Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Havering · London
Alcove units in Puddle Dock, Havering
Walls in older London homes are rarely straight, so we scribe the furniture to follow them. Our work on alcove units in Puddle Dock starts with a design visit, and everything is built in our workshop.
- Clutter with nowhere to go
- Cupboards in keeping with an older house
- Shop-bought shelving that doesn’t fill the recess
Alcove units designed for your room
Alcove units in Puddle Dock
In a typical Victorian or Edwardian terrace, the chimney breast leaves an alcove on either side of it. Alcove units turn that space into cupboards and shelves that sit as part of the room. Where a room in Puddle Dock has a pair of alcoves, we design a unit for each one, starting with a design visit to measure. We make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and strong birch plywood, with a painted finish, and the usual reasons to get in touch are a desk that tucks into an alcove and clutter with nowhere to go.
Ceilings in interwar houses tend to be lower than in Victorian ones, so alcove units are proportioned to the room rather than copied from a taller one. Where your home is one of the interwar houses or semis that are a big part of the housing around Puddle Dock, the cornice may be plain or missing, so the furniture can run straight to the ceiling. Any skirting is cut around neatly.
After the design visit, we send you a quote in writing. It describes the design we discussed, the materials and the finish, so you know exactly what you are getting.
- Where
- Puddle Dock (RM14)
- Area
- Havering
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- First step
- Design visit, then a written quote
- Where it is made
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Made from
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Fitting days
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Get in touch
- Send us a message
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Is it time for alcove units?
Many people ask about alcove units because the alcoves are the most obvious wasted space they have. Standard furniture seldom fits an alcove, so there are gaps at the sides and the top. A fitted unit fills the recess.
People usually get in touch with us about things like these:
- Clutter with nowhere to go
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
- Shop-bought shelving that doesn’t fill the recess
- Bowed walls and sloping floors
If you live in a flat close to Upminster station, each piece is planned so it can be carried up and joined together in the room.
Before you hire any carpenter
- Whether they can show you real projects they’ve done
- Whether the quote follows a visit to your home
- Will the doors close with even gaps?
- How they’ll get the furniture into the room
Flats, conversions and leaseholders
If your flat is leasehold, check your lease before fixing furniture to the walls. Some leases need the building owner’s consent for alterations, and that is best sorted before fitting day. We can’t give advice on leases.
Landlords furnishing a let use fitted furniture too, as it makes good use of an awkward room. The materials are the same as for any home: moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, with a spray or hand-painted finish.
Questions we are often asked
Is parking a problem for fitting in Puddle Dock?
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’s useful to let us know about parking at the design visit.
Do you make alcove units for homes in Puddle Dock?
Yes, Puddle Dock is within the area we cover, which takes in all of Havering and the rest of London. We start with a design visit to measure the room and talk through what you need, followed by a quote.
Is it possible to have a desk built into one alcove?
Yes. Many people use one alcove for a desk and the other for cupboards. We’ll plan the desk around how you work.
Does fitted furniture need planning permission?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are largely about how buildings look from outside, and fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. Listed buildings are different: check with the council’s conservation officer first.
How long will the fitting take?
The time on site depends on how many alcoves there are and how tall the units go, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. The units are made in our workshop first.
What paint finish can I have on alcove units?
We offer spray painting in the workshop and hand painting on site. Spray painting gives a smooth, factory-like finish; a hand-painted one is easy to touch up later. We will help you choose at the design visit.
Before and after fitting day
Looking after painted furniture is simple. A few things help it stay looking good:
- Decide whether the units stop at the picture rail or run to the ceiling
- Sort out damp patches before fitting
- Bring the sizes of anything that has to fit in the cupboards
- Book your electrician first if sockets need moving
To clean painted units, a soft cloth that’s barely damp is enough. Avoid abrasive pads and strong cleaning sprays, as they can mark the finish. Dry the surface afterwards.
Watch for damp marks on the chimney breast or the walls near the units. Damp needs its cause fixing by the right trade.
Where other trades come in
Not everything around alcove units is carpentry, such as an electrician, a plumber or a Gas Safe engineer. Here’s what to know:
- Redecorating, which is for your decorator
- Taking out a chimney breast or opening up a fireplace
- Making good damaged walls before fitting
Not sure whether your space suits alcove units? You can send us a few details through our contact form and we’ll tell you. How it works.
Boards, parts and finishes
- Spray-painted finish
- Birch plywood
- Scribed side panels
- Panelled or flat doors
- Adjustable shelves
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Hand-painted finish
How fitting works for alcove units
With the carcasses fixed and level, we hang any doors and fit any drawers or lids. We adjust each one so the gaps line up and it closes cleanly. The time the fitting takes depends on the size and number of units, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. Loft stairs in an interwar house can be tight, with a low ceiling at the top, so any section going up there is sized for them. The main stairs in houses of that age are typically straighter. Each section is assembled and fixed in the room.
- It starts with a short message from you about the alcoves.
- At the design visit we measure up, agree the layout and talk about colour and finish. You can choose a spray-painted finish from our workshop or a hand-painted one done in your home.
- The written quote then sets out the design, the materials and the finish you have picked.
- We make the units in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF, which takes paint well, and birch plywood. If you chose spray painting, that’s done in the workshop too, for a smooth, even surface.
- The units are fitted and scribed to the alcoves; a hand-painted finish is done on site after fitting and is easy to touch up later.
- New paintwork takes a while to cure fully, so treat the surfaces gently at first.
Before we arrive
- If you live in a block, book the lift and tell the building manager
- Keep pets in another room while we work
- Move furniture and belongings away from the wall
Starting with a design visit
A quote begins with some details from you: which room it is, rough measurements and a couple of photos if you can take them. To send them, get in touch through our contact form. After that, we arrange a visit to measure and go through the design, then send a written quote.
Advice
Also near Puddle Dock
More for homes in Puddle Dock
Puddle Dock homes and alcove units
In the area around Puddle Dock, the largest groups of homes date from between 1945 and 1972 (about 80%) and between 1919 and 1939 (about 11%), based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. 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. Entries on the National Heritage List near the centre of Puddle Dock include Franks Farmhouse (Grade II), under half a mile north-west. 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, may need listed building consent. It’s worth speaking to the council’s conservation officer before the design is final. About 60% of households in the neighbourhood around Puddle Dock live in detached or semi-detached houses, based on Census 2021. In a semi or detached house, a driveway, where there is one, can make unloading easier.
If your children go to The James Oglethorpe Primary School or a school nearby, low doors that small hands can open, with books and ornaments higher up, suit a busy family room. For an older house near Moor Lane Church, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units.
Puddle Dock is within the London Borough of Havering, about 5 miles west of Romford. We work across all London boroughs and the City of London, and Puddle Dock is part of that. Puddle Dock is one of 22 places on our list for Havering.
Design visits and fitting in RM14 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. If you’re just outside Puddle Dock, we also cover Cranham (1 mile west), North Ockendon (1 mile south), Upminster (2 miles west), Upminster Bridge (2 miles west) and Emerson Park (3 miles west). We also make alcove units in nearby places such as Romford (5 miles west), Hornchurch (3 miles west), Gallows Corner (4 miles north-west), Heath Park (4 miles west), Elm Park (4 miles west) and Collier Row (6 miles north-west).
Around Puddle Dock
In Puddle Dock, that includes homes near Hall Mead School, among other places. The nearest railway station is Upminster station, about 1.9 miles west of the centre. Nearby you will also find Upminster Tithe Barn Museum of Nostalgia (1.7 miles west). Not far away are Cranham Brickfields.