Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Hillingdon · London
Ickenham Alcove Units
Walls in older London homes are rarely straight, so we scribe the furniture to follow them. Our work on alcove units in Ickenham starts with a design visit, and everything is built in our workshop.
- Shelving for books and records
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
- Everyday clutter left on show
Need alcove units in Ickenham?
How fitting day works
If anything comes up on the day, just ask. Most of the decisions were made at the design visit and set out in your quote, so fitting day is about putting it in place carefully. The time the fitting takes depends on how many alcoves there are and how tall the units go, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. Fitting day means carrying in the sections, joining them and fitting them to the walls. Spray-painted pieces come finished from the workshop, while hand painting can happen on site. Saturday fitting is possible by prior arrangement.
- You get in touch with a short description of the alcoves and your ideas.
- At the design visit, we measure both alcoves, check the walls and look at the skirting and picture rail. We also talk through heights, doors and shelves.
- We send a quote in writing setting out the layout, materials and finish.
- Once you are happy, the units are built in our workshop, each one sized to its own alcove.
- We fit the units, scribe them to the walls and set them level. The finish is sprayed in our workshop or hand-painted on site, as agreed.
Before we arrive
- Clear the hallway and stairs so the sections can come through
- Move furniture and belongings away from the wall
- Clear the walls of pictures and shelves
Starting with a design visit
The design visit is where every quote starts. We measure the room properly, check how the walls and floors run and go through the design with you. A quote in writing follows the visit for you to look over. To book one, drop us a line using the contact form.
Advice
Alcove units in Ickenham: what you get
A capped or blocked chimney should still be ventilated to help keep damp out of the breast. Units are planned so any vent stays clear. If there are signs of damp on the chimney breast or in the alcoves, they’re best sorted before fitting so the new furniture starts on a dry wall. We make alcove units from birch plywood and moisture-resistant MDF with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish, and the things people most often want solved are walls too uneven for standard furniture and tired cupboards in the alcoves.
Many houses from between the wars, and many semis, have been extended or opened up inside, and around Ickenham, interwar houses, semis and detached homes make up a large share of the housing. A long through room gives alcove units a whole wall to work with, or mark out the sitting end from the dining end. An extension’s plasterboard walls need different fixings from the original brick or block.
The written quote puts the design visit in writing: the layout and internal fittings, the materials and the finish. If you’d like to change anything, it’s easier before the furniture is made.
- Location
- Ickenham (UB10)
- Area
- Hillingdon
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Making
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Boards and paint
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Fitting days
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Contact
- Our contact form
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Living-room storage in Ickenham
About 39% of the homes in the streets around Ickenham went up between 1945 and 1972, and about 35% between 1919 and 1939, on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. That matters for alcove units, as the build era decides whether a wall is solid brick, lath and plaster, block or plasterboard. There are 10 entries on the National Heritage List within half a mile of the centre of Ickenham. Being near listed buildings does not make a home listed, and you can check any address on Historic England’s list. Controlled parking zones are run by the boroughs, so the rules in Hillingdon are set locally. If parking near you is controlled, a visitor permit or a bay suspension may be needed, and the council arranges suspensions, often with notice. Let us know about parking during the design visit.
If your home is as old as some of the listed buildings nearby, like Outbuildings to North of Swakeleys, 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. Close to Church Field Gardens? Alcove units can be planned to frame a window with a view rather than block it. Ickenham Hall, about 0.4 miles north-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area. If your own home is a period one, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units.
Ickenham is in the London Borough of Hillingdon, about 2 miles north-east of Ruislip. Wherever you are in Ickenham, it works the same way: a design visit, a written quote, furniture made in our workshop and fitting in your home. Across Hillingdon, we cover Ickenham, along with the rest of the borough.
