Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Barnet · London
Alcove Units in High Barnet
We make alcove units in moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood for homes in High Barnet. The finish is spray painted or hand painted, in a colour agreed with you.
- Old alcove cupboards that have seen better days
- Somewhere to keep books and records
- Room to work in an alcove
Alcove units for your home in High Barnet
Living-room carpentry in High Barnet: local notes
About 42% of the homes in the area around High Barnet went up before 1919, and about 25% between 1919 and 1939, on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. Knowing roughly when a home was built helps, because walls and fixings change from one era to the next. Near the centre of High Barnet, Historic England’s list includes Church of St John the Baptist (Grade II*), less than half a mile south-east, and Stable Block to Hadley House (Grade II*), about 0.5 miles north-east. Where a home is listed, listed building consent can be needed for inside works that affect its character, such as fixing into original panelling. An early word with the council’s conservation officer is the best first step. More than a third of the homes in the streets around High Barnet (about 42%) were built before 1919, based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. Houses of that age normally have a chimney breast with an alcove each side, and alcove units are built to those exact widths.
The wider area includes historic houses like Wyllyotts Manor, about 2.9 miles north. For a period home anywhere nearby, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units. If your children go to Foulds School or a school nearby, shelving with deep cupboards below keeps books, games and school things in one place.
High Barnet is about 4 miles south of Finchley, in the London Borough of Barnet. We cover High Barnet as part of our work across Barnet, and the process is the same everywhere we work. Our work takes in places right across Barnet, large and small.
Every address in EN5 is within our area for alcove units. We cover homes on streets such as Byng Road, Park Road and Kings Road, for alcove units and any of our other fitted furniture. High Barnet is near the A1081, so if your home is on a main road, mention it when you contact us. Nearby, we also make alcove units in Hadley (1 mile east), Arkley (1 mile south-west), Totteridge (1 mile south) and Rowley Green (2 miles west). We also make alcove units in nearby places such as Finchley (4 miles south), Burnt Oak (4 miles south-west), East Finchley (5 miles south), Hendon (5 miles south), Whetstone (3 miles south-east) and Edgware (4 miles south-west).
Near you in High Barnet
We fit furniture in homes around Queen Elizabeth's School, Susi Earnshaw Theatre School and The White Lion pub, among other places. The closest station to High Barnet is Hadley Wood station, about 1.6 miles north-east. A little further out are Barnet General Hospital (0.5 miles south-west) and Spires Shopping Centre (under half a mile east). Green spaces nearby include Barnet Countryside Centre.
Alcove units in High Barnet
Few alcoves in older houses are truly square. The walls lean, the chimney breast may bow and the floor often slopes, often all at once. Each unit is made at our workshop to our measurements and scribed to the walls when we fit it, so the sides meet the wall closely rather than showing a dark line. A plinth or adjustable feet take up any slope in the floor. We make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, finished by spray or by hand, and the usual reasons to get in touch are shelving for books and records and units that sit well with original features.
With interwar houses or semis a big part of the picture around High Barnet, many living rooms have been opened up to the dining room behind. The result is often a long room with a chimney breast, a good spot for alcove units. Cable routes for a TV or speakers, and space for set-top boxes, are planned at the measuring visit.
If the job needs another trade, like an electrician or a plumber, we will tell you. The quote itself covers our work, from the design to the materials and finish.
- Location
- High Barnet (EN5)
- Borough
- Barnet
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Made
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Boards and paint
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Fitting days
- Weekdays, and Saturdays by arrangement
- Enquiries
- Our contact form
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Bespoke alcove units or ready-made?
Bought units stop at standard heights, so there is often wasted space overhead. We can take a bespoke unit to the ceiling or stop it at the picture rail, whichever looks right in your room. Doors, windows and radiators rarely leave a gap that matches a standard width, so ready-made furniture often ends up in the wrong place. Built-in pieces are planned around those fixed points.
We quote each job for the room it’s going into, after the design visit. Size, the number of doors and drawers and the internal fittings make the biggest difference to the price.
