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Scottish Borders · Scotland
Alcove Units & Shelving in Scottish Borders
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
Scottish Borders is a county of stone mill-town terraces and substantial rural farmhouses. 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
Off-the-shelf units are made to standard sizes and then filled out with scribe strips. Our run of alcove units work is cut to the dimensions taken from your Scottish Borders property, so there is no packing, no filler and no gap that opens up in year two.
How we build it
Timber is chosen for the room it is going into. Painted work is built in tulipwood and moisture-resistant MDF because they hold a crisp arris and take a sprayed finish without grain rise. Where the grain is meant to be seen we use European oak, walnut or ash, with veneers laid so the figure runs continuously across a set of doors.
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 Scottish Borders, including Galashiels, Hawick, Peebles, Kelso |
Want a number now? The indicative price tool gives a range in about a minute. A free survey in Scottish Borders turns it into a fixed written quote.
Towns we cover
Other joinery for Scottish Borders
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 Scottish Borders — common questions
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.
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 you match existing joinery in the house?
Yes. We take a profile of the existing skirting, architrave or door and either match it from stock cutters or have a cutter ground so the new work runs identically. Matching an old paint colour is straightforward; matching aged oak takes a sample panel and a couple of attempts, which we build into the programme.
Start with a measurement
Tell us the space in Scottish Borders — 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.