Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Wandsworth · London
Alcove Units in Battersea
For homes in Battersea, we make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. The finish is spray painted or hand painted, in a colour agreed with you.
- Worn or badly fitted alcove units
- Room to work in an alcove
- Alcoves that aren’t square
Alcove units designed for your room
What happens on fitting day
Fitting day follows a set order: floors are protected, the sections come in, everything is levelled, scribed to the walls, fixed and finished. At the end, we tidy up and go over the work with you. How long the fitting takes depends on the size and number of units, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. Hallways in period houses are often narrow, and the stairs turn sharply, so alcove units are made in sections sized to get through. Floors, stairs and doorways are covered before anything is carried through, and the sections are joined and scribed in the room.
- You contact us with a few details about the chimney breast and alcoves.
- We visit to measure the alcoves top, middle and bottom, and check the floor for level.
- You get a written quote for the units, materials and finish.
- In our workshop the units are made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, with a little extra left on the edges that meet the wall.
- On fitting day we level the units and scribe the edges so they follow the line of the plaster. Spray-painted units arrive finished; hand-painted ones are painted once fitted.
Before fitting day
- Clear the area where the furniture is going
- Clear the hallway and stairs so the sections can come through
- Arrange any electrical changes with your electrician ahead of time
How to get a quote
Getting a quote starts with some details: which room it is, rough sizes and a couple of pictures if you can take them. To send them, use our contact form. We will then arrange a design visit and follow it with a quote in writing.
Advice
How we make alcove units for Battersea
An alcove can also take a small desk, with shelves above and a drawer or cupboard below. It gives you a place to work without turning a room into an office. We plan the desk height and depth with you, and leave a route for cables to reach the sockets. We make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, spray-painted or hand-painted, and the usual reasons to get in touch are empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast and worn or badly fitted alcove units.
Solid brick external walls are standard in Victorian and Edwardian houses, and internal walls may be brick or lath and plaster. Since a large share of the homes around Battersea date from before 1919, the wall type is checked before any fixing for alcove units is chosen. Lath and plaster in particular needs fixings chosen for it.
The written quote puts the design visit in writing: the layout, what goes inside, the materials used and the finish. If something is not quite right, tell us before anything is made.
- Where
- Battersea (SW11, SW18, SW4)
- Area
- Wandsworth
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Making
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Materials and finish
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Working days
- Weekdays, and Saturdays by prior arrangement
- Enquiries
- Send us a message
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Also near Battersea
More for homes in Battersea
Flats, blocks and rented homes
For a rented home, access for the design visit and fitting day has to be agreed with the tenants, at times that suit them. An agent can arrange access for you, and the written quote can go to whoever needs it.
Blocks of flats often have their own rules on lift bookings, entry systems and times for trades. Let us know about them at the design visit.
Caring for painted furniture
A little care keeps the finish looking good, whether it was spray painted or hand painted. Here are our suggestions:
- Look for a chimney vent that needs to stay clear
- Make a rough list of what the cupboards need to hold
- Note the sizes of large things you want to store
- Clear the alcoves before the design visit if you can
Fill the shelves gradually and spread heavy things evenly. A full shelf of books is heavier than it looks.
Use a mat under plants, vases and drinks, since standing water can mark painted shelves. Dry any spills quickly.
What affects the cost of alcove units
What it costs comes down to the materials and the time involved. That depends on:
- Spray painting or hand painting
- Stairs, lifts and the route to the room
- How square the room is
- Parking and unloading on your street
Awkward rooms take more time: uneven walls, sloping floors and angled ceilings all add scribing and cutting on site. That is reflected in the quote.
Before the design visit
Before the design visit, it helps us to know about:
- The postcode, so we can plan the visit
- Radiators, sockets, pipes or meters on or near the wall
- Examples of the look you’re after
- Pictures of the whole wall or room, including the floor and ceiling
To make a start, message us from the contact page and tell us a little about the room and what you want the furniture to do. We then arrange a design visit to measure and discuss the design, and a written quote follows.
