Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Redbridge · London
Aldborough Hatch Alcove Units
Walls in older London homes are rarely straight, so we scribe the furniture to follow them. We make alcove units for homes in Aldborough Hatch, each designed at a visit to your home.
- Somewhere to keep books and records
- Shop-bought shelving that does not fill the recess
- A place for a small desk
Alcove units for your home in Aldborough Hatch
Alcove units in Aldborough Hatch
Period alcoves are rarely square. The walls lean, the chimney breast may bow and the floor often slopes. Each unit is made in our workshop to our measurements and scribed to the walls when we fit it, so the sides meet the wall closely rather than showing a dark line. Adjustable feet or a plinth set it level. We make alcove units from birch plywood and moisture-resistant MDF with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish, and the usual reasons to get in touch are everyday clutter left on show and somewhere to keep books and records.
Ceilings in interwar houses tend to be lower than in Victorian ones, and the proportions of alcove units are set to match. If yours is one of the interwar houses, semis or detached homes that make up much of the housing around Aldborough Hatch, there may be little or no cornice, which lets the furniture run straight up to the ceiling. The skirting is scribed around neatly.
We write quotes in plain English, without jargon. You’ll see what will be made, the boards used and the finish.
- Where
- Aldborough Hatch (IG2, IG3, RM6)
- Borough
- Redbridge
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- Design visit, then a quote in writing
- Making
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Materials and finish
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- When we fit
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Enquiries
- The contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Flats, blocks and rented homes
If the property is let, we’ll need access agreed with the tenants, at times that suit them. A letting agent can arrange this on a landlord’s behalf.
In a flat, the route in matters as much as the room. At the design visit, we measure the stairs, the landings, any lift and the doors, so the furniture can be made in sections that fit through without a struggle.
When is bespoke worth it?
Flat-pack and off-the-shelf furniture has its place. If the walls are straight and the space suits standard sizes, it often does the job.
If you are handy, a simple shelf or a standard wardrobe in a square room is a reasonable DIY job. Sloping ceilings, uneven floors and lath-and-plaster walls make it harder.
How fitting works for alcove units
You’re welcome to ask questions while we work. The design, materials and finish were settled before anything was made, so fitting day is about putting it in place carefully and leaving everything tidy. The time the fitting takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. Clearing the room and the way in beforehand helps the day run well. On the day, we cover the floors first, then bring the sections in. The pieces are levelled, fitted to the walls and fixed back.
- You send us some details about the alcoves and what you’d like in them, and a rough sketch helps if you have one.
- At the design visit, we measure each alcove and go through the layout with you, noting the skirting, picture rail and any chimney vent.
- We send a written quote for the units, so you can look it over in your own time.
- Each unit is built in our workshop to the measurements we took, using moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- The units are fitted in your home and scribed to follow the walls. Then we go through the doors and shelves with you.
How to prepare
- Tell us about parking near your home
- Clear the hallway and stairs so the sections can come through
- If you live in a block, book the lift and tell the building manager
Starting with a design visit
Getting a quote starts with a few details: the room, rough sizes and some photos if you have them. To send them, message us from the contact page. After that, we arrange a visit to measure and talk through the design, then send a written quote.
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Made for the room, or bought in a box?
In fairness, standalone furniture comes with you when you move. Fitted alcove units stay with the house and remain when you move on. Which suits you depends on your plans. In an extended or opened-up house, old and new walls often meet slightly out of line, and straight-sided ready-made units make that obvious. Built-in pieces are scribed to take up the difference.
The price comes in a written quote, worked out from the measurements and the design you choose. The price depends mainly on the size of the piece, how many doors and drawers it has and what goes inside.
Why choose us
- Built around your room
- Scribed to uneven walls
- Over 300 projects completed
- Work across the whole of London
Questions we’re often asked
Will parking be an issue for fitting furniture in Aldborough Hatch?
It depends on the street, as many London boroughs run controlled parking zones. Depending on the street, a visitor permit, a paid bay or a bay suspension through the council may be needed, and suspensions often need notice. It helps to tell us about parking during the design visit, so the day can be planned around it.
