Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Croydon · London
Alcove units in Old Coulsdon, Croydon
Few London rooms are perfectly square, and we scribe the furniture to follow the walls. We make alcove units for homes in Old Coulsdon, each designed at a visit to your home.
- Standard units leaving gaps at the sides
- Storage that suits a period room
- Everyday clutter left on show
Need alcove units in Old Coulsdon?
Before and after fitting day
A little care keeps the finish looking good, whether it was spray painted or hand painted. Here are our suggestions:
- Consider whether the units should reach the ceiling
- Tell us about parking and access at the measuring visit
- Talk to your electrician early if you want new sockets
- Note any vent or air brick on the chimney breast
Keep any chimney vent clear once the units are in. Ventilation helps keep the chimney breast dry.
Watch for damp marks on the chimney breast or the walls near the units. Damp needs its cause fixing by the right trade.
Alcove units in Old Coulsdon
Alcove units are made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, each used where it works best. MDF suits doors and panels because it paints so evenly, while birch plywood is strong and holds screws well. You can have a spray-painted finish from the workshop or a hand-painted one done on site, in the colour you choose. We make alcove units from birch plywood and moisture-resistant MDF with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish, and the usual reasons to get in touch are everyday clutter left on show and storage that suits a period room.
With interwar houses or semis a big part of the picture around Old Coulsdon, many homes have had the front and back rooms knocked together. That leaves a long room with a chimney breast on one side, which suits alcove units along that wall. At the design visit we plan any cable routes and ventilation the room needs.
Everything we agree at the design visit goes into the written quote: 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.
- Place
- Old Coulsdon (CR5, CR3, CR8)
- Borough
- Croydon
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Where it’s made
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Made from
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Working days
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by prior arrangement
- Get in touch
- Our contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What prompts alcove units in Old Coulsdon
A busy family living room is another reason. Toys, games, paperwork and gadgets need somewhere to go, and cupboards with doors keep them out of sight. Open shelves above are left for the things you like to see.
We are often asked to help with:
- Empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast
- Cupboards in keeping with an older house
- Somewhere to keep books and records
- Standard units leaving gaps at the sides
If you live near Dollypers Hill, alcove units can be planned to frame a window with a view rather than block it.
What to check before you book
- How they deal with uneven walls and floors
- How doors and drawers are fitted
- Whether the quote says what the furniture is made from
- Will other trades be needed, and who arranges them?
How fitting works for alcove units
Before anything is fixed, we set the furniture level. Floors are often out of level, so adjustable feet or a plinth take up the difference. Only then is it fixed to the wall, with fixings chosen to suit brick, lath and plaster or plasterboard. Semis and detached houses often have a front path or a side gate, which can make carrying in easier. We measure the path, any steps and the front door as part of the route. Floors are covered from the door to the room.
- It starts with a short message from you about the alcoves.
- We visit to measure the alcoves and talk through the design, including the paint finish.
- The written quote then sets out the design, the materials and the finish you’ve picked.
- The units are built in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. If you chose spray painting, that is done in the workshop too, for a smooth, even surface.
- We fit the units in your home and scribe them to the walls.
- Paint needs time to cure, so go gently with the new units at first.
Before we arrive
- Point out meters, boilers and fuse boards near the furniture
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Take anything hanging off the wall we are fitting to
Ask for a quote
The quote is built from the design visit. We measure the room properly, check how the walls and floors run and discuss the design with you. Afterwards, we send a written quote, so you can take your time with it. To arrange the visit, get in touch through our contact form.
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Pricing alcove units in Old Coulsdon
There is no set price, because there is no set room. What affects it comes down to:
- Stairs, lifts and the route to the room
- The number of doors and drawers
- How big the furniture is
- Parking and unloading on your street
The inside of the furniture affects the price as well: drawers take more making than shelves, and each rail, divider or pull-out adds to the work. At the design visit, we work out what you need inside, and the quote follows.
