Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Croydon · London
Ashburton Alcove Units
Thinking about alcove units in Ashburton? We start with a design visit and a quote in writing.
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
- Bare alcoves beside the fireplace
- Shop-bought shelving that does not fill the recess
Alcove units for your home in Ashburton
Living-room storage in Ashburton
Homes built before 1919 make up about 44% of the housing in the streets around Ashburton, with about 26% built between 1919 and 1939, going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. That matters for alcove units, as the build era decides whether a wall is solid brick, lath and plaster, block or plasterboard. Near the centre of Ashburton, Historic England’s list includes Church of St Luke (Grade II), under half a mile north-east, and Woodside Cottage (Grade II), under half a mile north. Where a home is listed, listed building consent can be needed for inside works that affect its character, like fixing into original panelling. Check with the council’s conservation officer first. Each London borough runs its own parking controls, and Croydon is no exception. Depending on your street in Ashburton, a visitor permit, a paid bay or a council bay suspension may be needed. Parking near your home is worth mentioning at the design visit.
Living in a block of flats near Norwood Junction station? Then it helps to book the lift and tell the concierge before fitting day. For families living near St Thomas Becket Catholic Primary School, shelving with deep cupboards below keeps books, games and school things in one place. Addington Palace, about 2.4 miles south-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area. 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.
Ashburton is about 2 miles north-west of Thornton Heath, part of the London Borough of Croydon. Whether your home in Ashburton is a terraced house, a flat or a newer build, we measure the room as it is and design around it. Ashburton is one of the places in Croydon where we make alcove units, and the borough has 32 places on our list.
Every home in CR0, SE25 and CR9 is covered for alcove units, from the main roads to the quieter streets. You will find streets here such as Long Lane, Tudor Road and Coe Avenue, and homes on each of them are within our area for alcove units. Neighbouring places we cover for alcove units include Woodside (1 mile north), Addiscombe (1 mile south), Shirley Oaks (1 mile south-east), Monks Orchard (1 mile south-east) and Shirley (1 mile south-east). Other parts of Croydon we cover include Thornton Heath (2 miles north-west), Croydon (2 miles south-west), Coulsdon (6 miles south-west), Purley (4 miles south-west), Broad Green (2 miles west) and Upper Norwood (2 miles north).
What’s near Ashburton
Our area takes in the homes around Oasis Academy Shirley Park and The Beehive pub. The nearest railway station is Norwood Junction station, roughly 0.7 miles north-west. A little further out are National Psychosis Unit (1.7 miles east) and Whitgift Centre (1.6 miles south-west).
Alcove units in Ashburton: what you get
In a typical Victorian or Edwardian terrace, the chimney breast leaves an alcove on either side of it. Alcove units turn that space into cupboards and shelves that sit as part of the room. Where a room in Ashburton has a pair of alcoves, each alcove gets a unit designed for it. If you are living with a place for a small desk and space for a growing book collection, that’s what alcove units are for, made from birch plywood and moisture-resistant MDF with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish.
You might live in a Victorian terrace, a 1930s semi, a mansion block or a recent flat, and a home in Ashburton could be any of these. Because walls and floors change with the age of a house, the design of alcove units starts at the measuring visit. Bowed walls call for scribing, and plasterboard for the right fixings.
After the design visit, we send you a quote in writing. It sets out the design we have talked through, the materials and the finish.
- Location
- Ashburton (CR0, SE25, CR9)
- Borough
- Croydon
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- Design visit, then a quote in writing
- Made
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Materials and finish
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Working days
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by arrangement
- Enquiries
- Send us a message
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Flats, blocks and rented homes
If your flat is leasehold, check your lease before fixing furniture to the walls. A lease can require consent from the building owner for alterations, which is worth sorting early. We can’t give advice on leases, so check it yourself or ask your managing agent.
For a rented home, access for the design visit and fitting day has to be agreed with the tenants. An agent can arrange access for you, and the written quote can go to whoever needs it.
