Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Bexley · London
North Cray Alcove Units
We make alcove units in moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood for homes in North Cray. Each piece is finished by spray or by hand, in the colour you choose.
- Bare alcoves beside the fireplace
- Somewhere to keep books and records
- Alcoves that are not square
Need alcove units in North Cray?
Alcove units for homes in North Cray
Few alcoves in older houses are truly square. The walls lean, the chimney breast may bow and the floor often slopes, sometimes all in one recess. Each unit is built in our workshop to our measurements and scribed to the walls when we fit it, so the edges follow the plaster instead of leaving a gap. A plinth or adjustable feet take up any slope in the floor. Typical reasons to get in touch are old alcove cupboards that have seen better days and toys and paperwork with no proper home, and the answer is built in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, finished by spray or by hand.
A house from between the wars typically has lower ceilings than a Victorian one, so alcove units are proportioned to the room rather than copied from a taller one. If yours is one of the interwar houses, semis or detached homes that make up much of the housing around North Cray, the cornice may be plain or missing, so the furniture can run straight to the ceiling. Any skirting is cut around neatly.
Our quotes are written in plain words, without jargon. They say what will be made, what it is made from and how it will be finished.
- Where
- North Cray (DA14)
- Area
- Bexley
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Making
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Materials and finish
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Working days
- Weekdays, and Saturdays by arrangement
- Get in touch
- The contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
North Cray homes and alcove units
The biggest shares of homes in the area around North Cray were built between 1945 and 1972 (about 44%) and between 1919 and 1939 (about 22%), according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). The age of a home tells us a lot about its walls, floors and ceilings, and so about how alcove units are fixed and fitted. Part of North Cray is in the North Cray Village Conservation Area, one of the conservation areas recorded by Historic England. Conservation area rules mainly cover the outside of buildings, so fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. If you want to be certain, ask the council’s planning team. Red routes are run by TfL, with tight limits on where and when vehicles can stop. Where a home in North Cray is on or beside a main road, it is useful to mention that during the design visit. We’ll plan where the van can stop.
For families living near Royal Park Primary Academy, a cupboard for board games and a shelf for reading books can go into the same design. The wider area includes historic houses such as Hall Place and Gardens, about 1.4 miles north-east. For a period home anywhere nearby, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units. If you live near Foots Cray Meadows, a room that looks out on trees deserves a design that leaves the window alone.
North Cray is part of the London Borough of Bexley, about 2 miles west of Sidcup. Whether your home in North Cray is a terraced house, a flat or a newer build, we measure the room as it is and design around it. We list North Cray among 27 places we cover in Bexley.
In DA14, the process is the same as anywhere else in London. Whether you live on a street like Water Lane, North Cray Road and Leafield Lane or on one nearby, we can visit to measure up for alcove units. We also cover the places around North Cray: Bexley (1 mile north), Coldblow (1 mile north-east), Ruxley (1 mile south), Blendon (1 mile north-west) and Upper Ruxley (1 mile south). We also make alcove units in nearby places like Sidcup (2 miles west), Welling (2 miles north-west), Erith (4 miles north), Belvedere (4 miles north), Northumberland Heath (3 miles north-east) and Lessness Heath (4 miles north).
Around North Cray
In North Cray, that includes homes near The White Cross pub and Cleeve Park School. North Cray’s nearest station is Albany Park station, roughly 0.6 miles north-west of the centre. A little further out are Bexley Hospital (1.8 miles north) and Bexley Museum (1.5 miles north-east).
When is bespoke worth it?
If you’re handy, a simple shelf or a standard wardrobe in a square room is a reasonable DIY job. Sloping ceilings, uneven floors and lath-and-plaster walls make it harder, because scribing and the right fixings start to matter.
The real difference is in the fit: edges scribed to the wall, a level base on a sloping floor and a neat line where the furniture meets the ceiling. Off-the-shelf furniture cannot normally do that in an older room.
Is bespoke worth it?
Shop-bought shelving and cabinets can go in an alcove, and they’re typically cheaper. The trouble is typically the gaps: standard sizes seldom match the alcove, and walls that aren’t straight show up every gap. A bespoke unit is built to the alcove and scribed to follow the wall. The spaces between doors, windows and radiators are seldom a stock size, which leaves ready-made pieces sitting awkwardly. Built-in pieces are planned around those fixed points.
There is no price list, because each job is designed for a single room. Instead, we measure, talk through the design and then quote in writing, with the materials and finish set out. To arrange a design visit, use our contact form.
What you get with us
- Scribed to uneven walls
- Designed for the room you have
- Spray painted or hand painted, in the colour you choose
- Built in our workshop and fitted in your home
Read how bespoke compares with ready-made and what to look for in a quote.
Also in North Cray
Your questions about alcove units in North Cray
Is parking a problem for fitting in North Cray?
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 helps to tell us about parking at the design visit, and we’ll plan around it.
Can you fit furniture in a home close to Albany Park station?
Yes, homes across Bexley and the rest of London are within the area we cover. You can drop us a line using the contact form to arrange a design visit, and let us know about parking and access at the same time.
What happens during the design visit?
We measure the room, check how level the walls and floors are and discuss the design with you. We will also ask about access and parking.
Who moves the sockets behind the alcove units?
Your electrician handles sockets and wiring. It is best done before the units go in. The units are made with cut-outs and cable gaps to suit.
Should I send photos?
Yes, they help. A few pictures of the room, from floor to ceiling, tell us a lot. You can send them when you drop us a line using the contact form.
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.
What it is made from
Hand-painted finish
Hand painting lets the colour be judged in the room itself as it goes on. It also means any filling around scribed edges is painted in one go.
Plinths and scribe strips
Scribing means trimming the edges on site so they follow the wall. It’s how a straight unit meets a wall that isn’t straight.
Flats, conversions and leaseholders
For flats on red routes or busy main roads, getting the furniture from the van to the door needs planning. Red routes are run by TfL and have strict stopping rules, so it is worth raising during the design visit.
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.
Fitting day, step by step
Furniture made in a workshop still has to meet the room it’s going into, and fitting day is where that happens. Few walls in older London homes are truly flat or square, so each edge that meets a wall is scribed to follow it. How long the fitting itself takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. In a 1920s or 1930s house, the hall and stairs are normally straightforward, but the route in is still measured, not just the room. Alcove units arrive in sections and are assembled in place.
- You send us a few details about the alcoves and what you’d like in them, and we arrange a design visit at a time that suits you.
- We come to measure the alcoves, look at the walls and agree the design with you, 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.
- We make the cupboards and shelves in our workshop.
- The units are fitted in your home and scribed to follow the walls, so they sit tight to the chimney breast.
Before fitting day
- Clear the hallway and stairs so the sections can come through
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
Starting with a design visit
There’s no price list: each design is priced in writing after we’ve seen the space. Because every room is different, the quote comes after the design visit. For a quote, use our contact form.