By Gene and Katie Hamilton

A wall niche isn't for everyone, but when installed in a room, foyer or stair landing, it becomes the focal point and provides a showcase for a favorite art object. In many old, elaborate homes, niches were made of heavy plaster molding and woodwork. Today, niches are made of lightweight urethane and come as complete units ready to install into a wall. There are also styles that mount flush on the wall and don't require any wall modification.

A carpenter will charge $411 to install a 42-by-20 inch niche that fits in a 14 1/2-inch opening, a standard space between wall studs. This includes the labor and material. A handy homeowner with carpentry skills and tools can make the installation for $225 - the cost of the niche and a tube of construction adhesive - and save 45 percent.

Needless to say, if you're remodeling a room and building new walls, it's easier to install a niche in the exposed framing. If you're cutting an opening into existing walls for a niche use an electronic stud finder to make sure it's a hollow cavity.

Designers tell us a good location for a wall niche is where it’s a focal point like at the top of a stairs or in a hallway where it’s clearly visible. Paint the wall niche in a faux finish that compliments the wall cover and you’ve created an instant heirloom in your house that you’ll enjoy for years to come.

DIY Hassle Alert

Make a small inspection hole in the area behind the niche to avoid cutting electrical wires, plumbing pipes or heating ducts.

See a selection of niches at Inviting Home Wall Niches.

Looking for a carpenter to do the job? Click here to get to Home Advisor and it will open in a new tab and you’ll have to answer some basic questions about your job followed by carpenters in your area.

Wrapping up, given the average cost to build a wall niche you can compare the price of a contractor’s bid with doing it yourself. For a local cost input your ZIP Code.

Improvement and Repair Cost Updated 2019

The cost and time data is generated by averaging labor and material data from annually updated cost books used by contractors and refined by the authors' experience remodeling 13 houses. They are authors of 20 home improvement books and Do It Yourself or Not, a weekly column syndicated by Tribune Content Agency. The national cost can be adjusted by ZIP Code.