From workshop to your room
When the fitting is done, we tidy the room. Before we go, we look over the finished furniture with you. How long fitting takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. London parking ranges from controlled zones to driveways and private bays, so tell us what applies during the design visit. If you live in a flat, any lift or building rules are worth checking too.
- You contact us with a short note about the room and the units you have in mind, and we arrange a design visit at a time that suits you.
- We visit to measure the alcoves and talk through the design, checking how far the walls are out of square.
- Your quote follows, with the design, materials and finish set out.
- We make the cupboards and shelves in our workshop, using moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- The units are fitted in your home and scribed to follow the walls, so they sit tight to the chimney breast.
Getting ready for fitting day
- Move furniture and belongings away from the wall
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
- Point out meters, boilers and fuse boards near the furniture
Ask for a quote
Rough measurements are fine at the start. Everything is measured properly when we visit, including how level the floor and ceiling are. To get started, get in touch through our contact form and let us know about the room. You receive a quote in writing after the visit.
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DIY, flat-pack or bespoke
Long shelves are where off-the-shelf often struggles. How much a shelf bends depends on its span, depth and load, and long runs need a thicker shelf, a lip along the front or a support. We design shelves with that in mind.
Cost matters, and it is fair to say so: off-the-shelf furniture typically costs less up front. Bespoke makes more sense where the room is tricky, the space is valuable or you want the furniture to look built in.
What it costs
Prices vary from room to room, and it comes down to:
- Awkward walls, sloping ceilings and uneven floors
- How many doors and drawers there are
- The width and height of the space
- Spray painting or hand painting
Rooms that are not square take more work: uneven walls, sloping floors and angled ceilings all add scribing and cutting on site. That’s reflected in the quote.
Before the design visit
These details help when you get in touch:
- Rough measurements, even if they’re only to the nearest few centimetres
- Any ideas or images you have saved
- The type of home and how the room is reached
- Your postcode and the borough
Every quote follows a design visit. We measure the space, check the walls and floors and discuss what you’d like, and the written quote comes after. Prices are quoted for your room, once we’ve measured and talked through the design. To book a design visit, send us a few details through our contact form.
FAQs: alcove units in Ashburton
Will parking be an issue for fitting furniture in Ashburton?
It can be, depending on whether your street is in a controlled parking zone. A van may need a visitor’s permit, a paid parking bay or a bay suspension, which the council arranges, often with notice. Let us know what parking is near you during the design visit.
Do you make alcove units for homes in Ashburton?
Yes. Ashburton is one of the places we work, along with the rest of Croydon and London. You can tell us about the room on our contact form to arrange a design visit.
Can the fitting be on a Saturday?
Yes, by prior arrangement. If a Saturday works better for you, say so when you contact us.
Will alcove units fit if my walls are not straight?
Yes. Few alcoves in older houses are truly square, so we scribe each unit to follow the wall. A plinth or adjustable feet set it level on a sloping floor.
Is an outside wall a problem for fitted furniture?
External walls can be colder and damper than internal ones, so we allow for ventilation behind and inside the furniture, which helps avoid condensation and mould. If there’s damp, it should be sorted before anything is fitted.
Do alcove units affect the chimney’s ventilation?
We plan alcove units so any chimney vent stays clear. A capped or blocked chimney should still be ventilated to help stop damp.
Bespoke alcove units or ready-made?
Bought units stop at standard heights, which usually leaves a gap above. A bespoke unit can run up to the ceiling or finish just under the picture rail, depending on the room. Standard units come with shelves and rails where the maker put them, rather than where you need them. With fitted furniture, the inside is planned around what you keep.
Getting to the room affects the job as well. Several flights of stairs, a small lift or a narrow hall can mean smaller sections and more carrying, which the quote allows for. Prices are quoted for your room, once we’ve measured and talked through the design.
Why choose Bespoke Carpentry in Ashburton
- Fitted tight to walls that aren’t straight
- Saturdays by prior arrangement
- A design visit, then a written quote
- More than 300 projects completed
See bespoke vs off-the-shelf or what a quote should include.