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County Antrim · Northern Ireland
Hardwood Shopfronts in County Antrim
Traditional timber shopfronts built to the elevation, not to a standard module.
- Free measured survey
- Fixed written quote
- Workshop-made, site-fitted
- 10-year workmanship guarantee
- Fully insured
County Antrim is a county of basalt and rendered stone cottages with a large modern housing stock. That is exactly the kind of building stock a hardwood shopfront 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
Every hardwood shopfront we make starts with a site survey and a set of setting-out drawings, not a catalogue page. We measure the opening in County Antrim, check the walls for wind and the floor for fall, then cut a carcass that fits the room you actually have.
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
Every finished job gets a short handover: what the surface is, how to clean it, and how to adjust a hinge if a door drops after the heating has been on for a season. Adjustment is normal in timber and takes about two minutes once you know which screw to turn.
| Guide price | from £2,400 per linear metre, fitted |
|---|---|
| Lead time | 8-12 weeks from signed drawings |
| Construction | Accoya or iroko, factory finished |
| Survey area | All of County Antrim, including Ballymena, Antrim, Larne, Coleraine |
Want a number now? The indicative price tool gives a range in about a minute. A free survey in County Antrim turns it into a fixed written quote.
Towns we cover
Other joinery for County Antrim
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
Hardwood Shopfronts in County Antrim — common questions
Can you match an existing frontage next door?
Yes. We take the profiles off the original with a moulding gauge, so the ovolo, the cornice and the pilaster proportions come back the same rather than approximately. That is normally what a conservation officer is checking.
What about level access?
Part M expects a level or gently ramped threshold on a commercial entrance. We detail a low-profile weathered cill with a drainage channel so you get accessibility without a puddle inside the door.
How is a shopfront finished?
Factory finished before it reaches site — primer plus two coats, on all faces including the ones you will never see again once it is fitted. Sealing the back and the ends is what stops moisture getting into the joints.
Which hardwood is best for a shopfront?
Accoya and iroko for anything facing weather. Accoya is dimensionally very stable and holds paint for years longer than softwood; iroko is naturally durable and suits a stained or oiled finish. European oak looks right on a period frontage but moves more and stains around ferrous fixings, so it needs stainless throughout.
Is bespoke joinery more expensive than a fitted furniture chain?
On a like-for-like specification it is usually comparable, and often less. Chains price a standard carcass and then charge for every deviation. A bespoke maker prices the actual room once. Where bespoke does cost more is in the materials — solid hardwood and sprayed finishes cost more than foil-wrapped board, and they last a great deal longer.
Start with a measurement
Tell us the space in County Antrim — 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.