The four situations where custom-made is the answer
Many things worth buying can be bought. But every week people run into a version of the same problem: the thing they need does not exist. It is nearly always one of these four situations.
- Nothing comes in the size you need. Alcove shelving, an oversize picture frame, a table that has to clear a radiator by exactly 40mm. Retail stops at standard sizes, and your space is not standard.
- The replacement part is obsolete. A battery cover for a discontinued kitchen scale, a knob for a vintage cooker, a bracket that snapped on something sentimental. The manufacturer moved on long ago, but the object still matters.
- The job is too small for a manufacturer. Plenty of workshops will quote for a hundred units. Finding someone happy to make exactly one is the hard part.
- The lead time is too long. The established specialists are often booked far ahead.
All four have the same answer: an independent maker. The UK is full of them, working in wood, metal, plastic, textiles, 3D printing and more, and one-off jobs are exactly what they can do.
What a maker needs from you (it is less than you think)
People are often put off commissioning something because they assume they need every detail worked out before approaching a Maker. You do not. Provide enough to start a conversation, and Makers will use their expertise to take you through the rest. Start the conversation with whatever you have, a brief description or sketch, a photo of the space it needs to fit, or of the broken part next to a ruler.
That said, the more you can say about sizes, materials and finish, the more accurate the quotes you get back, and for some jobs (machined parts, for example) a CAD file genuinely helps. For others, like upholstery or signwriting, it means nothing at all. Start with what you have.
Route one: approach makers directly
If you know the kind of maker you need, you can go straight to them. Ask to see photos of similar jobs they have actually done, get more than one quote, and agree the price, timescale, delivery and payment terms in writing before anything starts. Two things to watch: good makers are often booked out weeks or months ahead, and paying a stranger a deposit by bank transfer leaves you with little protection if things go wrong.
Route two: post a brief and let makers come to you
The other way round is to describe what you need once and let makers quote you. That is what we built Need It Made for. You post your project free: a title, a few lines about the idea, any photos or sketches, roughly when you want it and where it should be sent. Makers across the UK see it and bid, and the price shown on each bid is the total you would pay.
If you accept a bid, the Maker first confirms they have capacity to take the job on, and only then do you pay. Your payment is held by the platform while the work is done and released to the Maker after the finished item has been delivered to you, which takes the deposit-by-bank-transfer risk out of commissioning someone you have never met.
What does custom making cost?
More than mass produced items, but less than people fear. A factory spreads its setup cost over thousands of units; a maker is giving you hours of skilled work on a single one. Small printed or turned parts can cost very little. Furniture sized to your room costs more than flat-pack, but it fits, and it lasts. The honest answer is that price depends on material, finish and time, which is exactly why getting real quotes beats guessing.
Common questions
Can I really get just one made?
Yes. One-off work is the point of commissioning an independent maker, whether it is a single replacement part or a single piece of furniture.
Do I need a technical drawing?
No. A sketch with measurements, or a photo with sizes marked on it, is enough to get quotes. More detail gets you sharper quotes, and a CAD file helps for some kinds of job, but neither is required.
How long does it take?
It varies with the job and the maker's diary: a small printed part might be days, bespoke furniture is usually weeks. Say when you need it by up front. If one maker is booked out for months, another with capacity now may quote the same job, which is one advantage of letting several makers respond to the same brief.
Can I get a part for something that is discontinued?
Very often, yes. Measure it, photograph it from a few angles next to a ruler, and note what it is made of. Makers remake obsolete parts all the time, and for many small parts 3D printing has made this quicker and cheaper than it has ever been.