Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Richmond upon Thames · London
Alcove Units in Ham
We make alcove units in moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood for homes in Ham. Each piece is finished by spray or by hand, in the colour you choose.
- Somewhere to keep books and records
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
- Cupboards in keeping with an older house
Alcove units in Ham
Questions we’re often asked
Do you cover homes near Teddington station?
Yes, homes across Richmond upon Thames and the rest of London are within the area we cover. You can use our contact form to arrange a design visit.
Is parking a problem for fitting in Ham?
It depends on the street, as many London boroughs run controlled parking zones. A van may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a parking bay suspension, which the council arranges, often with notice. Let us know what parking is near you during the design visit.
Do I need planning permission for fitted furniture?
Normally not. Inside a house, fitted furniture doesn’t normally need planning permission. Listed buildings may need listed building consent for works that affect their character.
Is it possible to have a desk built into one alcove?
Yes. A desk in one alcove, with shelves above and storage below, works well in many rooms. We plan the height and depth with you, with a route left for cables.
Should both alcoves have the same units?
It’s entirely your choice. Alcoves are often different widths anyway, so each unit is made to its own measurements. They can match in style while doing different jobs.
Can alcove units be fitted to uneven walls?
Yes. Few alcoves in older houses are truly square, so each unit is scribed to the wall on site. A plinth or adjustable feet set it level on a sloping floor.
How we make alcove units for Ham
One alcove can be given over to a desk, with shelving overhead and storage underneath. It’s a neat way to work from home without giving up a whole room. We plan the desk height and depth with you, with a gap or hole planned so cables can reach the sockets. If you’re living with empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast and worn or badly fitted alcove units, alcove units made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, spray-painted or hand-painted can solve it.
Rooms from the 1950s and 1960s tend to be plain, with flat walls and simple skirting. Around Ham, many homes date from between 1945 and the early 1970s, which often leaves alcove units with clean lines to follow. The furniture can then become the main feature of the room, in a paint colour you choose.
The furniture is built in our workshop after you have had the quote and decided to go ahead. It describes the design, the materials and the finish agreed at the visit, so you can check every detail beforehand.
- Location
- Ham (TW10, KT2, TW11)
- Area
- Richmond upon Thames
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Made
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Made from
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Fitting days
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Contact
- Send us a message
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What happens on fitting day
With the carcasses fixed and level, any doors go on and any drawers or lids are fitted. Each one is adjusted until the gaps are even and it closes cleanly, and then we check it all again. The time the fitting takes depends on the size and number of units, and your quote sets out the fitting days. Drilling into concrete is noisier than into brick or plaster, so if neighbours are close, a note before fitting day can help. We work within any rules your building has on noise and hours. We tidy as we go.
- You get in touch and let us know about the room and the alcoves.
- At the design visit, we measure each alcove and go through the layout with you, noting the skirting, picture rail and any chimney vent.
- You receive a written quote setting out the units, materials and finish, so you can look it over in your own time.
- The units are made at our workshop.
- We fit them in your home, scribing them to the walls, so they sit tight to the chimney breast.
Before fitting day
- Move furniture and belongings away from the wall
- Take anything hanging off the wall we’re fitting to
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
Arranging a design visit
Getting a quote starts with some details: the room, rough measurements and some pictures if you have them. When you are ready, send us a few details through our contact form. After that, we arrange a visit to measure and go through the design, then send a quote in writing.
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What affects the price in Ham
When we put a quote together, we consider:
- The number of doors and drawers
- How big the furniture is
- Stairs, lifts and the route to the room
- Hanging rails, shelves, drawers and other fittings inside
What goes inside matters as much as the outside: rails, shelves, drawers and dividers all add work. At the design visit, we work out what you need inside.
What to send when you contact us
These details help when you get in touch:
- Photos of the whole wall or room, including the floor and ceiling
- The postcode, so we can plan the visit
- Anything in the way, like radiators, sockets, switches, a boiler or meters
- Rough sizes: width, height and depth
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, fill in our short enquiry form with some details about the room. The written quote follows the visit.
