Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Croydon · London
Peaks Hill Alcove Units
Cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast, designed for your room in Peaks Hill. After a design visit and a written quote, it’s built in our workshop and fitted in your home.
- Bare alcoves beside the fireplace
- Toys and paperwork with no proper home
- Shelving for books and records
Alcove units in Peaks Hill
Before and after fitting day
Because fitted furniture stays put, a little upkeep goes a long way. Here are a few tips worth knowing:
- Measure anything large that must fit inside, such as a record player
- Book your electrician first if sockets need moving
- Clear the alcoves before the design visit if you can
- Deal with any damp on the chimney breast first
Fill the shelves gradually and spread heavy things evenly. Books weigh more than most people expect, and an even load keeps the shelves straight.
Put coasters or mats under anything that holds water. Dry any spills quickly.
Alcove units in Peaks Hill: what you get
Even a chimney that’s been blocked or capped needs some ventilation to help stop damp. We keep any vent clear when we design alcove units, with nothing covering it. Any damp in the alcoves should be dealt with by the right trade before the units go in, as cupboards fitted over damp walls can suffer. We make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, finished by spray or by hand, and people most often get in touch about shop-bought shelving that doesn’t fill the recess and toys and paperwork with no proper home.
Many houses from between the wars, and many semis, have been extended or opened up inside, and around Peaks Hill, 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. An extension’s plasterboard walls need different fixings from the original brick or block.
Materials are named in the quote: moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, each used where it suits the job. The finish is stated too, whether that is spray painting or hand painting.
- Place
- Peaks Hill (CR8, SM6)
- Borough
- Croydon
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Made
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Boards and paint
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Working days
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Enquiries
- The contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
From workshop to your room
When we arrive on fitting day, we start by protecting your floors and the route from the front door to the room. Next, we carry in the sections built in our workshop, a piece at a time. The time the fitting takes depends on how many alcoves there are and how tall the units go, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. 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, stairs and doorways are protected on the way in, and the sections are assembled in place.
- To begin, tell us about the room on our contact form; a brief note on the alcoves is plenty, and mention if you live in a flat or up a few flights of stairs.
- We visit to measure the alcoves, talk through the design and check the route from the street to the room.
- We then send a quote in writing for the units.
- The units are built in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, in sections sized to come through your door.
- We carry the sections in, assemble them in the alcoves and scribe them to the walls. A spray-painted finish arrives done; a hand-painted one is applied once the units are in.
Getting ready for fitting day
- If you live in a block, book the lift and tell the building manager
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Clear the area where the furniture is going
Arranging a design visit
It helps to see the room before we come. A few pictures showing the walls, the corners and where the ceiling meets them tell us a lot about the space, particularly with rough sizes. To send them over, fill in our short enquiry form, and we’ll arrange a design visit.
Advice
Flats, conversions and leaseholders
Blocks of flats often have their own rules on lift bookings, entry systems and times for trades. Tell us about them during the design visit, and we will plan the fitting around them.
A lot of London’s terraced houses are now converted flats, which often brings a shared hall and tight turns on the stairs. We plan the size of each section around it.
Neighbourhoods near Peaks Hill
What else we make in Peaks Hill
Common questions about alcove units
Will a conservation area stop me having alcove units fitted in Peaks Hill?
Typically 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 are unsure, the council can confirm.
Can parking be tricky on fitting day in Peaks Hill?
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. It helps to let us know about parking at the design visit.
Do I need to be at home on fitting day?
Someone needs to let us in. It’s good to have someone there at the end to look over the work with us.
What happens to the chimney vent when alcove units go in?
Any vent in the chimney breast is kept clear when we design the units. A capped or blocked chimney should still be ventilated to help stop damp.
Is an outside wall a problem for fitted furniture?
External walls can be colder and damper than internal ones, so ventilation behind and inside the furniture helps, which helps avoid condensation and mould. Any damp needs sorting by the right specialist before fitting.
How tall should alcove units be?
It is up to you. Full-height units give the most storage, while a low cupboard with shelves above keeps the room feeling lighter. We talk through the options at the measuring visit.
What it is made from
Plinths and scribe strips
The plinth raises the unit and takes up uneven floors. Its height can match the skirting board.
Spray-painted finish
A sprayed coat covers edges and corners evenly. The colour is agreed with you before we start.
Honest limits
Before you plan the job, it helps to know what we do not do:
- Removing or altering a chimney breast, which is structural work
- Plastering or repairing loose plaster in the alcoves
- Curing damp, which needs the right specialist
If in doubt, you can drop us a line using the contact form and describe the room before you arrange a visit. Our process from visit to fitting.
What goes into it
- Adjustable shelves
- Birch plywood
- Scribed side panels
- Hand-painted finish
- Spray-painted finish
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Panelled or flat doors
Peaks Hill homes and alcove units
About 44% of the homes in the streets around Peaks Hill went up between 1919 and 1939, and about 21% between 1945 and 1972, going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. 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. Near the centre of Peaks Hill, Historic England’s list includes Church of St Mark (Grade II), less than half a mile north. For a listed home, works inside that affect its character can need listed building consent from the council, for example removing or fixing into original panelling. It’s worth speaking to the council’s conservation officer before the design is final. Many London boroughs run controlled parking zones, and Croydon sets its own rules. Depending on your street in Peaks Hill, a visitor permit, a paid bay or a council bay suspension may be needed. We ask about parking at the measuring visit, so the day can be planned around it.
If your children go to Coloma Convent Girls' School or a school nearby, low doors that small hands can open, with books and ornaments higher up, suit a busy family room. If you live in a flat close to Purley station, alcove units are made in sections sized for the stairs, landings and lift, so measuring the route matters as much as measuring the room. Close to Carshalton Park? A room that looks out on trees deserves a design that leaves the window alone.
Peaks Hill is about 4 miles north of Thornton Heath, in the London Borough of Croydon. We design and make alcove units for homes in Peaks Hill, as part of our work in every London borough. Peaks Hill is one of 32 places on our list for Croydon.
Every address in CR8 and SM6 is covered for alcove units. We cover homes on streets like Furze Lane, Birch Lane and Plough Lane, along with the roads around them, for alcove units and any of our other fitted furniture. Peaks Hill sits close to the A2022, and we plan where the van can stop before fitting day. Neighbouring places we cover for alcove units include Russell Hill (1 mile north), Roundshaw (1 mile north), Woodcote (1 mile south-west), Purley (1 mile south-east) and Woodcote Green (1 mile west). Elsewhere in Croydon, we also cover Thornton Heath (4 miles north), Croydon (2 miles north-east), Coulsdon (2 miles south), Broad Green (3 miles north), Upper Norwood (6 miles north) and Selhurst (5 miles north-east).
Local landmarks in Peaks Hill
Our area takes in the homes around The Foxley Hatch pub, Margaret Roper Catholic Primary School and Laleham Lea School. For rail, the closest station is Purley station, about 0.8 miles south-east. Other landmarks nearby include Purley War Memorial Hospital (0.7 miles east) and Croydon Airport Visitor Centre (1 mile north-east). For a walk, there is Roundshaw Downs.