Why choose Bespoke Carpentry in High Barnet
- Spray painted or hand painted, in the colour you choose
- Scribed to uneven walls
- Over 300 projects completed
- Made for your room, not a standard size
Read our comparison of bespoke and off-the-shelf or what to look for in a quote.
Nearby places to High Barnet
Other services in High Barnet
Fitting day, step by step
Getting everything level comes first. Where the floor slopes, we bring the furniture up to level on adjustable feet or a plinth, and that keeps the doors and shelves true. Only then is it fixed to the wall, with fixings chosen to suit brick, lath and plaster or plasterboard. Some interwar and suburban streets have driveways, which can make unloading easier, so let us know at the measuring visit. Otherwise, a visitor permit or a nearby bay helps. Doorways, stairs and floors are covered on the way in.
- 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.
- We send the design, materials and finish in a quote in writing.
- 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.
Preparing the room
- Move furniture and belongings away from the wall
- Clear the walls of pictures and shelves
- Book any lift and let the concierge or building manager know
Arranging a design visit
To get a quote for alcove units in High Barnet, fill in our short enquiry form. Let us know the room and the rough idea, plus any rough sizes. We will arrange a design visit, then send a written quote.
Related advice
Do you need alcove units in High Barnet?
A bedroom’s alcoves are often the best place for a wardrobe. Built into the alcove, a cupboard holds clothes without taking over the room.
These come up often when people first get in touch:
- Alcoves that are not square
- Furniture that doesn’t fit the alcove
- Toys and paperwork with no proper home
- Space for a growing book collection
For an older house near Christ Church, walls that bow and floors that slope are why alcove units are scribed to fit rather than pushed into place.
Before you hire any carpenter
- Whether the finish is set out in the quote
- How they deal with uneven walls and floors
- Which parts of the job need an electrician or a plumber
- Real projects you can actually look at
What it costs
To work out the quote, we look at:
- The number of doors and drawers
- The overall size of the piece
- Walls and floors that are out of level or out of square
- Whether you choose a spray or hand-painted finish
There’s no price list, because each job is designed for a single room. Instead, we measure, discuss the design and then quote in writing, naming the materials and finish. To start, drop us a line using the contact form.
Getting in touch
Here’s what helps us most when you get in touch:
- Your postcode and the borough
- Pictures of the whole wall or room, including the floor and ceiling
- Whether it’s a house or a flat, and if there are stairs or a lift
- What the furniture needs to hold
Rough measurements are fine at the start. Everything is measured properly when we visit. To get started, use our contact form and let us know about the room. You receive a written quote after the visit.
Caring for painted furniture
A few practical points help before and after fitting day. Here are some things worth bearing in mind:
- Consider whether the units should reach the ceiling
- Look for a chimney vent that needs to stay clear
- Book your electrician first if sockets need moving
- Bring the sizes of anything that has to fit in the cupboards
Keep a record of the colour. Hand-painted finishes are the easiest to touch up in place.
Keep heaters and very hot lamps from standing right against the paintwork, as strong heat can mark paint over time.
Your questions about alcove units in High Barnet
Does a conservation area in or near High Barnet affect fitted furniture?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are largely about how buildings look from outside, so fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. If your home is listed, internal works that affect its character can require listed building consent, so check with the council first. The council’s planning or conservation team can tell you if in doubt.
Can you make alcove units for a home in High Barnet?
Yes. High Barnet is one of the places we work, along with the rest of Barnet and London. To get started, you can use our contact form with a few details.
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.
Do you move sockets for alcove units?
That is a job for your electrician. Ideally it’s done before fitting. The units are made with cut-outs and cable gaps to suit.
How do I get a quote?
Just fill in our short enquiry form. It is useful to send rough measurements and a few pictures, and then we arrange a visit to measure and talk through the design, followed by a written quote.
Can you build alcove units for alcoves that are not square?
Yes. Few alcoves in older houses are truly square, so we scribe each unit to follow the wall. Adjustable feet or a plinth take care of a floor that slopes.