Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Bexley · London
Alcove Units in Longlands
Planning alcove units for a home in Longlands? We start with a design visit and a quote in writing.
- Everyday clutter left on show
- Space for a growing book collection
- Bowed walls and sloping floors
Alcove units in Longlands
Alcove units in Longlands
In a tall room, a full-height alcove cupboard holds a great deal. In bedrooms, this often becomes a compact wardrobe or a place for bedding, while in a dining room it can keep china, glass and table linen. We ask what you want to store before we plan the inside, and set out the shelves and rails around it. If you’re living with worn or badly fitted alcove units and a desk that tucks into an alcove, that is what alcove units are for, made from birch ply and moisture-resistant MDF, painted by hand or sprayed.
A house from between the wars typically has lower ceilings than a Victorian one, and the proportions of alcove units are set to match. If yours is one of the interwar houses, semis or detached homes that make up much of the housing around Longlands, there may be little or no cornice, which lets the furniture run straight up to the ceiling. Any skirting is cut around neatly.
Materials are named in the quote: 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
- Longlands (DA15, DA14, SE9)
- Area
- Bexley
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- First step
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Made
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Materials and finish
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Working days
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by arrangement
- Contact
- Send us a message
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Tips worth knowing
People planning alcove units often ask about these. They help whatever the room:
- Make the alcoves easy to reach for measuring
- Decide whether the units stop at the picture rail or run to the ceiling
- Note the sizes of large things you want to store
- Talk to your electrician early if you want new sockets
A soft, slightly damp cloth is all painted units usually need. Skip scouring pads and harsh cleaners, as they can mark the finish. Wipe it dry when you have finished.
Avoid placing a heater hard up against the units, as strong heat can mark paint over time.
Neighbourhoods near Longlands
More for homes in Longlands
Why bespoke in Longlands?
To be fair, a standalone bookcase or cabinet can go with you to your next home. Fitted alcove units stay with the house and remain when you move on. It depends on how long you expect to stay. Ready-made units come in standard depths that rarely suit every space, so they can stick out too far or waste space behind. With fitted furniture, the depth is chosen for the room.
How it’s 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 Longlands
- We work across all London boroughs
- Saturday visits and fitting by arrangement
- Made in our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Spray painted or hand painted, in the colour you choose
Take a look at bespoke vs off-the-shelf or what to look for in a quote.
Materials and finishes
Hand-painted finish
Hand painting lets the colour be judged in the room itself before the final coat. It also means any filling around scribed edges is painted in one go.
Spray-painted finish
Spray painting is done in the workshop, for a smooth and even finish. It works on simple doors and on more traditional ones.
Questions from Longlands
Will a conservation area stop me having alcove units fitted in Longlands?
Usually not: conservation area rules mainly cover the outside of buildings, and fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. Listed buildings are different, as works inside that affect their character can require listed building consent from the council. If you’re unsure, the council can confirm.
Can parking be tricky on fitting day in Longlands?
It depends on the street, as many London boroughs run controlled parking zones. Depending on the street, a visitor permit, a paid bay or a bay suspension through the council may be needed, and suspensions often need notice. It is useful to let us know about parking at the design visit, so the day can be planned around it.
How long does it take to fit alcove units?
It depends on the size and number of units, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. We will talk you through what fitting day involves before we start.
How tall should alcove units be?
That is your choice. Full-height units give the most storage, while a low cupboard with shelves above keeps the room feeling lighter. We will go through what suits your room when we visit.
Does someone need to be home during the fitting?
We need access, so someone has to let us in. After that, you don’t need to stay in the room, though we like to go over the furniture with you at the end.
Is it possible to have a desk built into one alcove?
Yes. You can have a desk in one alcove and cupboards in the other if you want the two sides to differ. The desk is planned around the way you work.
