We are trying to decide between true builtins (wood shelves, painted white or stained) at about 11K or hiring a carpenter to trim out 6 Billys from Ikea to look built-in at about 1K. Have saved a good bit from our original estimates on the reno of our forever home--did our own painting, left a bathroom as was. The price differential is so great, but we want something that will really look good and make us long-term happy with it. They will dominate the living room, covering a 16-ft long wall. As a soon-to-be-retired professor, we have a LOT of books.