Toy Storage Cubbies Built In — Playroom Cubbies and a Bench
A store-bought cube shelf tips, sags and never fits the bins. Built-in cubbies are screwed to the wall, sized to the bins, and take a kid standing on them.
Toy storage cubbies built in are what a playroom needs instead of a tipping cube shelf: plywood cubbies sized to the bins you already use, a bench along the bottom kids can sit and climb on, and every piece screwed to the wall studs. JMB Builders builds them on site across the Twin Cities metro, in a playroom, a basement or the corner of a family room, and trims them to the room. Priced per project, quoted from your photos.
- Priced per project
- Cubbies sized to your bins, anchored to studs
- Bench kids can climb on without tipping
- Quote from photos in 1 business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
The cube shelves from the big-box store are the right idea. They are also particleboard, they sag under a full bin, and they tip when a three-year-old uses them as a ladder. A built-in does the same job with plywood, a face frame, and screws into every stud behind it. The cubbies are sized to the bins you already own, so nothing is an inch too tall to slide in.
The usual layout is a bench along the bottom, deep enough to sit on, with open cubbies under it for the big bins, and a bank of cubbies above for the small ones and books. Every edge a kid can reach gets rounded. The whole thing sits on a toe kick so the vacuum fits under, and the base runs across the front to match the room's baseboard. A cap on top and casing at the ends finish it.
When the playroom becomes a teenager's room or an office, the cubbies are still a bookcase and a bench. Nothing about it is only for toys.
What you supply
- Photos of the wall straight on with its width and height, and anything on it: outlets, a window, a return-air grille
- The bins you want to use, or their size, so the cubbies are built to fit them
- Bench or no bench, and whether you want doors on any of the cubbies
- A cushion for the bench if you want one; we build the seat to fit it
- Painting is quoted as a separate line — or leave it primed and caulked and paint it yourself
What JMB supplies
- A sketch of the cubby grid sized to your bins and your wall
- Plywood cubby boxes with a hardwood or MDF face frame, no particleboard
- A bench seat in plywood with a solid edge, on a toe kick, with cubbies under it for the deep bins
- Every box screwed to wall studs, with blocking added where the studs miss
- Rounded edges on the face frame and seat, and a cap and end casing to finish it into the room
- Doors on some cubbies if you want a few things out of sight, on soft-close hinges
- Painting when you want it done, quoted as its own line
- Photos of the finished wall in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Wall width and the number of cubbies in the grid
- A bench along the bottom vs. cubbies only
- Open cubbies vs. some with doors, and drawers under the bench
- Working around a window, an outlet or a return-air grille in the wall
- A basement slab or a finished floor, and whether the room is already trimmed
- Paint-grade vs. stain-grade materials
Send a photo with a bin sitting on the floor in front of the wall and a tape across the wall. We size the grid to the bin.
How long it takes
A bench with cubbies under and a bank above on one wall: two days on site. Cubbies only: one day. Painting after, on your schedule.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Bench and cubby wall
A bench along the whole wall with big-bin cubbies under it and a grid of small cubbies above. The standard playroom build.
Under-window cubbies
A low run under a window, bench height, so the window stays clear and the cubbies stay reachable. Cubbies under, a cushion on top.
Corner cubbies in a family room
A short cubby unit that matches the family room trim, with doors on the bottom row so the toys close away at night and the top reads as a bookcase.
Basement playroom wall
Boxes set on a cleat base off the slab so they stay dry, built plain and tough, with a cap that doubles as a shelf for the bigger kids' things.
Toy Storage Cubbies Built In — Playroom Cubbies and a Bench: questions, answered
Why build in toy cubbies instead of buying a cube shelf?
A store cube shelf is particleboard, it sags under a loaded bin, and it tips when a kid climbs it. A built-in is plywood with a face frame, screwed into the wall studs, sized to your bins and trimmed to the room. It holds more, it does not move, and it is still a bookcase and a bench when the toys are gone.
Are built-in cubbies safe for kids to climb on?
They are built expecting it. Every box is screwed to the studs behind it, or to blocking where the studs miss, so the unit cannot tip forward. The bench is plywood on a toe kick and takes an adult standing on it. Edges on the face frame and the seat are rounded, and open cubbies have no doors to pinch fingers unless you ask for them.
What size are the cubbies?
Whatever your bins are. Most people already own the fabric cubes or the clear plastic bins they want to keep using, so send a photo of one with a tape on it and we build the grid around it with a little clearance. Cubbies under the bench are deeper for the big bins; the ones above are shallower for books and small bins.
Can the cubbies have doors or drawers?
Yes. Doors on the bottom row hide the mess at night and go on soft-close hinges. Drawers on full-extension slides under the bench work well for blocks and small pieces. Most playrooms are better with open cubbies up top, because a kid will not open a door to put something away.
Can you build cubbies in a basement playroom?
Yes. The boxes sit on a cleat base off the slab so they stay dry if the floor ever gets damp, and the unit is anchored to the studs or, on a concrete wall, with the right masonry anchors. If the basement is not trimmed yet, we build the cubbies plain and add the base and casing when the room is finished.
What happens when the kids outgrow the playroom?
The cubbies stay useful. Sized for bins, they are sized for books, games and baskets too, and the bench is a bench. Painted in the room's trim color, a cubby wall in a former playroom reads as a bookcase and window seat in an office or a guest room. Nothing about it says toys except what is in it.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and for the builders and dealers we sub for. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 26, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All built-ins pages
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