Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Havering · London
Alcove units in Rainham, Havering
Alcove units in Rainham: cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast. We make each piece in our workshop and fit it in your home.
- Old alcove cupboards that have seen better days
- Shop-bought shelving that doesn’t fill the recess
- A place for a small desk
Need alcove units in Rainham?
Alcove units in Rainham
Period alcoves are rarely square. Walls bow, corners wander and floors slope. Each unit is made 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. Adjustable feet or a plinth set it level. We make alcove units from MDF made to resist moisture and birch plywood, then spray-painted or hand-painted, and the usual reasons to get in touch are room to work in an alcove and bowed walls and sloping floors.
If you live in one of the interwar houses or semis around Rainham, the main room is often well proportioned, with a bay, a chimney breast and not many other recesses. Alcove units can fill the alcoves, run the length of a wall or frame the chimney breast. Moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood keep the pieces stable, and the paint finish is agreed with you.
Once you’ve read the quote and decided to go ahead, the furniture is made in our workshop. The quote sets out the agreed design, materials and finish, so every detail can be checked first.
- Location
- Rainham (RM13)
- Area
- Havering
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- First step
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Made
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Boards and paint
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Fitting days
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by arrangement
- Contact
- The contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Common questions about alcove units
Do you make alcove units for homes in Rainham?
Yes. Rainham is one of the places we work, along with the rest of Havering and London. To get started, you can message us from the contact page with a few details.
Will a conservation area stop me having alcove units fitted in Rainham?
Typically not: conservation area rules mainly cover the outside of buildings, and fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. If your home is listed, works inside that affect its character may need listed building consent, so check with the council first. If you’re unsure, the council can confirm.
Which finishes are there for alcove units?
There are two options: a spray-painted finish done in our workshop, or a hand-painted finish done on site. Both are in a colour agreed with you. Spray painting is smooth and even, while hand painting is easy to touch up.
How long will the fitting take?
The time on site depends on the size and number of units, and your quote sets out the fitting days. Most of the making happens in our workshop, so the work in your home is about fitting and finishing.
Can the two alcove units be different?
It is entirely your choice. Alcoves are often different widths anyway, so each unit is made to its own measurements. They can share a style while doing different things.
Can you add sockets inside the units?
That is a job for your electrician. Ideally it is done before fitting so the sockets line up with the design. The units are made with cut-outs and cable gaps to suit.
Built-in living-room furniture in Rainham
In the streets around Rainham, the largest groups of homes date from between 1919 and 1939 (about 47%) and between 1945 and 1972 (about 22%), based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. For carpentry, the era of a house is a useful clue to how square its rooms are and what its walls are made of. The centre of Rainham is within about a quarter of a mile of the Rainham Conservation Area. Being in a conservation area mainly affects changes to the outside of a building, and fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. If in doubt, the council’s planning team can confirm. About 40% of households in the area around Rainham live in detached or semi-detached houses, the 2021 Census shows. In a semi or detached house, a driveway, where there is one, can make unloading easier.
Living in a block of flats near Rainham (Essex) station? Then the route in is measured as well as the room, and the sections are sized to fit it. For an older house near Church of St Helen and St Giles, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units. If you live near Wildspace Conservation Park, shelving that stops short of the window keeps the view of the green.
Rainham is about 4 miles north of Romford, part of the London Borough of Havering. Our work covers every London borough and the City of London, Rainham included. Rainham is one of 22 places on our list for Havering.
Design visits and fitting in RM13 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Streets in the area include New Road, Ferry Lane and Wantz Lane, and we cover homes on all of them for alcove units. Neighbouring places we cover for alcove units include South Hornchurch (1 mile north-west), Beam Park (1 mile west), Hornchurch Marshes (1 mile west), Dagenham Green (2 miles west) and Elm Park (2 miles north). Other parts of Havering we cover include Romford (4 miles north), Hornchurch (3 miles north), Gallows Corner (5 miles north), Heath Park (4 miles north), Collier Row (5 miles north) and Upminster (4 miles north-east).
