Example photo by Franco Debartolo on Unsplash, not our project
Redbridge · London
Aldborough Hatch Window Seats
Window seats for bays and under sash windows, with storage inside, designed for your room in Aldborough Hatch. After a design visit and a quote in writing, it is made at our workshop and fitted in your home.
- A bay with no furniture that fits
- Wanting a seat without blocking the radiator
- A period room that needs furniture to suit it
Need window seats in Aldborough Hatch?
How we make window seats for Aldborough Hatch
Bay windows are common in period homes, and they make a natural place for a seat. Bays have angled sides, and their walls are seldom square or flat. Each side is measured and the seat is scribed to fit, so the seat follows the bay exactly. It is a job that suits bespoke work, in Aldborough Hatch or anywhere else. People typically come to us about wanting a seat without blocking the radiator and wanting a quiet place to read, and the answer is made in our workshop from MDF made to resist moisture and birch plywood, then spray-painted or hand-painted.
Coats, shoes, bags and the vacuum cleaner all need somewhere to go in a family house. With interwar houses, semis and detached homes a large part of the housing around Aldborough Hatch, well-planned storage by the door or under the stairs can take a lot of it. Meters and fuse boards stay easy to reach.
Where other trades are needed, for instance an electrician to move a socket, we point that out, so it can be arranged before fitting day. Our quote covers the carpentry: the design, the materials and the finish.
- Place
- Aldborough Hatch (IG2, IG3, RM6)
- Borough
- Redbridge
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- First step
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Where it is made
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Made from
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Fitting days
- Weekdays, and Saturdays by prior arrangement
- Get in touch
- The contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
How we price window seats
To work out the quote, we look at:
- Hanging rails, shelves, drawers and other fittings inside
- The overall size of the piece
- Tricky walls, sloping ceilings and uneven floors
- Access to the room, like stairs, lifts and narrow halls
The finish affects the cost: spray painting is done in the workshop, while hand painting can be done on site. Your choice, along with the size and the fittings, is reflected in the written quote.
Helping us understand the room
To give us a picture of the room, it’s useful to include:
- The postcode, so we can plan the visit
- Pictures of the whole wall or room, including the floor and ceiling
- Rough sizes, even if they’re only to the nearest few centimetres
- The type of home and how the room is reached
There’s no price list: each design is priced in writing after we’ve seen the space. Because every room is different, the quote comes after the design visit, when we have measured up and talked through the design. To arrange a visit, message us from the contact page.
Questions we’re often asked
Can you make window seats for a home in Aldborough Hatch?
Yes, Aldborough Hatch is within the area we cover, which takes in all of Redbridge and the rest of London. The first step is a design visit, where we measure and discuss the design, and then we send a quote.
Can you fit furniture in a home close to Goodmayes station?
Yes, homes across Redbridge and the rest of London are within the area we cover. To get started, you can drop us a line using the contact form with some details about the room.
Should I choose a lift-up lid or drawers?
It depends on what you’ll store and how often you’ll reach for it. A lid gives access to the whole space, good for blankets and occasional things, while drawers mean you do not have to move the cushion.
Will a window seat work below a sash window?
Yes. We set the seat below the cill, so the sash still works. Where there are shutters, the seat is planned so they still open fully. These details are measured when we visit.
Does someone need to be home during the fitting?
Someone needs to be there to let us in. You do not need to watch us work, though we like to go over the furniture with you at the end.
Do I need permission in a conservation area?
Not normally. Conservation areas mostly control changes to the outside, and fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. Listed buildings are different: check with the council’s conservation officer first.
Also near Aldborough Hatch
More for homes in Aldborough Hatch
Caring for painted furniture
Most of what helps is simple. What we’d suggest:
- Note the position of any radiator and its pipes
- Think about whether you’d like shelves either side
- Make room so the whole bay can be measured
- Bring paint colours you like to the design visit
In winter, windows can run with condensation, so keep the area behind the seat dry. Opening the window for a while helps. If anything is not right with the seat, drop us a line using the contact form and we’ll talk it through.
Do not block the grille with cushions or things stored in front of it. A clear grille keeps the room warm and the seat at an even temperature. Things stored near a radiator stay warm, so choose what goes there with that in mind.
