Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Hillingdon · London
Alcove units in Hayes, Hillingdon
We make alcove units for homes in Hayes, designed around the room you have. We design your alcove unit at a visit to your home, make it in our workshop and fit it.
- Furniture that does not fit the alcove
- Clutter with nowhere to go
- Bare alcoves beside the fireplace
Alcove units for your home in Hayes
About our alcove units in Hayes
Period alcoves are rarely square. The walls lean, the chimney breast may bow and the floor often slopes, often all at once. 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. Adjustable feet or a plinth set it level. If you are living with walls too uneven for standard furniture and cupboards in keeping with an older house, alcove units made from moisture-resistant MDF and strong birch plywood, with a painted finish can solve it.
A house from between the wars typically has lower ceilings than a Victorian one, and the proportions of alcove units are set to match. Where your home is one of the interwar houses or semis that are a big part of the housing around Hayes, the cornice may be plain or missing, so the furniture can run straight to the ceiling. The skirting is scribed around neatly.
You get the quote in writing, so there’s time to read it properly and share it with anyone else involved. It covers the design, materials and finish agreed at the visit.
- Where
- Hayes (UB3, UB4, UB8, UB10)
- Borough
- Hillingdon
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Made
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Materials and finish
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Working days
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Contact
- Our contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What it is made from
Shelves
How thick a shelf needs to be depends on how wide the alcove is and what it holds. Wider alcoves and heavy books need a thicker shelf, a stiffening lip or a support.
Spray-painted finish
Spraying in the workshop means the units arrive already finished, in the colour agreed with you. Give the paint time to cure fully once fitted.
Caring for painted furniture
People planning alcove units often ask about these. They’re worth knowing before and after fitting:
- Decide whether the units stop at the picture rail or run to the ceiling
- Book your electrician first if sockets need moving
- Think about what you’ll store before we meet
- Mention parking and access when we visit
Load the shelves evenly rather than piling weight in the middle. Books weigh more than most people expect.
Avoid placing a heater hard up against the units, because constant heat isn’t kind to a painted finish.
How fitting day works
Finishing comes last. With a spray finish from the workshop, there is normally only filling and touching up to do in the room; hand painting, if that’s what you chose, can be done in place once everything is fitted. Either way, the finish is the one set out in your quote. Semis and detached houses often have a front path or a side gate, which can make carrying in easier. Gates, paths and steps up to the door are part of the route we measure. Floors are covered from the door to the room.
- You get in touch and tell us about the room and the alcoves, and we arrange a design visit at a time that suits you.
- We visit to measure the alcoves and go through the design, noting the skirting, picture rail and any chimney vent.
- Your quote follows, with the design, materials and finish set out, for you to read through at your own pace.
- Each unit is built in our workshop to the measurements we took, ready for a spray-painted finish or for hand painting on site.
- We fit them in your home, scribing them to the walls.
Preparing the room
- Have your electrician move any sockets or switches beforehand
- Point out meters, boilers and fuse boards near the furniture
- Check the building’s rules for trades and lift bookings
Arranging a design visit
It helps to see the room before we come. Pictures of the whole wall, the corners and the ceiling line give us a good feel for the space, especially with rough measurements. To send them over, drop us a line using the contact form, and we will arrange a design visit.
Read more
What prompts alcove units in Hayes
Some homes already have alcove cupboards, but they’ve seen better days. Starting again lets you rethink the layout, from the doors to what goes inside.
Alcove units can help with:
- Old alcove cupboards that have seen better days
- Everyday clutter left on show
- Standard units leaving gaps at the sides
- Empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast
The wider area includes historic houses such as Northolt Manor, about 3 miles north-east. For a period home anywhere nearby, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at.
Before you hire any carpenter
- Will they visit to measure before quoting?
- Are the boards named, such as MDF or plywood?
- Whether the route into your home has been checked
- How the doors are hung and adjusted
Living-room carpentry in Hayes: local notes
Homes built between 1919 and 1939 make up about 50% of the housing in the area around Hayes, with about 19% built since 2000, in the VOA’s 2025 council tax stock figures. Each era brings its own kind of wall, ceiling height and floor, so it shapes the design from the first measurement. The Hayes Village Conservation Area is close by, within about a quarter of a mile of the centre of Hayes. The controls in a conservation area are mostly about the outside of buildings, so furniture fitted inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. If you’re unsure, check with the council before work starts. TfL’s Ultra Low Emission Zone covers every part of London, Hillingdon included. That includes the vans that bring and fit furniture in Hayes. We go through parking and access during the design visit.
If your home is one of the older houses near Church of St Mary, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at. Living in a block of flats near Hayes & Harlington station? Then the lift, the stair turns and the front door all set the largest piece that can come in.
Hayes is part of the London Borough of Hillingdon, about 4 miles north of Ruislip. We design and make alcove units for homes in Hayes and the rest of Hillingdon, as part of our work in every London borough. Our Hillingdon coverage includes Hayes, along with the rest of the borough.
We work across the UB3, UB4, UB8 and UB10 postcode area. Our area takes in homes on streets such as Church Road, Drenon Square and Townfield Square, whether you want alcove units or another piece made for the room. Main roads around Hayes include the A312. If your home is on one of them, tell us at the measuring visit, as some main roads have strict stopping rules. We also cover Hillingdon (2 miles north-west), Yiewsley (2 miles west), West Drayton (2 miles west), Cowley (3 miles west) and Ruislip Gardens (3 miles north). Other parts of Hillingdon we cover include Ruislip (4 miles north), Yeading (2 miles north-east), Yiewsley (2 miles north-east), Ruislip Manor (4 miles north), South Ruislip (3 miles north) and Ickenham (3 miles north). As one of the bigger places in Hillingdon, Hayes is covered for alcove units and everything else we make.
Around Hayes
Our area takes in the homes around The Botwell Inn, Dr Triplett's CofE Primary School and Rosedale College, among other places. The closest station to Hayes is Hayes & Harlington station, about 0.9 miles south. Nearby you will also find Hayes Cottage Hospital (under half a mile north). Open spaces near Hayes include Yeading Brook Meadows.
Also near Hayes
Also in Hayes
Your questions about alcove units in Hayes
Is Hayes in the area you cover for alcove units?
Yes, Hayes is within the area we cover, which takes in all of Hillingdon and the rest of London. We start with a design visit to measure the room and talk through what you need, and then we send a quote.
Does a conservation area in or near Hayes affect fitted furniture?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are mostly concerned with the outside of buildings, so fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. Listed buildings are different, as works inside that affect their character may need listed building consent from the council. If you’re unsure, the council can confirm.
How do I get a quote for alcove units in Hayes?
It’s easiest to get in touch through our contact form and tell us about the room. We then arrange a design visit, measure up and send a written quote.
Are alcove units spray painted or hand painted?
Either a spray-painted or a hand-painted finish. Spray painting gives a smooth, factory-like finish; a hand-painted one is easy to touch up later. We’ll help you choose at the measuring visit.
What happens to the chimney vent when alcove units go in?
We plan alcove units so any chimney vent stays clear. A capped or blocked chimney should still be ventilated to help stop damp.
What do you do at the measuring visit?
We measure the space and discuss the design, materials and finish. We look at the walls, floors and anything the furniture has to work around, and the written quote comes afterwards.
Flats, conversions and lettings
Blocks of flats often have their own rules on lift bookings, entry systems and times for trades. Let us know about them during the design visit, and we will plan the fitting around them.
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.