Barking and Dagenham · London
Alcove Units in Barking and Dagenham
Alcove units for homes across Barking and Dagenham, from the largest neighbourhoods to the smallest streets, made in our workshop and fitted in your home, and fitting on weekdays or Saturdays by arrangement.
Planning alcove units in Barking and Dagenham?
Where we work in Barking and Dagenham
We design, make and fit alcove units for homes of every age. The lists below link to a page for each place.
Main places
What else we make in Barking and Dagenham
- Fitted cupboards
- Walk-in wardrobes
- Bespoke kitchens
- Fitted wardrobes
- Loft storage
- Wall beds
- Window seats
- TV and media units
- Built-in bookshelves
- Fitted home offices
- Under-stairs storage
Postcode areas we cover
Alcove units in Barking and Dagenham: how it works
One alcove can be given over to a desk, with shelving overhead and storage underneath. It gives you a place to work without turning a room into an office. We plan the desk height and depth with you, with a gap or hole planned so cables can reach the sockets. Most enquiries start with somewhere to keep books and records and tired cupboards in the alcoves, and the answer is built in our workshop from birch plywood and moisture-resistant MDF with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish.
In older rooms, the furniture usually has to meet skirting, picture rails, cornice or coving. On fitting day, we cut and scribe the furniture around these details. How long the fitting takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and the fitting days are set out in your quote.
- To begin, send us a few details through our contact form; a brief note on the alcoves is plenty, and mention if you live in a flat or up a few flights of stairs.
- At the design visit we measure the alcoves and also the way in: the front door, the hall and any stair turns. It helps to tell us then about parking, as much of London is in a controlled parking zone.
- Your written quote sets out the design, materials and finish.
- The units are made at our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, in sections sized to come through your door.
- We carry the sections in, assemble them in the alcoves and scribe them to the walls. A spray-painted finish arrives done; a hand-painted one is applied once the units are in.
What affects the price in Barking and Dagenham
The finish affects the cost: spray painting is done in the workshop, while hand painting can be done on site. Your choice, along with the size and the fittings, is reflected in the written quote.
Why householders in Barking and Dagenham choose us
- 300+ projects completed
- Workshop-made and fitted by us
- Work across the whole of London
- Every quote follows a design visit
Getting a quote
We quote once we have seen the room. At the visit, we measure, look at the walls and floors and talk through the design with you, then send a quote in writing. There’s no price list: each design is priced in writing after we’ve seen the space. To book a design visit, tell us about the room on our contact form.
Local landmarks in Barking
In Barking, that includes homes near Mayesbrook Park, Greatfields School and The Barking Dog pub and the streets around them. Nearby too are Eastbury Primary School (under half a mile north-east) and St Patrick's Church (less than half a mile south-west). The closest station to Barking is Barking station, roughly 0.8 miles north-west. Well-known places in the area include East End Women's Museum (0.9 miles west) and Barking Community Hospital (less than half a mile north). Open spaces near Barking include Ripple Nature Reserve.
Alcove units across Barking and Dagenham: local notes
Homes across Barking and Dagenham, Barking, Dagenham and Becontree included, have living rooms of every shape. Alcove units are designed for the one you have, with cable routes and ventilation for any screen or set-top boxes planned in. The carcasses are moisture-resistant MDF or birch plywood.
About 50% of the homes in Barking and Dagenham went up between 1919 and 1939, and about 20% since 2000, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). It is a good starting point, though every room is still measured, as two homes of the same age rarely match. About 50% of homes in Barking and Dagenham date from between 1919 and 1939, going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. Interwar front rooms usually have a bay at the front and a chimney breast on the side wall, which shape where alcove units go. Terraced houses are home to about 42% of households in Barking and Dagenham, in the ONS Census 2021 figures. Many London terraces have a chimney breast and alcoves in the main rooms, and alcove units are made to those widths.