Near you in Rainham
We fit furniture in homes around The Phoenix pub, The Chafford School and Harris Academy Rainham. There is a railway station in Rainham itself: Rainham (Essex) station. Green spaces nearby include Ingrebourne Marshes.
How fitting works for alcove units
There isn’t much for you to do on fitting day. Someone needs to let us in, and the room should already be cleared, as agreed at the measuring visit. After that, it is over to us: the floors are covered, the sections come in and the fitting begins. How long fitting takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. Some interwar and suburban streets have driveways, which can make unloading easier, so it is worth mentioning during the design visit. Otherwise, a visitor permit or a nearby bay helps. Floors and doorways are protected while the pieces come in.
- You get in touch and describe the alcoves you want to fill.
- We visit to measure the alcoves top, middle and bottom, and check the floor for level. Then we go through the design together.
- We send the design, materials and finish in a written quote.
- In our workshop the units are made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, with a little extra left on the edges that meet the wall.
- At fitting, we set each unit level on a plinth or feet and trim that edge to follow the wall.
Before fitting day
- Take down pictures, mirrors and shelves from the wall
- Clear the area where the furniture is going
- Let us know if your street is in a controlled parking zone
Getting a quote
If you already have something in mind, tell us; if you do not, that is fine, and we can work it out together. The design is talked through at the visit, once we have measured, and the written quote that follows sets it out. To start, message us from the contact page.
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How we price alcove units
Each piece is designed for one room, so each price is too. The things that affect it are:
- What goes inside: rails, shelves, drawers and dividers
- Access to the room, like stairs, lifts and narrow halls
- Doors and drawers, and how many
- Whether you choose a spray or hand-painted finish
Access to the room makes a difference too. Narrow halls, tight stairs or a small lift may mean the furniture is made in more sections, which the quote allows for. Your quote is written for your room once we’ve visited and measured.
Before the design visit
When you contact us, these help most:
- Rough measurements: width, height and depth
- Examples of the look you’re after
- Whether it’s a house or a flat, and if there are stairs or a lift
- Pictures showing the full wall, from floor to ceiling
It is useful to see the room before we come. Pictures of the whole wall, the corners and the ceiling line give us a good feel for the space. To share them, use our contact form, and we’ll arrange a design visit.
Made for the room, or bought in a box?
A bespoke unit takes longer to arrive than something from a shop: it needs a design visit, a quote and time in the workshop. What you get is a unit planned for your alcove, rather than the nearest standard size. Bays, box rooms and stair bulkheads are where off-the-shelf furniture struggles most, and interwar homes often have all three. Built-in pieces are designed to fit them.
What goes inside matters as much as the outside: rails, shelves, drawers and dividers all add work. We will talk through what you need inside during the design visit, then set it out in the quote.
Why us?
- Built in our workshop and fitted in your home
- Finished by spray or by hand
- Fitted tight to walls that aren’t straight
- Saturdays by arrangement
Take a look at how bespoke compares with ready-made or what a quote should include.
Flats, blocks and rented homes
If your flat is leasehold, check your lease before fixing furniture to the walls. A lease can require consent from the building owner for alterations. We can’t advise on your lease, so check it yourself or ask your managing agent.
If the property is let, we’ll need access agreed with the tenants. An agent can arrange access for you.
Where other trades come in
Not everything around alcove units is carpentry, like an electrician, a plumber or a Gas Safe engineer. Here’s what to know:
- Making good damaged walls before fitting
- Decorating the rest of the room
- Treating damp in the chimney breast or walls
If you are not sure what’s possible in your room, you can send us a few details through our contact form and we’ll give you a straight answer before you arrange a visit. Our process from visit to fitting.
Materials and parts
- Spray-painted finish
- Hand-painted finish
- Panelled or flat doors
- Birch plywood
- Adjustable shelves
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Scribed side panels