FAQs: alcove units in Battersea
Can you fit alcove units to the uneven walls of an older house in Battersea?
Yes. Walls in older houses are rarely flat or square, and floors are often out of level, so each piece is scribed to follow the wall and set level on a plinth or adjustable feet. Skirting, picture rails and cornices are met neatly or cut around. Older walls can be solid brick or lath and plaster, and the fixings are chosen to suit.
Is parking a problem for fitting in Battersea?
It can be, as controlled parking zones cover much of inner London. 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. Let us know what parking is near you during the design visit.
Will alcove units block the chimney vent?
Any vent is kept clear in the design. Ventilation helps keep a capped chimney dry, which protects the units as well as the wall. Any existing damp should be dealt with before the units go in.
Do you work on Saturdays?
Yes, by prior arrangement. Tell us when you contact us if a Saturday suits you best.
Do I need planning permission for fitted furniture?
Not normally. Conservation areas mostly control changes to the outside, and fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. Listed buildings are different: check with the council’s conservation officer first.
Do you cover areas outside London?
No. We only take on work in London, across all the boroughs and the City of London.
Living-room carpentry in Battersea: local notes
Homes built before 1919 make up about 48% of the housing in the streets around Battersea, with about 20% built since 2000, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). We take that into account at the measuring visit, since older and newer walls take different fixings. Entries on the National Heritage List near the centre of Battersea include Church of St Mark (Grade II*), less than half a mile south-west, and Church of the Ascension (Grade II*), about 0.5 miles east. For a listed home, internal works that affect its character can require listed building consent from the council, for instance removing or fixing into original panelling. Check with the council’s conservation officer first. Flats in converted or shared houses account for about 22% of households in the neighbourhood around Battersea, the 2021 Census shows. In a converted house, rooms can be odd shapes, with new partitions meeting old walls, and the way in often goes up shared stairs. If your flat is leasehold, check your lease before anything is fixed to the walls.
For a family home near Christ Church CofE Primary School, alcove units can be planned with low cupboards for toys and higher shelves for everything else. If you live in a flat close to Clapham Junction station, it’s useful to book the lift and tell the concierge before fitting day. For an older house near Clapham Welsh Presbyterian Church, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at.
Battersea is about 1 mile north-west of Clapham Junction, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth. Our work covers every London borough and the City of London, Battersea included. We cover places right across Wandsworth, from the busiest high streets to quiet residential roads.
We make alcove units across the SW11, SW18 and SW4 postcode area. Whether you live on a street like York Road, Este Road and Home Road or on one nearby, we can arrange a design visit for alcove units. Main roads around Battersea include the A3207. If your home is on one of them, tell us at the measuring visit, as some main roads have strict stopping rules. Close by, we also work in Clapham Junction (1 mile north-west), Sands End (1 mile north-west), Chelsea Harbour (1 mile north-west), Wandsworth (1 mile south-west) and Clapham (1 mile east). Elsewhere in Wandsworth, we also cover Putney (2 miles west), Tooting (2 miles south), Tooting Bec (2 miles south), Balham (2 miles south-east), Southfields (2 miles south-west) and Furzedown (3 miles south). Being one of the larger places in Wandsworth, Battersea is covered for all of our fitted furniture.
Near you in Battersea
The streets we cover here include those near Emanuel School, Thames Christian College and The Falcon pub. There’s a railway station in Battersea itself: Clapham Junction station. Other landmarks nearby include Battersea General Hospital (0.8 miles north) and Soseki Museum (0.9 miles east). Not far away are Battersea Park Lake.
Bespoke or off-the-shelf?
Long shelves are where off-the-shelf often struggles. Span, depth and the weight on it decide whether a shelf sags, so a long run needs a thicker shelf, a stiffening lip or a support. That is something we plan for in the design.
It is worth being honest about cost: flat-pack is normally cheaper to buy. Bespoke makes more sense where the room is awkward, the space is valuable or you want the furniture to look built in.