Our area covers the whole of London, all 32 boroughs and the City, Barking and Dagenham included. Every job starts the same way, with a design visit to measure and talk through the design.
Barking: If you live near Mayesbrook Park, a room that looks out on trees deserves a design that leaves the window alone. Eastbury Manor House, about 0.1 miles east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area. For a period home anywhere nearby, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units.
Bespoke or off-the-shelf?
Shop-bought shelving and cabinets can go in an alcove, and they’re typically cheaper. The trouble is typically the gaps: standard widths rarely match the recess, and uneven walls make every gap obvious. A bespoke alcove unit is made to your measurements and scribed to the plaster.
Before you hire any carpenter
- Which materials they’ll use, named in the quote
- Whether they measure the room themselves
- Real projects you can actually look at
- Whether you’ll get a quote in writing, not just a figure
Before and after fitting day
Getting the most from alcove units starts with the planning and carries on after fitting day. Here are some things worth bearing in mind:
- Sort out damp patches before fitting
- Decide what goes behind doors and what goes on show
- Consider whether the units should reach the ceiling
- Note any vent or air brick on the chimney breast
Make a note of the paint colour used. Hand-painted finishes are the easiest to touch up in place, and it helps to keep a little of the paint.
Every so often, check that hinges and handles haven’t worked loose and adjust a door before a small rub becomes a mark.
What it costs
The price for your room depends on:
- The finish: spray painted or hand painted
- The width and height of the space
- The number of doors and drawers
- The internal fittings
Prices are quoted for your room, once we’ve measured and talked through the design. Bigger pieces use more board and take longer to make and fit, so size is the starting point. After that, the number of doors and drawers, the internal fittings and the finish all play a part.
Before the design visit
When you contact us, these help most:
- Anything in the way, such as radiators, sockets, switches, a boiler or meters
- Pictures of the whole wall or room, including the floor and ceiling
- Where you live, with the postcode
- What you’d like to store or use the space for
To get a quote for alcove units in Barking and Dagenham, get in touch through our contact form. Tell us which room it is and roughly what you have in mind, plus any rough sizes. We will arrange a design visit, then send a written quote.
Do you need alcove units?
Many people ask about alcove units because the alcoves are the most obvious wasted space they have. Off-the-shelf furniture rarely fits them, leaving gaps at the sides and above. A fitted unit fills the recess up to the ceiling if you want.
People typically get in touch with us about needs like these:
- Units that sit well with original features
- Clutter with nowhere to go
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
- Worn or badly fitted alcove units
When you need someone else
Our work is the furniture itself: designing it, making it in our workshop and fitting it. In practice, that means:
- Replastering, which is a plasterer’s job
- Painting the walls, ceiling and woodwork around the units
- Treating damp in the chimney breast or walls
Questions from Barking and Dagenham
How do I get started?
Just get in touch through our contact form. Rough sizes and a few photos help, and we’ll arrange a design visit, followed by a written quote.
Do I need permission in a conservation area?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are mostly concerned with the outside of buildings, and furniture inside a house does not normally need it. Listed buildings are different: check with the council’s conservation officer first.
Can you add sockets inside the units?
We don’t do electrical work. If you want sockets moved or added, your electrician should do that before we fit, and some electrical work in homes is covered by Part P of the Building Regulations. We can plan cut-outs and cable routes in the units around them.
What happens to the chimney vent when alcove units go in?
Any vent in the chimney breast is kept clear when we design the units. Even a blocked chimney needs some ventilation to help keep damp away.
What do you do at the measuring visit?
We take full measurements, look at the walls and floors and work through the design together. Access and parking are worth talking about too.
Do you cover Barking and Dagenham?
Yes. Our area is the whole of London: every borough and the City of London, and that includes Barking and Dagenham.
How much will my alcove unit cost?
Every job is priced for its room: size, internal fittings, the finish and how awkward the walls are all play a part. The written quote follows the design visit.