Scarborough closets were built for a 1960s wardrobe and are holding a modern one. We rebuild them so the same opening does considerably more — priced online before anyone visits.
Most of Scarborough was built between the 1950s and the 1970s, and the closets have not aged the way the houses have. The bungalows, back-splits and side-splits across Bendale, Wexford, Cliffside and Birch Cliff are solid, well-proportioned family homes — but their bedroom closets were sized for a household that owned a fraction of what one owns now. One rod, one shelf, and often a depth too shallow for a hanger to sit square.
The good news is that these homes usually have more to work with than they appear to. Ceilings are frequently higher than the closet takes advantage of, walls are long and uninterrupted, and bedrooms are a decent size. A system built to the measured opening, with the hanging split into short and long zones and shelving carried up to the ceiling, changes what a standard Scarborough closet holds without touching a wall. Adding a drawer bank inside the closet means the dresser can leave the bedroom, which in a mid-sized room is the difference between cramped and comfortable.
There is newer Scarborough too — the townhome and infill development around Malvern, Agincourt and along the eastern edge — and those need the more familiar builder-wire replacement rather than a rethink. And in the smaller postwar houses where the original closet is simply too shallow to be useful, a built-in wardrobe on an adjacent wall consistently adds more storage than anything that can be fitted inside the original opening.
The homes are not short of space. The closets are short of design, and in a few specific ways.
A 1960s bedroom closet was specified for far less clothing than a household owns now. The opening has not changed; the demand on it has.
Many postwar Scarborough closets are too shallow for a standard hanger to hang square, which needs a design built to the measured depth rather than an assumed one.
The original shelf sits well below the ceiling in most of these homes. That band is the cheapest storage available because the space already exists.
Townhome and recent development around Malvern and Agincourt has the standard builder wire instead — a straightforward replacement rather than a rethink.
Red Rose serves every part of Scarborough. These notes describe the housing stock in each area — what the closets are usually like, and what tends to be worth changing.
Postwar bungalows and split-levels with well-proportioned bedrooms and closets sized for a much smaller wardrobe.
A wide mix of postwar family homes and newer infill, so closet openings vary considerably street to street.
1950s and 1960s family homes where the original closet fit-out has generally never been changed since the build.
Established homes on mature lots with generous room sizes and shallow original closets that need individual measuring.
Older houses near the bluffs with high ceilings and small, non-standard closet openings.
Later development and townhomes fitted with builder wire shelving — a more straightforward replacement project.
The main Scarborough project by a wide margin. Built to your measured opening — up to 130 inches wide and 10 feet tall — with hanging split by garment length instead of one compromise rod height, and shelving carried up rather than stopping at the original shelf.
Where a postwar closet is simply too shallow to be useful, a built-in wardrobe on an adjacent wall adds a full run of hanging, shelving and drawers. Sliding and bi-fold doors recover the floor a swing door takes out of a smaller bedroom.
Less common in older Scarborough but standard in the newer townhomes and larger renovated homes. Where one exists it is usually a rail on two walls, which we rebuild as an L-shaped or U-shaped system using the full height.
Front hall storage, basement and laundry shelving, and entertainment walls. In a family home this is what keeps coats, boots and sports gear out of the bedroom closets.
We have not published a photographed project gallery for Scarborough specifically. Rather than show stock photography or work from somewhere else and imply it was built here, we would rather point you at the real thing: photographed projects from real Ontario homes are on our portfolio and Instagram, and 100 customers across our Ontario service area have reviewed the work on Google.
If you would like to see examples closest to your own home type — a condo reach-in, a townhome primary closet, a full walk-in — ask when you get in touch and we will send relevant photos directly.
Pick your closet type, enter your wall dimensions, choose height and base style, then place the modules you want. It takes a few minutes and nothing is booked.
Your price updates live as you build, itemised by base system, drawers, height and base upgrades, and HST. No waiting for a callback to find out the number.
We review the design with you and confirm the real measurements in your Scarborough home before anything is cut, so the system fits the opening you actually have.
Your system is cut and built to those measurements in Ontario — sized to your walls rather than assembled from standard cabinet widths.
Our team removes the old shelving, patches the wall, and installs the new system. A single closet is typically a one-day install.
A 3D closet designer that prices your build as you go. You see the layout and the number before you talk to a salesperson, because there isn't one.
Every system is cut to the actual opening in your Scarborough home — up to 130 inches wide and 10 feet tall — so nothing is lost to filler panels.
We manufacture on our own equipment rather than importing a catalogue product, which is why non-standard widths, depths and ceiling heights are routine rather than surcharges.
Karan and Mehak oversee every project from the first call to the final install. The people who quote your closet are the people who deliver it.
Every Red Rose system carries a 2-year warranty, and because the parts are made here, a replacement is cut on the same equipment as the original.
100 reviews on Google at 5.0 stars, from homeowners across our Ontario service area.
Google does not publish a location for reviewers, so these are reviews from across our Ontario service area rather than Scarborough specifically.
All I can say is wow. Had a quote on a Friday late night and installed by the next Wednesday. Karan is outstanding — his attention to detail, his professionalism, and the quality of work is second to none. Highly recommend.
Super impressed with Karan and his team! Did quite a bit of research looking for the right company with the right price. Red Rose checked all the boxes. The closet looks absolutely stunning and was done quickly. Would 100% recommend.
Red Rose Custom Closets did a superb job designing and installing my custom closet — it's perfect! I needed to maximize a small space and Karan delivered exactly what I envisioned. Professional, prompt, and the quality is outstanding.
Karan from Red Rose Custom Closets was phenomenal to work with! We had 3 closets made and they are all so beautifully done. His attention to detail, quality of materials, and professionalism are unmatched. We couldn't be happier!
Yes, and shallow closets are where building to measurement matters most, because standard-width cabinetry does not fit them cleanly. Every system is cut to the depth we measure on site instead of a modern default. In the shallowest postwar Scarborough closets we will often recommend moving some of the storage to a built-in wardrobe on an adjacent wall instead of forcing everything into the original opening.
A reach-in is $650 up to 49 inches wide, $750 through the 50 to 96 inch range, and $950 to $1,150 for the widest openings we build. An L-shaped walk-in starts at $1,250. Drawers are $125 apiece and extra ceiling height is charged in proportion. All figures are before 13% HST, and the online designer shows the itemised total as you build.
That is usually the goal in a Scarborough bedroom. Moving the drawers into the closet frees the floor space the dresser occupied, which in a mid-sized postwar bedroom is a noticeable change to how the room works. Drawers are $125 each, so it is also one of the more predictable parts of the estimate.
Yes. Once we are on site, additional reach-ins are a small fraction of the first one's cost, and they are scheduled into the same install rather than a separate trip. Most Scarborough projects end up covering two or three bedrooms for that reason.
Scarborough is part of the City of Toronto and we work throughout it. There is no difference in how a project runs, and pricing is based on your closet rather than your address.
Build your closet in the online designer and see the full price breakdown — reach-ins from $650 and walk-ins from $1,250, before 13% HST. No appointment needed to get a number.
Prefer to talk? Call Karan at (416) 258-1065