Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Havering · London
Alcove Units in Romford
We make alcove units in moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood for homes in Romford. Each piece is finished by spray or by hand, in the colour you choose.
- Tired cupboards in the alcoves
- Alcoves that are wasted space
- Walls too uneven for standard furniture
Alcove units designed for your room
Questions we’re often asked
Can you make alcove units for a home in Romford?
Yes. Romford is one of the places we work, along with the rest of Havering and London. To get started, you can use our contact form with some details.
Do you cover homes near Romford station?
Yes. We cover all of Havering and the rest of London. You can fill in our short enquiry form to arrange a design visit.
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. Even a blocked chimney needs some ventilation to help keep damp away, so we never box a vent in.
Do alcove units need to reach the ceiling?
It depends on the room and the look you want. In a tall period room, units can stop under the picture rail or the cornice, or run to the ceiling for a built-in look. We agree the height at the measuring visit.
How do I get a quote for alcove units in Romford?
Just fill in our short enquiry form. It helps to send rough measurements and a few photos, and we’ll arrange a design visit, followed by a written quote.
Is an outside wall a problem for fitted furniture?
It can be done with some care: ventilation behind and inside the furniture helps avoid condensation and mould. We do not treat damp, so any damp should be sorted before fitting day.
About our alcove units in Romford
A classic layout is a low cupboard with open shelves above. The cupboards take the things you’d rather not see, and the shelves are for books and favourite objects. The top of the cupboard makes a useful surface at a comfortable height. Heights are agreed with you to suit the room and your things. Typical reasons to get in touch are worn or badly fitted alcove units and everyday clutter left on show, and the answer is made at our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and strong birch plywood, with a painted finish.
Plenty of semis and interwar houses have been extended at the back or had the back rooms knocked through, which matters around Romford, where homes like these are a big part of the housing. A long through room gives alcove units a whole wall to work with. New plasterboard in an extension and older brick or block in the original house take different fixings.
If the job needs another trade, like an electrician or a plumber, we’ll tell you, so it can be arranged before fitting day. The quote itself covers our work, from the design to the materials and finish.
- Where
- Romford (RM1, RM7, RM11, RM2)
- Borough
- Havering
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- First step
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Where it is made
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Made from
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- When we fit
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Get in touch
- Our contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Romford homes and alcove units
The biggest shares of homes in the streets around Romford were built between 1919 and 1939 (about 32%) and since 2000 (about 30%), going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. 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 Romford include Parish Church of St Edward the Confessor (Grade II*), under half a mile north, and The Golden Lion Public House (Grade II), less than half a mile north. Works inside a listed home that affect its character, for instance removing original joinery or fixing into it, may need listed building consent from the council. Ask the council’s conservation officer before anything is fixed. The ULEZ, run by TfL, takes in all of London, so Havering is inside it. It applies to every van that comes to fit furniture in Romford. How the van gets to your door is planned at the measuring visit.
Living in a block of flats near Romford station? Then check any building rules on lifts and working hours early, and the sections will be sized for the way in. Hare Hall, about 1.4 miles north-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area. If your own home is a period one, walls that bow and floors that slope are why alcove units are scribed to fit rather than pushed into place.
Romford is within the London Borough of Havering. Anywhere in Romford, the process is the same: a design visit, a quote in writing, furniture made at our workshop and fitting in your home. Romford is one of 22 places on our list for Havering.
Every home in RM1, RM7, RM11 and RM2 is within our area for alcove units. You’ll find streets here such as High Street, Market Place and Market Link, and we cover homes on all of them for alcove units. Romford sits close to the A1251. If your home is on one of them, tell us at the design visit, as some main roads have strict stopping rules. Other places close to Romford include Rush Green (1 mile south-west), Collier Row (1 mile north), Rise Park (1 mile north), Becontree Heath (1 mile south-west) and Chadwell Heath (2 miles west). Other parts of Havering we cover include Hornchurch (2 miles south-east), Gallows Corner (2 miles north-east), Elm Park (2 miles south), Rainham (4 miles south), Upminster (3 miles east) and Ardleigh Green (2 miles east). As one of the bigger places in Havering, Romford is covered for all of our fitted furniture.
Around Romford
In Romford, that includes homes near Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls, The Moon & Stars pub and St. Edward's Church of England School and the streets around them. There’s a railway station in Romford itself: Romford station. A little further out are The Brewery (less than half a mile south-west) and Oldchurch Hospital (under half a mile south). Green spaces nearby include The Chase Nature Reserve.
How fitting day works
At the end, we tidy up and lift the floor protection. Before we leave, we go over the finished piece together and explain how to look after the paint. How long fitting takes depends on how many alcoves there are and how tall the units go, and your quote sets out the fitting days. Some interwar and suburban streets have driveways, which can make unloading easier, so let us know at the design visit. Otherwise, details of permits or nearby bays help. Floors and doorways are protected while the pieces come in.
- You contact us about the alcoves you want to fill, and we find a time for the design visit.
- We come to measure and talk through cupboards, shelves, heights and doors. If one alcove needs a desk or a TV space, this is when we plan it.
- We put the design, materials and finish into a written quote.
- We build the units in our workshop, using moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- We bring them to your home and fit them in place. Any scribing to the walls is done on the day.
How to prepare
- Let us know where the boiler and meters are
- Keep pets in another room while we work
- Let us know about parking near your home
Getting a quote
Pictures help us understand the room before we visit. A few pictures showing the walls, the corners and where the ceiling meets them tell us a lot about the space, along with rough sizes. To share them, drop us a line using the contact form, and we’ll suggest a time for a design visit.
Advice
Before and after fitting day
People planning alcove units often ask about these. They help before and after fitting:
- Book your electrician first if sockets need moving
- Let us know about stairs, parking and access early
- Look for a chimney vent that needs to stay clear
- Move things out of the alcoves so we can measure properly
Doors can settle a little once the units are in use. Hinges can usually be adjusted to bring a door back in line, which deals with a door that starts to catch.
Spread heavy loads and keep the heaviest things on lower shelves. Overloaded shelves are the main cause of sagging.
Boards, parts and paint
Moisture-resistant MDF
In an alcove unit, MDF gives smooth doors and tidy edges. Its moisture-resistant grade is a sensible choice beside a chimney breast.
Birch plywood
Birch plywood is strong and holds screws well, which makes it a good choice for shelves and carcasses. You can paint its layered edge or leave it on show.
Places near Romford
Other services in Romford
Do you need alcove units in Romford?
Some homes already have alcove cupboards, but they’ve seen better days. Starting again lets you rethink the layout, from the doors to what goes inside.
Here are some of the needs we’re asked about most:
- Clutter with nowhere to go
- A place for a small desk
- Shop-bought shelving that does not fill the recess
- Empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast
If your children go to Concordia Academy or a school nearby, low doors that small hands can open, with books and ornaments higher up, suit a busy family room.
Questions to ask before you hire anyone
- Will the doors close with even gaps?
- Who does any electrics, plumbing or gas work
- How they’ll get the furniture into the room
- Where they’ll park and unload
Flats, conversions and leaseholders
Conversions and newer flats often have stud walls rather than solid brick. We choose fixings to suit the wall.
If your building is on a red route or a busy main road, getting the furniture from the van to the door needs planning. TfL runs the red routes, and the stopping rules are strict, so let us know about it at the design visit.