Redbridge · London
Alcove Units in Redbridge
Wherever you are in Redbridge, we can design, make and fit alcove units. We visit, measure and talk it through before we quote.
Alcove Units in Redbridge
Where we work in Redbridge
We make cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast. Find your neighbourhood in the lists below for local details. To get started, use the contact form.
Main places
About alcove units in Redbridge
Few alcoves in older houses are truly square. Walls bow, corners wander and floors slope, sometimes all in one recess. We make each unit in our workshop to the measurements we take, then scribe it on site, so the sides meet the wall closely rather than showing a dark line. Adjustable feet or a plinth set it level. Most enquiries start with room to work in an alcove and old alcove cupboards that have seen better days; the furniture is made from birch ply and moisture-resistant MDF, painted by hand or sprayed.
Getting everything level comes first. Where the floor slopes, we bring the furniture up to level on adjustable feet or a plinth. Only then is it fixed to the wall, with fixings chosen to suit brick, lath and plaster or plasterboard.
- You send us a few details about the alcoves and what you’d like in them.
- We come to measure the alcoves, look at the walls and agree the design with you, noting the skirting, picture rail and any chimney vent.
- You receive a written quote setting out the units, materials and finish, for you to read through at your own pace.
- Each unit is built in our workshop to the measurements we took, ready for a spray-painted finish or for hand painting on site.
- We install the units, set them level and scribe them to the alcoves, so they sit tight to the chimney breast.
Quotes in Redbridge
Parking is part of the price picture in London. Much of London is covered by controlled parking zones, so we may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a suspended bay. Let us know about parking during the design visit.
What you get with us
- Scribed to uneven walls
- Saturdays by arrangement
- We visit, measure and go through the design before we quote
- Moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
Getting a quote
Your quote is written for your room once we’ve visited and measured. Each room is different, so we quote after seeing it, once the room is measured and the design talked through. For a quote, send us a few details through our contact form.
Near you in Woodford
Around Woodford, we cover homes near Churchfields Junior School, St Barnabas' Church and Woodford Green Preparatory School, among other places. Also close by are Former White Hart Public House (0.7 miles south-west), The Highams Park (1.1 miles north-west) and Woodbridge High School (close by, under half a mile south-east). For rail, the closest station is Highams Park station, about 1.3 miles west. Other landmarks nearby include Wanstead Hospital (1.4 miles south). Not far away are Highams Park Lake.
Alcove units across Redbridge: local notes
Some living rooms across Redbridge are long knocked-through rooms; others are compact flats where one wall has to hold everything. Alcove units can take on either, from a pair of alcoves to a full wall. You choose the colour, and whether it is sprayed in the workshop or painted by hand.
The biggest shares of homes in Redbridge were built between 1919 and 1939 (about 34%) and before 1919 (about 27%), going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. That matters for alcove units, as the build era decides whether a wall is solid brick, lath and plaster, block or plasterboard. About 34% of homes in Redbridge date from between 1919 and 1939, based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. Houses from the 1920s and 1930s often have a bay window and a chimney breast in the front room, which shape where alcove units go. Terraced houses are home to about 32% of households in Redbridge, the 2021 Census shows. Terraced houses in London often have alcoves beside a chimney breast, and alcove units are made to those widths.
Our area covers the whole of London, all 32 boroughs and the City, Redbridge included. Every job starts the same way, with a design visit to measure and discuss the design.
Woodford: If your home is as old as some of the listed buildings nearby, such as Hurst House, original features like shutters, panelling and fireplaces are worth designing around. For a listed home, fixing into original features can require listed building consent. For a family home near Woodbridge High School, shelving with deep cupboards below keeps books, games and school things in one place.
Why people ask for alcove units in Redbridge
A busy family living room is another reason. Toys, games, paperwork and gadgets need somewhere to go, and closed cupboards hide them away. Open shelves above are left for the things you like to see.
Common reasons to get in touch include:
- Bowed walls and sloping floors
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
- Worn or badly fitted alcove units
- Shop-bought shelving that doesn’t fill the recess
Looking after your furniture
These points come up often when people plan alcove units. They’re worth knowing whatever the room:
- Measure anything large that must fit inside, such as a record player
- Decide whether the units stop at the picture rail or run to the ceiling
- Note any vent or air brick on the chimney breast
- Make a rough list of what the cupboards need to hold
Don’t let stored things block the chimney breast vent, even when the cupboards fill up. Ventilation helps keep the chimney breast dry.
Spread heavy loads and keep the heaviest things on lower shelves. Overloaded shelves are the main cause of sagging, so tell us at the design visit if a shelf will hold something heavy.
Flats, blocks and rented homes
For a rented home, access for the design visit and fitting day has to be agreed with the tenants. A letting agent can arrange this on a landlord’s behalf, and the written quote can go to whoever needs it.
Some blocks ask for notice before trades arrive, often through a building manager or concierge. If there is a lift, it may need booking, and its size matters when we plan the sections. Mention it when you contact us.
Boards, parts and paint
Shelves
We set shelf spacing around what you own, from paperbacks to tall art books. Upper shelves can be shallower for a lighter look.
Moisture-resistant MDF
For alcove units, MDF gives crisp doors and smooth sides. The moisture-resistant grade is a sensible choice next to a chimney breast.
DIY, flat-pack or bespoke
It is worth being honest about cost: off-the-shelf furniture usually costs less up front. Bespoke makes more sense where the room is awkward, the space is valuable or you want the furniture to look built in.
What you pay for with bespoke is mainly the fit: scribed edges, a level base on an uneven floor and furniture that meets the ceiling, skirting and picture rail. In an older room, standard units rarely manage that.
Your questions about alcove units in Redbridge
Do you make the furniture yourselves?
We make it in our workshop, to the sizes taken at the design visit. Then we bring it to your home and fit it.
Can you add sockets inside the units?
Electrical work is not something we do. New or moved sockets are a job for your electrician, ideally before fitting. We plan the units around the sockets, with cut-outs where needed.
How much will my alcove unit cost?
It depends on the size, the number of doors and drawers, the internal fittings and the finish, along with access and parking. The price comes in a written quote after the design visit.
What do you do at the measuring visit?
It’s a chance to measure properly and talk through what you’d like. We look at the walls, floors and anything the furniture has to work around, and the written quote comes afterwards.
What paint finish can I have on alcove units?
There are two options: a spray-painted finish done in our workshop, or a hand-painted finish done on site. Both are in a colour agreed with you. Spraying gives a smooth, even surface, and hand painting is easy to touch up.
How long will the fitting take?
How long fitting takes depends on the size and number of units, and your quote sets out the fitting days. The units are made at our workshop first.
Can I send pictures before the visit?
Yes. Pictures help us understand the room before the design visit, along with rough sizes. It’s useful to show radiators, sockets and anything else on the wall.