Tips worth knowing
Because fitted furniture stays put, a little upkeep goes a long way. A few pointers help:
- Mention parking and access when we visit
- Deal with any damp on the chimney breast first
- Look for a chimney vent that needs to stay clear
- Clear the alcoves before the design visit if you can
To clean painted units, a soft cloth that’s barely damp is enough. Avoid abrasive pads and strong cleaning sprays, as they can mark the finish. Wipe it dry when you’ve finished.
If a damp patch appears near a unit, look into it early. The cause is a job for the right trade, not something paint will hide, and it is easier to deal with before it spreads.
Neighbourhoods near Ham
What else we make in Ham
Flats, blocks and rented homes
Some blocks ask for notice before trades arrive, often through a building manager or concierge. If there’s a lift, it may need booking, and its size matters when we plan the sections. Mention it when you contact us.
Conversions and newer flats often have stud walls rather than solid brick. We choose fixings to suit the wall, which we check at the measuring visit.
Built-in living-room furniture in Ham
The biggest shares of homes in the neighbourhood around Ham were built between 1945 and 1972 (about 63%) and between 1919 and 1939 (about 20%), on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. For carpentry, the era of a house is a useful clue to how square its rooms are and what its walls are made of. There are 49 entries on the National Heritage List within half a mile of the centre of Ham. Original fireplaces, shutters and panelling are worth keeping where they survive, and alcove units can be designed to work around them. Terraced houses are home to about 40% of households in the streets around Ham, 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.
If you live near Sudbrook Park, alcove units can be planned to frame a window with a view rather than block it. Living in a block of flats near Teddington station? Then check any building rules on lifts and working hours early, and the sections will be sized for the way in. Near listed buildings like Sudbrook Lodge, under half a mile east of the centre of Ham, older homes may keep original joinery that alcove units can be designed around. If your own home is listed, check with the council before fixing into original features.
Ham is in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, about 1 mile north-west of Twickenham. Our work covers every London borough and the City of London, Ham included. We cover places right across Richmond upon Thames.
Every address in TW10, KT2 and TW11 is covered for alcove units. We cover homes on streets such as New Road, Lock Road and Cave Road, along with the roads around them, for alcove units and any of our other fitted furniture. Ham sits close to the A307, and we plan where the van can stop before fitting day. If you are just outside Ham, we also cover Petersham (1 mile north), Eel Pie Island (1 mile north-west), Strawberry Hill (1 mile west), Teddington (1 mile south-west) and Richmond (1 mile north). Elsewhere in Richmond upon Thames, we also cover Richmond upon Thames (2 miles north), Hampton (3 miles west), Barnes (4 miles north-east), Kew (4 miles north-east), Hanworth (3 miles west) and Mortlake (3 miles north-east).
Local landmarks in Ham
The streets we cover here include those near Teddington School, The New Inn Public House and Grey Court School. The closest station to Ham is Teddington station, about 1.2 miles south-west of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Eel Pie Island Museum (1.1 miles north-west) and Bentall Centre (1.6 miles south). Open spaces near Ham include Ham Lands and Richmond Hill.
Bespoke or off-the-shelf?
Bespoke furniture is not instant: there’s a design visit, a quote and making time in the workshop. In return, the unit is planned for your alcove alone, not the nearest catalogue size. Post-war rooms are often compact, and standard furniture sizes waste space at the ends and the top, which fitted furniture uses. The pieces are made to the room’s own widths.
There is no price list, because every piece is designed for one room. We measure up, discuss the design and send a quote in writing. To start, get in touch through our contact form.
What you get with us
- We visit, measure and go through the design before we quote
- Moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
- Over 300 projects completed
- Built in our workshop and fitted in your home
Take a look at how bespoke compares with ready-made and how to compare quotes.