I live near Goodmayes station. Is that in your area?
Yes, homes across Redbridge and the rest of London are within the area we cover. You can tell us about the room on our contact form to arrange a design visit.
What if the wall is cold or damp?
It can be done with some care: leaving ventilation behind and inside helps stop condensation. Damp treatment is not something we do, so any damp needs sorting first.
Which finishes are there for alcove units?
You can choose a spray-painted finish from our workshop or a hand-painted finish in your home. Both are in a colour agreed with you. Spraying gives a smooth, even surface, and hand painting is easy to touch up.
What happens to the chimney vent when alcove units go in?
Any vent is kept clear in the design. Air moving through a capped chimney helps stop damp. Any existing damp should be dealt with before the units go in.
Do I need to be in when you fit?
We need access, so someone has to let us in. You do not need to watch us work.
How we price alcove units
Not every room costs the same, and it comes down to:
- The finish: spray painted or hand painted
- How big the furniture is
- The internal fittings
- Access to the room, like stairs, lifts and narrow halls
How it’s painted is part of the price: spray painting happens in the workshop, and hand painting can be done in your home. Your choice, along with the size and the fittings, is reflected in the written quote.
Getting in touch
Some details help us understand the job before we visit. It’s useful to include:
- Radiators, sockets, pipes or meters on or near the wall
- A few pictures of the space, taken from the doorway and from each corner
- Whether it is a house or a flat, and if there are stairs or a lift
- Where you live, with the postcode
For a quote for alcove units in Aldborough Hatch, get in touch through our contact form. Let us know which room it is and roughly what you have in mind. Next comes a design visit, followed by a written quote.
Living-room storage in Aldborough Hatch
In the neighbourhood around Aldborough Hatch, the largest groups of homes date from between 1919 and 1939 (about 46%) and between 1945 and 1972 (about 20%), going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. For carpentry, the era of a house is a useful clue to how square its rooms are and what its walls are made of. Near the centre of Aldborough Hatch, Historic England’s list includes Church of St Peter (Grade II), under half a mile north, and Aldborough Hatch Chapel (Grade II), under half a mile north-west. Works inside a listed home that affect its character, for example removing original joinery or fixing into it, can require listed building consent from the council. It is worth speaking to the council’s conservation officer before the design is final. About 46% of homes in the area around Aldborough Hatch date from between 1919 and 1939, going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. Interwar front rooms normally have a bay at the front and a chimney breast on the side wall, and alcove units are planned around both.
The wider area includes historic houses like Valentines Mansion, about 1.6 miles west. If your own home is a period one, walls that bow and floors that slope are why alcove units are scribed to fit rather than pushed into place. If you live near Fairlop Waters, shelving that stops short of the window keeps the view of the green. If you live in a flat close to Goodmayes station, each piece is planned so it can be carried up and joined together in the room.
Aldborough Hatch is about 3 miles north-west of Woodford, within the London Borough of Redbridge. Aldborough Hatch is part of the area we cover. In Redbridge, Aldborough Hatch is one of the places we cover.
Every address in IG2, IG3 and RM6 is within our area for alcove units, from the main roads to the quieter streets. You will find streets here such as Oaks Lane, Chase Lane and Mendip Road, and we cover homes on all of them for alcove units. The A12 runs close to Aldborough Hatch, so if your home is on a main road, mention it when you contact us. If you’re just outside Aldborough Hatch, we also cover Goodmayes (1 mile south), Chadwell Heath (2 miles east), Becontree Heath (2 miles south-east) and Becontree (3 miles south-east). Across the rest of Redbridge, our area takes in Woodford (3 miles north-west), Ilford (2 miles south-west), Loxford (2 miles south), Wanstead (3 miles west), South Woodford (3 miles west) and Redbridge (2 miles west).
Near you in Aldborough Hatch
Around Aldborough Hatch, we cover homes near Oaks Park High School. The nearest railway station is Goodmayes station, roughly 1.2 miles south-east of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include King George Hospital (under half a mile east) and Redbridge Museum (2 miles south-west).