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Fitted storage
Bookcases & Libraries
Adjustable shelving sized for real books, with a spine that will not bow.
- Free measured survey
- Fixed written quote
- Workshop-made, site-fitted
- 10-year workmanship guarantee
- Fully insured
A bookcase is a permanent part of the building, so it is worth setting out properly. We take the survey, agree the drawings, machine the parts in the workshop and fit in your home in one visit wherever the programme allows.
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
You can have it primed for your own decorator, sprayed in any RAL or heritage colour, or left in oiled timber. Oiled finishes can be refreshed at home; sprayed finishes are harder wearing and are what we recommend for kitchens and anything at knee height.
| Typical guide price | from £680 per linear metre, fitted |
|---|---|
| Typical lead time | 5–6 weeks from signed drawings |
| Typical construction | Tulipwood and MDF |
| 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 bookcases & libraries
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 detailAlcove Units & Shelving
Chimney-breast alcoves filled properly, scribed to walls that are never square.
See detailStraight answers
Bookcases & Libraries — common questions
How deep should book shelving be?
250mm suits most hardbacks and paperbacks. 300mm takes art and reference books. Going deeper than 320mm just invites a second row behind the first, which you will never see again.
What spacing between shelves?
Paperbacks need 220mm clear, standard hardbacks 280mm, and large-format art books 350mm or more. A mix of fixed spacings across a wall looks better than every shelf the same, and it stores more.
Can a bookcase go around a doorway?
Yes, and a bridging section over the door is one of the best uses of dead wall. The bridge is built as a separate deep box so it carries its own load rather than hanging off the uprights.
Should shelves be fixed or adjustable?
Adjustable for a working library. Fixed housed shelves for a room where the look matters more than the flexibility — a housed joint is far stiffer and lets you run a longer span.
Can you add a ladder?
For a run over about 2,400mm high, yes. A rolling library ladder on a brass rail needs a solid fixing into the structure above the top shelf, which we plan at survey.
How do you stop books fading?
Keep the run off the wall that gets direct sun, or fit glazed doors with a UV film. Spines fade faster than most people expect on a south-facing wall.
Can lighting be built in?
Yes — LED strip recessed into the front edge of each shelf, wired back to a single driver and a dimmer. It needs a spur planning before we fit, so it is worth deciding early.
What is the maximum height you would build to?
Whatever the ceiling is. Above about 2,400mm the top shelf becomes a display shelf rather than a working one, so we tend to put the deep, heavy books low and use the top for things you look at rather than reach for.
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.