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Belfast · Northern Ireland
Alcove Units & Shelving in Belfast
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
Belfast is a county of red-brick Victorian terraces and generous interwar suburban housing. That is exactly the kind of building stock a run of alcove units has to be drawn around, so we allow for it at survey stage rather than on fitting day — walls get checked for wind and plumb, floors for level, and the setting-out is taken from the worst reading, not the best.
How we approach it
We build alcove units & shelving as cabinetmakers rather than fitters: machined joints, real carcass construction, and a finish applied under workshop conditions before anything reaches your Belfast address.
How we build it
Hardware is specified to the weight it is carrying, not to a price point. Soft-close runners are rated for the drawer load, hinges are adjustable in three planes, and sliding gear is sized so a full-height door still moves with one finger a decade later.
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.
| Guide price | from £550 per linear metre, fitted |
|---|---|
| Lead time | 4–5 weeks from signed drawings |
| Construction | MDF, hand-painted |
| Survey area | All of Belfast, including Belfast, Lisburn, Holywood, Dundonald |
Want a number now? The indicative price tool gives a range in about a minute. A free survey in Belfast turns it into a fixed written quote.
Towns we cover
Other joinery for Belfast
What happens next
Four steps, no surprises
Survey
A joiner visits, measures the opening, checks for level and plumb, and talks through how you want to use the space.
Drawings & quote
You get a setting-out drawing and a fixed written price. Nothing is ordered until you have approved both.
Workshop
Parts are machined, assembled and finished under cover while the site carries on with other trades.
Fit & handover
We fit, scribe, adjust and touch in, then walk you through care and adjustment before we leave.
Straight answers
Alcove Units & Shelving in Belfast — common questions
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.
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.
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.
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.
Do I need to empty the room before you fit?
Clear the working wall and anything fragile. We bring dust sheets and a vacuum-extracted saw, but fitting makes dust and we would rather your furniture was out of the way. For kitchens we will agree a sequence with you so you keep a sink and a kettle for as long as possible.
Start with a measurement
Tell us the space in Belfast — 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.