Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Greenwich · London
Well Hall Alcove Units
Cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast, for homes in Well Hall. We make each piece in our workshop and fit it in your home, with a spray or hand-painted finish.
- Empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast
- Somewhere to keep books and records
- Clutter with nowhere to go
Alcove units designed for your room
What we do not do
We make and fit furniture, and we do not do electrics, plumbing, gas, plastering or structural work. There are a few other points to bear in mind:
- Redecorating, which is for your decorator
- Electrical work, such as new sockets or switches, which is for your electrician
- Replastering, which is a plasterer’s job
Not sure whether your space suits alcove units? You can fill in our short enquiry form and we will tell you. Our process from visit to fitting.
What goes into it
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Scribed side panels
- Birch plywood
- Panelled or flat doors
- Spray-painted finish
- Adjustable shelves
- Hand-painted finish
How we make alcove units for Well Hall
Most Victorian and Edwardian terraced houses have a chimney breast in the main rooms, with an alcove on each side. Alcove units turn that space into cupboards and shelves that look as though they belong there. If your home in Well Hall has alcoves like these, each alcove gets a unit designed for it after we’ve measured them at a design visit. If you are living with units that sit well with original features and tired cupboards in the alcoves, alcove units made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, finished by spray or by hand can solve it.
Many houses from between the wars, and many semis, have been extended or opened up inside, which matters around Well Hall, where homes like these are a big part 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.
Everything we agree at the design visit goes into the written quote: the layout, what goes inside, the materials used and the finish. If you’d like to change anything, it’s easier before the furniture is made.
- Where
- Well Hall (SE9, SE3, SE12)
- Area
- Greenwich
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Making
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Materials and finish
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Fitting days
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by arrangement
- Contact
- Send us a message
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Neighbourhoods near Well Hall
More for homes in Well Hall
Flats, blocks and rented homes
A lot of London’s terraced houses are now converted flats, and that often means a shared hallway and a tight turn on the stairs. We plan the size of each section around it, after measuring the route at the design visit.
If the property is let, we will need access agreed with the tenants. An agent can arrange access for you, and the written quote can go to whoever needs it.
From workshop to your room
Fitting day follows a set order: floors are protected, the sections come in, everything is levelled, scribed to the walls, fixed and finished. At the end, we tidy up and go over the work with you. How long fitting takes depends on how many alcoves there are and how tall the units go, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. Loft stairs in an interwar house can be tight, with a low ceiling at the top, so pieces for a loft room are sized for the narrowest point. Elsewhere in the house, the route is usually more generous. The pieces are joined and fixed once in place.
- To begin, drop us a line using the contact form; a brief note on the room and the alcoves is enough, and mention if you live in a flat or up a few flights of stairs.
- At the design visit we measure the alcoves and also the way in: the front door, the hall and any stair turns. It helps to tell us then about parking, as much of London is in a controlled parking zone.
- We then send a quote in writing for the units.
- The units are made in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, in sections sized to come through your door.
- On fitting day the sections come in, are joined in place and scribed to the walls.
Before we arrive
- Check the building’s rules for trades and lift bookings
- Tell us about parking near your home
- Have your electrician move any sockets or switches beforehand
Getting a quote
Rough measurements are fine at the start. We measure everything properly at the design visit, including how level the floor and ceiling are. To get started, send us a few details through our contact form and let us know about the room. The written quote follows the visit.
Read more
DIY, flat-pack or bespoke
Off-the-shelf cupboards come in fixed sizes, so there is often a strip of wasted space at the side or above. Furniture we make is built to the room’s own sizes, so it can run to the ceiling and fill the width.
Bespoke work comes into its own in rooms that aren’t square. Older London rooms tend to have leaning walls, sloping floors and alcoves of different widths, and standard units leave gaps.
Living-room storage in Well Hall
About 58% of the homes in the area around Well Hall went up between 1919 and 1939, and about 22% before 1919, on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. Knowing roughly when a home was built helps, because walls and fixings change from one era to the next. Well Hall is partly covered by a conservation area, according to Historic England’s records. Being in a conservation area mainly affects changes to the outside of a building, and fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. If you want to be certain, ask the council’s planning team. About 43% of households in the area around Well Hall live in detached or semi-detached houses, in the ONS Census 2021 figures. A house like that typically has more rooms to plan around than a flat, and sometimes a driveway that makes unloading easier.
If your home is one of the older houses near St Barnabas, walls that bow and floors that slope are why alcove units are scribed to fit rather than pushed into place. If your home is as old as some of the listed buildings nearby, like Well Hall Art Gallery, original features like shutters, panelling and fireplaces are worth designing around. For a listed home, fixing into original features can need listed building consent. If you live near Eltham Common, alcove units can be planned to frame a window with a view rather than block it.
Well Hall is about 2 miles north-east of Plumstead, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Homes in Well Hall are part of the area we cover for alcove units, as part of our work in every London borough. We cover places right across Greenwich, large and small.
We make alcove units across SE9, SE3 and SE12. Whether you live on a street like Haimo Road, Lassa Road and Brome Road or on one nearby, we can visit to measure up for alcove units. Close by, we also work in Kidbrooke (1 mile north-west), Eltham (1 mile south), Middle Park (1 mile south-west), Shooter's Hill (1 mile north-east) and Horn Park (1 mile south-west). We also make alcove units in nearby places such as Plumstead (2 miles north-east), Greenwich (3 miles north-west), Woolwich (2 miles north), Westcombe Park (2 miles north-west), Maze Hill (3 miles north-west) and Coldharbour (2 miles south).
Near you in Well Hall
Around Well Hall, we cover homes near Eltham Hill School, The Banker's Draft pub and Thomas Tallis School. There’s a railway station in Well Hall itself: Eltham station. Well-known places in the area include Eltham Community Hospital (0.6 miles south) and Rotunda (1.9 miles north). Green spaces nearby include Birdbrook Road Nature Reserve.
Questions from Well Hall
Does a conservation area in or near Well Hall affect fitted furniture?
Normally not: conservation area rules mainly cover the outside of buildings, and fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t 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.
Do you cover homes near Eltham station?
Yes, homes across Greenwich and the rest of London are within the area we cover. You can drop us a line using the contact form to arrange a design visit.
How long will the fitting take?
How long the fitting takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. Most of the making happens in our workshop.
Should both alcoves have the same units?
That’s your choice. A matching pair balances the chimney breast, but you might want a desk on one side and cupboards on the other. Shared details, such as the plinth and paint colour, keep them looking related.
Will alcove units block the chimney vent?
Any vent is kept clear in the design. Air moving through a capped chimney helps stop damp. If there is damp on the breast already, it is best sorted before fitting.
How do I get a quote for alcove units in Well Hall?
Just tell us about the room on our contact form. Rough sizes and a few photos help, and we’ll arrange a design visit, followed by a written quote.
Before and after fitting day
People planning alcove units often ask about these. They’re worth knowing whatever the room:
- Note any vent or air brick on the chimney breast
- Make a rough list of what the cupboards need to hold
- Think about how the units meet the picture rail and cornice
- Talk to your electrician early if you want new sockets
To clean painted units, a soft cloth that’s barely damp is enough. Skip scouring pads and harsh cleaners, which can dull or mark the paint. Wipe it dry when you’ve finished.
Spread heavy loads and keep the heaviest things on lower shelves. Most sagging comes from shelves carrying more than they were planned for.