What to send when you contact us
The more you can tell us at the start, the better the design visit goes. When you get in touch, it is useful to send:
- Whether it’s a house or a flat, and if there are stairs or a lift
- Anything in the way, such as radiators, sockets, switches, a boiler or meters
- Approximate measurements of the space
- Your postcode and the borough
If you know what you want, say so; if you don’t, that’s fine, and we can work it out together. At the design visit, we measure up and talk the design through with you, and the written quote then sets it out. To arrange a visit, drop us a line using the contact form.
Flats, blocks and rented homes
If your flat is leasehold, check your lease before fixing furniture to the walls. Some leases need the building owner’s consent for alterations, which is worth sorting early. We can’t give advice on leases, so check it yourself or ask your managing agent.
If the property is let, we’ll need access agreed with the tenants, at times that suit them. An agent can arrange access for you.
Nearby places to Old Coulsdon
Also in Old Coulsdon
Built-in living-room furniture in Old Coulsdon
About 47% of the homes in the area around Old Coulsdon went up between 1945 and 1972, and about 36% between 1919 and 1939, on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. Each era brings its own kind of wall, ceiling height and floor, so it shapes the design from the first measurement. Entries on the National Heritage List near the centre of Old Coulsdon include Church of St John the Evangelist (Grade I), less than half a mile north, and Taunton Farmhouse (Grade II), less than half a mile north-east. Listing covers the inside of a building as well as the outside, so works that affect a listed home’s character, like removing original joinery, can need listed building consent. Ask the council’s conservation officer before anything is fixed. About 47% of homes in the streets around Old Coulsdon were built between 1945 and 1972, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). Rooms from that era are often squarer, with fewer alcoves and sometimes no chimney breast, so alcove units often run along a full wall, fixed to suit the wall, which may be concrete or block.
For a family home near Keston Primary School, a cupboard for board games and a shelf for reading books can go into the same design. For a flat near Coulsdon South station, check any building rules on lifts and working hours early, and the sections will be sized for the way in.
Old Coulsdon is within the London Borough of Croydon, about 7 miles north of Thornton Heath. Anywhere in Old Coulsdon, the process is the same: a design visit, a written quote, furniture made in our workshop and fitting in your home. Old Coulsdon is one of 32 places on our list for Croydon.
Postcode districts we cover here for alcove units: CR5, CR3 and CR8. Whether you live on a street such as Ellis Road, Tollers Lane and Court Avenue or on one nearby, we can visit to measure up for alcove units. If you’re just outside Old Coulsdon, we also cover Coulsdon (1 mile north-west), Purley (2 miles north), Woodcote (2 miles north-west) and Peaks Hill (3 miles north). Elsewhere in Croydon, we also cover Thornton Heath (7 miles north), Croydon (5 miles north), Broad Green (6 miles north), Upper Norwood (8 miles north), Selhurst (7 miles north) and South Norwood (7 miles north).
What’s near Old Coulsdon
The streets we cover here include those near Sunnydown School, The Tudor Rose pub and Oasis Academy Coulsdon. The nearest railway station is Coulsdon South station, about 1.4 miles north-west. Other landmarks nearby include St Lawrence's Hospital (1.3 miles south-east) and East Surrey Museum (2 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include South London Downs National Nature Reserve.
FAQs: alcove units in Old Coulsdon
Do you make alcove units for homes in Old Coulsdon?
Yes. We cover all of Croydon and the rest of London, and Old Coulsdon is part of that. The first step is a design visit, where we measure and discuss the design, followed by a quote.
Will parking be an issue for fitting furniture in Old Coulsdon?
It can be, depending on whether your street is in a controlled parking zone. 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. Let us know what parking is near you at the measuring visit, and we’ll plan around it.
Does someone need to be home during the fitting?
Someone needs to be there to let us in. After that, you don’t need to stay in the room, but it helps to be around at the end.
Will alcove units fit if my walls are not straight?
Yes. Most period alcoves are out of square in some way, so each unit is scribed to the wall on site. A plinth or adjustable feet set it level on a sloping floor.
How long are you in the house for the fitting?
The fitting depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. We will talk you through what fitting day involves before we start.
Do you work on Saturdays?
Yes, by prior arrangement. Tell us when you contact us if a Saturday suits you best.