Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Barnet · London
Hadley Alcove Units
Cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast, for homes in Hadley. After a design visit and a written quote, it’s built in our workshop and fitted in your home.
- Standard units leaving gaps at the sides
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
- Walls too uneven for standard furniture
Need alcove units in Hadley?
How it’s made
Hand-painted finish
A hand-painted finish suits alcove units in a period room. The colour is agreed with you, and it’s easy to refresh in years to come.
Moisture-resistant MDF
Moisture-resistant MDF is stable and takes paint well, which makes it our choice for doors and visible panels. It’s a sensible choice where an alcove sits against an external wall.
Alcove units in Hadley
Few alcoves in older houses are truly square. Walls bow, corners wander and floors slope. We make each unit in our workshop to the measurements we take, then scribe it on site, so the edges follow the plaster instead of leaving a gap. A plinth or adjustable feet take up any slope in the floor. People normally come to us about room to work in an alcove and bare alcoves beside the fireplace; the furniture is made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, finished by spray or by hand.
In an area like Hadley, where interwar homes or semis make up much of the housing, many homes have had the front and back rooms knocked together. That leaves a long room with a chimney breast on one side, which suits alcove units along that wall. Cable routes for a TV or speakers, and space for set-top boxes, are planned at the measuring visit, with any new sockets left to your electrician.
The quote names the materials: moisture-resistant MDF, birch plywood or both, depending on the design. It also says how the furniture will be finished: spray painted or hand painted.
- Location
- Hadley (EN5, EN4)
- Borough
- Barnet
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- Design visit, then a written quote
- Made
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Boards and paint
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Fitting days
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Contact
- Our contact form
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Alcove units in Hadley: local notes
About 42% of the homes in the area around Hadley went up before 1919, and about 25% between 1919 and 1939, in the VOA’s 2025 council tax stock figures. That matters for alcove units, as the build era decides whether a wall is solid brick, lath and plaster, block or plasterboard. The Monken Hadley Conservation Area is close by, within about a quarter of a mile of the centre of Hadley. Conservation area rules mainly cover the outside of buildings, so fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. If you’re unsure, check with the council before work starts. Detached and semi-detached houses are home to about 47% of households in the area around Hadley, according to Census 2021. A house like that normally has more rooms to plan around than a flat, and sometimes a driveway that makes unloading easier.
If your children go to Susi Earnshaw Theatre School or a school nearby, low doors that small hands can open, with books and ornaments higher up, suit a busy family room. If your home is as old as some of the listed buildings nearby, like Church of St John the Baptist, original features like shutters, panelling and fireplaces are worth designing around. If your own home is listed, check with the council before fixing into original features. The wider area includes historic houses such as Wyllyotts Manor, about 2.8 miles north. For a period home anywhere nearby, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units.
Hadley is within the London Borough of Barnet, about 4 miles south of Finchley. We cover Hadley as part of our work across Barnet. Across Barnet, we cover Hadley, along with the rest of the borough.
Every home in EN5 and EN4 is covered for alcove units, from the main roads to the quieter streets. Whether you live on a street like Byng Road, Park Road and Dury Road or on one nearby, we can visit to measure up for alcove units. Main roads around Hadley include the A1081. We also cover the places around Hadley: High Barnet (1 mile west), Arkley (1 mile south-west), Totteridge (1 mile south) and Rowley Green (2 miles west). Other parts of Barnet we cover include Finchley (4 miles south), Burnt Oak (4 miles south-west), East Finchley (5 miles south), Hendon (5 miles south), Whetstone (2 miles south-east) and Edgware (4 miles south-west).
Near you in Hadley
In Hadley, that includes homes near Queen Elizabeth's Girls' School, Ye Olde Monken Holt pub and Foulds School, among other places. The nearest railway station is New Barnet station, roughly 1.3 miles south-east of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Spires Shopping Centre (within half a mile south-west) and Barnet General Hospital (0.7 miles south-west).
Caring for painted furniture
Most of what helps is simple. What we’d suggest:
- Check whether there is a vent in the chimney breast
- Clear the alcoves before the design visit if you can
- Talk to your electrician early if you want new sockets
- Mention parking and access when we visit
Paint is dry to the touch well before it has fully cured. At first, go gently with the new paintwork, lifting things rather than sliding them and avoiding any scrubbing.
Put the heaviest books and objects low down and spread the weight. Most sagging comes from shelves carrying more than they were planned for, so mention heavy collections when we plan the unit.
Nearby places to Hadley
What else we make in Hadley
How we price alcove units
What you pay depends on:
- Walls and floors that are out of level or out of square
- Parking near your home
- How easy it is to get the furniture into the room
- The overall size of the piece
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.
Helping us understand the room
Before the design visit, it helps us to know about:
- How you want to use the space
- Approximate measurements of the space
- Examples of the look you are after
- Whether it is a house or a flat, and if there are stairs or a lift
We quote each job for the room it’s going into, after the design visit. Each room is different, so we quote after seeing it. To arrange a visit, drop us a line using the contact form.
Flats, leases and landlords
In conversions and newer blocks, many internal walls are timber or metal stud with plasterboard. We choose fixings to suit the wall, after checking the walls during the design visit.
For a rented home, access for the design visit and fitting day has to be agreed with the tenants. A letting agent can arrange this on a landlord’s behalf.
Common questions about alcove units
I live near New Barnet station. Is that in your area?
Yes. We cover all of Barnet and the rest of London. You can get in touch through our contact form to arrange a design visit, and tell us about parking and access at the same time.
Does a conservation area in or near Hadley affect fitted furniture?
Typically not: conservation area rules mainly cover the outside of buildings, and fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. If your home is listed, works inside that affect its character may need listed building consent, so check with the council first. If you are unsure, the council can confirm.
Do you move sockets for alcove units?
Your electrician handles sockets and wiring. Ideally it’s done before fitting so the sockets line up with the design. We then plan cut-outs and cable gaps around them.
How is the price worked out?
Every job is priced for its room: the size, what goes inside, the finish and how square the room is all count. You’ll get a quote in writing once we’ve measured up.
Does someone need to be home during the fitting?
Someone needs to let us in at the start of the day. It also helps to have someone around at the end, so we can go over the finished furniture together.
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 to avoid condensation. Any damp needs sorting by the right specialist before fitting.
Fitting day, step by step
However carefully a piece is made in the workshop, it still has to meet the room, and fitting day is where that happens. Few walls in older London homes are truly flat or square, so each edge that meets a wall is scribed to follow it. How long the fitting itself takes depends on the size and number of units, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. In a 1920s or 1930s house, the hall and stairs are usually straightforward, but the route in is still measured, not just the room. Alcove units arrive in sections and are assembled in place.
- It starts with a short message from you about the alcoves.
- At the design visit we measure up, agree the layout and talk about colour and finish. You can choose a spray-painted finish from our workshop or a hand-painted one done in your home.
- A quote in writing follows, with the finish written in alongside the design and materials.
- The units are built in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. If you chose spray painting, that is done in the workshop too, for a smooth, even surface.
- The units are fitted and scribed to the alcoves.
- Paint needs time to cure, so go gently with the new units at first.
Preparing the room
- Take down pictures, mirrors and shelves from the wall
- Have your electrician move any sockets or switches beforehand
- Move anything in the hall or on the stairs out of the way
Ask for a quote
We quote once we’ve seen the room. We measure the space, check the walls and floors and discuss what you’d like, then send a written quote. Your quote is written for your room once we’ve visited and measured. To arrange a visit, drop us a line using the contact form.