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Durham · North East
Hardwood Shopfronts in Durham
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
Durham is a county of stone-built pit-village terraces alongside Georgian and Victorian city 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
Off-the-shelf units are made to standard sizes and then filled out with scribe strips. Our hardwood shopfront work is cut to the dimensions taken from your Durham property, so there is no packing, no filler and no gap that opens up in year two.
How we build it
Carcass work is birch ply or MR MDF depending on span and load. Face frames and doors are solid hardwood. Everything is machined on the same setting so stiles, rails and reveals line through, and shadow gaps stay parallel from one end of the run to the other.
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 Durham, including Durham, Darlington, Hartlepool, Bishop Auckland |
Want a number now? The indicative price tool gives a range in about a minute. A free survey in Durham turns it into a fixed written quote.
Towns we cover
Other joinery for Durham
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 Durham — common questions
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.
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.
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 Durham — 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.