanity, blocking goes into the wall and the plumber moves the pipes into the wall if needed.
Step 4
The vanity is built and finished in our small boutique shop in Carpinteria, then set, leveled and fastened.
Step 5
The countertop is templated and set, the plumber connects the sink, and we fit the drawers and hardware.

Yours to decide

Decide these first.

Floating or to the floor. Floating makes a small bathroom feel larger and is easier to clean under. It needs blocking in the wall and often a plumbing change.
Drawers or doors. Drawers hold more and are easier to reach into. Doors are simpler around plumbing.
Height. It should suit the people who use it and the type of sink. A vessel sink sits on top of the counter and needs a lower cabinet.
Paint or wood. Paint is easy to touch up. Stained or clear-finished wood shows its grain and needs a finish that keeps water out.
One sink or two. A second sink costs drawer space and counter space. In a narrow room, one sink with more counter often works better.

How to tell good work

Every edge is sealed, including bottom edges and the cutouts for pipes.
Drawers under the sink close fully and do not touch the plumbing.
A floating vanity does not move when you lean on it.
The cabinet meets the wall in a tight line, with no wide bead of caulk.
Doors and drawer fronts line up with even gaps, and the hardware is made for a damp room.

What moves the price

Size, and the number of drawers. Drawers cost more than doors.
Material and finish. Stain-grade wood and sprayed finishes cost more than a plain painted cabinet.
A floating vanity on a closed wall. Opening the wall for blocking and moving plumbing adds work.
The countertop and sink, which the fabricator usually prices separately.

Prices vary with the materials and the hours a job takes. Each job is custom and unique, so we price it once we have seen the room.

Our work

Bathroom vanities, built and fitted.

Santa Barbara South Coast

Woodwork through a Spanish-style house

Tom built the woodwork through this house above the ocean: beams and plank ceilings, arched doors and windows, the kitchen cabinets, the mantels and the bath vanity. One hand in every room, which is why it reads as one house.

Ceiling beams and coffered ceilings · Door installation · Custom cabinetry

A living room with exposed wood beams, a plank ceiling, a wood mantel and arched wood-framed glass doors open to an ocean terrace — Beams, plank ceiling and arched doors to the terrace

A kitchen with stained wood frame-and-panel cabinets, wood-cased windows and a marble island — The kitchen

Tall wood-framed glass doors standing open between a beamed living room and a tiled terrace — Doors open to the terrace

A dining room with exposed beams, a wood mantel shelf and wood-framed glass doors facing the ocean — The dining room: beams, mantel and doors

Exposed wood beams and a plank ceiling above white plaster walls with arched openings — The beamed ceiling

A wood vanity with drawers and doors under a tiled counter with two basins, and wood-framed mirrors above — The bath vanity

Santa Barbara South Coast

Painted cabinetry and closets through a remodeled house

Finish work through a whole remodel: a kitchen with sage-green base cabinets and white uppers, a pantry nook with open shelves over a wood counter, a painted bath vanity, closets fitted with shelves and hanging rods, and a stair with new wood treads.

Custom cabinetry · Custom closets · Custom shelving

A long kitchen run of sage-green Shaker base cabinets with brass pulls under a white counter, and white wall cabinets — The kitchen: sage base cabinets, white uppers

A nook with white open shelves above a wood counter and sage-green open base cabinets — The pantry nook

A cream painted Shaker vanity with brass pulls under a green stone top — The bath vanity

A painted white closet with shelves and hanging rods on three walls — A closet: shelves and hanging rods

A narrow walk-in closet fitted with white shelves and double hanging rods on both sides — A walk-in closet

A stair with new light wood treads, white risers and a wall-mounted handrail — New wood treads on the stair

Santa Barbara South Coast

Cabinetry in a log house

Tom built the knotty wood cabinetry and trim for this log house: a bookcase wall built between peeled log posts, a bar and desk with glass-fronted cabinets, bath vanities, a loft railing, mantels and wainscot.

Built-ins · Custom cabinetry · Bathroom vanities

A wall of knotty wood bookcases and base cabinets fitted between peeled log posts — The bookcase wall, built between log posts

Knotty wood cabinets with glass-fronted doors above a granite bar and a built-in desk — The bar and desk

A knotty wood bath vanity with drawers and a tall linen tower beside it — Bath vanity and linen tower

A log-walled living room with a plank ceiling, wood-cased doors and a kitchen of knotty wood cabinets beyond — The living room, toward the kitchen

A bedroom with a log mantel over a stone fireplace, wood wainscoting and a plank ceiling — A bedroom: log mantel and wainscot

A loft game room with a wood railing of square balusters and a plank ceiling — The loft and its railing

Santa Barbara

A walnut refrigerator and wine wall

Walnut panels made to cover the refrigerator and frame a wine column, so the appliances read as one piece of furniture. The same house has a stained vanity and linen cabinet in the bath.

Custom cabinetry · Built-ins · Bathroom vanities

A tall walnut cabinet wall with frame-and-panel doors and brass pulls, beside a range under a plaster hood — The walnut wall beside the range and plaster hood

Floor-to-ceiling walnut frame-and-panel doors with long brass pulls beside a glass-fronted wine column — Panel doors and the wine column

A dark stained wood vanity with drawers under a marble top, and a matching tall linen cabinet — The bath: vanity and linen cabinet

All finish carpentry projects

Questions

Bathroom vanities: what owners ask.

Is a custom bathroom vanity worth it?

It is when the space is an odd size or you want the storage to work. Stock vanities come in set widths and waste whatever is left over. A custom vanity fills the wall exactly, puts drawers where you want them, and is built from materials meant for a wet room.

What is the best material for a bathroom vanity?

Plywood made for damp conditions, with solid wood for the frame and doors, is a sound choice. Standard MDF and particleboard swell if water reaches a raw edge. Whatever the material, the finish matters as much: every face, edge and cutout has to be sealed.

Can a floating vanity hold a stone countertop?

Yes, if the wall is prepared for it. The vanity hangs from solid blocking fixed between the studs, not from drywall or tile. That blocking goes in while the wall is open. Done that way, the cabinet carries the countertop, the sink and a person leaning on it.

Do I need a plumber to replace a vanity in Santa Barbara?

Usually, yes. The sink has to be disconnected and reconnected, and a new vanity often needs the drain or supply pipes in a different place. As a general contractor we coordinate the plumber and the countertop, so the cabinet, the pipes and the stone arrive in the right order.

Where we do this

Built in our small boutique shop in Carpinteria where the piece is custom, and fitted on site in:

Carpinteria Summerland Montecito Santa Barbara Hope Ranch Goleta

All finish carpentry · see the projects

Inquiries

Have a room in mind? Send us the photographs.

Email photographs of the room and rough measurements to purchasing@amnbuild.com. Matt reads it himself. No forms.

Email Matt the photographs Or call Matt · 805 886 0988