Example photo by Jelezniac Bianca on Unsplash, not our project
Barnet · London
Colindale Built-in Bookshelves
We make built-in bookshelves for homes in Colindale, designed around the room you have. Your built-in bookcase is designed at a visit to your home and made in our workshop.
- Bare walls that could hold shelving
- A home library or study
- Space for art books and records
Need built-in bookshelves in Colindale?
Fitting day, step by step
Getting everything level comes first. Floors are often out of level, so adjustable feet or a plinth take up the difference, which keeps the lines straight. Only then is it fixed to the wall, with fixings chosen to suit brick, lath and plaster or plasterboard. On the day, floors are covered first and the sections brought in. The pieces are levelled and fixed with fixings that suit the wall. Any hand painting can be finished on site.
- To begin, use our contact form; a brief note on the books and objects you want on show is plenty.
- We visit to measure, check how the wall is built and plan the spans, because long shelves under heavy books need a thicker shelf, a lip or a support.
- Your written quote sets out the shelving and the finish.
- The bookcase is built in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, with shelves stiffened where they span furthest.
- We fit it in your home with fixings that suit the wall, and a hand-painted finish, if you chose one, follows on site.
Preparing the room
- Let us know about any meters, fuse boards or boilers in the area
- Have your electrician move any sockets or switches beforehand
- Leave a clear route from the front door to the room
Getting a quote
To get a quote, send us a few details through our contact form and tell us which room you have in mind and what you want the furniture to do. From there, we arrange a design visit to measure up and talk through your ideas, and a written quote follows.
Related advice
Built-in bookshelves in Colindale
In period rooms, shelving has to meet skirting boards, picture rails and cornices. We can cut around them, stop below them or run neatly up to them, whichever suits the room. Since period walls are rarely flat, the edges are scribed to follow them. If you are living with shelving behind a desk for books and files and empty alcoves that could hold books, that’s what built-in bookshelves are for, made from moisture-resistant MDF and strong birch plywood, with a painted finish.
Most internal walls in homes from recent decades are plasterboard on studs, and the board will not carry a heavy load on its own. That matters around Colindale, as many homes there date from 2000 onwards: heavier pieces stand on the floor and are fixed back into the studs, and shelves use fixings made for the board where there’s no stud.
A quote in writing is the clearest record of what we have agreed. It sets out the built-in bookcase designed for your room, its materials and its finish.
- Where
- Colindale (NW9, NW4, HA8)
- Borough
- Barnet
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Making
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Materials and finish
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Fitting days
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Enquiries
- Send us a message
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Common questions about built-in bookshelves
I live near Hendon station. Is that in your area?
Yes, homes across Barnet and the rest of London are within the area we cover. To get started, you can send us a few details through our contact form with a few details about the room.
Will parking be an issue for fitting furniture in Colindale?
It can be, depending on whether your street is in a controlled parking zone. A van may need a visitor’s permit, a paid parking bay or a 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.
How are built-in bookshelves fixed to the wall?
It depends on the wall, which is why we look at it first. We fix bookshelves with fixings that suit the wall into sound structure. Where a wall cannot take the load, we will say so and suggest another approach.
How do I get a quote for built-in bookshelves in Colindale?
The first step is to tell us about the room on our contact form with a few details about the room. We then arrange a design visit, measure up and send a quote in writing.
How do you decide on shelf depth?
That depends on your books. Paperbacks suit shallow shelves, while large books and records need deeper ones, so many people mix depths. We measure your largest books and plan the depths with you.
Can you build shelves over a doorway?
Yes. We can build shelving either side of a door or window with shelves above it. It uses wall space that is often left bare.
Built-in bookshelves in Colindale: local notes
The biggest shares of homes in the streets around Colindale were built since 2000 (about 50%) and between 1919 and 1939 (about 24%), according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). The age of a home tells us a lot about its walls, floors and ceilings, and so about how built-in bookshelves are fixed and fitted. The National Heritage List records 8 entries within half a mile of the centre of Colindale. Being near listed buildings doesn’t make a home listed, and you can check any address on Historic England’s list. More than a third of the homes in the neighbourhood around Colindale (about 50%) were built since 2000, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). Newer homes usually have plasterboard stud walls and open-plan rooms, often with no chimney breast, so built-in bookshelves are fixed into the studs or stand on the floor.