Honest limits
Not everything around alcove units is carpentry, from an electrician to a plumber or a Gas Safe engineer. Here is what to bear in mind:
- Plastering or repairing loose plaster in the alcoves
- Redecorating, which is for your decorator
- Moving sockets or switches, which needs an electrician
If you are not sure what’s possible in your room, you can tell us about the room on our contact form and we’ll give you a straight answer. How it works.
Materials and parts
- Scribed side panels
- Hand-painted finish
- Adjustable shelves
- Panelled or flat doors
- Birch plywood
- Spray-painted finish
- Moisture-resistant MDF
How fitting works for alcove units
On the morning of the fitting, the first job is covering the floors and protecting the way in from the front door. The sections built in our workshop come in next. The time the fitting takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. In a 1930s house with a converted loft, the stairs to the loft room are often steeper than the main flight, so any section going up there is sized for them. Elsewhere in the house, the route is normally more generous. Each section is assembled and fixed in the room.
- You get in touch and describe the alcoves you want to fill.
- At the design visit we measure each alcove at several heights, because period walls are rarely flat or square.
- We send the design, materials and finish in a quote in writing.
- The units are made at our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, leaving a scribing allowance where they meet the walls.
- On fitting day we level the units and scribe the edges so they follow the line of the plaster.
How to prepare
- Leave a clear route from the front door to the room
- Take anything hanging off the wall we’re fitting to
- Check the building’s rules for trades and lift bookings
Getting a quote
It helps to see the room before we come. A few pictures showing the walls, the corners and where the ceiling meets them give us a good feel for the space, along with rough sizes. To send them over, drop us a line using the contact form, and we will arrange a design visit.
Related advice
Alcove units for homes in Longlands
In the area around Longlands, the largest groups of homes date from between 1919 and 1939 (about 39%) and between 1945 and 1972 (about 22%), in the VOA’s 2025 council tax stock figures. For carpentry, the era of a house is a useful clue to how square its rooms are and what its walls are made of. Within a mile of the centre of Longlands, 7 conservation areas are recorded by Historic England. England has around 10,000 in all, and their controls are mostly concerned with the outside of buildings. Controlled parking zones are run by the boroughs, so the rules in Bexley are set locally. If your street in Longlands is in a controlled parking zone, a visitor permit, a pay-and-display bay or a suspended bay through the council may be needed. We ask about parking during the design visit, so the day can be planned around it.
If your children go to Longlands Primary School or a school nearby, shelving with deep cupboards below keeps books, games and school things in one place. Close to Waring Park? Shelving that stops short of the window keeps the view of the green. If your home is one of the older houses near Christ Church, walls that bow and floors that slope are why alcove units are scribed to fit rather than pushed into place.
Longlands is in the London Borough of Bexley, about 1 mile east of Sidcup. Wherever you are in Longlands, it works the same way: a design visit, a quote in writing, furniture made in our workshop and fitting in your home. We list Longlands among 27 places we cover in Bexley.
We cover every part of the DA15, DA14 and SE9 postcode area for alcove units. We cover homes on streets like Main Road, Alder Road and Sidcup Road, whether you want alcove units or another piece made for the room. Longlands sits close to the A211. Neighbouring places we cover for alcove units include Foxbury (1 mile south), New Eltham (1 mile north-west), Chislehurst (1 mile south-west), Coldharbour (1 mile west) and Blackfen (1 mile north). Across the rest of Bexley, our area takes in Welling (2 miles north-east), Erith (5 miles north-east), Bexley (2 miles east), Belvedere (5 miles north-east), Northumberland Heath (5 miles north-east) and Lessness Heath (5 miles north-east).
What’s near Longlands
In Longlands, that includes homes near Chislehurst School for Girls and Ye Olde Black Horse Inn and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is New Eltham station, about 0.8 miles north-west. Nearby you’ll also find Metropolitan Police Museum (0.8 miles east) and Queen Mary's Hospital (1 mile south-east). Open spaces near Longlands include The Tarn.