Design visits and fitting in UB10 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Streets in the area include Long Lane, Court Road and The Avenue, and we cover homes on all of them for alcove units. Nearby, we also make alcove units in Hillingdon (1 mile south), Ruislip Gardens (2 miles east) and Ruislip Manor (2 miles north-east). Elsewhere in Hillingdon, we also cover Ruislip (2 miles north-east), Hayes (3 miles south), Yeading (3 miles south-east), Yiewsley (3 miles south-east), West Drayton (4 miles south) and Yiewsley (3 miles south).
Landmarks near Ickenham
In Ickenham, that includes homes near Vyners School, Glebe Primary School and The Tichenham Inn and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is West Ruislip station, roughly 0.9 miles north-east. Other landmarks nearby include Hillingdon Museum and Archives Services (1.5 miles south-west) and The Chimes (1.4 miles south-west). Not far away are Ickenham Marsh.
How we price alcove units
The price reflects the time and materials the job needs. The main factors are:
- The width and height of the space
- Stairs, lifts and the route to the room
- Parking near your home
- Doors and drawers, and how many
The price comes in a written quote, worked out from the measurements and the design you choose. Size, the number of doors and drawers and the internal fittings make the biggest difference to the price.
Helping us understand the room
Here’s what helps us most when you get in touch:
- What the furniture needs to hold
- Where you live, with the postcode
- Rough sizes, even if they’re only to the nearest few centimetres
- Examples of the look you’re after
To get a quote, message us from the contact page and tell us which room you have in mind and roughly what you’d like. We then arrange a design visit to measure and talk through the design, and a written quote follows.
Is bespoke worth it?
Some flat-pack shelves are thin and start to sag once they’re loaded. Shelves in a bespoke unit are sized for the span and the load, using birch plywood where strength matters. That said, if you’re renting or moving soon, a good off-the-shelf unit may make more sense. Walls in interwar houses are straighter than in older ones, but rarely perfect, so standalone furniture can still lean or leave gaps. Fitted furniture is scribed and levelled on site.
How it is painted is part of the price: spray painting happens in the workshop, and hand painting can be done in your home. The written quote reflects your choice, along with the size and fittings.
Why choose Bespoke Carpentry in Ickenham
- Saturdays by arrangement
- We visit, measure and discuss the design before we quote
- Built from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
- We work across all London boroughs
Read bespoke vs off-the-shelf or what a quote should include.
Questions we are often asked
Will a conservation area stop me having alcove units fitted in Ickenham?
Usually 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, internal works that affect its character may need listed building consent, so check with the council first. If you’re unsure, the council can confirm.
Do you cover homes near West Ruislip station?
Yes, homes across Hillingdon and the rest of London are within the area we cover. To get started, you can send us a few details through our contact form with a few details about the room.
How do I get started?
The first step is to message us from the contact page and tell us about the room. We then arrange a design visit, measure up and send a quote in writing.
How much will my alcove unit cost?
Size, doors and drawers, what goes inside and the finish all affect it, along with access and parking. The price comes in a written quote after the design visit.
Can you fit a desk into an alcove?
Yes. One alcove can take a desk with shelves above and a drawer or cupboard beneath. Height and depth are agreed with you.
Will alcove units fit if my walls are not straight?
Yes. Few alcoves in older houses are truly square, so each unit is scribed to the wall on site. Adjustable feet or a plinth take care of a floor that slopes.
Also near Ickenham
What else we make in Ickenham
Honest limits
We’d rather be clear about where our work stops:
- Electrical work, such as new sockets or switches, which is for your electrician
- Making good damaged walls before fitting
- Decorating the rest of the room
Not sure whether your space suits alcove units? You can use our contact form and we will tell you. How it works.
Boards, parts and finishes
- Hand-painted finish
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Birch plywood
- Scribed side panels
- Adjustable shelves
- Spray-painted finish
- Panelled or flat doors
Bespoke or off-the-shelf?
Flat-pack and off-the-shelf furniture has its place. In a room with square walls and standard sizes, it can work well, and it’s easy to buy.
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’s something we plan for in the design.