Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Barnet · London
Alcove units in Rowley Green, Barnet
Walls in older London homes are rarely straight, so we scribe the furniture to follow them. We make alcove units for homes in Rowley Green, each designed at a visit to your home.
- Standard units leaving gaps at the sides
- Walls too uneven for standard furniture
- Somewhere to keep books and records
Need alcove units in Rowley Green?
Alcove units for homes in Rowley Green
Homes built between 1945 and 1972 make up about 35% of the housing in the streets around Rowley Green, with about 33% built between 1919 and 1939, on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. That matters for alcove units, as the build era decides whether a wall is solid brick, lath and plaster, block or plasterboard. Entries on the National Heritage List near the centre of Rowley Green include Trinders Lodge (Grade II), about 0.5 miles south-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 require listed building consent. An early word with the council’s conservation officer is the best first step. Red routes, run by TfL, have strict rules on stopping and loading. If your home in Rowley Green is on or near a main road, tell us at the design visit. That way we can plan where to load and unload.
If you live in a period home close to Holy Cross, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units. If you live near Barnet Gate Wood, alcove units can be arranged to keep the window and the light clear.
Rowley Green is within the London Borough of Barnet, about 5 miles south-east of Finchley. Anywhere in Rowley Green, it works the same way: we visit and measure, send a written quote, make the furniture in our workshop and fit it. Rowley Green is one of 41 places on our list for Barnet.
We cover every part of EN5. We also cover Arkley (1 mile south-east) and High Barnet (2 miles east). We also make alcove units in nearby places like Finchley (5 miles south-east), Barnet (3 miles east), Burnt Oak (3 miles south), East Finchley (5 miles south-east), Hendon (5 miles south) and Whetstone (4 miles south-east).
Near you in Rowley Green
Our area takes in the homes around Elstree University Technical College and the streets around them. Rowley Green’s nearest station is Elstree & Borehamwood station, roughly 1.4 miles west of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Spires Shopping Centre (1.8 miles east) and Hertfordshire Scout Museum (1.2 miles north). Green spaces nearby include Rowley Lodge Field.
Alcove units for homes in Rowley Green
Period alcoves are rarely square. The walls lean, the chimney breast may bow and the floor often slopes, often all at once. We make each unit in our workshop to the measurements we take, then scribe it on site, so the sides meet the wall closely rather than showing a dark line. A plinth or adjustable feet take up any slope in the floor. If your home has tired cupboards in the alcoves and somewhere to keep books and records, alcove units made from moisture-resistant MDF and strong birch plywood, with a painted finish can solve it.
A house from between the wars typically has lower ceilings than a Victorian one, and the proportions of alcove units are set to match. Where your home is one of the interwar houses or semis that are a big part of the housing around Rowley Green, the cornice may be plain or missing, so the furniture can run straight to the ceiling. Any skirting is cut around neatly.
Our quotes are written in plain words. They say what will be made, what it’s made from and how it will be finished, taken from what we agreed at the visit.
- Where
- Rowley Green (EN5)
- Borough
- Barnet
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- Design visit, then a written quote
- Made
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Boards and paint
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- When we fit
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Get in touch
- The contact form
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Flats, conversions and leaseholders
Landlords furnishing a let use fitted furniture too, often to make the most of a small or tricky room. It is made from the same moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood as any of our work.
In a managed block, the building manager or concierge may need notice before we arrive. If there is a lift, it may need booking, and its size matters when we plan the sections. Let us know about it when you contact us.
Questions we are often asked
Is Rowley Green in the area you cover for alcove units?
Yes, Rowley Green is within the area we cover, which takes in all of Barnet and the rest of London. The first step is a design visit, where we measure and discuss the design, followed by a quote.
Is parking a problem for fitting in Rowley Green?
It can be, depending on whether your street is in a controlled parking zone. A van may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a parking bay suspension, which the council arranges, often with notice. Let us know what parking is near you at the measuring visit, so we can plan the day around it.
Are alcove units spray painted or hand painted?
Either a spray-painted or a hand-painted finish. A sprayed finish is very smooth and even. We will help you choose at the design visit.
Will alcove units block the chimney vent?
We design around any vent so it stays open. Ventilation helps keep a capped chimney dry, which protects the units as well as the wall. If there is damp on the breast already, it’s best sorted before fitting.
Will alcove units fit if my walls are not straight?
Yes. Each alcove is measured at the measuring visit, then the units are made at our workshop and scribed to the walls when we fit them.
Do both alcove units have to match?
That depends on how you use the room. The two alcoves are often slightly different sizes. They can match in style while doing different jobs.
Is it time for alcove units?
Some homes already have alcove cupboards, but they’ve seen better days. New units are a chance to rethink how the space works.
If you recognise any of these, it is worth talking to us:
- Old alcove cupboards that have seen better days
- Cupboards in keeping with an older house
- Standard units leaving gaps at the sides
- Everyday clutter left on show
If you live in a flat close to Elstree & Borehamwood station, the lift, the stair turns and the front door all set the largest piece that can come in.
What to check before you book
- Whether they can show you real projects they’ve done
- Who does any electrics, plumbing or gas work
- How the furniture will be finished, and where
- How doors and drawers are fitted
Nearby places to Rowley Green
More for homes in Rowley Green
What happens on fitting day
There is not much for you to do on fitting day. We need someone to let us in at the start, and the room should already be cleared, as we’ll have talked about during the design visit. After that, it’s over to us: the floors are covered, the sections come in and the fitting begins. How long 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. Fitting day means carrying in the sections, joining them and fitting them to the walls. Spray-painted pieces come finished from the workshop, while hand painting can happen on site. Saturday fitting is possible by prior arrangement.
- To begin, message us from the contact page; a brief note on the alcoves is plenty.
- 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.
Preparing the room
- Clear the walls of pictures and shelves
- Book any lift and let the concierge or building manager know
- Empty the space we will be working in
Arranging a design visit
To get a quote, use our contact form and let us know which room you have in mind and roughly what you’d like. We then arrange a design visit to measure and go through the design, and a written quote follows.
Read more
Boards, parts and paint
Spray-painted finish
Spray painting is done in the workshop, for a smooth and even finish. It suits a crisp, modern look as well as a classic one.
Plinths and scribe strips
A plinth lifts the cupboard off the floor and hides any slope. It can be set to line up with the skirting.
Where other trades come in
We are carpenters, so some jobs belong to other trades. It is useful to know these before you plan the job:
- Any structural work on the chimney breast
- Treating damp in the chimney breast or walls
- Making good damaged walls before fitting
Not sure whether your space suits alcove units? You can get in touch through our contact form and we’ll tell you. Our process from visit to fitting.
Materials and parts
- Scribed side panels
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Birch plywood
- Spray-painted finish
- Hand-painted finish
- Adjustable shelves
- Panelled or flat doors