How fitting day works
There is not much for you to do on fitting day. Someone needs to let us in, and it helps to have the room cleared beforehand. From there, we protect the floors, bring the furniture in and get on with the fitting. How long fitting takes depends on the shape of the bay or recess and what goes under the seat, and the fitting days are agreed in your quote. A front path or side gate can make the carry from the van simpler. Gates, paths and steps up to the door are part of the route we measure. Floors are covered from the door to the room.
- You let us know about the window and the room.
- At the design visit, every side of the window is measured. Then we go through the seat height and storage.
- We agree the seat, the storage and the finish, and send a written quote.
- The seat is made in our workshop and painted in your colour.
- We fit it in your home and check every lid and drawer with you.
Getting ready for fitting day
- Arrange any electrical changes with your electrician beforehand
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
- Move anything in the hall or on the stairs out of the way
Getting a quote
The design visit is where every quote starts. We measure the room properly, check how the walls and floors run and talk through the design with you. A quote in writing follows the visit, so you can take your time with it. To arrange the visit, message us from the contact page.
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Making use of tricky spaces in Aldborough Hatch
In the area around Aldborough Hatch, the largest groups of homes date from between 1919 and 1939 (about 46%) and between 1945 and 1972 (about 20%), based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. We take that into account at the design visit, since older and newer walls take different fixings. Near the centre of Aldborough Hatch, Historic England’s list includes Church of St Peter (Grade II), less than half a mile north, and Aldborough Hatch Chapel (Grade II), under half a mile north-west. If your own home is listed, internal works that affect its character, such as fixing into or removing original joinery, can require listed building consent. Check with the council’s conservation officer first. Red routes, run by TfL, have strict rules on stopping and loading. If your home is on or just off a main road, it helps to mention it. We will plan where the van can stop.
The wider area includes historic houses like Valentines Mansion, about 1.6 miles west. For a period home anywhere nearby, window seats can be scribed to follow a bay that is rarely square. Close to Fairlop Waters? Window seats can be designed to hold outdoor kit, from walking boots to picnic things. For a flat near Goodmayes station, window seats are made in sections sized for the stairs, landings and lift, so measuring the route matters as much as measuring the room.
Aldborough Hatch is part of the London Borough of Redbridge, about 3 miles north-west of Woodford. We work across all London boroughs and the City of London, and Aldborough Hatch is part of that. We cover places right across Redbridge, large and small.
Every address in IG2, IG3 and RM6 is within our area for window seats, from the main roads to the quieter streets. If your home is on a street like Oaks Lane, Chase Lane and Mendip Road, or close by, we can visit to measure up for window seats. Aldborough Hatch sits close to the A12. If your home is on one of them, tell us at the design visit, as some main roads have strict stopping rules. We also cover Goodmayes (1 mile south), Chadwell Heath (2 miles east), Becontree Heath (2 miles south-east) and Becontree (3 miles south-east). Other parts of Redbridge we cover include Woodford (3 miles north-west), Ilford (2 miles south-west), Loxford (2 miles south), Wanstead (3 miles west), South Woodford (3 miles west) and Redbridge (2 miles west).
Local landmarks in Aldborough Hatch
Our area takes in the homes around Oaks Park High School, among other places. The nearest railway station is Goodmayes station, roughly 1.2 miles south-east of the centre. Well-known places in the area include King George Hospital (less than half a mile east) and Redbridge Museum (2 miles south-west).
Flats, leases and landlords
Leaseholders should check the lease before anything is fixed to the walls. A lease can require consent from the building owner for alterations, which is worth sorting early. We cannot give advice on leases, so check it yourself or ask your managing agent.
For flats on red routes or busy main roads, getting the furniture from the van to the door needs planning. Red routes are run by TfL and have strict stopping rules, so it is worth raising at the design visit.
Boards, parts and paint
Hand-painted finish
Hand painting gives a slightly softer look than spraying. It can be applied on site, in a colour agreed with you. It can be matched to the window woodwork.
Birch plywood
Birch plywood is strong and holds screws well. It suits the frame and the seat top, which take weight every day. The edge can be left on show or painted.