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Fitted storage
Alcove Units & Shelving
Chimney-breast alcoves filled properly, scribed to walls that are never square.
- Free measured survey
- Fixed written quote
- Workshop-made, site-fitted
- 10-year workmanship guarantee
- Fully insured
The difference between a fitted job and a fitted-looking job is the setting out. For alcove units & shelving in your home we rod the job first, so what arrives on site already accounts for the bows, the skirting and the ceiling line.
How we build it
Moisture matters more than most people expect. Timber is conditioned before machining, and anything going into a kitchen, utility or bathroom is specified in materials that will not swell at the bottom edge. That is why the base of a well-made unit still closes cleanly after five winters.
Finish and materials
Finishing happens in the workshop wherever possible. Sprayed paint gives an even film that brushwork cannot match, and the only work left on site is the final touch-in around scribes and fixings.
| Typical guide price | from £550 per linear metre, fitted |
|---|---|
| Typical lead time | 4–5 weeks from signed drawings |
| Typical construction | MDF, hand-painted |
| Guarantee | 10 years on workmanship |
Guide prices are indicative. Real cost depends on the run length, ceiling height, finish and what goes inside. The indicative price tool gives you a range in about a minute, and a free survey turns it into a fixed written quote.
Where we fit alcove units & shelving
We survey and fit across 76 counties. Pick your area for local detail:
Often specified alongside
Fitted Wardrobes
Floor-to-ceiling wardrobes built to your wall, not to a flat-pack size.
See detailSliding Door Wardrobes
Full-height sliding doors where a hinged door has nowhere to swing.
See detailWalk-In Dressing Rooms
Open hanging, drawer banks and lighting planned around what you actually own.
See detailBookcases & Libraries
Adjustable shelving sized for real books, with a spine that will not bow.
See detailStraight answers
Alcove Units & Shelving — common questions
Are the two alcoves either side of a chimney the same size?
Almost never. In a Victorian or Edwardian house they routinely differ by 20 to 40mm, and the walls lean. That is precisely why alcove units are made individually rather than bought as a pair.
Can you build around existing skirting?
Two options. We scribe the unit over the skirting, which is quick and reversible, or we cut the skirting back and run it into the unit for a flush finish. The second looks much better and is what we would normally recommend.
Cupboards below and shelves above?
It is the classic arrangement for a reason: closed storage where it is at eye level when you sit down, open display above. Typical split is cupboards to 900mm with four to five shelves over.
How far can a shelf span before it sags?
In 18mm MDF, about 800mm loaded with books. Beyond that we either thicken to 25mm, add a front lipping, or put a division in. A bowed shelf is the most common fault in self-built alcove work.
Can the shelves be adjustable?
Yes, on shelf pins into drilled rows, or on a routed housing if you want the look of fixed shelving. Adjustable is more practical; fixed housings look better and are stronger.
Will they be painted to match the walls?
Usually painted to match either the wall colour, so they recede, or the woodwork colour, so they read as part of the architecture. We spray them in the workshop in any colour you supply a reference for.
Can you get a TV and media kit into an alcove unit?
Yes, with a ventilated back panel and a brush plate for cables. Equipment needs air — a sealed cupboard full of amplifiers will overheat and shorten the kit's life.
Do you need to remove the old units first?
We can strip out existing units and take them away. Make-good to the plaster behind is usually needed and we will tell you at survey whether it is minor filling or a plasterer's job.
Start with a measurement
Tell us the space — we’ll tell you what it costs
Every quote starts with a free measured survey, so the price you get is the price you pay. No deposit is taken until you have drawings you are happy with.