If you live near Sunny Hill Park, built-in bookshelves can be arranged to keep the window and the light clear. For a flat near Hendon station, built-in bookshelves are made in sections sized for the stairs, landings and lift, so measuring the route matters as much as measuring the room.
Colindale is in the London Borough of Barnet, about 3 miles east of Finchley. Wherever you are in Colindale, it works the same way: we visit and measure, send a quote in writing, make the furniture in our workshop and fit it. Our work takes in places right across Barnet, from the busiest high streets to quiet residential roads.
We cover every part of NW9, NW4 and HA8 for built-in bookshelves. Whether you live on a street like Cecil Road, Booth Road and Ajax Avenue or on one nearby, we can visit to measure up for built-in bookshelves. Colindale is near the A5150, so if your home is on a main road, mention it when you get in touch. Other places close to Colindale include West Hendon (1 mile south), The Hyde (1 mile south), The Burroughs (1 mile east), Hendon (1 mile south-east) and Kingsbury (1 mile south-west). Other parts of Barnet we cover include Finchley (3 miles east), Barnet (5 miles north-east), East Finchley (3 miles east), Whetstone (4 miles north-east), Edgware (2 miles north-west) and Friern Barnet (4 miles east).
Local landmarks in Colindale
Around Colindale, we cover homes near Saracens High School, Moon Under Water pub and Kisharon College. For rail, the closest station is Hendon station, roughly 1 mile south-east. Well-known places in the area include Edgware Community Hospital (1.3 miles north-west) and Church Farmhouse Museum (0.9 miles east). Not far away are Copthall South Fields.
Flats, conversions and leaseholders
Leaseholders should check the lease before anything is fixed to the walls. Some leases need the building owner’s consent for alterations, which is worth sorting early. We can’t advise on your lease.
If your building is on a red route or a busy main road, unloading takes some planning. Red routes are run by TfL and have strict stopping rules, so it is worth raising during the design visit.
What affects the cost of built-in bookshelves
Every room is different, so every job is quoted on its own. This is what makes the difference:
- Walls and floors that are out of level or out of square
- The number of doors and drawers
- How big the furniture is
- Parking near your home
In London, parking can affect the price. Much of London is covered by controlled parking zones, so we may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a suspended bay near your home. It helps to talk about parking during the design visit.
Getting in touch
What helps most when you first contact us:
- Pictures of styles you like, if you have any
- A few photos of the space, taken from the doorway and from each corner
- Whether it is a house or a flat, and if there are stairs or a lift
- Where you live, with the postcode
You do not need exact measurements to get started. We measure everything properly at the design visit, including how level the floor and ceiling are. To arrange it, use our contact form and let us know about the room. You receive a written quote after the visit.
What prompts built-in bookshelves in Colindale
Working from home is another reason. Shelves for books and files close to the desk make the day easier. Cupboards below can hide the less tidy things.
A few of the things people ask us to solve include:
- Low shelves children can reach
- Shelves that suit a period room
- Bowing shelves in an old bookcase
- Alcoves beside the chimney breast going to waste
If you live in a period home close to St Matthias the Apostle church, picture rails and cornices give built-in bookshelves a line to finish at.
Questions to ask before you hire anyone
- Do they scribe the furniture to the walls?
- Real projects you can actually look at
- How the doors are hung and adjusted
- Whether the quote follows a visit to your home
Nearby places to Colindale
More for homes in Colindale
Tips worth knowing
A little care keeps the finish looking good, whether it was spray painted or hand painted. Here are our suggestions:
- Ask your electrician about sockets early
- Tell us about parking and access at the design visit
- Decide whether you want doors on the lower section
- Tell us where the heaviest things will go
Leave a little air behind books on an external wall so air can move. Watch for any musty smell or marks.
Do not load shelves beyond what they were planned for. If you plan to add a heavy collection later, say so during the design visit, so the shelves can be sized for it.